Sacred Activism
I can guarantee that I’ve never been more excited to vote than this year. I feel so fortunate to be living in California where I am able to vote to support the labeling of GMO foods (Proposition 37). Since California is such a large state, from what I understand, it’s likely that the entire country would benefit from the passing of this initiative (having food companies label their entire supply, rather than that which is only shipped to California). So practical action steps like signing petitions (how this ended up on the ballot in the first place) and placing your vote are immensely important at this time.
Beyond these fundamental methods of creating change, I also like to practice what I call Sacred Activism. For me, this means gathering in community and co-creating positive changes with our earth through intentions, prayer and offerings. By bringing our passion for change to a sacred, ceremonial level, we are able to open up and access brand new possibilities and resources that aren’t available to us in voting booths. Through ceremony, we are able to create as the divine. Sacred Activism for Proposition 37 means showing pachamama (mother earth) that we are here to care for her and bring her back into balance, and in turn, we pray that she will support us in passing this essential initiative.
Sacred Activism is a big part of the reason I created the Sacred Food & Ceremony meetup in Santa Cruz. I believe that we can create beautiful and powerful shifts that will support our earth and all of its life when we work together in sacred space. We will be gathering to support GMO food labeling on Sunday October 14th. If you’re in the Bay area, please join us!
The First Sacred Food & Ceremony
Last Sunday, I hosted my first meetup for Sacred Food & Ceremony in Santa Cruz. It was an amazing day of sacred community prayer. I created a despacho ceremony where participants were invited to share their intentions and prayers for personal and global relationships to food.
Despacho ceremonies are regular occurrences with the Andean shamanic lineage that I work with. They are beautiful, mandala-like prayer bundles made from organic materials like rice, sugar, flowers, spices, beans, corn, chocolate, and so on. Prayers are placed in the despacho through the breath of all ceremony participants. The despacho is later burned, offering our prayers to spirit.
It was such a beautiful day! The group that gathered was full of love, gratitude and smiles. It was an absolute honor to share this with my new community. I’m planning on hosting a meetup like this each month, so please join us if you’re local!
Shamanic Healing Sessions in Santa Cruz
I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my shamanic healing practice! I’ve recently joined the exceptional team at People’s Integrative Medicine & Acupuncture in Capitola, CA.
People’s offers private and community Acupuncture treatments, Medical QiGong, Massage, Chiropractic, Naturopathy, and now, Shamanic Energy Medicine with yours truly! It’s a dream come true to be part of such a well-rounded wellness center.
I still have some spots open for complementary shamanic healing sessions. If you can make it to Capitola, I would love to work with you. Your first session is free until October 15, 2012 (or until my schedule is full).
If you’re not local, fear not! I will begin offering distance healing this November.
Shamanic healing sessions are especially beneficial in treating:
my altar setup on my first day at the office!
- emotional imbalances such as depression, anxiety, fear, repeating negative patterns and past traumas
- physical imbalances such as chronic illness, mystery conditions, acute pain, auto-immune conditions, and serious illness
- spiritual imbalances such as feeling lost on your journey, feeling disconnected from source and having a series of negative occurrences in your life
For a description of the services I offer and to book an appointment online, hop over here!
Sacred Food & Ceremony
For any of my local friends, I wanted to share a new meetup that I created! To merge my passion for pure, plant-based food with my latest studies in Andean Shamanism, I have just launched Sacred Food & Ceremony here in Santa Cruz, CA.
Let’s bring the sacred back to the dinner table through earth inspired ceremonies and the sharing of pure, organic, plant-based foods. We will sit in sacred space, explore ceremonies with roots in Andean Shamanism and enjoy food focusing on local, seasonal and living cuisine. In a time where many of us are hungry for change within our food system, we can gather as a community to create powerful transformations through simple but profound intentions and ceremonies. All are welcome to participate in creating this community of sacred foodies.
If you can make it (or pass it along to Bay area friends), our first event is happening on September 16, 2012.
I’m so excited to share this new creation with the world. Honestly, the wheels have been spinning on a version of this idea for years and it has just recently solidified into a beautiful reality. I’m beyond grateful!
Wellness Warrior ~ Foodie Friday Feature
I was so honored to share a super fun interview with Jessica Ainscough, The Wellness Warrior! If you don’t already know Jess, you must visit her site and hear her amazing story.
After you meet Jess, take a look at my interview and learn a bit more about what being a wellness warrior means to me! Plus, you’ll find one of my favorite recipes!
Wishes of Bliss!
Natalia
