Shamanic Journey to Palenque with Gretchen Andersen

This very special itinerary is a weave of layered magical experiences. Each day is a doorway to a higher vibration and a deeper connection to spirit, guided by one or all of the Shamanic teachers who are your tour leaders. Their diversity of skills and knowledge is this tour’s strength and appeal. Please note that every day there will be a meditative form of spiritual practice and where ever possible, teachings will either be woven into the days’ activities or will conclude the day with discussion, shamanic magic and possibly one-on-one personal time with Gretchen or Miguel Angel, as time permits.

Arrival in Villahermosa, Tabasco.  No events planned.  Continental flight arrives from Houston after 9:00 pm.  There are other flights from México City that arriver earlier. Transfer from airport to hotel in Villahermosa. 
(Overnight in Villahermosa)

As we enjoy breakfast together, Gretchen Andersen and Miguel Angel will share introductions and an overview of events to come. 
 
Your sacred journey will start with an opening ceremony at the revered Pre-Columbian Maya site of Comalcalco.  Here you will set the intention of your sacred journey and start your exploration with blessings, and an ancient Maya ritual involving the cacao drink, Popó, which was highly prized as ‘food of the gods’.  During your visit, you will be introduced to the glyphs and mythology that permeate the Mayan culture, and start to tune into the site’s energy and cosmic connection.
 
With strong ties to Palenque, Comalcalco is the only known Maya site constructed of brick rather than stone.  Three major ceremonial complexes – the Grand Acropolis, the North Group, and the East Acropolis house several individual structures including the Palace and three spectacular Temples. In Temple VI there is a large stuccoed mask depicting the sun as Kinich Ahua (Lord of the Sun’s Eye), Temple VII has several figures of seated chieftains as well as a stylized two-headed serpent bordered by celestial signs.  It is said that the figures in the Tomb of Stuccoes represent the nine lords of the underworld.
 
We will return to Villahermosa via the Cacao Route.  
(Overnight in Villahermosa)

This morning, we visit the Parque Museo de La Venta, an archaeological, open-air museum where we will explore and connect energetically with the amazing animal sculptures, stelae and altars from the Olmec civilization.  Most significant are the colossal heads. Carved in basalt from a quarry some 75 miles away, some heads weigh up to 20 tons, and stand 10 ft high, and it remains a mystery how these figures were moved to their current position.
 
The Olmec civilization (1200-400BC) is the oldest known in Mexico and one of the first to develop glyphic script and to use numbers. In the afternoon, we will travel to Palenque, the Maya’s most important centre and one of the grandest Mayan ruins you will see. A full day’s exploration is scheduled on Day Five.
(Overnight in Palenque)

In preparation for exploring Palenque at its deepest levels, we will travel into the mountains to visit the beautiful, 115 ft high waterfall at Misol Ha.  

Here, we will participate in an ancient ceremony of purification and opening of the third eye so we may walk through the sacred lands of the Maya, in a heightened state of awareness, thus allowing us to receive the wisdom and hidden meanings of its architecture, art, and glyphs. 
 
As Mother Nature permits, we will walk behind the falls into the cave beyond which leads to another waterfall. 
 
We will then return to Palenque for an introductory visit to the site with Miguel Angel. 
(Overnight in Palenque)

With over 200 buildings of varying size and complexity, a full day has been set aside to explore the magnificent site of Palenque, both guided and independently. The tranquility and energy is so palpable here, we believe it important to provide personal time for quiet reflection.
 
We start our morning with a visit to the museum that showcases some of the most exquisite spiritual art pieces – Palenque is considered the ‘Cosmic University of Regnum Art’, before continuing on to a number of temples. These include the Temple of the Cross, the Temple of the Sun, and the Temple of Inscriptions which contains the tomb of Pakal the Great, the mightiest of Mayan rulers.  You may wish to descend the 80 ft. staircase to the tomb itself.
(Overnight in Palenque)

We depart early in the morning and stop at Selva Perdido (Lost Jungle) for breakfast. We will continue on to the Usumacinta River where a boat will take us to the site of Yaxchilan, one of the great sites from the Classic Mayan period (250-900AD).  

There are a number of excellent sculptures at the site - monolithic carved stelas and narrative stone reliefs carved on lintels spanning the temple doorways.
 
Here, we will conduct the ‘Ceremony of the Four Bacabs’ to open us to the four cardinal corners of the universe. In this way, we invoke a journey of natural flow and perfect harmony.  

In keeping with the shamanic nature of this trip, we will do the ceremony using the 13 cardinal points of the Maya Cosmos. 
(Overnight in Lacadón village)

This morning, we are privileged to share a small ceremony with the Lacadóns, the indigenous peoples of the Lacadón Rainforest.  They refer to themselves as the Hach Winik, meaning True People in their language and until contact was made approximately 50 years ago, they had lived in relative seclusion.  

Today, although they number less than 1,000, their Elders continue to inspire the community with mythological stories, dream interpretations, rituals and agricultural principles that are purely Mayan.
 
Bonampak MuralsWe then travel to the site of Bonampak, renowned for its highly detailed murals that tell the history of the people who lived there.  Bonampak means ‘painted walls’ and within the ornamental frescoes, you will learn about their symbolism, as well as their stories of battle, sacrifice and celebration.  After lunch, we return to Palenque.
(Overnight in Palenque)

By special invitation, we will hike through the jungle of Palenque to the Forgotten Temple, for our closing ceremony. Elements of this ritual involve water purification, crystal alignment, prayer and connection of our inner spirit to the greater spirit.  In this way, we will close this part of our spiritual journey as the clarity of our path is brought to heart, and therefore, brought into the future.
 
This afternoon we will travel to Villahermosa where we will enjoy a celebratory dinner together as we say our farewells.
(Overnight in Villahermosa)

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight from Villahermosa.