Pachamama Community 2017

Sound Chamber, Sweat Lodge, Meditation Hall and Forest Retreat Center

Elder and Co-founder: Nixiwaka Stirling

nixiwak@gmail.com
+27829279445
Co-founder: Txarani Harmse
txarani@gmail.com

Pachamama Forest Retreat Center, guided by Authentic Elder, Nixiwaka Stirling, and co-founder, Txarani Harmse, is a fledgling community of young hearts exploring alternative sustainable ways of living and being in the world. I met very interesting, creative, intelligent, artistic and lovely hearts here, and it was wonderful and fascinating to bear witness to their ideas and explorations.

Two years ago, Nixiwaxa, Txarani and several investors in their Community co-oped and bought a property by Knysna Forest, South Africa, that was formerly called The Lotus Garden, Osho Meditation Center, and have appropriately re-named this community and space, The Pachamama Forest Retreat.

Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. She is also known as the earth/time mother. In Incan mythology, Pachamama is a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting, embodies the mountains, and causes earthquakes.

This budding community is living close to the Earth Mother along with many sentient beings, such as primates, amphibians and amazing Wingeds to name a few. They have a splendid garden with lots and lots and lots of gorgeous nasturtiums to eat. Love the spicy radish tingle on my tongue! The Rainwater is their source of drinking water, showers and dishing. I love being nourished by the rain! The Fire! The Fire!!! So, the element of fire was REALLY appreciated by this Sacred Drifta'! It was raw and rainy outside for much of the time spent at Pachamama, and my hut was suuuuuper chilly! The huts were unheated and the only fireplaces are in the Meditation (Buddha) Hall and Nixiwaka's cabin. Brrrrrrrr! This area desperately needed the rain and so the discomfort was not worth complaining about. Cape Town was, and still is, down to 10% water reserves… a critical situation! So, back to THE FIRE!!!! Fire to warm the Buddha Hall. Fire to warm the shower water!!! Fire to light the out-of-doors gas kitchen-stove. Fire to warm the toes on a cold rainy day, and while I started writing these memoirs in November of 2017, from Nixiwaka's cabin, where there is only limited Internet from his phone, as well as a power source to plug in Maggie Mac. Kinda’ Cool to be OFF the GRID! :o))) The Elements of Air and Wood are FOR the Birds here in South Africa! I reveled in the bird sounds all day long, and at night, the amphibians and crickets sang their love songs! IT IS INCREDIBLE!!!! GLORIOUS!!!

After experiencing a challenging five weeks with the Wind Walker and Botshabelo Communities, Txarani, Nixiwaka and the Pachamama Community welcomed me graciously, respectfully, generously and with much loving-kindness! I felt emotionally restored living so close to the land and elements, and inter-being with their lovely hearts! :o)))

The Mission of Pachamama Healing Retreat Center

As co-founders of Pachamama, Nixiwaka and Txarani’s “original intention in starting this center, was to have a safe space where people are welcome to come for healing, and to learn about living sustainably, about connecting spiritually, and about how to balance themselves; their health, their well-being, their mental and spiritual bodies, and, how to be of service to the Earth by caring for the Earth and all beings; learning how to live harmoniously with each other.”

“So, the different modalities that the community currently employs are Sweat Lodge, Plant Ceremony Work, Yoga, Meditations and Sound Journeys. We also, grow our own food, use rainwater, utilize compostable toilets, and we are currently reforesting our land, because it is completely forested in non-indigenous eucalypt tree species that prohibit the growth of food and other indigenous trees and plants. So, we are slowly taking the eucalypt trees out and replanting indigenous trees to restore the indigenous forest at Pachamama near the Knysna Forest, of which we boundary. We are also building natural buildings and taking on volunteers and groups of people that want to work and learn how to build these sustainable systems and buildings with natural materials…to come and learn.” –TXARANI

About Nixiwaka

Nixiwaka, which is a Huxi Kuin name meaning Fire Keeper, has ironically had intimate experiences and connection with Fire. In this lifetime, Nixiwaka has experienced the complete burning of two of his dwellings, the Fire consuming everything, instruments and all. Nishi, as he is affectionately addressed, explained that after the second dwelling burnt to the ground, he walked out into his life to rebuild with only the two drums and a didjeridu (also spelled-didgeridoo) that were packed in his car for a Sound Journey. Pachamama is this Dream being rebuilt and danced awake.

