Heal and transform with
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Inspired by sacred Maya journeys facilitated for many years by Llyn Cedar Roberts - you will meet and work with nine indigenous Maya healers and wisdom keepers from the mountain and Lake Atitlan regions of the Guatemala highlands on a life-changing adventure into the heart of ancient healing power. Experience 12,500-year-old fire ceremonies, work with several wisdom keeper families from 4 distinct highland regions, receive their ancient spiritual teachings, undergo traditional Maya healing methods called limpias or ‘cleansings’, receive sacred bundle and/or seed readings and divinations, engage the spirit of the cacao plant in sacred ceremony, learn from Maya women about working with energy of the Earth in age-old weaving methods, and so much more.
Join like-hearted others on this pilgrimage through Guatemala's stunning mountain and lake regions. This is an expertly and sensitively designed sacred immersion - and authentic experience in ancient lands, with intimate exchanges with indigenous shamanic peoples in folksy locales, a profound as well as joyous group experience with life-changing healing opportunities. We travel through colorful highland pueblos where a diversity of Maya languages are spoken and the communities are known for their traditional clothing, art, music, ancient lore and hand woven textiles. We enjoy delicious foods and stay in beautiful lodgings nestled into powerful vortex areas amidst looming volcanoes and with stunning views of the mystical Lake Atitlan - that was formed over 80,000 years ago and within whose waters are found ancient Maya structures.
This trip is designed for anyone who deeply appreciates nature and is ready to immerse in indigenous shamanic culture. If you desire to enter Sacred Time and be steeped in the power and rhythms of the lands, waters, spirits and in ancient Maya wisdom ways - and you are dedicated to a personal journey of discovery and healing - this trip is for you.
You will travel with understandings derived from your personal sacred sun sign and Maya galactic tone chart with a pre-trip consultation with Denise Barrios (daughter of the late Mayan Priest Don Carlos Barrios, author of The Book of Destiny) which will also introduce you to the energies that we will be harmonizing with, each day – as we step into sacred time and open to natural magic.
Please email Alfonso Muralles owner and operator of Four Directions Travel Agency and our in country guide and host with any questions and to register: Alfonso@fourdirections.travel *$3550 per person cost includes in-country transportation, lodging and most meals. It does not include R/T airfare to Guatemala City or miscellaneous and personal expenses. Cost is based on double room occupancy. To book a private room for the entire trip there is an additional cost of $650
Join like-hearted others on this pilgrimage through Guatemala's stunning mountain and lake regions. This is an expertly and sensitively designed sacred immersion - and authentic experience in ancient lands, with intimate exchanges with indigenous shamanic peoples in folksy locales, a profound as well as joyous group experience with life-changing healing opportunities. We travel through colorful highland pueblos where a diversity of Maya languages are spoken and the communities are known for their traditional clothing, art, music, ancient lore and hand woven textiles. We enjoy delicious foods and stay in beautiful lodgings nestled into powerful vortex areas amidst looming volcanoes and with stunning views of the mystical Lake Atitlan - that was formed over 80,000 years ago and within whose waters are found ancient Maya structures.
This trip is designed for anyone who deeply appreciates nature and is ready to immerse in indigenous shamanic culture. If you desire to enter Sacred Time and be steeped in the power and rhythms of the lands, waters, spirits and in ancient Maya wisdom ways - and you are dedicated to a personal journey of discovery and healing - this trip is for you.
You will travel with understandings derived from your personal sacred sun sign and Maya galactic tone chart with a pre-trip consultation with Denise Barrios (daughter of the late Mayan Priest Don Carlos Barrios, author of The Book of Destiny) which will also introduce you to the energies that we will be harmonizing with, each day – as we step into sacred time and open to natural magic.
Please email Alfonso Muralles owner and operator of Four Directions Travel Agency and our in country guide and host with any questions and to register: Alfonso@fourdirections.travel *$3550 per person cost includes in-country transportation, lodging and most meals. It does not include R/T airfare to Guatemala City or miscellaneous and personal expenses. Cost is based on double room occupancy. To book a private room for the entire trip there is an additional cost of $650
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SACRED TRAVEL DETAILS
Upon arrival you will be escorted from the airport in Guatemala City to the picturesque town of Antigua. You will settle into a beautiful hacienda, join the group in a sharing circle facilitated by Lis Traphagen with Lori Ferry', and that evening enjoy a festive welcoming dinner.
On day two, we welcome any late comers and after breakfast our exuberant and caring in-country host, Alfonso Muralles, guides an excursion into local culture and cuisine in the morning and through lunch. Lis and Lori later facilitate a group circle and sharing that integrates shamanic experiences that will help you to prepare you for the journey. You will share in another celebratory dinner.
