Red Lotus Tours

Ch-Ch-Ch Changes!

2010-10-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, so far 2010 has been quite an interesting year! Everyone I know is going through personal and lifestyle changes. Not small ones either, HUGE ones! The energy is big and chaotic at times, so let's all take a deep breath. I bet if you are reading this you know exactly what I am talking about.
The update for Red Lotus and the retreat center in Peru is that....ta dah....we are nearing completion! We have had a big push to repair the damage from the January floods and continue
construction with the help from friends far & near. It's amazing how the Universe brings the right players to the game just when you need them.
I have temporarily relocated to Peru to oversee the completion and work with local guides and shamans to deliver the most authentic experiences for those who choose to travel with us.
Thank you everyone who has sent their good wishes and positive energy to this amazing place on the earth. I am grateful to be here and be part of the evolution of consciousness taking place at this time.
Namaste,
Diana

Our Dream has Changed Course due to A Force of Nature

2010-01-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE SACRED VALLEY

The heavy rain and the river in the Sacred Valley destroyed many people’s homes in Cusco area. the river in the sacred valley is growing and growing every day, slowly and slowly people are losing everything, homes, farming products, animals, also my brother Washy lost his house and his beautiful building by the river last day, my other brother Wilfredo got stalled in Machupicchu, part of the train rail is been destroying by the river, the houses, roads and bridges are collapsing, and the worst part is, this is just the beginning and there is not too much to do. This river, the sacred river as the Incas used call it, is giving us a lesson, many people has been losing the respect to this river, no people use to honoring him as the used to do any more, people where throwing garbage on its water, people taking its land more and more, putting their drainage directly his water, overfishing, and taking over otters homes. The sacred river even when it has been destroying by the people used to still showed the people its beauty, giving water for the irrigating, breeding trout for the hungry people, now even it is enraged, he didn’t take any bodies life, as he is loving people he is advising people to run away, that way I believe that river was sacred and will be sacred. Please take a time to ask the Mother Nature to calm dawn, people are changing.
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The above was received as an email sent by Carlos Gibaja Tapia as a plea for love & assistance to his people of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley (about 1-1/2 hr out of Cusco en route to Machu Picchu).
All I can say is I'm in awe of the force of water when I consider that it has washed away people's homes,
animals, crops and for us the retreat center we have been lovingly building for the last two years. It's gone. Recycled and reclaimed by the river.
Indeed, we cannot know the "big picture" just yet....what the Universe has in mind for these hardworking
descendants of the Incas, whose culture has been to honor their "Pachamama" in everything they do.
Perhaps it is as Carlos says in his letter above, that people have lost their respect for the river, for the old
ways of living sacred and in harmony with Madre Tierra.
For us personally here in Canada & the U.S. who have embraced these people as family the last few years,
we are sad beyond words to know the suffering and loss they are experiencing.
At this time I would appreciate your positive wishes in helping us affirm that only the Universe/Divine Creator knows the big picture...and that this force of nature will help us all come into Unity of Heart and Spirit for the Highest Good of All.

If you would like to donate to the relief efforts for the families of Ollantaytambo Peru please go to: www.pathoftheheart.org and donate via PayPal.

Building a Retreat Center on the Sacred River

2009-04-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last summer my good friend and business associate, Washington Gibaja Tapia, a native Quechua
man with amazing intellect, talent, compassion and vision, asked if myself and my husband, Paul,
would like to partner with him to build a retreat center on the Sacred River, Urubamba, very near
the village of Ollantaytambo. Wow~what a privilege, what a statement of trust and commitment to use my sacred gift of Cultural Integration!
There are people in this world who have the ability to hold a vision of the finished project and by simply holding that vision steadfast and taking action steps, however small, "make it happen"!
I would have to say that all three of us in this partnership have that ability and so it is at this time
being built on this sacred and beautiful place on earth.
This is only the beginning.....out of this project will come funding for scholarships and community health and education of the Quechua communities surrounding Ollataytambo.
Paul and I are humbled by the opportunity Washington Gibaja Tapia has offered us; to welcome us into his family and his community as friends and partners. A true manifestation of cooperation and community building that we treasure.

Journeying and Cultural Integration

2009-03-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

It was at a Sacred Gifts workshop last summer that I discovered the things that have "driven" me, and that my passions, so to speak, are actually considered Sacred Gifts! Wow! What a liberating idea!
All my life I have had wanderlust, a gypsy soul, vagabond spirit. Once I remortgaged my house just to take four months off to wander in India and Nepal with no particular objective other than to "experience" was laid before me on my path. And it was magical. Sure, there were difficult situations to deal with, a couple "Delhi-Belly" moments, some discomfort and at times no comfort at all. Tears, smiles, laughter, wonder and enlightening moments come and go, passing like a breeze flowing by me, when I travel.
This is not a vacation, this is not a holiday, this is not really even travel as most people define it. It is a Journey. Journeying in this way, for the sheer magic and mystery of the experience, the tender moments of connection with other people who live on the other side of the world, sometimes not even speaking the same verbal language. But always, speaking from the heart, there is connection. These connections and experiences define my life. And as I move forward with Red Lotus Tours I hope to show others how life-changing this type of journey can be. It gives me goose-bumps just to think about how deeply people change from these experiences.
Namaste. Diana

Welcome

2009-03-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog. I'll be posting monthly, and more often when I'm traveling. So be sure to stay tuned for updates and photos from exotic locales.