Adam's Belize Journal- Fall 2005

Sunday, December 4, 2005 - Actun Tunichil Muknal

Today was another visit into one of the caves of Belize- these were intense caves though. I was able to have a little background on the days trip before hand. The people taking care of us a the lodge wouldn't tell us a whole lot- it was like a big secret, and they didn't want to spoil the surprise. They did, however, tell us the basic concept of the cave. Actun Tunichil Muknal is the cave's name and it was a sacred location to the Maya. It was also a place that was used foe many human sacrifices.

Knowing this the night before put me a little on edge. I kept speculating on what the place would be like on a spiritual/energy level. I was a concerned about disincarnate souls still lingering there and worried about being vulnerable to spirit attachments (the process of a disincarnate spirit latching on to the living). So I did a good deal of journeying and protection work the night before we left. I also sprayed myself down with white sage and cedar smudge spray before leaving in the morning as an extra precaution for protection.

That being done, I felt prepared and fortified and ready to have another day of adventure in the rain forest.

Our guide today was Gonzo who was great during our trip to Caracol- so we knew this would be another great trip with a great guide. We headed off onto some dirt roads passing through a couple of small villages along the way. The air was fresh and warm as we drove past citrus fields and finally headed into the hills and rain forest. The road was pretty rough at times and we were very far removed from any settled areas. We even had to drive through a river at one point. We parked the car and put our equipment on. We had to contend with some fire ants that had a nest where the car was parked- but they weren't too bad. An unpleasant burn, but not as bad as I anticipated a fire ant sting to be.

Heading out on foot we had a good hour or two of hiking through the rainforest and crossing a river in four different spots. The spirit of this land was strong. It had a fierce and feminine feeling to it. I kept feeling the spirit of the land darting around the forest as we walked. It was almost a feeling of being stalked as she ran parallel to our trail in the thick forest.

Driving through the river to get to Actun Tunichil Muknal

Crossing another river on foot.

The entrance into Actun Tunichil Muknal

When I finally "saw" the land spirit she was quite spectacular. She had long dark hair that hung down to her ankles. She was adorned with lush, green vegetation and dressed in jaguar skins. She moved like a cat, like a jaguar. Stalking and jumping from tree to tree and sometimes brushing close to our group. She was territorial, but not opposed to our presence there. I think she sensed that we were there with good intentions and with honor

After the long hike we sat for a bit to eat lunch and prepared for our trip into the cave. We could hear the river near by.

When we were ready we headed down the bank to the river and got our first glimpse of Actun Tunichil Muknal. It was this tall, hourglass shaped, black void in the rock wall that the river poured out of. We headed down to the river and then swam into the cave. About 20 feet in there was a spot to get out of the water and walk on the rocks along this underground river. It was a long and fantastic walk/swim/climb into the cave. The whole time we followed the underground river with only the light from our head lamps. We climbed boulders, swam through the deep spots of the river, and walked through it's shallow areas.

The entire experience was captivating, but also felt so unreal. The thick blackness of the cave, the roaring sound of the rushing water, the feeling that you only have when you are deep in the earth- all of these created an atmosphere and experience that was incredibly different than our normal lives.

When we reached a particular area, Gonzo told us it was time to climb up. There was a cliff on our right side that lead up into a black void over our heads. We climbed the handholds and navigated up the cliff to a flat area above. We had to take our shoes off at this point and go into the cave with our socks on so that we would not damage anything in the cave to kicking or stepping on it.

What we found as we went in was a huge chamber that had many levels to it. We spent a couple of hours in this space being shown the remnants of the Mayan ceremonies that were held here.

There was an altar that was completely intact where blood would be offered to the Mayan gods to bring rain. Sometimes the ruler of the time would offer his own blood and cut off a finger to ask for rain to be brought to his land and his people. The blood would be collected and mixed with sacred water collected from the cave and copal incense. The resulting mixture was then burned as an offering. You could still see the black char marks on the pottery sitting atop this altar.

The stone altar with pottery vessels and incense burners

A piece of pottery bearing the symbol of a monkey with it's arms and legs spread. There have only been four such vessels found in Belize.

We also saw many skeletal remains from the people that were sacrificed in this sacred cave. Some people were willing and some of them were prisoners that were offered to the gods. Most of the sacrifices were done to bring rain as the region was going through draughts. This particular sight was seen as sacred to the rain god since the air was always moist and misty and the river emerged from the cave- remember caves were the entrances to Xibalba where the gods lived.

What amazed me once I realized it was how "clean" the place was on a spiritual level. All of my concern for how the place would feel spiritually and if there were disincarnate spirits or not- was for nothing. There were no lingering souls, no psychic imprints of pain or suffering, and no restless energy. The energy was intense here, but it was sacred. I can only guess that as part of the ceremonies there was also some work done to aid the crossing and the healing of the souls that gave their lives here. Either that or there was some form of healing work done in this place afterwards.

A special treat of the day was when we were able to sit in the cave and listen to Gonzo tell us about some of the creation stories of the Maya. He told us about some of the gods, their personalities, and the stories that were told about them. There is something special that happens to a story when it's told in a sacred place, in a place so linked to the story itself. These stories took on a life of their own- it was like witnessing them instead of just listening to them be recited.

This really was a powerful place to visit, I'm sure it's presence will stay with me for a good while.

A skull imbedded in the limestone of the cave

Skeletal remains of many people- referred to by the archeologists as "bone salad"

This skeleton is of a young woman and is at the very end of the cave chambers. Her story is still unknown