The next morning you will enjoy many sights and vistas on an exquisite overland travel route, as our native Guatemalan guide and tour operator, Alfonso, shares about the different regions you are traveling through. Upon arrival at a 7,000-foot in altitude ancient Maya site, our Sacred Travel Team will introduce you to the lovely Maya highland couple with whom Llyn Cedar Roberts and Alfonso have brought groups to, and worked with, for many years. You will experience the first of many fire ceremonies at this powerful site, possibly right alongside indigenous Maya families and spiritual guides who are also conducting ceremony.
Through the next days, which you will experience as weeks and months, we move deeply into Sacred Time as we harmonize with nature's rhythms and the spirits of the place. Your Sacred Travel Team will help you keep your experience embodied and close to the present moment to stay in the mystery; not revealing every detail of where we’re going or what’s next until we need to know, so we can open our physical and subtle senses - attuning to spiritual energies we have opened to, the submerged energies of the lands, and the colors, textures, nuances and heart of all that is unfolding.
Time expands as we stay unplugged to release the hold of linear time and as we visit and perform fire ceremonies at other Lake Atitlan locations, live with two sets of Maya families from diverse regions at hotels boasting stunning views by the water’s edge and adjacent to lively indigenous pueblos, which we can walk to. Llyn Cedar Roberts joins us at the lakeside, guiding the second half of the journey. She introduces the women weavers and a Maya elder and his family from a distant mountainous region, with whom we will work and enact ceremony, and learn from. Our hearts open as we immerse with our compassionate indigenous guides who take us through life-shifting healing rituals, limpias and cleansings, fire healings and bundle and/or seed readings or divinations, and as we meet the spirit of cacao in sacred ceremony. We will also listen to the transformative stories of, and receive teachings from, the wisdom keepers - all by the water's edge of the mystical Lake Atitlan in the vortex caldera surrounded by volcanoes.
There are beautiful and colorful traditional textiles to be found in every location we visit and lodge in, and ample times to make purchases. Yet, we encourage you to save your interest for the organic cotton and natural dye textiles of the Maya Women Weavers that are members of the cooperative that OMEC began a partnership with on the 2018 Guatemala trip.
After visiting five unique highland and lake locales, we say our goodbyes to the beautiful Maya people and the spirit of Lake Atitlan and begin our re-wind pilgrimage as we travel back to Antigua, the festive town where the journey began - to enjoy a final closing dinner and prepare for the return to Guatemala City airport the next day. It is the close of an amazing journey, the beginning of a new inner life adventure.
Upon arrival you will be escorted from the airport in Guatemala City to the picturesque town of Antigua. You will settle into a beautiful hacienda, join the group in a sharing circle facilitated by Lis Traphagen with Lori Ferry', and that evening enjoy a festive welcoming dinner.
On day two, we welcome any late comers and after breakfast our exuberant and caring in-country host, Alfonso Muralles, guides an excursion into local culture and cuisine in the morning and through lunch. Lis and Lori later facilitate a group circle and sharing that integrates shamanic experiences that will help you to prepare you for the journey. You will share in another celebratory dinner.
The next morning you will enjoy many sights and vistas on an exquisite overland travel route, as our native Guatemalan guide and tour operator, Alfonso, shares about the different regions you are traveling through. Upon arrival at a 7,000-foot in altitude ancient Maya site, our Sacred Travel Team will introduce you to the lovely Maya highland couple with whom Llyn Cedar Roberts and Alfonso have brought groups to, and worked with, for many years. You will experience the first of many fire ceremonies at this powerful site, possibly right alongside indigenous Maya families and spiritual guides who are also conducting ceremony.
Through the next days, which you will experience as weeks and months, we move deeply into Sacred Time as we harmonize with nature's rhythms and the spirits of the place. Your Sacred Travel Team will help you keep your experience embodied and close to the present moment to stay in the mystery; not revealing every detail of where we’re going or what’s next until we need to know, so we can open our physical and subtle senses - attuning to spiritual energies we have opened to, the submerged energies of the lands, and the colors, textures, nuances and heart of all that is unfolding.
