Surviving Mexico

October 24, 2023 · 7:10 am

Inspirational Writers in Mexico — Laura LaBrie

Today, I’d like to introduce Laura LaBrie, an inspirational writer living in Mexico whom I “met” through Facebook. You can find her latest article in the October/November issue of the Edge Magazine.

I am from Vermont in the US. I live in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, MX. I came here on vacation 15 years ago and fell in love. My husband and I planned to retire here, but he passed away. So, I came by myself. This little fishing village and her lovely people helped me heal. I love the beach, the quietness, and the nearby jungles.

When I lived in the US, I was a music teacher while raising my children. When they all graduated, I decided to reinvent myself and got more into writing, which I had always loved. I published my first two books before I came to Mexico. When I got here, everything really changed. I was single, my children were grown, and I had the opportunity to move into things I had dreamed of.

I began researching the ways of the Maya people and became very interested in the modern Maya, their handed-down wisdom and magic. I built relationships with local people, especially a lovely shaman/healer named Don Francisco and his family. I began uncovering stories about very real modern magic, the incredible intuition of the Maya, connection to spirit and other dimensions, jungle spirits and guardians, and just a mind-blowing array of “other world” things here in the small pueblos on the Yucatan Peninsula.

I started documenting these things and started a blog to share them with others (Maya Harmony: Ancient Path to Wellness).That was when people started asking if they could come with me and see the deeply spiritual and life-changing ways of the Maya. So, I started bringing small groups of people on excursions to connect them with powerful experiences. I also began working to give back to the communities we go to, and I now have a non-profit called Poverty Project International. I now bring small groups on 4-day trips to experience the magic and wisdom of the Maya. This benefits everyone because my guests have intense cultural and healing experiences, and it helps support further research and also helps support the non-profit so I can do more to help people in need in these small communities.

I was a devout Christian for many years. I have always been very curious about the way the Universe works, and my questions were not well received by the church. Coming to Mexico and connecting to the Maya people really put my beliefs on the fast track to change. I began to see powerful things unfolding right in front of me. Many of these things are really out there, and many people in first-world countries have forgotten them.

A BIG part of what I do now is to document the “supernatural” things I encounter and the stories I hear from local indigenous people. This includes things like remote viewing and intuitive knowing, seeing energies through a shaman stone called a sestun, clay dolls called aluxes (duendes in other parts of Mexico and Central America) made by a shaman and brought to life in order to guard a person’s home or farm, the rain god Chaac, the Maya do a ceremony during drought, and they continue the ceremony until it rains!, shape-changing, and so many other similar things. It is mind-bending and super exciting! My mind is so open now to learning more about the subtle world and how it works. I love this journey I am on!

I am much more relaxed and happier. My worldview has changed dramatically. I could write a whole book on that! In fact, my book “How to Happify Our Life” talks a lot about the happiness I have found while living a very simple life. I am doing what I love, and it brings me to places where I feel my heart is so full. I meet people from all over the world and get to share my passion with them. I don’t feel stuck anymore, and every day, I feel grateful that I get to live here in beautiful Puerto Morelos and do what I am doing.

The biggest challenge I faced was overcoming grief from losing my husband of 27 years. After that, I had to learn to trust myself. I also overcame feelings of low self-esteem. Living in the US, it can be hard to feel good about yourself. Mexico is so different. I feel wonderful. I know who I am, and I love myself. This is something I wish I could help more people feel. Feeling good about yourself is so empowering, and it brings you to a place where you can really give your gifts to the world to make it a better place.

On the other hand, living in Mexico has its challenges. Life is slow…and so is the bank, the car repair shop, and the guy who is coming to fix the air conditioner! It is hard to get things done here. People here are not focused on goals. They are focused on relationships. That is a wonderful thing when you are hanging out, meeting people, and having fun. But it can really cause problems when you need to get things done. I have been out of the USA for almost 13 years now, and I am pretty used to it. You have to learn to plan for a lot of time and expect things to have hiccups. Having lower expectations means you feel good when it only takes three days to be able to pay your water bill!

I have great friends here and an amazing partner who help me persevere. I also have the full support of my family. Having close relationships feels good and helps me stay balanced. I also love my work of connecting with local people, learning from them, and bringing expats into amazing places. In addition, I spend a lot of time in nature and exploring. This fuels my excitement and keeps my love bucket full!

