Curiosity Roving : V.10 : Omward Bound
Curiosity Roving
The Grand Adventures of Rose Goossen
V.10 : Omward Bound
in which we spiral back to the source
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Greetings and Salutations!
And welcome to the tenth volume of Curiosity Roving. I thank you kindly for your attention. For new subscribers, a special hi-hi and thankee-kindly. You join this odyssey already in progress, and if you'd like to get up to speed on the various escapades that have brought me to the here and now, you have the option to review my letter archive: https://tinyletter.com/curiosity_roving/archive
I'm writing to you today from Chai Garden Ashram, located at 420 Waterfall Road near the village of Cristo Rey in the Cayo District of Belize. I have been here since the beginning of February, and it is wonderful. I have waited many years to get myself to this very particular place, and it brings me immense satisfaction to finally pull it off.
you don't sayBelize is a small country with an ethnically diverse population of nearly four hundred thousand people. It is still belongs to the British Commonwealth, and bears the signature merry olde stamps of English language dominance and a queen's head on every coin. The touristic slogan of Belize is "A Curious Place", so I am right in my element.
When I first cruised in on a series of buses from Cancun, I was immediately struck by the African feeling of the place. In the details, it reminds me of Swaziland. At the station, I changed my money at the same kiosk where I bought an instant coffee, and then picked up a local paper, the Amandala Friday Issue, which offered a front page spread with tawdry scandal and violence, and, deeper and stranger, an opinion column by a young woman who uses the same "stay curious" tagline with which I sign off on each of these missives. On the highway, large billboards are sporadically assembled, and they currently advertise nothing save their own availability. Although tourism is a developing industry, Belize has not yet generated an international profile to rival that of the neighbouring territories in Mexico and Central America, and it remains stunningly empty between the inhabited centres. Many signs are hand-painted, and the advertising targets a Catholic version of family values.
read all about itStatistically, about one-third of Belizeans are of African descent, through the Creole or Garifuna lineage of the Caribbean. A larger percentage are Hispanic, and a smaller percentage are Maya aboriginal. The country received an influx of Mennonite farmers in the 1950s, and many refugees from nearby Central American territories through the 1980s. Genetic diversity is the status quo, and although English is the primary language, patois and multilingualism seem to be more common.
intentional?I'm here as the guest of my old friends Evan and Laine, who own and operate Chai Garden Ashram. We became acquainted more than ten years ago through yoga, dance parties, and the great mothership of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and then I ran off to travel the world and they moved to Belize. With the wonders of social media, we've been able to keep track of each other this entire time. Their ashram is located on a beautiful piece of hillside property that they found abandoned, surveilled for some time, and moved into eight years ago. That is to say, it is technically a squat.
morning at the tentI arrived here just in time for the second iteration of Eternal Sun, their annual yoga rave, which I can now endorse as a unique and excellent small-scale gathering. Between February 7th and 9th, there were approximately forty people on site, who came from near and far to indulge in gong baths, morning chants, cacao ceremonies, asanas, deep breathing, starstruck kombucha, vegan conviviality, moonlit missions, and the general celebration of life. Nobody got here easily, or by accident, and the event was a fascinating petri dish of personalities interacting with circumstances.
evening with the neighbourThe ashram property drops off into a creek with a waterfall and a number of swimming holes. The water comes from a spring directly above the falls, and it contains minerals that build sedimentary rock where the water flows. A primed eye can spot an elephant in the years of accumulated limestone, with the water now falling over its hindquarters, and a blanket of vines on its back. It is a clear indication of the nation's rate of development that this gorgeous natural feature still remains unprotected, and unmonetized.
state of affairsThat will change. For the last few months, the ashram property has been shared with the Kax'Oxo (ka-sho-sho) family, who operate the Tropical Rainforest Institute of Belize (TRIBZ), a not-for-profit organization that promotes environmental protection. The project is under the leadership of Dr. Tehu Kax'Oxo, an engineer, and his wife Dr. Nika Tsato Kax'Oxo, a specialist in community development. I know the Kax'Oxo as neighbours, and they are a tribe unto themselves; weavers of webs, crafters of chants, authors of ritual, rockers of babies, drummers and dancers and deep-rooted wanderers.
buddha and bubblesOn a recent walk by the water, Evan proposed the idea that it is the destiny of spiritual people to become stewards of sacred land. Everyone who is now on site at the ashram has accepted that responsibility, and it is a great privilege to witness this space and these people as we all move through a nascent, transitional moment, with as much grace as we can carry.
the course of true love The word 'ashram' is derived from Sanskrit, and denotes a spiritual centre. Yoga is a big part of what we do from day to day. The paths which lead modern people to ancient practices are fascinatingly varied, so for today's Sauce, I wrote my own cheeky autobiography of a yogi.
Reader, I wish I could send you the smell of this air. I would love to sit you down in the day's first sunshine and teach you the morning call, then make us some tea with strong back and cacao shells, and show you the tarantula holes, the sensitive grass, and the tarpees. Wherever these words may find you, may the peace of this place find transmission as you read.
Until next time, stay curious. -- Rose
Appendix : Board The Arkestra
This small community is rich in knowledge, wisdom, facilities, and culture. Below, I've collected some links for the people and things around which my little planet has recently been in orbit.
Chai Garden Ashram's official website: http://belizeashram.com/
Official website of TRIBZ: https://tribztest.wixsite.com/tribzeco
Official website of TRIBZ: https://tribztest.wixsite.com/tribzeco
A little recap video for Eternal Sun: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oEzaiUT7VVUMTTNsoSRIbTkqlVi7eJyw
The albums of the Kax'Oxo family: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/SolNokIKIXIYakuTanIRootsArkest?fbclid=IwAR1ukglBaQKEFpqv66sRKL_x8S46dKlxAaamlxkG72tOT2xDhAKplgBT6W4
The kundalini kriya for spinal energy that I currently practice every day:
And the musical headliners of Eternal Sun:
Future Joy: https://www.futurejoymusic.com/
Mic Most: http://www.micmost.com/
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