Time expands as we stay unplugged to release the hold of linear time and as we visit and perform fire ceremonies at other Lake Atitlan locations, live with two sets of Maya families from diverse regions at hotels boasting stunning views by the water’s edge and adjacent to lively indigenous pueblos, which we can walk to. Llyn Cedar Roberts joins us at the lakeside, guiding the second half of the journey. She introduces the women weavers and a Maya elder and his family from a distant mountainous region, with whom we will work and enact ceremony, and learn from. Our hearts open as we immerse with our compassionate indigenous guides who take us through life-shifting healing rituals, limpias and cleansings, fire healings and bundle and/or seed readings or divinations, and as we meet the spirit of cacao in sacred ceremony. We will also listen to the transformative stories of, and receive teachings from, the wisdom keepers - all by the water's edge of the mystical Lake Atitlan in the vortex caldera surrounded by volcanoes.
There are beautiful and colorful traditional textiles to be found in every location we visit and lodge in, and ample times to make purchases. Yet, we encourage you to save your interest for the organic cotton and natural dye textiles of the Maya Women Weavers that are members of the cooperative that OMEC began a partnership with on the 2018 Guatemala trip.
After visiting five unique highland and lake locales, we say our goodbyes to the beautiful Maya people and the spirit of Lake Atitlan and begin our re-wind pilgrimage as we travel back to Antigua, the festive town where the journey began - to enjoy a final closing dinner and prepare for the return to Guatemala City airport the next day. It is the close of an amazing journey, the beginning of a new inner life adventure.
SACRED TRAVEL CONTAINER This container, designed by Llyn Cedar Roberts, is dedicated to supporting a gentle yet life-changing immersion for each participant. To encourage a healing and transforming journey we maintain a substance-free environment with no alcohol, no mind altering substances and no smoking or vaping, and where participants agree to support each other to be present and unplugged (limit camera, computer and cell phone use, with a daily 'touch-in' option for cell phone), valuing times of quiet contemplation and stillness - equally to times of silly, childlike laughter as well as authentic sharing. Every day, moment, location and experience has its own textures and rhythms, and every person is encouraged to honor his or her own and changing rhythms - taking us individually, and as a group, deeper into relationship with ourselves, with the Maya people and wisdom keepers, with each other, with all of nature, and the abundance of unseen spiritual energies that guide us. Please note: As the participants of this journey will open to expanded states of consciousness through ancient shamanic ritual and ceremony, this trip is not appropriate for those struggling with emotional or psychiatric challenges. Please consult your physician or practitioner six weeks prior to the journey, if you are in doubt. The highest altitude we travel to is 7,000 feet for one of our ceremonies. Most activities and lodging locations are located at just over 5,000 feet in altitude. There is some walking required on broad dirt trails and on cobblestone streets. Participants have ranged in ages thus far from 18 to 75 years-old, men and women alike and from all walks of life. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
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SACRED JOURNEY INSPIRER & GUIDE
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Llyn Cedar Roberts, MA
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Llyn Cedar Roberts is the founder of the Olympic Mountain EarthWisdom Circle and of Shamanic Reiki Worldwide. She is the coauthor with Sandra Ingerman of Speaking with Nature, a Gold Nautilus award recipient. Other titles include the Independent Publisher's award winning Shapeshifting into Higher Consciousness and Shamanic Reiki. She was a consultant for the non-profit organization, Earth Train, dedicated to preserving the rainforests of Panama. She studied global issues and cross-cultural communication at the School for International Training, interning with developmentally disabled Indian children in India, then obtaining a master’s degree in Buddhist and Western Psychology in 1985 from the Naropa University, during which time she interned alongside a curandera in a Mexican-American community. Llyn has facilitated experiential educational seminars for thousands of people at holistic institutes, colleges and universities around the globe - and for twenty-five years facilitated transformational journeys to work with indigenous shamanic peoples in diverse locations including the Amazon and Andes of Ecuador, Tuva and Yamal, Siberia, and the ancient Maya-lands of Guatemala. She invites you to a life-shifting experience held by a conscious, caring and fun-loving team. This trip reflects Llyn's and the Sacred Travel Teams' deep respect for the indigenous Maya people and their culture, and for the lands, waters, ancestral and spiritual energies.
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Llyn Cedar Roberts is partnered as an Ally and Mentor with the Transformational Travel Council and its mission to inspire, empower and support people to use travel as a catalyst for creating deeper connections with self and nature and as a tool for fostering global citizenry, communication, understanding, stewardship, and real human connection.
