Activation Maya 2005 - Consecration of Staffs of Activation

Activation Maya began with the consecration of the three Staffs of Activation. Aum-Rak, with Balaam and Stephanie, called forth the energies to lead us forth into this work of Integration and Activation.

Activation Maya 2005 - Ceremony of Union

After the Staffs of Activation were consecrated, we participated in a ceremony of UNION in front of the main temple of Topoxte, in which Chris Carlson and John Guilbeault were united through a traditional Mayan wedding ceremony performed by Tata Pedro.

Tzolkin and Walker

Tzolkin and Walker hanging out by the front gate. At 5 months, Tzolkin is already about the size of the other dogs.

This past weekend saw the arrival of Dr. Ariel Calderon, a denturist from Edmonton, Alberta who had fitted several people of our village with dentures when he was here last March. This week, Ariel placed the dentures he had made. Here we see Do�a Carmen with her new smile!!

Thanks to a donation by Tom Grote of Ohio, the Women's Group was able to buy their dance costumes in time to perform at Gringo Perdido the other night for a large group that included the son of the President of Guatemala, and his family. The group of women have been preparing to dance the Punta and the Meringue for Activation Maya 2005.

Mayan Folk Dance Class

The Women's Group are enjoying every moment of their classes with Caite. Here is the group that is learning traditional Mayan folk dances to perform at Activation Maya 2005 (www.activationmaya.com). There is also a ballet class and a youth dance class, as well as the huge drama group that have, as a group, written and are producing a play about the lives of the campesino women of the jungles

Kite Flying Follow-Up

The follow up to kite-flying in the jungle (see "Waiting for the Hurricane" on October 21). Until recently, this was not a problem!!

Cute Kids 1

All-Soul's Day Celebration in Guatemala

A couple of days ago we decided to do a post-All-Soul's Day visit to the Santa Elena graveyard to appreciate the customs of the area.

Computer Classes During School Holidays

Silvia, one of the young women from here in the neighborhood, has just begun teaching computer classes to several local children for the duration of the 3 month school holiday. She is starting with classes from 9 to 12 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She is being paid through funding collected by Jackie Lewis in Calgary.

Drama and Dance in the Jungle

Caite Mathis has returned to share her talents with the women of the El Remate Women's Group. Caite, who has a long list of dance and drama credits to her name, was here in June to teach for 5 days, and decided to return to prepare the women to be able to present a complete production. Their first presentation will be as an evenings entertainment for the Activation Maya 2005 event in December (www.activationmaya.com).

 

Happy Halowe'en or The Black Cats of Gringo Perdido

Recently I took our two black female kittens to Gringo Perdido to provide company for the big black male, and to help him with the mousing. He adopted them immediately, and has been both a mother and a father to them ever since.

The Women's Center of El Remate

Dona Juana went with me yesterday to see the final steps of the process of building the thatched roof that will be the new Women's Center of El Remate.

Waiting for the Hurricane

Like kids in all countries, the minute the breeze picks up the kites appear. Here are Meri and her brother playing down on the futbal field in front of the Cerro Cahui (Crocodile Hill) while the wind picks up as one of the many recent hurricanes went up the coast. Of course, there was no damage here ... we hardly even got any rain!

Tamales - A Group Venture

Making them ....

Selling them ...

A Natural Pesticide

The women lost most of their last crop from their Square Foot Gardens in this last season from the caterpillars and crickets. We tried several different natural pesticides like tobacco and garlic, with no success. Just recently, we discovered that the chiltepes (tiny wild hot peppers) can be boiled for 10 minutes and let to stand for 3 days to produce a very smelly but very effective natural pesticide.

Celebration and House Blessings

On Sunday, October 9th, the Women's Group gathered around the circle they have created in a grove of trees on their property at the top of the hill to celebrate the immanent construction of a thatched roof on their land Talks were concluded with the building contractor, Santos Melendez, who will commence construction on Friday. Rose and Martha Luz sign the contract on behalf of Global Coalition for Peace. When the formalities of the contract signing were over, Doña Blanca began serving the tamales for our celebratory dinner. The women had made this delicious batch of tamales from hearts of palm with a bit of potato. The children were lined up first to be served ... each one with a leaf to use as a plate.As the short twilight becomes night, we gather around the incense-filled sacred fire in ceremony to ask blessings on the site that has been chosen, on the construction of the new building, the activities that will take place within it, and the women who will be its occupants and caretakers.

Mayan Temple Activation Tour

For the last two days, Gringo Perdido has been home for a fantastic group of people, 12 of them, "The Companions of Destiny", who were on a Mayan Temple Activation Tour led by Shaun Martinz (right front). This was the first of what I hope to be many Spiritual Groups to discover the magic of doing ceremony over a grid of quartz and alabaster, located exactly in the center of the pinwheel of the American continent. 

Doña Nikolasa and Janet

Here are two of the beautiful women of the Women's Group as we gathered tonight to participate in a "Ground-Breaking Ceremony" for their new Women's Center. They have just received the financing (part grant, part loan) to build the round, thatched roof from Global Coalition for Peace and Rose and Martha Luz. This roof will give them the protection they need from the weather for their meetings.

Building and Teaching Gardening in Jobem Piche

Today, once again, Lino from Pro-Peten came in his pick-up truck to pick up Rose, Martha Luz, and about a dozen of the women of the women's group, to go to Jobem Piche, a small indigenous village just around the lakeside from us, to teach and construct some square-foot gardens.

Weeding the Garden

We are in a period of "goat exploration" in these days ... today I learned (amongst other things) that they don't like marigolds ... or maybe it is just not their first choice. From what I have seen so far, she could eat her way through my ornamental plants in no time if I let her free in the yard.

A Goat's-Eye View

SnowFlake looks over Project Ix-canaan while out for her luncheon walk. The clinic building is straight ahead, and the almost-finished library/computer center is on the right.

GuateVision Films Women's Group Meeting

Rose and Martha Luz have been sitting with the Women's Group for the last couple of days to discuss the contents of a set of by-laws that meets their needs. This afternoon, we were visited by 2 men from GuateVision who have been in the area filming a documentary of Peten. They interviewed us and took lots of footage of various things happening around Project Ix-canaan.