At 27 Nixiwaka, then known as Niyan Stirling, was living in Cape Town as a fashion photographer. In his 30th year, Nishi’s studio burnt down. He had a vehicle and a dog and decided to go to a place called Rustler’s Valley, because they had free camping and a music festival he was interested in. Nishi, now unfettered and free to wander, wanted to explore the unknown and so off he went to the Free State, which is about 11 hours by car from Cape Town. Nishi loved Rustler’s Valley so much and stayed on. https://rustlers.wordpress.com/history/

Nishi started to build a Teepee Village and was asked to Tend Fire there for the Community. Then he started inviting West African Drum Masters to come and teach drumming workshops, and that is where he learned transcendental drumming. Whenever Nixi would play, *Sangomas that had a calling, or people who had a calling to become a *Sangoma, would start to experience their “ancestors waking up”, and would start channeling their ancestors.

As a result of experiencing what happens when he plays the drum, the *Sangomas recognized that Nixiwaka had the calling, the gift that connects him to the *Sangoma lineage. A few years ago, *Sangoma Elders approached Nishi and said that he needed to go through the initiation to become a *Sangoma. Once he was initiated with Gogo Numzamani and Gogo Nkulu of the Thokosa Sangoma lineage (the water spirits) he received the *Sangoma name, Gogo David. In 2007 Nixiwaka met Yawa Bane, a Huni Kuin (Kaxinawa) leader both politically and spiritually from Acre in Brazil. Yawa Bane became Nixiwaka’s teacher for many years, and on meeting Nishi for the first time gifted him the name Nixiwaka (pronounced Nishiwaka), a Huxi Kuin name meaning ‘the man of the fire’ or Fire keeper. Nixiwaka is now associated with 4 of the official traditional healing groups of South Africa.

*South Africa’s Sangomas, are known as rural and urban healers, whose traditional popular practice developed over thousands of years, and is expressed in how the physical, spiritual and ancestral worlds come together in one person.

Before Sacred Drifting to Pachamama I wrote Nishi and asked about his connection to Grandfather Beautiful Painted Arrow’s tradition and he wrote, “Jeanne White Eagle and John Eagle held the first Sound concert in Josephs tradition at my home, Marimba House, in 2001. (I think it was?) I had already been doing work with sound for about 6 years and had a circular building with a central fire, which we used for ceremony. It was not fashioned in the Style of Josephs lineage. However that burned down in 2007. And we built a new one, again in the African style. This was called Sunmoon House and was still recognized by Jeanne and John as a sound Chamber, and I have been on the sound chamber list ever since.

I helped Jean and John with the first seven years of the ‘For the One Dances’ at Rustlers Valley in South Africa as the Drum Chief. I also danced the last dance held there…. I also keep a good friendship with Sammye-Jo who I have spent a lot of intimate time with. . Many who are involved in the dances are my friends, and I continue to support the dances with positive energy.
However, now I have moved from Rustlers Valley. It was sold and I had to relocate to Knysna Forest. Where we are now in the process of Building a Sacred fire altar or ceremonial hut. It is not Joseph’s design. It is simply a Opá or ceremonial hut. It is a natural structure with a reciprocal roof and a central fireplace. Again this site has been recognized as a sound chamber probably because of my long standing friendship with Jeanne and John and they simply respect that I put a lot of energy into helping them when they first came to South Africa.”

I experienced Nishi as a humble-hearted generous and gentle man, with a gift to arouse the Ancient Ones who walked before, through sound! His singing, drumming and didge playing was simple yet primal, and certainly evoked something ancient from deep within my being. It was fabulous to co-create a group Sound Journey with Nishi and share our experiences with the retreatants, enter into Sweat Lodge under his wise guidance, learn about his journey into the Sangoma initiation and inter-be with this Fire Keeper for two Fire Ceremonies. Dear Nishi, my life has been touched and enriched by you, and the vibrational energies that flow through you! Deep Gratitude for the opportunity to inter-be with you and the Pachamama Community!

About Txarani Harmse

Txarani was the first friendly face and heart that I met at the George Airport in South Africa. We both seemed to know each other instantly. She greeted me with a warm embrace and lovely peaceful smile, and then offered me a banana! Looking around, I noticed that the landscape had changed drastically from Johannesburg. There were gorgeous tree covered mountains all around, and the coast and Ocean paralleled sections of the road to Pachamama! Txarani asked me if I would like to take a short walk on the Beach, to ground and touch our hearts to Oceana. OH YEAH! What a beautiful introduction to this part of South Africa! YOU ARE EXCELLENT, TXARANI!!! Thank YOU!

