I visited Tikal yesterday, a famous park that preserves a set of gigantic Mayan ruins. Here are my photos. I have seen a lot in my nearly 42 years, and came with a ho-hum attitude. At first, on this rainy morning, the climb to the top of Templo IV, Temple 4, was indeed disappointing. Everyone had told me how great it would be, but it seemed like a stack of rocks to me, and besides, I couldn´t get any good photos with all that mist. They are restoring Templo IV, a process which will take many years, and there was only a small area where you could even sit.
I have been working with a book about creating your reality, "Ask and It Is Given," (Abraham-Hicks) and it teaches about how thought and emotions create our experiences. I decided to practice in this moment, and see if I could turn what felt dull into something, well, better. (You may want to practice this in an amazing place like Tikal for best results... ;-)
I started by looking for something interesting in my immediate proximity. There was a security guard, so I asked if I could take his photo. He seemed flattered, and shyly shared with me that he had been a guard at Tikal for seven years. He told me he lives 80 kilometers away (about 50 miles). It is costly to commute, say 30 quetzales (around $4.00) for the bus, so he goes home to his family every other night, staying overnight in the park otherwise. I said it must be in his heart now, his blood, this place. With touching emotion he said yes, Tikal is a part of him. He is pictured above.
Cheered up by our interaction, I descended the steep steps in pursuit of my next story. I wandered around the side of the temple, and found another area of men working, willing to be photographed. This time they were setting up to bring rocks and water to the guys at the top. What did they use for this feat? A cable system invented by one of the restorers, powered by... well, just take a look.The rest of the day went extremely well: peaceful, delightful and fulfilling. I now feel that Tikal is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I honestly don´t know if it is because I decided to change my inner world, or if the outer world would have come to greet me anyway.
