Journey to Xibalba: Into the Underworld of Self

When the author, approaching eighty, receives a flyer announcing a week of retreat ─ vacation, fun, and adventure ─ he says, "Why not?" John, also known as Hutch, joins eight others on a journey into the deeper recesses of self and into the outer beauty of the Mayan Yucatan peninsula, including the ancient ruins of Ek Balam. His days unfold with smudging, sacred dance, and other rituals of in-depth personal exploration to see what truly lives inside and limits joy, freedom, and loving. It's a week that comes to a sudden climax with a screaming run for his life. When it was over, the author concludes, "It was the soup of everything, and I was in it." On his flight home, he writes. "No matter who we are, our brokenness or the hard truth of being human, we all have a journey in front of us. Maybe it's a Ulyssean sea we must cross, a desert to wander, or possibly a well we must bucket. It's a worthy journey albeit a difficult one with detours and roadblocks along the way. Some know this truth early on in their bones and get to work, some never do and, unwittingly or wittingly, inflict their brokenness upon others. Some, like me, are slowly waking up." This is the story of an older man's continued awakening.