Txarani is passionate about sustainable living, health, wellbeing, ceremony, nurturing the community, creating art and Kundalini Yoga! She offered Kundalini Yoga each morning of the Sounds Good Retreat. It was challenging, and yet, my ‘skin-bag’ felt invigorated and vibrant after these sessions and my mind felt open as ‘big sky’! Well done, Beautiful! Thank You for this gift!

I asked Txarani, “what was it that brought you to Yoga?” She replied, “After working with Nishi and the plant medicines, I experienced, in a very short time, a profusion of ‘downloads’ /of information and encompassing transformations within my entire being. My whole being was overloaded with information and transformation and I really didn’t know how to integrate it and…you know…keep my sanity. So, I was very naturally drawn to yoga, and I started my own yoga practice from only attending one year of classes, and then I just started to do Yoga on my own, and did it for about 2 years.”
Then one day I said to Nishi, ‘I would really like to go to India to do a yoga-teacher training course, so that I could be a teacher of yoga on the land.’ We were getting a lot of volunteers into the Pachamama space and they were just naturally falling into my practice of yoga, and although I wasn’t a yoga teacher, they still wanted to join me. And Nishi said to me, ‘why do you want to go to India to study yoga if you can just find somebody who wants to come and do a teacher-training course here? Then you can attend it.’ And I said, ‘well that is actually a great idea! I will get onto this in the morning.’ So the next morning I woke up and opened my laptop and there in my inbox…my e-mail…waited a message for me from a teacher in Canada, who wanted to come and do a teacher training course at Pachamama, and I said, ‘o.k., that’s perfect!’ So then this Canadian teacher came two months later in February, and I did a teacher-training course with her. I didn’t know anything about Kundalini Yoga at this point, and through this teacher I was introduced to Kundalini Yoga. At first I thought, ‘I am never doing this ever again! This is terrible!’ Afterwards, I realized that WOW! I feel really REALLY great! Then that kept happening…and I kept feeling lighter and feeling less angry and feeling more able to open my heart; to being compassionate and to be accepting of what is…and I thought, ‘WOW! This is magic! This is working a lot faster than the yoga that I was doing by myself for two years. There is something to this… I need to figure it out!’
This Canadian Yoga teacher enjoyed me so much that she offered a bursary to me to attend another course with her in Canada, so that I could learn more about Kundalini Yoga with her. Then, I ran a whole campaign where I made lots of pieces of art, of which, Lisamarie now has one, so that I could raise funds to go to Canada and attend this course. Then some things happened and it wasn’t really aligned for me to go to Canada. The travel visa came through a lot later than my ticket was purchased for, and I had to let go of the idea of going to Canada. When I let go of it, I immediately knew that I had to attend a Kundalini course in Cape Town, and I had a vision of the space I needed to go to. I then contacted the studio and I told them my story. They said, ‘Well, come for an interview and we will see.’ I went for an interview and they immediately said, ‘We really like you, and are impressed by your perseverance through this process. You are very welcome to join in this Kundalini training course with us on a very generous discount.’ And so I did. I went to Cape Town for 2 months to study Kundalini Yoga and it was very beautiful, very life changing…has changed so many layers of my being, and I am very grateful for it’s presence in my life. It definitely is my path at this time.”

Txarani’s Art

One day after the retreat, I stopped by Txarani’s cabin to ask her if I could borrow some warmer clothing, and she had some of her fascinating artwork spread out on her table. I was instantly taken by the sacred geometric shapes and drawn into the mysteries of what her art represented. After photographing several pieces of Txarani’s artwork and deliberating over three of the paintings, I ended up purchasing a piece to take home. I find depth and beauty in the messages of her paintings! Curiously I asked Txarani to tell me about her art and what she envisioned manifesting with her art. She replied, “Art is something that flows through me really naturally. It’s what keeps me sane. It’s the thing that takes me away from this physical realm. When I am painting, nothing else around me exists. It’s just the color and the paintbrush. I get completely absorbed in it. When I am there, I could stay there for days. I love expressing. I love learning, especially through the patterns of nature and bringing that into design or just expressive narrative of story. When I was a teenager, I had a hard time with depression and art is what kept me going through all of it. It was my saving grace.”

