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by Marina Muhlfriedel
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Sometimes we leave home intent on having a block-out-this-crazy-world vacation. We plan a long weekend to lounge by a pool or ocean side, imbibe pastel colored drinks, engrossed in the guilty-pleasure of a chick novel, six magazines in our oversized bag. For a few days we flatline the stresses of everyday life, then pack up, head home and leap right back into the race. Sound familiar?
Then there are the other kinds of trips. Ones that change us, inform, enlighten or touch us in ways that allow us to go home transformed. We become surer of who we are. We have made an effort, and in exchange, have removed a veil of awareness that allows us to now live life a little more broadly. This is the work of a journey or pilgrimage. It doesn't just happen to and for you - you must actively engage the experience and the more you engage, the more the experience will embrace you. A journey to Teotihuacan, or Teo as it is endearingly referred to is one of trips.
Just a 30-mile ride northeast of the hustle and bustle of Mexico City is Teotihuacan, home of the towering Pyramid of the Sun. While the people of Mexico have long referred to Teotihuacan as The City of the Gods, the area has been steadily gaining popularity not only with sightseers, but also with spiritual seekers from different corners of the world on a quest for an inroad to the legendary Toltec enlightened consciousness.
Many academics believe that during the Pre-Columbian era, from about 1500 to 1000 BC, Teotihuacan reached its heyday as the largest Mesoamerica city. Others place the inception of Teo's striking complex of pyramids, temples and palaces as late as 100 BC. There are however a growing number of people who share a deeper, more enigmatic theory, that the mystical Teotihuacan may be older, much older.
Teo was inexplicably abandoned long before the Aztecs settled in the area and dubbed it, “ The city where men became gods". Even modern travelers swear the place is imbued with an otherworldly sense of magical energy and wisdom.
The U.S. based company, Spirit Discovery , leads monthly, mind and spirit expanding five night, all-inclusive journeys to the area. W ith an engaging mix of Toltec wisdom and Buddhist practice underpinnings, the group provides entrée to the, “… sacred geography mapped by a mysterious lost civilization.”
Using the lovely Dream House, Casa del Suenos , in the neighboring town of San Martin as a home base, Spirit Discovery welcomes each small tour group to the adventure. Within the walled compound, the colors, art, food and hospitality ensconce each visitor in a rich, sensory compliment to both the personal journey and the immersion into the surrounding sacred landscape.
By day, in groups and as individuals, travelers trace the paths of Teotihuacan arranged as the body form of a two-headed serpent. They traverse the "Avenue of the Dead" toward the Pyramid of the Moon , commune with the ancient masters in the Temple of the Jaguars and the Palace of the Butterflies and culminate in a “spiritual reconnection” atop the Pyramid of the Sun .
Sound interesting? Hmmmmm… With the experience you gain by a journey to Teo, you well may never need a self-imposed flatline again. This is about digging deeper into life, not numbing yourself to it. This is about knowing and cherishing yourself and your life, all the time. It's about your dreams and your connection to the greater world.
For more information about the journeys, please visit www.spiritrecovery.com .
To learn more about Dream House please visit www.thedreaminghouse.com.
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©
Melt Magazine 2009
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