I am proudest of raising three wonderful children. I have also published 12 books, run a fabulous non-profit, learned to live in a foreign country, and learned a new language (Spanish). I am even learning Mayan! But raising three amazing children is the best thing I have ever done!

I miss good cheddar cheese. LOL. Vermont has some of the best cheddar in the world, and I used to use it in most of my cooking! I love Mexican and Maya food and have had a blast learning new recipes, but I miss that tart cheese! Really, there isn’t much else I miss. I am still very close to my family even though they are all over the world, and I have adjusted very well to life here. We have Amazon now, too, which is amazing. I used to miss good quality sheets, but now I can order them online.

Stuff is no longer important to me. I used to live in a huge 4-bedroom house filled with lots of beautiful things. When I left the US, I gave away almost everything. I no longer have even a storage space in the US, and I am very happy living a much simpler life here. Life is about experiences, relationships, breathing fresh air, and swimming in the sea. I love that I can close up my little condo and go on an adventure anytime I want. There is less work to do, and really, I feel much freer.

The death of my husband was the defining moment in my life. It changed everything. We had been high school sweethearts and then were married for 27 years. I didn’t know anything else. We did everything together, and, in many ways, I made my life revolve around him. That felt good at the time, but now I know it was super restricting. When he passed away, it was devastating. But I quickly moved to Mexico, where I found solace and comfort. Soon, I began to re-evaluate my life, and I started following my bliss. I am doing things now I never would have done if we were still together. I am grateful for the time we had together and the children I have from that union. But I am on such an amazing path now. It took time to make the transition, but I am so much happier now and fulfilled now. I feel like I am doing what I came here to this incarnation to do.

I spend a lot of my free time at the beach and hanging out with friends. It’s my happy place. I also love boats. I sail and just love being on or in the water. I love yoga and qigong, breathwork, and meditation. I collect crystals and silver handmade jewelry, and I love working with my tarot cards and the Maya Majiks Oracle Cards I created. I play with several pendulums and burn way more incense than anyone should. In addition, I spend a lot of time exploring. I meet new local people and listen to their amazing stories of magic in the jungles. I check out sacred places and experiment with energies there. There are remote Maya ruins around here and beautiful cave pools called cenotes. I love finding ones that no one goes to. Some say that Adventure is my middle name. Going on a crazy spiritual adventure is my favorite thing to do!

I offer 4-day spiritual retreats in addition to private smaller excursions. Of course, I also have books and e-courses available online. I also do Maya birth chart readings to help you see what energy you are currently in and what advice you can follow to create your best life. And I created a set of oracle cards called Maya Majiks that are based on Maya life and magic. I use those to do readings, too. The main thing, though, is the retreats. When you come on a retreat with me, you not only help yourself, you help fund research so I can learn more about the magic and wisdom of the Maya, and you help fund the non-profit work I am doing, too.

I have an upcoming retreat November 16-20, 2023, and then there will be retreats in January, February, March, and April 2024 too. The retreats include: A private healing session with our shaman, Maya ceremony and ritual, Cacao ceremony, Cenote (cave pool) cleansing and letting go experience, Maya ruin connection, breathwork and meditation, foods to heal and reactivate your third eye, your Maya birth sign and energies, connection with local people and of course so much more!

If you are in the area and want a private experience, I can do that too. These are often overnight experiences where I take you to see our shaman and then include other things like exploring Maya ruins, doing a traditional Maya pottery class with a master potter whose family still works in the old ways, having a breathtaking healing soak in a cenote, enjoying local Maya food, meeting Maya families, and hearing lots of stories about very real and powerful Maya magic.

The books I currently have for sale are:

I am currently working on an E-Course to teach you how to do an amazing Cacao Ceremony and lead it so others can benefit. The ceremony is deeply connected to Maya culture, history, and magic, and its purpose is to take you through a death and re-birth experience. It is beautiful. The E-Course will have written teaching, photos, and videos to help bring everything to life.

When I get into a project, I usually work very quickly because I get super focused on it. I allow things to gel in my mind until I know exactly what I want to write, and then I plunge in. This project is about halfway finished as of this writing, and I hope to finish it within a month or so.

