As I lay by the edge of the well, I saw clearly that we needed to sow a seed of knowledge in the world: a knowledge with the power to free the people. A knowledge that would stop the daily killing of hundreds of thousands of children around the world.
"My dream was born when I was a child, one bright afternoon as the sun´s rays penetrated the leaves of each tree around me and touched my skin. Where several moments before I had been pulled out of a deep well where the Guatemalan army, supported by governments of the world, had thrown us, where the lives of 115 of my friends and neighbours had been snuffed out.
Most people don´t love life. When we acquire knowledge embraced by our ego and dreams of power, this knowledge destroys the world.
As I lay there by the edge of that well looking up at the miraculous angel who had rescued me, a beautiful woman incandescent and framed by a startlingly blue sky, I will never forget the light in her eyes which embraced me with their look. Her tears formed a waterfall between her lovely cheeks, and she whispered, “Champion, you have a lot ahead of you.”
As I lay by the edge of the well in those arms, I saw clearly that what was needed was to sow a seed of knowledge in the world: not more pride-filled knowledge, but a knowledge based on a humane and conscious education and the principles of natural law. A knowledge with the power to free people to use their gifts and talents, without which we become distracted and depressed. A knowledge that teaches us how to live well on the earth and to appreciate it, for the body is part of the earth; the body is matter which every single day shares an embrace with the earth, with the trees, with the wind, with clouds, with the minerals. A knowledge that would stop the daily killing of hundreds of thousands of children around the world.
I saw that it was time to build this new land of knowledge where intelligence and wisdom flow, where wisdom is adorned by love, where women and men no longer fight for power but simply enjoy life as angels do. Time to enjoy the fruits of wisdom which are peace and equality. Time to occupy that new earth, for the sake of our children and all humanity. A new earth where the cradle of each newborn child is knowledge, a knowledge that moves mountains and parts oceans to establish peace. A new earth that governments and powers would surely oppose, but which would be possible in the name of peace and justice. A new earth where no child, adolescent, woman or man is demeaned or despised. A new earth where life is appreciated and no longer destroyed.
I resolved there and then to transform that terror of the holocaust into seeds of peace, love and justice. By the edge of the well, I saw that my friends and neighbours had already lost their lives; for them, there was no hope. Yet I needed to do something for those children who would still be killed by contaminated waters, by bomb residue chemicals, by malnutrition and by curable diseases. I needed to do it in their name.
I called this dream Afretlain. Afretlain means in essence “water-space-breath-fire-earth-wind” in K´iche´ Mayan. In Spanish, it means "Abrazando Fuertemente la Revolution de Amor y Generosidad", or “Embracing the Revolution of Love and Generosity”.
Most people don´t love life. When we acquire knowledge embraced by our ego and dreams of power, this knowledge destroys the world.
As I lay there by the edge of that well looking up at the miraculous angel who had rescued me, a beautiful woman incandescent and framed by a startlingly blue sky, I will never forget the light in her eyes which embraced me with their look. Her tears formed a waterfall between her lovely cheeks, and she whispered, “Champion, you have a lot ahead of you.”
As I lay by the edge of the well in those arms, I saw clearly that what was needed was to sow a seed of knowledge in the world: not more pride-filled knowledge, but a knowledge based on a humane and conscious education and the principles of natural law. A knowledge with the power to free people to use their gifts and talents, without which we become distracted and depressed. A knowledge that teaches us how to live well on the earth and to appreciate it, for the body is part of the earth; the body is matter which every single day shares an embrace with the earth, with the trees, with the wind, with clouds, with the minerals. A knowledge that would stop the daily killing of hundreds of thousands of children around the world.
I saw that it was time to build this new land of knowledge where intelligence and wisdom flow, where wisdom is adorned by love, where women and men no longer fight for power but simply enjoy life as angels do. Time to enjoy the fruits of wisdom which are peace and equality. Time to occupy that new earth, for the sake of our children and all humanity. A new earth where the cradle of each newborn child is knowledge, a knowledge that moves mountains and parts oceans to establish peace. A new earth that governments and powers would surely oppose, but which would be possible in the name of peace and justice. A new earth where no child, adolescent, woman or man is demeaned or despised. A new earth where life is appreciated and no longer destroyed.