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Please email Alfonso Muralles owner and operator of Four Directions Travel Agency and our in country guide and host with any questions and to register: alfonso@fourdirections.travel
Sacred Travel Team
Lis Traphagen, MSW, LCSW - Sacred Travel Team Director
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Sacred Travel Team Director Lis Traphagen, MA, LCSW, has studied, practiced and taught nature-based healing and transformational approaches for many years. She has been a licensed clinical social worker practicing as a psychotherapist for 30 years. She received a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and holds a master’s degree from the Wurzweiller School of social work at Yeshiva University. She is certified as an End of Life Doula and an SBEM empowerment coach and therapist. Lis is down-to-earth, humorous, caring and responsive. She is a core teaching faculty member of the Shamanic Reiki Worldwide. Lis holds a deep love for the Maya culture and years of experience and understanding of the shamanic transformational process. Lis is a vice president for OMEC - the Olympic Mountain EarthWisdom Circle - and is OMEC’s Project Director for the Maya Women Weavers Project, working with a women’s cooperative in Guatemala. She works closely with Llyn Cedar Roberts. You will find Lis to be playful and also to hold the space impeccably for our sacred journey, as we open to heal and transform with Maya wisdom keepers.
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Alfonso Muralles - Your In-Country Guide and Host
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Guatemala born, raised, and educated, Alfonso Muralles, has traveled throughout his homeland with visitors from all over the world. He has organized and lead Guatemala Highlands tours since 1982, beginning by working for local and international non-profit organizations before he and his wife, Diana, initiated their own specialized, small tour company. Alfonso has an extensive background in local and international leadership in community development, conservation and human rights issues, all of which have refined his communication skills, and expanded his connections and organizing abilities. Alfonso is a reliable, informed and enjoyable guide. Unlike other non-Maya Guatemalan guides, Alfonso offers you a particularly open and close communication with the Maya People after having worked and traveled around the world for 3 years as the personal assistant to Rigoberta Menchú, the Maya-K'iche Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Alfonso was Founder and Chairman of the Guatemala Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association, Chairman of the Guatemala YMCA, Chairman of the Latin American Confederation of YMCA's (based in Buenos Aires, Argentina), Member of the Board of the World Alliance of YMCA's (based in Geneva, Switzerland), member of the board of the Ecumenical Church Loans Fund (Guatemala Office), founder of the Guatemala Audubon Society, and Director of the Rigoberta Menchú Foundation (New York). He and Llyn Cedar Roberts have joined together to create authentic experiences with indigenous Maya people, for many years.
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Lori Ferry' - Sacred Travel Team
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Lori Ferry' is a core faculty teacher for Shamanic Reiki Worldwide and a board officer for OMEC who carries a deep understanding and reverence for the Earth and nature-based healing approaches. A traditional Reiki Master & Reiki Crystal Practitioner, she has studied Core Shamanism, is ordained as a Minister with Universal Life Ministries. She facilitates Mindfulness Based Meditation workshops for the University of Washington Nursing Students Programs and a 2-year addiction recovery program for John Volken Academy. Lori is a registered yoga teacher with a mindful & restorative approach and a Registered Yoga Continuing Education Provider studied abroad working on her BA in Early Childhood Psychological Development. Lori assists OMEC's Maya Women Weavers project, is director of the Pillar Point project and finds great joy in hosting OMEC ONLINE HEARTH Circles. She facilitates sacred journeys to the Hoh River Valley and Rainforest. She has a great sense of humor, is focused and available to you for any needs. She is devoted to this work!
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Reviews
“The lush landscapes, vibrant and loving people, and powerful vortex energy and ancient Maya ceremonies have forever transformed me. The accommodations were beautiful with delicious local cuisine. Our group became incredibly close-knit in a very short time, as the container was sacred and safe for us to share our hearts and experiences. I am forever grateful. This is a journey of a lifetime!" Terri Dennis
"The Guatemala sacred journey changed my life. I had a deeply mystical and profound experience. Immersing in the lands, engaging with the people and spiritual guides, initiating through ceremonies and the vortex energies of Lake Atitlan, was like coming home. The spiritual traditions are powerful and beautiful beyond words; and the Maya are so open-hearted. Lake Atitlan is forever in my heart. It’s opened me to a new way of seeing and being." Maryan H
"The Guatemala journey was incredibly life-changing. I will forever be grateful. The spirit of the place, its vibrant colors, rich history and culture, the magical lands and ancient rituals with Maya Elders, induced deep, deep healing and a new vision for life. This trip is the ultimate of vision quests!" ~ Linnea L
"My wish is for everyone to embark on a journey such as this where time slows so much that a day feels like a blessed week, and a week feels like an adored month of ‘sacred time’. To heal, to be, to thrive. Upon return, your heart will have opened beyond your deepest hopes and dreams. Everything will look different; new and expanded. So alive.” - L Ferry
"Doing the sacred journey for the second time was blissful. Guatemala’s beauty is soul-touching, her people warm and inviting. The land and waters are palpably sacred - alive and vibrant. We were masterfully guided each step of the way, on a rich and soulful journey where the mystery unfolds each day. My heart is full of deep gratitude for the beauty and transformation I experienced on this trip." Suzanne S.
