Guatemala

Here's what happened

Thank you very much for your notes and your prayers. We are dealing with our situation and the important news is that no one in our family, sangha or immediate community was hurt and no structural facilities were damaged. We do however have a major x 100 cleanup - have not slept in three days or had a shower in 5 - it's daunting to feel the force of nature and the results of its awesome power. I was within 5 ft of the slide when it sent 100,000 tons of rocks, trees and boulders down the center of our property at record speeds - crashing and smashing massive trees in an ultimate, chaotic panoramic scenario of a life time. A real lesson in impermanence, in living color with full action packed details for my psyche to integrate and I am still in a state of shock!

We have made the decision to try to work to recover the affected part of
Villa Sumaya and are investing profoundly in professional consultation along with 30 Mayan men who are busily trying to stabilize the grounds with massive rock cage retention as well as a tractor that we will boat in to move the mud as we hope to carve a lovely deep river run off canyon through the center of our property to accommodate the coming rains and inevitable debris that will continue to fall from above. There is a good part of me that wants to walk away and call the collective Sumaya experience the lesson of a life time - I'm quite stunned with the depth of the tragedy, gone beyond with managing the material world, humbled to the core. I am however motivated by my heart felt connection to the Maya and our esoteric bohemian community and the sense of responsibility to continue to energize Bodhisattva through the generator of awakening potential that rests at the center of Villa Sumaya's intentions.

We have 3 more months of the rainy season to get through so we are strategizing how we will best manage the now vastly compromised mountainside above us which is endangering my house and the Lotus house below. Another land slide crashed down yesterday which sent the 12 guys who were re-thatching the roof of the big temple running back to the coast - they left without their shoes and belongings and won't come back so I also have a roof open to the elements with the precious hard wood floor below - oh boy.

The ground is still vibrating and boulders continue to fall as we mobilize crews to stabilize the massive retaining walls and boulders that are hanging over my house - literally teetering in the air - it's ominous and thus the core of our working "practice" right now is to stay centered while making good decisions as we endeavor to hold the motivation to carry on.

It's the power of prayer and a twist of fate that saved my house which is now precariously situated on the side of a massive mud canyon as well as all the buildings which lie buried below mud but not significantly damaged. We have moved out of our house and relocated into the Maya Rose house where we have reestablished with our favorite belongings: Tangkhas (sp?), rupas, crystals and alters are fully assembled and we are embracing the quickening of heart and the unity consciousness that has expanded the depth of our understanding and accelerated, once again, our tremendous gratitude for this precious human incarnation.

Thank you so much for your notes and your prayers. Here we pray to hold off more rains and earthquakes. We also hold dearly in our prayers the many families who did lose their houses and loved ones. There is a significant sense of community solidarity amidst the destruction - it's a powerful time for personal and collective growth - we are supremely grateful for the blessings of this experience, our good fortune and our many dear friends and family. Thanks again so very much for your emails and calls - you've been a God send!

There is a call for baby formula and milk in the pueblo through a tiny group I work with that works 100 percent donations to the cause - all admin volunteer --- so I said I'd pass along the message to any one who may help -- as it's been quite a strain on our beloved Mayan communities. Guatemala, the land of the open-hearted people of corn - has dished out such a rough ride to it's Mayan inhabitants. [see below for details]

--- We send much love and gratitude from the heart of Villa Sumaya and our extended family, to all of you and yours,

Wendy

Day 7

Cleaning up, evacuating the house - little by little, buiding a Mayan
Pyramid of galvanized cages filled with rocks to stabalize the run off and
protect the house and lotus house - 130 -2 meter x2 meter cages must be
armed and filled with the stone, linked together and anchored into bed rock
before we will feel safer --- all the stones to fill the cages are carried
up the hill by our crew of 30 Mayan Miracle workers.

More land slides in our neighboring town brought more homeless and needy to
our pueblo last night. Geographical challenges are showing up with sink
holes in Guate City and over full resevoir with a crack in it, above Pana
that threaten to possibly flood the river which would affect the commercial
center of Pana and our main hub for all our suplies. We are far from the
news so we are quite a way down the grapevine with the facts and this tooadds a twist to our perspective. People coming in from outside say that
everywhere there is the wrath of mudslides and flooding of a magnitude
unseen in recent times as the damage is far and wide across the country.
Folks are clearly in shock - I'm working my skillful means and intuitive
logic at high tilt and it's a vibrational upgrade for the system and so is
everyone else - the growth for mankind right now is tangible.

There is a call for baby formula and milk in the pueblo through a tiny
group I work with that works 100 percent donations to the cause - all admin
volunteer --- so I said I'd pass along the message to any one who may feel
to help -- we would pass any money we received to this and local reliefefforts as it's been quite a strain on our beloved Mayan communities.

Guatemala, the land of the open hearted people of corn - has dished out such
a rough ride to it's Mayan inhabitants.It's still raining off and on at night a bit but the days are relatively dry and this is the big blessing of the sun's power and this countries immediate
salvation as the earth is very tender here right now.

Everyone is diligently working on the new river run way and mud slide-shoot
reinforcement project - a massive undertaking. Additionally we are
stratigizing for the future plans for constucting our new river way - right
through the heart of Sumaya - rebirthing is in process - we think it will bea beautiful addition -

we'll be pleased when it's well underway. -

mini buldozer coming in by boat on Monday.

We do have some electricity and water so we are feeling joyous about that -
food is coming and our staff is 100 percent in the supportive mode. We are
using this opportunity to clear out the bottom third of the kids toys,
clothes, adult clothes etc in order to both give to the growing numbers of
homeless in the Santa Cruz municiple salon as well as to take a stand for a
more Zen lifestyle. Time to take it down to basics and lighten up!

