The spiritual adventure I went on

Ayahuasca leaflet

Peru, December 2012

One of the things I have learnt as I have got older is that I like a challenge. It helps me to set goals and I enjoy working towards them. This particularly works in the "keeping fit" stakes for me.  If I set a challenge that is going to push me, it means I scare myself into doing it - hence planning to trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru with Elly. 

I met Elly on a girls surfing course in Croyde years back, when Louise and I hit the waves. Elly and Lorna were also there as a pair, and there was something really attractive about the pair of them - mainly their laughter i think, especially in light of Elly's poorly foot, she was still seeing the positive side of things - they showed good heart and Louise and I jumped at the chance of meeting them in the pub that evening.  A night at the Thatch in Croyde with 3 ladies who are darn good fun was fabulous!  I knew these ladies were keepers and i am so pleased that they are both still in my life.  We don't see each other often, but that doesn't matter, sometimes you just fall in love with someone because and you don't need to be there all the time. 

The whole trip to South America was not just about the trek though, there are so many ecosystems just within Peru that we wanted to travel around during the time we were there. We spent time at the beach, doing some surfing, in the City of Lima doing some sight seeing, of course trekking and also we went to the jungle to stay with my dear friend Caroline, who has now been living in Peru for about 5 years. Visiting her home in Tarapoto was an honour and a joy. Caroline and I became firm friends when at Highsted Grammar and she has always remained dear to me. We have our own trials and tribulations through life, but she has always been a loving soul and I hope I have been a touch of support to her that she has been to me. 

Tarapoto is the commercial center of the District and one of the larger metropolitan centers in the Amazon Rainforest.  Caroline has been doing a variety of work there - including legal translations, nature work and crystal healing and massages. Through her work with the massaging she has been working at a retreat HAMPICHICUY , (pronounced Hampi-chee-coo-ee), whose name in Quechua means "the place that heals" led by a native american shaman, Javier.

"Currently, the individual needs to "relearn" the manifestations of his conscious and unconscious, regain sensitivity to themselves, to their environment and awareness of the human condition that is linked recover their other senses to emotions, such as intuition and spirituality, so lacking in recent times."  Hampichicuy promotes spiritual development, taking in the world Indigenous Amazonian medicinal plant, an approach to the spiritual dimension that all living owns, develops and improves perceptions coexistence with the natural and social environment, generating communication and a balance between the rational and intuitive. Some of these medicinal plants are considered masterpieces "visionary" because while "cleanse" the body and "cure" the soul, reveal our essence as instinctive and intuitive sidelined by the intellect. They are also considered "sacred" because they represent the wisdom of various indigenous peoples and because through this know their traditional doctors have the "gift of healing".

With things that had happened to me over the last 6 years, I felt like I had lost a part of me, that it had shut down to block things out. I was aware that to "be" me , I needed to accept me, I just didn't know how to do it. Caroline, Elly and I spent many an hour discussing Ayahuasca, and how this may help me regain my own spiritual self as well as the scientific research that has links to altering genetic mutations... Since being diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome my fears of illness and death have elevated to levels that were affecting my every day. There were times when I began taking risks and trying to block pains out with alcohol and constantly being on the move, but this was taking its toll on me and becoming a vicious circle. I met Javier and we discussed the experience and it seemed right, albeit daunting... 

For centuries, Amazonian shamans have used ayahuasca as a window into the soul. The sacrament, they claim, can cure any illness. I had been struggling in my own body, not sure how to be Deborah, looking but seeing nothing,the idea of light seemed inconceivable. 

I purged... Never thought I would say I was in a room with a french man drinking a potion from berries that would make me vomit over 2 litres into flower pots... purging is to cleanse the soul, to be pure and hold no negativity before your experience. The ceremony began, 4 of us (and Caroline for translation). The shaman prayed, sang, smoked, covered us in tobacco smoke and then we drank.  I lay down, my mind swirling down a tunnel of light,oh the colors, the images, the things i saw! The emotional charge was high, especially some of my past that I saw, but it went, I SAW and more importantly LET it go.  I floated along the most beautiful colors and ribbons of light, I could feel the vision fading, i was returning to my body, in  a hut, in the jungle. A shaman smiling peacefully at me.