Connect with Laura LaBrie:

October Features

Well, this has been quite a month for publicity for me. Take a look!

First, I was published in BookWorm Nook Magazine, an online publication.

Read A Cup of Chocolate in A Tale of Two Cities by C.E. Flores

Then I was published in ANOTHER online publication, ReAwakened Online Magazine.

Read Mexican Herbalism: Traditional Knowledge and Modern Applications

The third article for the month was in the print edition of the Edge Magazine.

Read Monarch Butterflies: Messengers of the Afterlife by C.E. Flores

And to top it off, I was interviewed on a podcast, Rediscovering Your Passion and Purpose with Patti.

As an introvert, I always find podcast appearances agonizing, but I thought this one went pretty well. I opted to wear my huge earmuffers (headset) and not risk the issues I had with earbuds falling out onto the floor and rolling behind my desk that I had in my last interview.

Whew! That was a LOT of attention and should last me for quite some time! Back to other matters at hand, like that pesky little insurrection in La Yacata.

Insurrection in La Yacata

One random Sunday in September, my husband comes in and says there’s a community meeting starting. Color me pink, but I couldn’t figure out how that happened since I’m on the mesa directiva (board of directors) of La Yacata, and I hadn’t called junta (meeting).

So I put on my shoes, stop what I’m working on, and head out only to find the meeting has moved from down the road under the mesquite, which is the normal location, to RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE.

I asked who arranged the meeting. Someone says it was on the radio, so here they were. And I’m like, well, since you have gathered together, let me give you a quick update on what’s going on.

A month or so previously, Desarollo Urbano (the town planning committee) requested our presence for a meeting in the presidencia (town hall). I don’t know what happened to our invitation, but it arrived just 24 hours prior to the meeting. It would not be in our best interest to miss this meeting, as all government summons are taken with the utmost seriousness. Super Prez found me on WhatsApp, and I ran my butt on my moto over to where the secretary lives to see if he’d be able to make the meeting as well.

I passed Rigo, one of the vocales (understudy of a sort), sitting on a bench drinking at the entrance of La Yacata, and mentioned the meeting to him. He said he couldn’t make it as he had another meeting at the courthouse. Ok, whatever.

At 9 a.m. the next day, Super Prez, the secretary, and myself meet up in the atrium of the presidencia (town hall). We marched our badass selves to the Desarollo Urbano office only to find that the director in charge had forgotten about our meeting and was in the midst of some other very important activity. So we stood cooling our heels for nearly an hour and a half.

While we waited, the dude that had been sitting next to Rigo drinking showed up in his partly buttoned shirt and huge sombrero. He hadn’t been specifically invited to our little party, but it seems that Rigo had sent him as his stand-in. Ok, whatever.

Finally, we were able to see the director, and he explained that the presidencia was attempting to regularizar (put in order) any fraccionamientos (neighborhoods) that pertained to the municipio (which is Moroleón). Super Prez gave him a general run down of what urbanization La Yacata had (nothing that worked) and the general apathy of the colonos (residents). He asked that we turn in some paperwork so that he could see where we stood legally and maybe give us some options on how to obtain those vital servicios (utilities).

First was a copy of the acta constitutiva, which is a document that was drawn up when the Associacion de La Yacata was formed. Super Prez, as the son of the original owner, had this. Then he asked for the registered members of la mesa directiva (board of directors). This committee is determined by popular vote at an assembly of residents. Super Prez, the secretary, and I (along with 3 understudies called vocales) were “elected” as it were about 10 years ago. Nobody else has wanted to step up and challenge us until now. And it’s not like we LIKE what we do. We don’t get paid. We’ve had to appear in court when La Yacata was sued (3 times). And it’s generally a hassle. Anyway, this document listing our positions needs to be renewed, so we couldn’t turn that in.

He also asked for the topographic plans, which we had, thanks to Super Prez, but he’d had to bring them back later as he didn’t have the plans with him. With that, the director said he’d be in touch, and we left.