“I studied fine arts for 1 year in University and then I left, because it was the year straight after high school and I really wasn’t ready to attend University. My parents said if I did not attend University then, they wouldn’t pay for it afterwards. My only option to have University funded by them was to continue, but I really wasn’t ready for it and was really overwhelmed by stepping from high school into University. I didn’t really know that much about the true nature of the world. School is not the true nature of the world, and ummmm so, I had to have a job and study at the same time. It was too hectic and I needed to leave. Then I decided that I wouldn’t go and study art again, because art is something that naturally flows from my being, not something that somebody needs to teach me how to do.”
“As well as continuing my own expressions, my main focus for the direction of my art is to be commissioned to illustrate children’s books and create illustrations for conscious books. This is my passion.” –Txarani

The Sounds Good Retreat

Over this past year of Sacred Drifting, I began the transition from ‘Artisan in the Wild Orchard’ into ‘Master in the Grove of Elders’ (see: Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin). The Mystery of Life has been inviting me to attend to the more than human world, while continuing to offer my ‘soul crafts’ and cultivated skills, in a role of mentorship. This familiar role was manifested brilliantly within the Pachamama Community as they invited me to co-facilitate a Sounds Good Retreat with Nishi and Txarani.

In July while coordinating the South African Sacred Drift, I had the pleasure and delight of working and communicating with Chris Auret, over the cyber waves to co-create the Sounds Good Retreat! This young, vibrant, sensitive artist was receptive to all I had to offer and organized a fine retreat. He is an essential element to the Pachamama co-op and its unfolding beauty. Chris shared some of his striking drawings of birds and artwork with me after the retreat. I recommend checking out his website and these inspiring webpages. I am deeply moved by his unique Dance in the World!

Chris Auret-Artist and Director of the Sounds Good Retreat

https://www.auret art.com/
https://www.auret-art.com/film https://vimeo.com/183525489?from=outro-embed
chrisauret@live.com

To set the tone, invite ancestors and purify before the Sounds Good Retreat, Nixiwaxa poured (guided) an extraordinary Sweat Lodge for all the retreatants!!! In the lodge we sang songs from the depths of our beings, songs in which Nishi and Txarani have generously passed on to me. I will bring these songs back to the Communities on Turtle Island, and we will connect to Pachamama through vibration and intention! In one round, Nishi asked us to close our eyes and he poured menthol on the rocks, opening and clearing our lungs! Holy COW….Good Medicine, Sacred Sangoma Elder!!!

The Sounds Good Retreat was FABULOUS! The beautiful sounds that moved through Nixiwaka’s and my conduits and my leadership- guidance were welcomed and received as great gifts to the community. The retreat unfolded in truth and beauty. :o))) The heart connections and transformations touched me deeply. Even I had an experience, deep within my being, of touching Ancient Ancestors of this land called South Africa, when Sangoma Nixiwaxa offered his vibrational gifts through a large Blue-Wildebeest Drum! Holy Cow...I mean Holy Wildebeest!!! This was an unexpected and powerful experience!

While Sacred Drifting within the Pachamama community, I had the delightful opportunity to offer the Fire Ceremony in Grandfather Joseph Rael's tradition, twice; first on the 7th of November to join with the World Peace Chambers; and second, during the Sounds Good Retreat in the radiating Opa/Peace Chamber, which is in process of being completed. The Fire burned brilliantly, as Fire from the mouth of a Dragon, spinning straight up through the vortex of the Opa! The sounds, the smells, the heat and the illumination mesmerized us all! In addition to the Fire Ceremonies, I also had the opportunity to spontaneously offer several modalities of musical and lifestyle mentorship; Somatic Liberation Movement Classes; a presentation of the Circular Community vision; flute-ing, drumming and vocal vibration; an intimate Sound Journey to a married couple; Dharma and Zazen! There is a strong desire to be Peaceful Zen Warriors at Pachamama, especially within the 20-35 year old two-leggeds. So, I offered beginner Zazen and sat each morning and night, inviting anyone who was on the land to join me. I am impressed with the "content of their characters." The Pachamama community and retreatants were some of the most peaceful and kind beings I have ever had the pleasure of meeting!

The day after the retreat, two of the luminous womyn in the community, Bianca and Txarani whisked me off to a gorgeous Sacred Site by the Ocean, and we spent the day in the "One Time" and in ceremony, enjoying the incredible beauty of the Earth Mother meeting Oceana. Spectacular! I then treated them to a delicious dinner in a populated town somewhere in South Africa. So lovely to have had a Mother, Maiden and Crone connection...me being the Crone this time. ;o))) Love and Gratitude to you Both, Sensational Spirit Sisters!!!