The morning air was cool as we made our way into the Rainforest.

The sounds of animals and birds carried easily in the jungle... 

We carefully made our way along the slippery muddy trail. Each step was treacherous. Suddenly the crushing sounds of a large animal moving quickly through the bush, echoed to our right! Was it a Tapir? Or was it the king of the jungle, the illusive ghostly Jaguar?

The trail was tough, or so we thought. We took a turn to the right and there we faced a cold mountain river which we had to ford. Our guide led the way into the fast moving water. The bottom of the river was strewn with large slimy rocks which tripped us up at every available opportunity. The trail was tough, or so we thought. We took a turn to the right and there we faced a cold mountain river which we had to ford. Our guide led the way into the fast moving water. The bottom of the river was strewn with large slimy rocks which tripped us up at every available opportunity.

Over head a Toucan watched our progress as we foolish intruders crossed and re-crossed the surging waters. It was a full hour and a half from the onset of our walking that we approached the river to where the mouth of the "Shaman's" cave revealed it's self. This was the newly found, Altune Tunichil Muknal. The Sacred Cave where Mayan Lords and Shaman had preformed rituals and sacrificed human beings to appease the gods. We had come to perform a Mayan Ritual to release these souls to the "Other World."

Fern sat in the entrance of the cave prior to entering. It was a twenty foot swim into the mouth of the womb of the earth. After which, we would spend five hours wading in cold water, climbing shear cliff faces up and down through winding crevasses, twisting rock walls and the slippery river floor. Our helmet lights lit just so much. Occasionally large fruit bats would dislodge themselves from the ceiling and shoot past us.

After a long hour of making our way into the cave a huge cathedral like chamber opened before us. We were asked to remove our shoes and socks the preserve the cave as much as possible.

As we caught our breath, our guide told us we would now see, things very few people had seen for thousands of years.

The "Sacred Sacrificial Chamber of the Ancient Maya."

We made our way up a slope, water ran down the left side of the rock face. Fern stopped. "Feel that?! It's warm here. Look." She pointed to the right, there was an area which held blackened rocks. "They cooked here." She simple advised before moving on. Our forward motion was short lived. I heard drums! It was a steady, throbbing, then chanting began. "Boom, boom, Heya hey, boom! Sheeha, shay, boom." I looked at Fern and she at me. "Do you hear what I hear?" I asked. "The drumming and chanting? She asked moving closer to me. "Yes, drums and chanting. It's as though someone was playing a recording, but that's impossible." I replied. Then as quickly as it began, the sounds stopped. We were at the edge of the Sacred Chamber.

Pots were strewn everywhere. Most of them had been purposely broken as was the Mayan way. Each Pot was a God Pot, each had it's own life. When filled with an offering the pot was then broken so it could never be reused.

(The photos to the left show Fern standing by the "God Pots" and the God Pots themselves.)

After a short walk we came upon a small skull calcified and anchored to the floor. The small skull belonged to a very young child.

The sagittal suture's of the cranium were not joined. The forehead had the distinctive imposed slope of the Maya. This child had been sacrificed to appease one of the Mayan gods. We moved deeper into the cave, more skulls, and body parts lay around the cave's floor. Then before us lay an entire skeleton of a young girl. Her back had been broken in ritual form, by impaling. Her body then moved to this location.

We traveled a short distance to an area of the cave where I could safely perform my Mayan ritual of connection and release.

There I laid out all of my ritual tools.

I changed clothing and put on my shaman's jacket.

I lit a piece of charcoal and placed copal incense upon it.

The pungent smoke rose up into the cave for the first time in over a thousand years.

"Tiox, Santa Mundo, Madre Munda.

Abrri su manos and release those souls which reside here and wish to leave.

ItzamNa, IxChell, Kukulcan, Chalchicuhtlicue, abri su manos and lift your children to the "Other World."

 I then pricked my finger and bleed onto a piece of paper which I lit and placed on the copal.

 "ItzamNa, IxChell, accept my offering of my life force and copal, completing the cycle of Itza, y Chule, the magic which flows between you, and I. The Circle of life is complete.

That which you have given me,

I return to you."

I could feel heat move up my body, through my charkras and up through my crown.

The Ritual was complete.

The children were gone.

Our journey back to the mouth of the shamans cave was quiet. We had stood where the Maya had stood. We preformed ritual where they had preformed ritual. We spoke to the same gods, the only difference was it was our own blood we offered. Kukulcan had changed the ritual of human sacrifice. It was He who stopped the killing of children and human sacrifice and laid the burden of blood sacrifice upon the King, Queens, and shaman to placate the deities.

The Sentient Temple is a non-profit organization. 

All proceeds go into the growth and expansion of 

The Sentient Temple.

Contact us mayareki@tampabay.rr.com

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