"My trip to Guatemala brought so many changes to my life, and which continue. The wisdom the Mayan Healers shared with us was so generous and we were encouraged to bring it home. I have shared fire ceremony with friends, new and old, here at home. On a daily basis, I use the wisdom learned there and in subsequent OMEC teachings to connect to nature around my home and to help others connect to the land and their hearts. My sincerest gratitude to Llyn and the Sacred Travel Team for these life-changing experiences!"
Amy Bruckner
"I went to Guatemala with an open mind and came home with a warm and expansive heart. The teachings and learnings came through direct experience. I will forever be changed from what I saw, felt, heard, tasted, absorbed, and did. " ~ Elisabeth T
"The Guatemala sacred journey changed my life. I had a deeply mystical and profound experience. Immersing in the lands, engaging with the people and spiritual guides, initiating through ceremonies and the vortex energies of Lake Atitlan, was like coming home. The spiritual traditions are powerful and beautiful beyond words; and the Maya are so open-hearted. Lake Atitlan is forever in my heart. It’s opened me to a new way of seeing and being." Maryan H
"The Guatemala journey was incredibly life-changing. I will forever be grateful. The spirit of the place, its vibrant colors, rich history and culture, the magical lands and ancient rituals with Maya Elders, induced deep, deep healing and a new vision for life. This trip is the ultimate of vision quests!" ~ Linnea L
"My wish is for everyone to embark on a journey such as this where time slows so much that a day feels like a blessed week, and a week feels like an adored month of ‘sacred time’. To heal, to be, to thrive. Upon return, your heart will have opened beyond your deepest hopes and dreams. Everything will look different; new and expanded. So alive.” - L Ferry
"Doing the sacred journey for the second time was blissful. Guatemala’s beauty is soul-touching, her people warm and inviting. The land and waters are palpably sacred - alive and vibrant. We were masterfully guided each step of the way, on a rich and soulful journey where the mystery unfolds each day. My heart is full of deep gratitude for the beauty and transformation I experienced on this trip." Suzanne S.
"My trip to Guatemala brought so many changes to my life, and which continue. The wisdom the Mayan Healers shared with us was so generous and we were encouraged to bring it home. I have shared fire ceremony with friends, new and old, here at home. On a daily basis, I use the wisdom learned there and in subsequent OMEC teachings to connect to nature around my home and to help others connect to the land and their hearts. My sincerest gratitude to Llyn and the Sacred Travel Team for these life-changing experiences!"
Amy Bruckner
"I went to Guatemala with an open mind and came home with a warm and expansive heart. The teachings and learnings came through direct experience. I will forever be changed from what I saw, felt, heard, tasted, absorbed, and did. " ~ Elisabeth T
OMEC - The Olympic Mountain EarthWisdom Circle encourages sacred journeys to learn from and share with indigenous cultures. While the Guatemala trip is independently operated from OMEC, this trip supports OMEC's mission to encourage a sacred and responsible relationship with the Earth and to preserve the wisdom ways of ancient cultures. The Guatemala journey is the vehicle for OMEC's MAYA WOMEN WEAVERS Project, initiated in 2018, its Maya Culture Book Project, initiated in 2019 and the MAYA SACRED FIRE FUND initiated during the pandemic. Through trips such as this, we offer people from diverse walks of life direct interaction with indigenous shamanic cultures and their sacred lands, teachings and practices. This is an opportunity to learn, heal and transform - and to also give back to the communities and cultures who so generously share their hearts and traditions with us. We believe that this sharing and honoring between cultures empowers wakeful navigation of change during this evolving time in the history of humanity.
Please email Alfonso Muralles owner and operator of Four Directions Travel Agency and our in country guide and host with any questions and to register: alfonso@fourdirections.travel
GUATEMALA TRIP FILM PRODUCEr
Mitch Mattraw - Videographer
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An independent filmmaker of many years, Mitch Mattraw produced the OMEC Women Weavers promotional film, the independently operated Guatemala trip video, as well as other films which support OMEC's indigenous projects. We are grateful to Mitch for unobtrusively capturing and sensitively translating to film, the depth and beauty of the Maya sacred journey experience.
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Sign up for the Olympic Mountain EarthWisdom Circle "OMEC" newsletter below to receive inspiring monthly essays and news from both us and our sister organization Shamanic Reiki Worldwide. We thank you in advance for your Earth-honoring efforts by offering you a free guided shamanic journey by Llyn Cedar Roberts, when you sign up. From our hearts to yours! The OMEC Team.
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