I resolved there and then to transform that terror of the holocaust into seeds of peace, love and justice. By the edge of the well, I saw that my friends and neighbours had already lost their lives; for them, there was no hope. Yet I needed to do something for those children who would still be killed by contaminated waters, by bomb residue chemicals, by malnutrition and by curable diseases. I needed to do it in their name.
I called this dream Afretlain. Afretlain means in essence “water-space-breath-fire-earth-wind” in K´iche´ Mayan. In Spanish, it means "Abrazando Fuertemente la Revolution de Amor y Generosidad", or “Embracing the Revolution of Love and Generosity”.
And I planted those first seeds by going from house to house on my donkey or on foot, taking food and natural medicine to people in need at night, and awakening their awareness through my gift of seeing the true love of God, who doesn´t depend on space. This gift that God has placed in my heart has helped me transform the pain of what happened into a seed of peace, freedom and justice.
And this work grew and bore fruit over the next twenty years and more. I began to sell my art, my hand-woven crafts and natural medicine in order to raise funds for small programmes and help more people. I trained women and men, young and old to know their rights and realise their talents and gifts, with a strong focus on health. Later, I had help from my Swiss godfather, Claude-Alain Maret.
I always expected the government to do something too, but years went by. I went into homes to find out exactly what the needs of the women, the children and the men of my village were, because it would have been unwise to guess. Likewise, I investigated what the earth needed to restore its fertility. My godfather brought a team of university researchers from Switzerland to study the soil in Chiul, and their research discovered that it was highly contaminated by bomb residues. Unfortunately, the research papers were swept away together with our home in Hurricane Stan in 2005.
I analysed why my people remained unhappy, what wasn´t allowing them to heal from their trauma. I saw it was that psychological war, the programming and "demigod-acy" which together create poverty, which in turn causes family disintegration. The result is malnutrition, greater violence, and greater insecurity. This river of programming and false democracy sweeps people away into the sea of depression. If democracy is based on a vote or the freedom not to love life, not to love peace, then that "democracy" is of the enemy. That false democracy and peace they mention has become a religion that destroys minds and hearts and above all gifts and talents. It is like a sheepskin, and wolves dress up in it. It´s better to know how to choose in life and avoid being an accomplice.
I realised that for an indigenous person, the Guatemalan government is like a poisonous snake: you need to be careful it doesn´t spot you.
I saw that it wasn´t a church or school that was going to begin making my people happy, it was having good food, a good home and good health. In this way, their minds and hearts would be able to open to embrace knowledge again, to plunge themselves into the waterfall of wisdom towards the promised land of the man and woman of love.
I was certain that every woman and man has a space in that promised land of knowledge.
And this work grew and bore fruit over the next twenty years and more. I began to sell my art, my hand-woven crafts and natural medicine in order to raise funds for small programmes and help more people. I trained women and men, young and old to know their rights and realise their talents and gifts, with a strong focus on health. Later, I had help from my Swiss godfather, Claude-Alain Maret.
I always expected the government to do something too, but years went by. I went into homes to find out exactly what the needs of the women, the children and the men of my village were, because it would have been unwise to guess. Likewise, I investigated what the earth needed to restore its fertility. My godfather brought a team of university researchers from Switzerland to study the soil in Chiul, and their research discovered that it was highly contaminated by bomb residues. Unfortunately, the research papers were swept away together with our home in Hurricane Stan in 2005.
I analysed why my people remained unhappy, what wasn´t allowing them to heal from their trauma. I saw it was that psychological war, the programming and "demigod-acy" which together create poverty, which in turn causes family disintegration. The result is malnutrition, greater violence, and greater insecurity. This river of programming and false democracy sweeps people away into the sea of depression. If democracy is based on a vote or the freedom not to love life, not to love peace, then that "democracy" is of the enemy. That false democracy and peace they mention has become a religion that destroys minds and hearts and above all gifts and talents. It is like a sheepskin, and wolves dress up in it. It´s better to know how to choose in life and avoid being an accomplice.
I realised that for an indigenous person, the Guatemalan government is like a poisonous snake: you need to be careful it doesn´t spot you.
I saw that it wasn´t a church or school that was going to begin making my people happy, it was having good food, a good home and good health. In this way, their minds and hearts would be able to open to embrace knowledge again, to plunge themselves into the waterfall of wisdom towards the promised land of the man and woman of love.
I was certain that every woman and man has a space in that promised land of knowledge.
