09: All Witches have Cats

I went to Keith, the San Marcos Cacao Shaman and did a 6 hour cacao (chocolate) plant medicine ceremony with him. (San Marcos is the little hippy town on Lake Atitlán where the yoga retreat was at.)

He was interesting and wild and weird and it was everything and nothing I thought it would be. He had a cat that sat on his lap almost the entire ceremony and he said, “All witches have cats”. If that’s my invitation into the Witchhood then I’ll take it. 

Meet “Humphrey”, my Guatemalan best friend. But I like to call him Stinky or Big Head. He’s the sweetest and needy and most loyal gato. I’m in love. (But not like more in love with him than my real cat at home.) 

I heard there were two stray cats at this Yoga center I’m staying at. It took me a painful  2 days to finally find them. And now, this little stinker is my shadow. Perhaps because I feed him, perhaps because he just wants to be loved. 

I know I shouldn’t feed him but the ever present reality of stray and hungry cats and dogs tears my heart out. And also, I think he’ll starve if I don’t sneak him a treat every once in awhile. His favorite food is hardboiled eggs. Or eggs of any kind really. But he’s also eaten almost an entire leftover tempeh burrito I didn’t finish.  

It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to my little shadow friend but probably not hard to say goodbye to Guatemala. All he wants to be is loved, and when is that not a metaphor for life? 

- M