“Who are you? What is your mission in life?”
You will run into these questions if you ever end up going to Las Piramides Del Ka, a beautiful meditation and spiritual centre in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. But be careful, it might change your life and you might not want to go back to your old ways after visiting.
It was at Las Piramides where I met Luly Boschini, this inspiring and passionate teacher. My path took me there twice to complete the Moon Course, a month-long course consisting of meditation, yoga and studies of metaphysics, which, according to one definition is a branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of existence, being and the world.
Luly is a yoga- and a spiritual teacher and a psychologist from Guatemala. She is the younger daughter of Chaty Secaira, the founder of Las Piramides. Luly is part of an extraordinary family, who have dedicated their lives to serving humanity and planet earth with a vision of bringing “light to planet Earth”.
Following the calling
Luly grew up in San Marcos, in and around the meditation centre that her mother founded in 1991, when Luly was 6 years old. Since childhood, she has been troubled by the artificial divisions between people and the prejudices people hold. As in Guatemala too, there has been tensions between the indigenous groups and the rest of the population.
Being a spiritual girl surrounded by friends from different indigenous groups, she never understood where the walls between people came from, as she always felt that we are all the same, regardless of background, colour or religion.
“The existence of this difference marks my life, why is it that we are not equal when we are all the same? Prejudices bother me a lot as I’ve seen the racism between different groups and social classes”, Luly tells.
In her young adulthood years Luly did her own thing, moved from the meditation centre to the city, studied psychology and had her own dancing studio. But sometimes in her late 20ies she felt like the city life was no longer for her. She did the programs at Las Piramides herself and realized that she wanted to continue the work her mom was doing. Her sister Pauli came into the same conclusion and their mother started training them. Now the sisters are running the centre in San Marcos, while mom Chaty runs more advanced courses in the centre of “El Arka” in the mountains close by.
“I got a strong feeling that this is what I need to do. It felt like a big responsibility, but in a good way. I’m honoured and blessed to do this work as we continue to work with my mom’s mission. For me the mission is to keep the light on, continue to spread light into the world”, Luly continues.
Las Piramides 2, El Arka.Honesty and humbleness as cornerstones
What does the mission “light to planet Earth” mean in a practical level? As a student of Las Piramides myself, I experienced it as a guidance to look inside, to meet myself in a truly authentic manner. But it was also about looking outside, learn from life and the invisible side of creation, getting in touch with my own capabilities and becoming more conscious in general.
The Moon Course threw me into a process of transformation, pushed me to work with my fears and shadows, gave me tools and space to connect with my own spirit and as a result I found more clarity in my life. I also re-established my relationship with faith, which in the simplest terms means that I trust that things will work out and my wings will carry as long as my intentions are good.
The saying “Universe will help those who help themselves” strongly resonates with my definition of faith.
“Light to planet Earth” can be as simple as sending good vibrations, love and kindness around us. Reflecting upon how we can help and contribute, being conscious of our impact.
For Luly the key to spread the light lies in honesty: to be completely honest with yourself. From this profound sense of honesty and transparency we can find the light and then reach to other people and let our light shine.
It makes sense, right? If we are not in touch with ourselves and we always just end up running away from our pain and shadows, we end up living somewhat fake lives. It’s hard to reach high if the foundation is shaky.
Then there is another important characteristic, which was emphasized a lot also during the course: humbleness. One of the key questions presented to our group was whether we choose arrogancy or humbleness to guide our actions. This topic resonated with me a lot, as for a long time I’ve felt that we live in a world where moderation, balance and justice are underrated concepts and we are programmed to just want more, regardless of the consequences.
“Another key is humbleness; people who are humble can see beyond, they can see the big picture and go beyond their own ego. Humbleness lets you see and understand more, live better, be more human. You can stand in other people’s shoes”, Luly continues.
And humbleness is truly something this place vibrates. It comes up in the behaviour, attitude and teachings every day. I found it so beautiful that sometimes it nearly put me in tears. Fortunately, humbleness is also very contagious.
You don’t need to be a hippy
What comes to artificial divisions of people, those do not exist in this place. This is a place where everyone is welcome, regardless of their background, nationality or religion. Everyone here, including the founders and the teachers have a beginner’s mindset in the sense that they also see themselves as students – everyone can always learn more. Any kind of fundamentalist preaching is completely absent. You can see symbols from different religions and traditions in and around the temple in harmony with each other. Someone has understood that there is a common wisdom in many different traditions.
Luly points out that we need more ordinary people to do their share and take these teachings with them. Being a very down to earth person herself, she also adds that there is no need to jump to another extreme and lose your essence while progressing in the spiritual path and learning about yourself, life and our impact.
The message was clear; we don’t need more people who go and live in the mountains, you don’t have to be a hippy or a monk to make a positive impact on the planet. We need more ordinary people to spread the light and contribute, no matter which profession they are in.
This is an important notion when we think about the concept and image of spirituality. It doesn’t mean that you have to jump to another end, leave everything behind and give up your own will. I had a bit of a struggle myself at some point when I was thinking that OK, if I want to take this path does it mean that I have to stop shaving my armpits, sit in a drumming circle and just wait for the Universe to take care of everything for me. My “consultant self” was delighted to realize that I can still be myself and use rational thinking, while integrating my spirituality into a life that looks like mine. There is plenty of space to be “in between”, like Luly phrased it.
Towards more conscious world
When Luly does her work she trusts in positive attitude and guidance from above. When we talk about potential, she believes that we are learning more all the time. We have the capacity to develop and become better all the time, which is why we never really use our full potential. There is always more in the storage.
What a great point of view, the idea of having an infinite source of potential where we can turn to, always learning more!
In the end of our interview I ask about her recommendations for people who are struggling to find their mission in life or have a hard time in finding a meaning (as if questions about meaning of life would be a piece of cake to anyone!). She gives her standard answer to any kind of problem; meditate on it.
“People don’t have the time to really sit down and think about their missions and purpose. People should take the time and reflect their own life. No one else can’t tell you the mission of your life, you have to find it inside. It can be hard, but it’s the truth. When you feel something is calling you, if something really moves you – pay attention”, is her advice.
It’s also comforting that our mission doesn’t have to be a mind-blowing project, it can be something very small and simple. We can also have different missions in the course of life, or several of them at the same time. Luly is working with her mission at the Piramides, but she also has a dream of integrating more dance into her work in the future. Maybe dancing therapy as part of the program at the Piramides, or a dancing studio in Panajachel, a village nearby. She also wants to help deaf children; time will tell how that calling will realize itself.
We end the interview by talking about change. For me change seems to be the big divider of people, you either hate it or you love it. I personally love it and I’ve always felt like change is the key to progress in life. For the people who want change Luly’s advice is to have faith.
“Change is scary, but if you jump into the unknown, there is always something, it’s not the end. You can change your lifestyle, make changes knowing that it’s not the end but something new can come up. Take the time to explore that”, she encourages.
Faith is what we all need, and I’m pretty sure it is found inside. During these crazy times in the world right now, it’s a good idea to look inside, have a bit of a reflection and maybe ask yourself, how do you want to spend this lifetime? What kind of impact and contribution do you want to make? While thinking about it, don’t give all the work to your mind as the best ideas are often born when the mind and heart collaborate.