All the while Elly was watching Pirates of the Carribean eating cheetos, a night i would have liked too! 

Many things I learnt from this experience, that are too personal to say, and this experience was all natural and STRICTLY controlled. No illegal drugs were taken, nothing I did was damaging to my body or mind or breaking any laws. I will share with you, that in my opinion, the spirit and soul are precious, look after them and nurture them so that you can be true to yourself, because then you will find peace. 

The mountain I climbed

Challenge yourself...

October 2011

"Kilimanjaro. The name itself is a mystery wreathed in clouds. It might mean Mountain of Light, Mountain of Greatness or Mountain of Caravans. Or it might not. The local people, the Wachagga, don't even have a name for the whole massif, only Kipoo (now known as Kibo) for the familiar snowy peak that stands imperious, overseer of the continent, the summit of Africa.

Kilimanjaro, by any name, is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. When you see it, you understand why. Not only is this the highest peak on the African continent; it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland – elevation around 900 metres – to an imperious 5,895 metres (19,336 feet)."

http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/kili.html

So, what else would you do with a mountain like this? Well.. Climb it!

In my official remission year, to make sure mentally I knew that bowel cancer had NOT beaten me, I want to do something BIG. So found a mountain!

I got myself so excited looking at challenges that my friends Sarah and Clare decided they were going to join me - for what was originally planned as trekking the Inca Trail in Peru (later this happened the Christmas of 2012) changed to climbing Kili due to the organisers not having enough people for Peru. It was very humbling to realise that I have friends that were willing to cross the world, take on a challenge and spend pocket money for a charity that I really believed in.  Friends are what makes your life valuable so don't forget them. 

It was a very scary prospect, and I remember shaking as I rang my parents to tell them when I had booked it. Mother was a little dissappointed when she realised my big news was not that I was pregnant! The trek took loads of effort & training before we even left the UK - it meant long walks, finding hills and going up and down them repeatedly (there are not that many big hills in Kent) and basically pulling on my hiking boots whenever I had the chance. This did however, lead me to realise that I enjoy walking - it gives me quiet time, time to think, reflect and work through things that in the normal day to day life we may not have time for. Life is so very busy, remember to take time to "stop and smell the roses"

It also wiped out my bank account, but I figured I would have spent an equivalent amount of money on a beach holiday so it was not totally extravagant.  It genuinely was one of the hardest physical & mental challenges I have ever experience. But also one of the best things I have ever done in my life, and wouldn't change a thing! Family Kili together created such an amazing life experience.

A group of people from different walks of life, with their own reasons for the challenge, came together as a nervous bunch stood in Heathrow departures, but by dinner time in Africa we were all engaging and getting on well, raring to go the next day to climb the Machame Route

The Machame Route climb can be done in a minimum of six days (five nights) on the mountain. The trek begins at Machame Gate, located in the southern base of mountain, within its lush, fertile rainforest. The route heads toward the Shira Plateau, before circling along the southern circuit halfway around the mountain, exposing the climber to great views from all angles. The approach to the summit is made from the east, and the descent follows the Mweka trail. The Machame Route is approximately 62 km/37 miles from gate to gate. It is designed for physically fit people with some hiking experience. It was tough.

Support came from virtual strangers; we bolstered each other when we struggled. We cuddled each other when we cried. We laughed with each other when we succeeded. Getting to the point when you physically and mentally think you cannot carrying on - but holding hands and keeping on moving created feelings of great satisfaction and achievement. I was also supported by Vicki - who researched the route and wrote me notes to open for every day of the trek. Motivational letters to keep me going and help my morale. Accompanied by a little doggie teddy from Lennon, who was there to look after me. Apparently Postman Pat was too precious to come ;)These were so thoughtful and kind that they took my breath away. 

You can achieve most things that you really want to kids, so never be too scared to try.  I mean don't try to fly with your arms as wings, that won't happen. But most things are definitely worth a go.