This was so beautiful, Mike. And this! - "If this is what baptism is, I find myself asking the question… What presence would I choose to be steeped in?" Also, very jealous of your whale encounters!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this article! I was recently on a wellness retreat in Costa Rica. One of our events was to coat our bodies in the special "blue clay" of the region that is supposed to have medicinal value, and then, after letting it dry, to wash it off in a local river. On a whim, I picked up a stick and begin to write words and symbols that represented old beliefs and ideas that no longer serve me or that no longer ring true for me. And when the time was right, I fully submerged myself into an area where I felt the strongest current and stayed under water, scrubbing vigorously, until the mud was completely washed off. I emerged from that moment feeling... more liberated. As I journaled about it later, I literally used the term self-baptism. I had baptized myself, a sacrament of full-volition (not an obligatory action or an institutional imperative) and emerged with a sense of more-fully owning myself. Rather than gaining greater access into a religious order, I gained greater access to the deepest me. It was mystical / experiential / cathartic / rebellious... in all the right ways!
So, here's to blue clay, whale mucus, and owning our respective truths!
Wow — this moment and your telling of it are incredible. Thank you for sharing! How cool to know we were both able to tap into this shared truth recently. What an incredible moment you had. Spectacular. Love you too, friend!
This was so beautiful, Mike. And this! - "If this is what baptism is, I find myself asking the question… What presence would I choose to be steeped in?" Also, very jealous of your whale encounters!
Thank you, Makayla! Happy you enjoyed it. They should be making their way up the coast to your neighborhood soon!
Mike,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this article! I was recently on a wellness retreat in Costa Rica. One of our events was to coat our bodies in the special "blue clay" of the region that is supposed to have medicinal value, and then, after letting it dry, to wash it off in a local river. On a whim, I picked up a stick and begin to write words and symbols that represented old beliefs and ideas that no longer serve me or that no longer ring true for me. And when the time was right, I fully submerged myself into an area where I felt the strongest current and stayed under water, scrubbing vigorously, until the mud was completely washed off. I emerged from that moment feeling... more liberated. As I journaled about it later, I literally used the term self-baptism. I had baptized myself, a sacrament of full-volition (not an obligatory action or an institutional imperative) and emerged with a sense of more-fully owning myself. Rather than gaining greater access into a religious order, I gained greater access to the deepest me. It was mystical / experiential / cathartic / rebellious... in all the right ways!
So, here's to blue clay, whale mucus, and owning our respective truths!
Love you, man!
Dave Baird
Dave,
Wow — this moment and your telling of it are incredible. Thank you for sharing! How cool to know we were both able to tap into this shared truth recently. What an incredible moment you had. Spectacular. Love you too, friend!