Enroute to Seeking 'Chispa' in Guatemala

A Bus. Serendipity's Intervention. And You Rekindling that Spark Along with Us.

All my life, I have sought silence, required it for cup filling, sanity, seeking self and discovering the divine that weaves and threads and dances within all, whether aware or not. In the stillness my ideas stir, the voice calls me close, whispers sweet everythings in my my ear, makes me believe, makes me laugh.

I was born roaming. From 20-acre farm, running hands through the wheat and whiling away the days talking to horses, tadpoles, fairies, leaves cradling day’s first dew, in equal measure, to the gypsy I became, resting head on remote islands and villages; I have lost and found myself wandering since I began.

Oh sure, on the outside, I appear a business woman, who stands in front of crowds, speaks to cameras, crusades on behalf of those who need a voice, and writes to right wrongs and give words to those on missions all their own. But I owe any crafting I may bring to light, any talent that conjures on the trail or forms to page to the silence from whence it emerged.

I used to spin from the logic of the world, tried to keep up with the Jones’ of my craft, many many years ago. And while I honed my skills, my heart wasn’t in it. I soon learned that what came to me in striving was much more effort than the relinquishing of control, listening within and following that sassy, sorted internal guru. I see now it saved me years of trial and heartaches, and the gift of that never, ever escapes me (or rarely, at least).

It was always as if the real of me, the soul of me, simply waited, patiently and still does for when the din subsides, the party of my life dies down to a dull roar, I send people home … and the real event is able to begin!

So retreat became my lifeline; it is my lifeline.

Luckily I married a guy who ‘gets me’ and children who not only went on silent, soulful retreat with me when they were wee babes, but admire my need (and now exercise it themselves) to balance quiet contemplation, with the whirl of enthusiasm for a day. In my youth, I lived and worked in three different countries by the age of 30, this “the world is my home” attitude suited my hubby just fine, and as such, we’ve since then moved a lot as a duo and as a family. We homeschooled (or as we called it Lifeschooled), and balanced that with his work and my entrepreneurial ways.

In every town we ever lived in, I found a place for retreat. Each one became a home of heart, a treasure trove of rejuvenation and of sparks to fuel my passion for mentoring our boys and serving my communities at large. From ashram with Buddhist monk in the lead to a 10x10 tree house in the woods where I wrote and fasted and catapulted from journal-junkie to writer-come-author, to the little haven and hermitage I frequent every few months to …

Now - the adventure I embark on next week to scout the majesty of SoulFull Retreats, for we all, in Central America.

Oh to write that tingles straight through.

Chispa in Guatemalan Spanish means “spark.” It is this chispa I think I’ve sought all my life - within the depths of my own soul, and to inspire the uncovering of this chispa in the heart and lives of those I serve.

I take this trip with my precious son. At six years of age, he asked if he could come on a silent Buddhist retreat with me and blew the mind of the monk during our hour-long meditation. Months ago, when I shared the dream of finally launching the international retreats I’d always envisioned, once again, he asked if he could come. And here we are … days away from our first international exploration together. I am one happy Mama indeed. And thrilled also, for the ‘boy time’ our other sweet teen and his dad will share while we’re away.

So why Guatemala?

What is a SoulFull Retreat really all about?

Well, it all started with a Cindy Lauper concert and a Flix bus ride that brought to the fore a vision long held.

After walking El Camino two years ago, the gypsy in me stirred and asked, “Soooo sista, what’s next?” Now with our boys in the launch phase, I’d begun thinking about finally bringing into being El Camino SoulFull Wanders and Retreats. But something also drew me again and again to Guatemala. I didn’t know why. I’ve never been. But I began considering, envisioning and keeping a pulse on the retreat scene there.

I’d also been working with one of my coaching clients, helping her to consider and unleash what we deemed “Passion Projects.” She is my client but also my fabulous friend and as such, as two girlies gaga for Cindy when we were teens, we decided driving was overrated and tapped the express bus from Vancouver to Seattle. I’d been talking to her of the power of manifestation through ‘acting as if’, ‘planning as if’ something is already in the works.

Low and behold, we sit down on the bus and if that gal beside us isn’t Guatemalan, spends her time between her home in Canada and the one she has built, a five bedroom place, on Lake Izobal in Rio Dulce. Turns out she too was dreaming - of re-launching her retreat-hosting vision that was paused during COVID.

Mic drop.

I look to my friend and she begins to laugh. We all giggle about serendipity and timing and the forces beyond our comprehension that blow our minds when we’re open to that wild, wondrous magic.

And voila … after biz meetings and planning, a collective creation is born.

• Our son Liam has been helping Betty Barillas of Villa GuayaCan to monitor her homestay listings and may consider taking a year before university to run what we’re launching and work with Betty and her team on location.

• I’ve been transforming the retreats I’ve been doing here in Canada for decades into materials and flow for SoulFull Retreats abroad - the first at Betty’s gorgeous place (featured in the picture above) - October’s beginning 2025.

• For this one - and we’re hoping many, many more - Betty and I have been diving into the potential itinerary and details to blend her incredible knowledge of, and passion for, Guatemala with my desire to create a rejuvenating, soul-filling experience while exploring the majesty of this incredible place.

And I am thrilled to take you on the scouting journey - from May 6 - May 14,
I will be on location in Guatemala and sharing, sharing, sharing what you’ll have to look forward to in October.
If you’re reading this post and that time has passed, fear not.

The tag I’m using for these posts is #SoulFullReteat and there will be a separate Category on The SoulFull Way page for you to link direct to these details.

The dream is to gather our kindreds and engage in a life-changing adventure, based on my book Just One Soulful Thing ~ A Simple Adventure in Reclaiming Your Wild Wisdom, following the JOST Guided Journal that allows for a deeper dive into that reflection and your life.

There are many retreats that focus on travel-activity-packed days … this is not that.

While there will be hiking, boating, touring Mayan ruins, engaging in an eve of traditional Mayan dancing … there will also be a keen focus on time for solo reflection, blissing right out, wandering in the present moment and all the wild beauty unfolding within you and before you, meditation and movement that deepens that practice, and mingling with like spirits, hearts and minds as we hang with ‘our people’.

I am beyond honoured to work on this particular retreat with Betty, to have that treasure of a Cindy-Lauper friend, client and soul sister, Sherri Vaters, offering her gifts in Breathwork and Yoga flow, to have my son Liam helping with the adventures we’ll embark on and my husband and best friend there all along The Way …

And, above all, for us to bring you to

the stillness,

the silence,

the cup-filling,

for sanity and life-joy rekindling,

innate-wisdom reclaiming,

all amidst the wonder of Guatemala …

so that you too may take your Chispa to new and divine heights.

To our endless adventure in living life to the full!

~ j

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