How Pilgrimage, Plant Medicine, and Animal Spirit Allies Can Help Guide You
While going through old writings recently, I came across an account from my first pilgrimage to Wirikuta, the Huichol holy land where their sacred cactus peyote grows, which just coming out of Easter is timely to read. Easter celebrations center around the themes of death and rebirth and my experience with the Huichol on this pilgrimage center on the same themes.
We were camped for the night at Ruinas Quemada, ancient ruins where hundreds of years ago a major victory was won in a shamanic battle against Huichol enemies. That evening, sitting around Grandfather Fire Spirit, Tatewarí, I entered a visionary state with the help of sacred plant medicine, that was a powerful teaching on how pilgrimage, plant medicine, and animal and spirit allies can help guide you.
It was a beautiful clear night, the stars seemed closer and brighter for the lack of distracting city lights. A Huichol mother nursed her baby, the shaman prayed in her Native language against the silence of the dark surrounding desert. The feeling was peaceful, serene. I was transfixed by the sublime beauty of these ancient rhythms. It could have been ten thousand years ago. My bliss was disturbed when I experienced a rattlesnake crawling out of the desert and entering my body. Suddenly I was the snake itself! I felt no fear or anxiety, just awe and curiosity wondering what was coming next. It didn’t take long to find out. Just as I was adjusting to being a six foot long rattlesnake, an Eagle swooped down and snatched me up in its talons. The eagle flew straight up into night sky into total immersion with the sun. My awareness dissolved into oneness with light. There was only light. It was ecstasy.
I do not know how much time passed in this state that knew no time before before I gradually became aware of seeing a body lying on the ground by the fire. All others were asleep except the shaman, still praying softly for the pilgrims. To my surprise I slowly realized it was my sleeping body in its physical form as tomás that I was seeing. In the next instant, I was back in my body.
I didn’t get much sleep that night, excited by what I had just experienced going over it again and again in my mind trying to understand the medicine of two new power animals and a solar immersion journey. I felt blessed and grateful.
The next day I was talking to some elders about what I had seen in the vision, and then that's when they told me about Quetzalcoatl, the revered feathered serpent spiritual teacher for the people of ancient MesoAmerica. They said it stood for solar light whose energy was mystically connected with the morning star and that it was
Quetzalcoatl who had brought me medicine in the dream time. The serpent represents the Earth, the eagle the Sky, upper world and lower joined together in a sacred union as a transformational figure who, like Jesus for Christians, also died and was reborn. The figure of the feathered serpent can be seen on Mexican dollar bills and coins. It was the sign to the ancient Aztecs, the Anáhuac, that indicated where they were to build their capital city Tenochtitlan, on Lake Texcoco. Quetzalcoatl, death and resurrection, sacred marriage of seemingly opposites, solar journey into infinite light, new power animals, not bad for one night of visionary dreaming.
This medicine from many years ago lives in me today reminding me of spiritual resources and powers by which to live a good life. I share this account of medicine gifts with you in support of your sacred journey in which we all seek to Wake Up, Wise Up and Live Love Now. May it be so!
