Old Women of Kerith

After a few days of exploring a quiet and remote spot, Pris and I anchored our kayak on Kerith’s shoreline. We both wanted to wander the markets, meet the interesting people and perhaps hike to the volcanos. We weren’t in any particular hurry for anything — just wanted to relax and soak up some the peaceful energy we felt immediately upon arriving at Kerith.

Grabbing our bags, Pris led the way across a sandy beach where we could see a group of people not too far off in the distance. Curious, we cut through a path appearing to veer in that direction. Pris was right — it was leading us to where we could hear their laughter.

Taking Pris’ hand, we half walked and half ran down the path. Once we arrived at the foot, I think we were a bit surprised by the view. About two dozen older women were dancing on the beach. Some were naked and others were in underpants. Not wanting to interrupt their beach ritual (some were chanting), we cautiously tiptoed near the edge of their circle.

One of the dancers spotted us and invited us into the circle. At first, we were leary of stripping down into our underpants or that they would insist we get naked. However, the old woman assured us that we could even keep our clothes on since we were the honored guests. They’d heard their were E women travelers coming this way so they were chanting and evoking spirits to bless all of us on our journey and to welcome us to Kerith.

With that, Pris and I graciously stripped down. It was the right thing to do. For a few hours, we danced and sang to old chants and songs. Here’s the song they were singing:

Dance in a circle of women
Make a web of my life
Hold me as I spiral and spin
Make a web of my life

Exhausted from all the activity, Pris and I bid our farewell. The old woman who invited us to join approached. “Head north from here through the Mango Forest and you will come upon old huts. There, you will meet with She Shaman who awaits your arrival. After much solitude and ritual, she will take you through the forest to the colored lakes where you will be given the opportunity to photograph and meet the Old Women of Kerith. The women will determine if you are prepared to enter the sanctuary of the goddess and keeper of the volcano. If you past the test, the goddess will teach you the power of regeneration and rebirth, and she will share the story of how all things beautiful are created.”

She bowed and made an exit. We stood in silence–partly in fear and partly in awe.

Moments later, we trekked the forest stopping along the way to marvel at the beauty and to eat fresh mangoes. Around the bend, an old woman stood on the path with her hands extended to us. She welcomed our journey. “Follow me,” she said with still breath.

Pris and I followed her through several huts until we came upon a landing. We stopped to marvel at the statues of Buddha and the garden of offerings surrounding the area. The three of us sat meditating for hours. At one point, the sweet scent of mangoes heightened my awareness. My mouth savored the exotic taste — it was as if I was eating one, though I knew that was not the case since I was still sitting in lotus pose.

The old woman must have decided we were ready. “Hurry, we must leave. I am to bring you as quickly as possible to photograph the women for they are growing impatient. They may be old and wise, however, they are childlike.”

Pris and I both felt a bit rushed as we hiked along the trail. My feet were aching and my bag was beginning to feel heavy enough when Pris asked that I carry her. Knowing this had to be harder on her with her tiny feet, I lifted her on my shoulder, swung her bag over the other shoulder with mine and forged ahead. Pris carried the camera around her neck.

As we made our way to the three colored lakes area, we entered a small market area of women gathered selling their goods. Pris jumped down and began taking photographs. From there, we took about two dozen photos before we actually reached the lakes. Resting, I downloaded our images and shape-shifted them into a video clip to make it easier for our sister travelers to view.

Leaving the video clip safely behind near an old tree we marked for E Women to see, we moved on to meet the group who would determine if we were prepared to encounter and learn from the goddess. Pris and I felt the stillness, beauty and grace of our journey and knew we were ready to learn.