Thanks to everyone for their calls and letters - it's all so helpful to our
spirits and the anima to carry on. It's a blessing to see the cooperation

blosoming amonst the hearts of the people - - it's what the world needs now!

We are calling all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Archangles, Saints and beloved
friends/family to watch over this beautiful country as it passes through
this rainy season - Soha!

More soon... Love and thanks - wendy ma and kids

DAY 12 --

The story continues to unfold here.......

Pictures show slide by my house and the last photo shows the slide way on
the mountain ( oops I'll send those next - having some cyber space issues)
as seen from our house - that is our slide - our major motion landing strip
of heaven sent soil, trees rocks and rain water - delivered express.

Ten major areas to uncover from the massive slide and to then rebuild
including the construction of a large canal that will hopefully funnel the
inevitable overflow..... We are starting to be able to envision the scope
of the plan - it's daunting.

2 weeks until our first reservation and
3 weeks until our next group and we have a full house - we need the money to
help us carry on..... Please!

Chloe is home from school with an inner ear infection but doing okay after I
duped her with modern medicals.

Lizzy leaves for NC this weekend ---- I'm glad she's being spared this next
leg of the journey here - it's a well deserved break after our massive season.

The current reconstruction team is brave and strong but only 1/2 the size we
need so we are looking for fast reinforcements over the weekend -- hoping to add 10 more guys to the 25 that are full time laborers.Well was completed today - we have the blessing of fresh mountain water. This is a HUGE move forward - we are celebrating the gift of water and
watching the signs.

We decided to curtain the pool off as we can't possibly get there for
several months - sorry Patti - we will see what we can do ..... right now we
have 10 sections to clean and rebuild and the pool is #10 for the moment.
We are looking to, hoping to buy a mechanical mud mover - maybe from the
states - any ideas?

I hit the roof today when the coast guys who are hear waiting for the palmto be delivered

on Sat took the roof off of Lizzy's office - against my
insistence that we wait - I currently have two open roofs - Tiger Temple and
Rose house --- one more in the immanent rain was too much for my blood
pressure to handle. These are pretty full days of front line karma with the
public for me and I'm fully embracing the personal challenge with it's
endless peeks and valleys - riding the tail of the dragon as she roars!

YEOW --- this is living life on the edge.

Shad ( our eco Sumaya brain child brother ) in particular as well as the
dilegence of Alberto, Juan, Don Jose, Lizzy, Norma, Juana, Clara, Maria the
little girls and all the Mayan men and boys are the heros with the hope and the long term vision! It's quite a monumental experience for all of us to
contend with... It's so sad that it makes you have to laugh at the ludicrous
nature of trying to save something that's square in the way of nature's
super high way ---- But this is what we are working with for the moment and
we are glad to feel the vitality of this human experience! There is plenty
of laughter and fury amidst the maddness as we are nakedly exposed to the
rawness of the state of emergency we are currently living in and sharing
with our beloved companions on the winding road of "as Sumaya turns"......

Thanks everyone for their letters and calls - what a blessing to have
contact with life outside off the mud pits; can't get to everyone personally at the moment but you are all in my heart and I will get to some more
emails asap when me little birdies go to bed - god willing ( as they say
down here).

The beat goes on and we are all sending love and BIG GRATITIDE to all....

Agatha Day 16 - White Tara Soha!

Monday morning here in full gear. Photos of some of our progress along
with some of our heros. Thanks to everyone for the endless stream of
support, checks for the baby food drive for Santa Cruz pueblo came in today
providing enough formula to feed the babies for another month and a half.
More letters, calls, quite a few site visits - thanks guys, free rocks ---
-- we need and appreciate all the support we can get. We had a public
announcement made on the loud speaker in the pueblo of Santa Cruz this
weekend in order to bring in more workers today so we are 12 pairs of hands
stronger for the fight and it all helps! Gratitude to our great team trying
to preserve the huge date palm that I planted over 11 years ago
----- it's a big rescue mission for any plants or trees that held their own.
New funnel rigged to slide mud into the lake ( see photo) along with our
temporary attempt to contain the mud with lamina lined walk ways.

All is well in each moment, we are progressing as fast as we can --- it's a
very dirty job and it calls us to have a tremendous amount of patience.

Yesterday I woke up to my children's absolute insistance that I had two
angels over my head as I slept. They adamantly agreed that one wore a
red-orange dress with long black hair while the other wore a green dress
with short blond hair - (kinda sounds like the two of them - hmmm). Their
total conviction, detailed description and compassionate message, struck me
as inspiring. It's served to jumpstart my memory with it's innocence,
planting a magical seed of inspiration that crept back into my mind when I'd
feel overwhelmed with the dilemna of our current, mud crusted, predicament.

Tonight, when I saw a
big radiant white light sphere, taken at the corner of our Lotus House--
where our White Tara temple caps the 4th floor; I couldn't help
thinking,..........................that maybe..... just maybe, that ball of
white light is White Tara --- looking over us from behind the trees!

Gratitude is re-awakening in the heart chakra of villa sumaya's landscape
and within our collective and intercultural, interdenomenational
cooperation. Sheer manpower and skillful means are highly appreciated and
faith is, as well, an underestimated esential at this time. Impermanence is
the cornerstone lesson and time is passing by as the rain falls gently from
above.

Love continues to be the only answer ---- thanks so much to each and every
one of you for your unique contrubution!

Wendy ma and the big Sumaya family

A Note from Pat Torpie