Down By the Riverside

San Pedro Cactus Flower
San Pedro Cactus Flower

 

We just got back from an awe-inspiring trip to Peru.  We went there specifically for Ayahuasca and San Pedro ceremonies in the Sacred Valley.
I’m still at a loss for words, but I can tell you that as I was lying on the ground, surrounded by the most magnificent mountains I’ve ever seen with beautiful birds singing all around me and so much LIFE happening, I thought of this song people have been singing since the 1800’s:

“I’m gonna lay down my burdens down by the riverside, I won’t study war no more”

In that state of total and complete surrender I understood this song on a whole other level, how simple and profound the message is.

In how many ways do I “study war?” What am I fighting in my daily life?  I’m not even talking about actual war, or even large social issues.  Just the tiny ways I am subtly (and not so subtly) aggressive towards myself. Fighting to get somewhere or be someone, achieve something. This constant quest denies my perfection and ultimate belonging right now in this moment.

There’s nowhere we could get to that would make us more whole than we already are.

I’m blessed to be here, I’m blessed to be an artist, to witness this world. In the words of Thích Nhat Hanh, “I have arrived, I am home, my destination is in each step.”

Here are a couple of verses of my new favorite song:

The Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley