Last weekend I had an experience that I would have never imagined would have been part of my trip to Bolivia.  The host mother of a friend of mine likes to learn about other religions (besides Catholicism) and this exploration includes practicing metaphysics.  It turns out that 10-10-10 was a HUGE day for the metaphysic world and so my friend’s mom invited whoever was interested to join her metaphysic ceremony to absorb all the energy of that very special day.  I know next to nothing about metaphysics, but that made me even more curious, and so I spent last Sunday at Lake Titicaca chanting with a group of Bolivians. 

I learned  (but mind, this is a Spanish translation of what I could understand) that 10-10-10 represents the shift in energy in the universe that will end on 12-12-12.  The earth’s energy is moving from the male chakra in Tibet to the female chakra in Lake Titicaca.  Thus, the Lake was full of very strong energy on 10-10-10. 

It was about an hour and a half bus ride to the edge of the Lake, and when we arrive they set up a table with a crystal ball in the center for everyone to gather around.  The ceremony began with everyone holding hands and the blasting of some music that sounded like a mix between the Final Countdown and Star Wars.  Then, we opened our hands to the sky and chanted to receive the energy from the world.  There was lighting of candles, and meditation, and hugging.  The best part of the ceremony was that it ended with a meal of fresh lake trout!  While it was an interesting day, the experience felt a bit like I was in a middle of a crazy cult.  The leader was very much in control of everything, and he also seemed in control of everyone.  Also, while it was “new age” religion, it very strongly resembled Christianity except that they had more liberty to pick and choose what they wanted to believe.  It was a very unique day!