I have the honor of being the Resident Shaman at MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in Baja. I feel proud of having witnessed the growth of this project since Chip Conley (founder of MEA and dear brother friend) was writing the book “Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder.” It is an amazing project dedicated mostly to persons experiencing midlife transitions who are seeking guidance for their well-being and the well-being of our planet.
I have participated in almost all of the opening ceremonies of MEA at the Baja Campus, in which one of the subjects to think about is the different ways through which we “ground” and find connection with ourselves: it can be hiking, enjoying/ observing nature, journaling, meditation, surfing, singing, listening music, etc.
Some people have one favorite activity and others experience a deep connection through many different activities. I have the blessing of being part of this latter group, feeling a deep connection and grounding through the following activities:
- Feeding my goats, and seeing the miracle of creation when they are newborn and just a few minutes of their “arrival” they stand up and start looking for milk, the sounds they make when they are eating, their sweetness.
- Spending time with my dogs. I love to hug them and feel such angels, teachers of unconditional Love and forgiveness
- When I feel stressed, anxious or confused I go to the beach and I do headstands overseeing the ocean, a dear and powerful energy, owner of the three quarters of the planet. For me, the waves always have the right answer or decision; it is just a matter of paying attention to their movements and vibrations and somehow I get the “reply” when I see those waves while I am doing headstands. I feel that my chakras align while at the same time I am aware of my equilibrium giving me a sense of calm and guidance.
- My father taught me the art of manufacturing jewelry. Every time I do a piece of jewelry I recall my father: his teachings and techniques in jewelry, his hands while engraving or mounting diamonds or precious and semiprecious stones, his designs, the classical music coming from his old radio, and his laughter. When I make a necklace of pearls or stones, I talk to my father who lives in heaven and ask him to guide me. I have to be very focused and observant of each of the knots between the stones: they cannot be loose or very tight and the space between the knot and the stone has to be very equal, precise all over the piece, otherwise I have to start all over from the beginning.
- I’ve always felt attracted to work on wood, mostly on renovation of antique or vintage furniture. As far as I know, a piece of furniture is considered an antique after at least 100 years of its manufacture, and for pieces of more than 25-30 years but less than 100 are known as “vintage.”
I lived in the City of Puebla, Mexico from 2008 till 2015. Puebla is a colonial city full of history and majestic constructions, archeological, colonial architecture and, nowadays, modern architecture. In 2010, I went to the antique store of a dear friend and mentor Soledad Chapital (RIP, an important antique dealer from Puebla also well-known as an expert in colonial art and furniture).
Her store was for me like entering a toy store as a child: amazing pieces of all kinds, reminiscences of the splendor of those days. While “exploring” the store I found an armoire that was built around the year 1920, those traditional huge pieces of furniture made of solid cedar wood that can be taken apart and reassembled, often used for ease of transport or storage. The piece was not in a good shape, kind of abandoned with some broken parts and scratches but the wood was very good quality. My friend Soledad sold it to me at a very reasonable price considering the damage and scratches… when I moved from Puebla to Baja I brought it in my truck container and I used it at my home even though the doors were not very stable.
In 2024 (please notice it is 14 years later), while opening one of the doors of the armoire one of them fell down and while trying to hold it I hit my arm and scratched my skin at the ribs area; this made me decide whether to fix it or get rid of it. In my experience WE ARE A ONENESS in this dimension and EVERYTHING AROUND US IS ENERGY. I came to the conclusion that WHEN WE CONNECT WITH LOVE FAITH AND INTENTION to any object, situation, project or goal in life, things align and we receive from the Universe, our dear SELF in the higher realms (in my experience we are the Universe). We can manifest and receive in this dimension the right direction or decision. My way of connecting to my higher SELF is through RITUALS; for me a ritual is a moment of time in which we dedicate attention and emotion to a specific event: a birthday, wedding, graduation, funeral, etc.
After I experienced the “wake up call” that my armoire gave me I decided to make a ritual to connect to it and determine what to do. I lit a candle, sat in front of it and STARTED TALKING TO IT as if he’d be a person. I asked for the Divine Light to guide us and I said to the armoire that I’d like to transform it, to please let me know if he’d like to be restored or transformed into a completely different piece. After a moment of conversation and observation (between myself and THE ARMOIRE) I felt like the armoire wanted to be fixed so I decided to do so.
The restoration process was long, sometimes difficult and other times a bit frustrating because of lack of time or materials; these feelings vanished each time I was working on it, talking and telling it that it’ll be alright, beautiful and strong. The process of sanding, restoring, sealing and varnishing while feeling every part and corner of the piece gave me a sense of communication, a mutual conversation between best friends that know each other very well which helped and motivated me to finish it.
I don’t know and, much respectfully, I don’t care if I did the best restoration ever or not but in the moment I finished the mission and before going to bed I sat in front of it, like the first day I did it, I looked at it and I started crying; tears of Love, feeling the time and emotion dedicated to such an amazing piece of furniture, very happy for the results and also moved and joyous by feeling my friend the Armoire saying thank you, thank you, thank you.
My life experience regarding grounding, connecting to myself, gives me full confidence that EVERYTHING WE DO WITH LOVE, FAITH AND INTENTION takes us to a stage of peace, assurance, motivation and satisfaction.
Have you ever talked to objects like your closet, piece of jewelry, perhaps your knitting or have you ever talked to your car or home saying THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR ME?
HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO YOUR PROJECT, GOAL OR WISH? I kindly invite you to do so. CREATE YOUR OWN RITUAL and discover your inner power of manifesting whatever you require for your well-being. Please keep in mind that a GOOD ATTITUDE and, why not, a bit of GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR make a big difference not only on the result but also on the way you look or feel things or situations.
See you in the next chapter. I send you Love and many Blessings.
-Saul
Saul Kuperstein (born 1963) is a Shaman, designer and entrepreneur. His early sensitivity to other vibrations and premonitions shaped his life’s path, leading him to dedicate his life and work to serving others and supporting communities in their spiritual growth and well-being.