The Pendular Movement Of Life

Emilce Suarez-Lipton
Jun 2
5 min read

Meet Barranquero! A gorgeous bird usually found in majestic Andean and Amazonian landscapes in South America and who visited me during my recent stay in Salento, Quindio, in Colombia.

The first stop during my trip to Colombia was Cali, the city where I was born and raised. We stayed at my mother's home for one day, and the next we drove to Salento, Quindio, which is located in the coffee and cacao region of Colombia. As we approached Quindio, I thanked the land for receiving us. I had been connecting energetically with my Colombian land before we left New York asking her for permission to visit and reconnect. As we were greeted by the breathtaking tropical forrest surrounding our cabin in Salento, I could breathe in the magic of this land. However, when I was getting ready for bed during our first night there, I found myself overwhelmed by the beauty and the potent energy surrounding us. Parts of me were uncomfortable with so much greeting me at the same time. I felt happiness, but also an uneasiness. I had difficulty grounding myself, so I took deep breaths and released. Then, I asked this land for a sign of what was needed in order for me to find my center. The next morning, I stepped out to the balcony's cabin to meditate. I had my eyes closed for a while and then I realized that the soft gazing at the forrest was a more aligned way to connect deeper into meditation. With the sunlight bathing my face, I inhaled the tropical woods while the air softly moved the leaves of the trees and caressed my hair and my skin. Then, I noticed something moving on my right side, so I turned to it and there it was. Barranquero's body stood steadily on a branch of the tree just a few feet from me. Barranquero moved its long tail from side to side like a pendulum while staring at me. Our eyes met for some time and I had to take a few deep breaths to take it all in. The bright blue and different shades of green...the long black tale. Barranquero had a powerful presence. After it flew away, I noticed a palm tree in front of me. One of its leaves moved as if it was rocking and floating in the ocean, while the rest of the leaves and trunk remained steady. The leave moved in this way for a long time, so I made a video of it. It felt as though she was waving at me, a greeting dance, an "Hola, welcome!" A warm loving energy moved all over my body as I tuned deeper into this experience. The land seemed to be offering me an opportunity to release anything that was ready to be released. As tears rolled down my cheeks, I said to her, "I am sorry that I did not visit for 11 years. I wanted to plant steady roots in the US and I did not want to feel grief for leaving you." For context, I left Colombia 22 years ago. I have visited many times since leaving, but I had not gone back since 2014 and sitting with this magical forrest allowed me to inner-stand why. I unconsciouslly needed to create enough distance from Colombia to allow me to curate a rooted life here without feeling a pull or grief from my land of origin. I was supposed to find my center and rootedness within me before visiting Colombia again. "Now that you are deeply rooted in who and what you are, you return here to renew your roots to this land...be at peace." As this message came through, a soft breeze surrounding me invited me to align my sacred breath with this forrest's breath. Then, I received: "We are ONE...so, you are always welcome. Feel your golden roots to this land as well as the golden roots to the US. You are rooted in your sacred heart and in connection to the Earth. Sacred Earth is everywhere."

When we returned to Cali, I brought with me a peaceful, unifying energy. I was blissful! As we were getting ready for bed that night, we heard from my brother who had stayed in New York with Alvin, our sweet dog. He Facetimed us to show us that Alvin was in pretty bad shape. He could not stand and was barely able to move. He had stopped eating and drinking and looked almost unresponsive. Blissful energy turned into anguish. We were far away and we had no idea what was going on with Alvin. We asked my brother to take Alvin to the nearest animal hospital where they performed tests. We stayed awake till three in the morning when we Facetimed with the vet who said she did not find anything beyond a possible nerve issue. Alvin was prescribed nerve pain medication and rest. Thankfully, the next day, Alvin began to show signs of improvement. The next morning, I got in the shower after a short meditation and encountered an issue with the temperature of the shower at my mother's home. I noticed this when I took the first shower upon our arrival from New York. In order for the water to get warm, I had to turn the handle all the way to the left. After a few seconds, I would gently move the handle towards the middle to avoid getting burned, however, the hot temperature would not go down unless I turned the handle all the way to the right. The water would then turn cold very quickly, after which I had to move the handle towards the middle, but I could only get it warm by moving it all the way to the left. It was a bit frustrating, but I did not mind or dwell on it. Two days after our return from Salento, as soon as I turned the water on, it hit me: "Pendulum!" my sacred heart said, while the image of majestic Barranquero waving its tale from side to side came into my awareness. Then, I was reminded of the multiple swings of energy I had been experiencing throughtout this trip: happiness, excitement, uneasiness, peace, blisfullness, anguish, and back to peace. I innerstood at that precise moment that this trip was supposed to feel like a pendulum of experiences. That being all the way to the left or all the way to the right was as "good" as being in the center. It is okay to be where I am. My trip was suppoed to be full. Life is full. The full spectrum of experiences. As this download came through while I was still in the shower, I noticed that I had left the handle in the center and that the water stayed nicely warm and completely comfortable. I was stunned. This was my fourth time using this shower and the first time having comfy water steadily without moving the handle. I had no more issues for the rest of my visit. The return to New York was smooth and easy. When we arrived home Alvin was almost back to normal and he is doing great now. Once again I am reminded that sometimes, it is the release of the yearning for balance that creates the balance.