Back to the impromptu meeting…I shared this information in condensed form with those who had gathered at my door. Then, a slight man with glasses began to speak. He said that we needed to renew the activa constitutiva because it had expired. To do this, we could head to Morelia, which is in Michoacán, get it done, pay 8000 pesos, and then pay the 2000 pesos fine to register it in the state of Guanajuato, which is where La Yacata is located.

Then he said we needed 5 people to form a mesa directiva. Remember, it’s not like I love being a member of the board, but to be informed like that that I was to be ousted by this guy, well, it was a little surprising.

Some of the more vocal attendees began with how they wanted to see progress and the current mesa directiva has done nothing and blah blah blah. Profe Juan, who had briefly held the position of association president before renouncing in a huff, pointed out that the problem was with the colonos, not the mesa directiva. True dat. We had done everything we could to protect the properties owned by the colonos and when we provided an estimate on how much it would cost to install the utilities, the assembled said they weren’t interested.

I was pretty incensed at this point, and my Spanish went right out the window, I’m sure. After all we’d done, how could they possibly say we’d done nothing? One lady with an infant started in how she didn’t know what was going on because we hadn’t had a meeting, and I got up in her face about how if she’d registered her lots when she bought them like she was supposed to, I’d have explained all this. Perhaps not my finest moment.

Then the horse guy started in on more of the same, how there’s no progress. And I got huffy and said that if certain people, like himself, would pay the fees for certain obligations we had as a community, perhaps things would be different. As the treasurer, I know exactly who has paid and who scampers off when it’s time to dig deep and hand over cash.

This woman then said it wasn’t important who paid and who didn’t. I begged to differ and said so. It showed what type of person you were, whether you were a responsible member of the association or not.

Later, when I told my friend that I screamed at this lady with a baby, she said I was supposed to kiss the babies, not yell at their moms. Oops! Guess I’m not politically savvy here–again, not that I ever wanted this position. I believe I’ve mentioned that.

Anyway, the slight man with glasses said we needed to have another meeting. They picked the date and time, and I said fine.

After the junta (meeting), I went to talk to this guy for a bit. He was positive the acta constitutiva was up in June of this year since it was constituted in 1993. I said I wasn’t sure of the dates. I told him that we owed the predial (property taxes) for the past 10 years on the community and that we hadn’t finished paying for the demanda (lawsuit). He said that establishing a new acta constitutiva, we aren’t legally responsible for those, but we’d have to change the name of the community. I said currently, the association was registered as La Ayacata. I’m not sure if this was a spelling error or by design, but it was easy enough to become La Yacata dropping the A.

He also said that I needed to have an RFC (Registro Federal de Contribuyentes), which is a tax ID number, more or less to be part of the mesa directiva. I had one and told him that. He seemed surprised, me being a foreigner and all. He said you could only get it by going to Morelia, which again seemed odd to me since it’s another state. My boss at the school I worked for back in the day had done the transaction for me. No trip to Morelia was needed.

At this point, I figured I’d wasted enough time with all this. I asked him to bring a copy of the reglamentos (bylaws) that he was proposing to the next junta (meeting). He felt, as did some of the attendees, that we should start enforcing a multa (fine) for those who didn’t come to the community meetings and that for those who didn’t want to pay the cooperaciones (community fees), the association should seize their lots.

These seemed troubling to me as the majority of the owners were older females who eeked out a meager existence selling tortillas or buñuelos in town. It was a hardship for them to close their stands for the day and come out to La Yacata just to hear blowhards tooting their own horns. It also didn’t seem right to repossess a lot that had been duly paid for, undoubtedly with blood, sweat, and tears, because they didn’t have the funds for the next project. So I wanted to see his proposals in writing.

I immediately called Super Prez to tell him about this attempt at insurrection. As the acting president, it was his decision to convocar (convoke) a community meeting, and he hadn’t been consulted. I tried to explain what was going on, but I was a bit upset and probably not too clear.

I asked when I could stop by to talk to him in person, and we set up a time that worked for both of us. I also sent him an email with all the information gleaned from this hostile gathering.

*****

Need a little background on La Yacata’s current dilemma? Check out La Yacata Revolution: How NOT to Buy a Piece of Heaven in Mexico.

Surviving Mexico

Inspirational Writers in Mexico — Laura LaBrie

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October Features

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Insurrection in La Yacata

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