In the midst of a global pandemic and the unveiling of the injustices of colonial systems around the world that has come with it, I was asked to pause and grasp to find a center for myself, to reevaluate once again who and how to be in the world. I was asked to reconnect to myself and to the life force as a way to grieve and understand a path opening up in front of all of us. This pause and slowing down around me led me to parts of myself I have neglected for years in order to cope with the survival needs of living as a foreigner in many lands. I know these parts of me have never left my body or soul, but I made an effort to not listen to them and exile them to keep myself protected.

The privilege of slowing down while witnessing loss on such a scale, led me to find my intrinsic value and reconnect once again with my own internal guidance for listening to sources beyond myself, to open up again to internal states of reflection where I could channel the visions that I know are sent from a large network of life. These visions, intuitions, and stories feel like a confirmation of what my colleague Eve Andry states: “feeling deeply is my connection to spirit.” I interpret these visualizations and images as bringing the unconscious to my conscious self, an unconscious that is cellular and spiritual, the stories stored in each of my body parts, my cells, and the beyond. 

Here in these visions is where the story of Mayavita comes in. 

On an afternoon of deep channeling of images and stories, I saw the majestic image of the frailejon, a plant from the Andes paramos. My body had a memory of this landscape, the soft sensation of the fuzzy leaves of the plant, and my face remembered the incessant mist in the cold air of these mountains, making this familiar and comforting. Then the fluttering of a large scarlet macaw settled in the top of a frailejon at sunset. My entire body felt mesmerized and in complete powerful relaxation. This vision of a rainforest tropical bird, the scarlet macaw, in an Andean ecosystem at 8,000 feet above sea level, did not seem strange to my mind or body; on the contrary it felt welcoming, like visiting an old relative.

I grew curious to know why this bird appeared to me in a landscape away from its home in the tropical rainforest. I wondered about the symbolisms and messages that my vision could have for me. After doing research and reconnecting with legends from the Andes, I came across the legend of Mayavita. This is a Chibcha legend from the Muisca people, who are the original, indigenous stewards of the Andean plains of central Colombia, home of the frailejon plants. The Muisca lands are one part of my homelands. Mayavita was a young Muisca woman who, through her creativity, her desire to explore new lands and reach where Xué (the Sun God) is born, created with her own hands to give life to the Scarlet macaw. At the end of this legend it states how the scarlet macaws become sacred messengers of Xué: the Muisca communities sent their prayers to Xué with the macaws after teaching them to speak, and they awaited Xué’s reply during the rare occasions when the birds came back to the Andes through trade.

I am humbled by the fact that this image came through my mind, soul, and body. I felt how special it was from the first time I saw this majestic bird on the frailejon. But then learning the connection to the legend of Mayavita and seeing my name as part of this Muisca woman opened up my heart to listen to and trust messages beyond my understanding. I felt as though Mayavita, Xué, and the Scarlet Macaw were watching over my journey of listening to the stories inside my mind-body and the desire to find healing with others. I honor the sacred messenger of Xué and its creator in the name of my practice and logo, Mayavita Expressive Arts Therapy and Facilitation.