Between two Worlds

Hi everyone,

I love the group that was formed from this newsletter. Zoom calls will now happen every Sunday Noon ET (18h Paris), this Sunday  we will share plant medicine experiences, here is the zoom link and the google calendar invite if you want to join. The calls aren’t recorded and what’s shared there there stays between us. 

I have just spent 4 days in NYC, first time in a city since last year as I spent the last 6 months in Brazil and Mexico either in the jungle or by the ocean away from crowded areas. It inspired me to write “How can we help our planet” on my bigger newsletter where I write only every 2 or 3 months.

I loved catching-up with my three sons who live in NY and Princeton now and a few good friends but I was a little overwhelmed. I had forgotten city sounds such as police cars, ambulances or restaurant loud music playing. They affect my brain, they always did but now I see it more as I became very sensitive. I am not sure how polluted the air was in New York but I could definitely smell the difference to pristine natural places I was in before. 

It was a good occasion to practice equanimity and aim at no or little reaction to anything that triggers me. It’s a practice we can train in meditation but even better training consciousness constantly, all day long.

I enjoyed going back to restaurants and hanging-out with friends.

New York feels very much alive. More than half of the city is vaccinated.

People are walking in the streets without masks, restaurants and shops are open, parties are happening all around (I carefully avoided them) and some offices are reopening. 

A restaurant owner asked me if I was vaccinated before coming in. United Airlines notified me I should upload my vaccination card in the app. 

If legally nobody has to be vaccinated the social and “practical” pressure is constant. I was in Brazil or Mexico so it wasn’t easy to vaccinate there. 

Many New Yorkers who were the most against getting vaccinated before ended up getting their dose.

It is pretty obvious to me that soon people who aren’t vaccinated won’t be able to travel or go to most public or social places. 

New York has plenty of vaccines, I got vaccinated in 20 minutes in the closest pharmacy no questions asked and for free. It was so surprisingly easy. 

Given how much availability there is of the vaccine in the U.S. the question became for me “why NOT vaccinate?”. I felt absolutely nothing except a light pain in my shoulder. It’s only a positive as I feel safer to go back to Brazil later this year as there is a lot of virus there and I feel like a contribute to improve the situation in general as chances are apparently low I spread it now (I don’t think I ever caught it though).

About 1,000 indigenous elders died in the Amazon forest from COVID, many thought their medicines or wisdom would be enough to avoid COVID. Their wisdom isn’t written anywhere and often got lost forever. I honestly wish they would have been vaccinated. The vast majority of my indigenous friends are vaccinated and happy they did it.

I respect all opinions about the vaccine though.

This morning I woke-up in the Sian Ka’an reserve, a beautiful Unesco pristine jungle on the ocean in Mexico with my Yawanawà friends.

The Yawanawa sing and play guitar as the first thing they do in the morning.

Here is what my first minutes off my bed looked like.

I love it. They are singing all day long.

I am staying here with them for about two weeks, sharing their music and spiritual practices. NYC to a natural reserve singing with them is quite a cultural shock but I love going back to city life too, I don’t think I want to live in a city ever again though. I will visit cities and friends often and that works for me.

Have a great week-end and I hope to see you on the zoom call.

Loic