“Keep close to nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” -John Muir
Aloha! My family just returned from two weeks on Maui. If you’re familiar with the island, we stayed in Haiku at the Bamboo Valley Inn. Since we were on the second story, it was a like a tree house surrounded in fifty shades of green with plants growing on top of plants growing on top of plants. It never stopped moving and was so full of life.
When we weren’t in the jungle, we were bathing in the clear blue water at one particular beach that had up to twelve green sea turtles sunbathing in the sand. A bit out from the shoreline, there were a group of rocks that broke the waves for us, so we spent hours each day swimming in water that came right up to my shoulders – watching the turtles come in to the beach and go out.
It was magical.
Now, I’ve been to some beautiful places in this world, but I’ve never done it without technology.
I’ve always had my phone, emails, and text messages. While I had definitely minimized it, I had not, up until this point, eliminated it. And let me be honest, I now know that when I was involved with Instagram, taking pictures was consuming and distracting. This time I traveled with an actual camera and haven’t shared my pictures with anyone.
For lack of a better description, I melted into this vacation. By day two, I didn’t know what day it was, what time it was, and I didn’t give a shit. I let it all go.
I think that is THE secret to a fabulous vacation:
Replace goddess-made nature with man-made technology and observe yourself.
I didn’t need a massage or an acupuncture treatment or an hour in the float tank. These are the tools that help me exist in the modern world, but I didn’t need them when I was being held in the ocean by Mother Nature.
Because here’s the deal: to me, a vacation isn’t really about a vacation. It is a distinct opportunity to observe yourself away from the day-to-day stress. It is about experiencing contrast, and if you travel with all of your devices, how the fuck are you going to do that? You can’t.
One of the defining aspects of technology is that it strives to automate – to make everything the same, to have consistent experiences. This is the exact opposite of nature, which is fully alive, flowing and animated by Spirit, not a manifestation of the human intellect.
One question that I consistently ask my clients who have a chronic health complain is: what happens to your symptoms when you go on vacation? Some immediately say that it gets better and that’s good information to have, while other clients just stare blankly at me and say, “Huh. I don’t know.” Both answers to this question illuminate something important:
At the heart of all healing is the ability to observe oneself. This involves being deeply in your body AND watching it at the same time. Whether you are on vacation or not, it involves doing something differently and seeing what shows up as a result of that change.
Case in point…over the past few months, I’ve noticed that I’ve had more pimples on my face. That’s not been a pattern for me. This is new and I’ve been struggling to figure it out. Once I got to Maui, it got worse. A lot worse. After a day of being there, I woke up with, like, three more breakouts. Then, I asked myself, “What’s changed?”
One word popped into my head: coconut. And then another word popped into my head: FUCK!
I immediately stopped eating coconut and didn’t have a single pimple for the remainder of our vacation.
So not everything gets better on vacation, and that’s A-OK. It’s your ability to observe your body that matters. It’s your teacher. The intelligence flowing through you is the same energy that’s telling those turtles, it’s time to rest on shore, and it’s time to go back into the ocean.
While I know that technology has its place in this world, I also know that we’ve gone too far and our addiction to it has disrupted our connection to ourselves.
But we can change. Next time you’re on vacation with your family, do what I did: say fuck it and leave your devices at home.
You just might learn something and profoundly relax in the process.
When objections arise (which they will), recognize them for what they are: your ego’s cry for significance. And that’s ok, you are significant – no one can do what you do, no one can bring what you bring. And in the same breath, you have to acknowledge the reality that the world will go on without you – both when you die AND when you decide to take some time off. Waking up to your insignificance is a spiritual experience. Don’t let technology rob you of it.
Vacation in peace, my friends!
Love,
Charlotte
P.S. – I’m so glad to be back here with you! Here are a few things I’d also like to share…
Book I finished on vacation – The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life by Dr Robert Becker. Wow. This book blew my mind on too many levels to share, but the bottom line is this: we are electrical beings, so all this invisible shit in the air in terms of radio waves connecting us to the internet, cell phones, smart meters, etc IS without a doubt affecting our bodies and our life force. And the biggest player in this nightmare is the military. I mean, I should have known, but I just didn’t get it. Wow. Wow. Wow. Published in 1985 and relevant AF. Beware that this book has small print and you’ll learn more about salamanders than you ever wanted to know, but it’s definitely worth it if you want to geek out.
Book I’m reading now – Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth by Francoise Bourzat. I’m half-way through this book and if you have any interest in or experience with psychoactive mushrooms, along with the medicinal use of MDMA and LSD, then this is a must read. I’m preparing for an experience, so I am really enjoying her perspective. This book is written both for participants AND the guides. On the relationship between creativity, wisdom and love, she says, “Creativity without wisdom can be chaotic and destructive. Wisdom without creativity can be static and lack the energy to manifest itself. Love without wisdom can be overly sentimental or reckless, and wisdom without love can be cool and detached. Creativity without love can be insensitive and mechanical, and love without creativity can become limited and repetitious” (p76). Yeah, read that a few times.
Moving on from great books, this is an awesome skin care product: Maui Vera. It’s the BEST aloe vera product I have ever come across. So soothing and leaves none of that sticky aloe feeling on your skin.
Last but not least, we visited the lavender farm on Maui. It was soooooo beautiful and they make a delicious tea from spearmint, chamomile, lavender and lemon balm. It’s called Kula Tea and it is a treat! I brought one box home and will definitely be buying more.
Alrighty, that’s all for now! Just a quick reminder that I’m here to support you in your healing journey. Here is my online scheduler if you would like some time together to fine tune your self-care. Thanks for being here!