Rythmia Life Advancement Center is the physical manifestation of Gerard Powell’s merged and fulfilled soul. Nestled among private, dry tropical forest land in Guanacaste, Costa Rica guests arrive with an array of opportunities to enjoy the surrounding area, but most will find themselves grounded and feeling complete in the oasis of the beautiful and profound experience provided at Rythmia. What is so captivating about this experience, and how does such an incredible oasis of healing come into existence in the first place?
This Face the Current Travel Feature is published in Issue 22 / Winter 2019. Order PRINT here, SUBSCRIBE, or continue reading this article below.
It all started with the eye-opening story of an ongoing path of self-destruction and multiple failed attempts to improve a life filled with everything but happiness, until… a miracle happened. Prior to founding Rythmia, Gerard had sold his latest company at age 41 for $94 million, owned 6 houses, 2 airplanes, 27 cars, a boat, and every other material object that money could afford him. Surrounded by everything he had ever wanted, Gerard found himself unhappy, lacking in self-esteem, and failing as a husband and father. He turned to alcohol, drugs, and sex to mask his pain in an attempt to improve his emotional state. As this did nothing to assuage his misery, he moved to California after his divorce for a fresh start. However, Gerard found himself completely without hope and desperate for the desire to continue with life.
While vacationing with a shaman friend, Gerard was enlightened about the transformational powers of an alternative medicine available in Costa Rica. After one night of the Costa Rican experience, Gerard’s life was forever changed. He experienced a divine connection that reaffirmed to him that the universe is bound together with love and we are all connected. From that day forward, Gerard was resolved to use his wealth to share this life-altering experience with as many people as possible. Thus, in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Rythmia was born. Using a combination of medically-licensed alternative plant medicine, yoga, metaphysical teachings, colonic cleanses, meditation, breathwork, and healthy food, Rythmia offers a complete mind and body experience designed to awaken the soul and uncover the healing power of happiness.
Photo by Sasha Frate
While the alternative plant medicine is nothing new, it has been used sacramentally by indigenous peoples of South America for thousands of years, recent scientific and medical research is now circulating that presents the benefits and potential one can attain from the practice when done in a controlled setting that is deliberately organized and accompanied by a qualified guide who knows the territory. In fact, world renowned New York Times Best-selling Author, Michael Pollan recently released a book titled How to Change Your Mind that further explores the concept of plant medicine and takes the stance that this just may be the very thing humanity needs right now. One of the greatest benefits Pollan highlights is “ego-dissolution,” and he reveals how “you can get there in other ways obviously: Meditation and psychoanalysis can give you some distance on your sense of self and make you question its reality or power over you. But I got there in an afternoon. That was pretty remarkable.”
Gerard Powell, Founder of Rythmia
During an intense first-hand immersion in a week at Rythmia, Face the Current had the opportunity to sit with Gerard Powell to learn more about the powerful transformational opportunities available at the retreat. If you decide to embark on the week-long Rythmia journey, prepare to be guided through an expansive voyage of knowing what it means to be human where you will feel our connection to everything with every cell in your body while also heart-centering into a state of peace, calm, and love. Rythmia provides a safe and guided space to facilitate the potential for the ultimate transformative self-care experience with 97.55% of retreat-goers reporting that Rythmia changed their lives. Now, we invite to delve deeper as Gerard shares his story and reveals more on this experience of a lifetime!
“One might call Rythmia ‘the ultimate self-care retreat.’ You show up committed to do deep inner work and self-soul connection, all while surrounded by peace, beauty and the tranquility of the Costa Rican fauna and the grounds of the retreat. You’re here to do some challenging work. The “ROI” can be one of the greatest you’ll have ever experienced in your life, because the return on your financial and whole-body-work investment is more profound and with more immediate results than you can possibly imagine.” – Sasha Frate
Photo by Sasha Frate
Sasha Frate: Aside from yourself being a great example of someone whose life was completely turned around by an experience with alternative medicine, can you share another example of a profound life turn-around that you’ve witnessed?
Gerard Powell: That’s a really hard one, because there are so many. We have had guests tell us that they’ve had final-stage cancer reversed. Other guests have told us that they were able to cure Lyme disease. We, of course, cannot validate these claims, but it is amazing what I hear on a monthly basis. Bigger than that however, are just everyday people that are living in pain. It’s not physical pain, but the pain of living a life that’s not even theirs. When you see the flip, that has an even bigger “bang” to it than physical healings. Take somebody who’s 45 years old and has worked in a bank for 20 years that realizes they’re unhappy even though they thought they were happy. They don’t have anything to compare it to until it’s confronted. They then get a glimpse of what happiness is and they get it. It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.
Shaman Sarah Saso / Photo by Andres Frate
We do a lot of celebrity work and celebrities seem to have everything because they have money and fame. It’s the same with athletes, and the more they get in life, the more it seems they don’t know what’s wrong with their lives. We commonly hear celebrities and athletes say, “Everything is going great. I don’t know what’s wrong. I have a good life, I have money, but something’s missing and I don’t know what it is.” That “something missing” is the human condition.
SF: I’ve also heard you describe that as people living in someone else’s story. It’s kind of what is subconsciously imprinted or taught to us and then we think it’s our own story.
GP: There are so many people that have been chasing love and they don’t even know why. They want a specific relationship, and the medicine we use here shows them that they weren’t supposed to have that relationship. Rather, their love was with themselves or a career. There’s a good chance if somebody’s been trying to enter a relationship for 30 years that that relationship wasn’t meant to be. For example, if you keep trying to be a football player and you keep failing, maybe you weren’t supposed to be a football player. I’ve also had many doctors here that decided they weren’t supposed to be doctors.
The universe does have a plan for all of us and the thing is, the government has a plan for us, too. The government of the United States wants you to have 2.6 children, find a house to get the mortgage, get loaded up with credit cards, go to expensive schools, and to fund all that with your pension. There’s a plan that works for the economy that they want you to follow. If that plan and the divine plan don’t line up, then you’re an outcast. You might think you’re not wired a certain way, or that you don’t want to do a specific thing, and that makes you feel inferior. Some of that can be brought on at a very young age by the church in different religions. You become guilt-ridden and burdened with a lot of expectations that really have nothing to do with you. De-engineering that to free yourself so you know what you want is a beautiful start to the race. The nice thing about that is whether you’re 65 or 25 and you get to that understanding, you become free. It feels like all the time you wasted is given back to you; you feel like a little boy or a little girl. It truly is like, “Wow, I really can do whatever the hell I want to do!” Most people don’t know that. The competitiveness of life is so controlling. This guy got a car, so I need to get a car. That guy got a promotion, so I need to get a promotion. It’s a crazy life we live.
Guanacaste, Costa Rica
SF: It is. It seems like there are a few countries and cultures around the world that do a better job of aligning with a sense of purpose. The Blue Zones are an example of this.
GP: Isn’t that interesting that the more freedom around personal purpose, the longer people live? We have someone here working at the front desk and her grandfather died yesterday. He was 80 and everyone is shocked at how young he was when he died because if you ask everyone here, most people have family members in their hundreds. One hundred is not really a big deal here. I would say 1 out of every 3 employees have somebody in their family that’s 100.
The freer you are, the closer you are to yourself, and you will gravitate to things like close relationships, family time, and leisure time. Those things are what draw you, not Rolls-Royce’s and Lamborghini’s, etc. When you gravitate to truly valuable life components, especially if leisure time involves natural foods, then all of a sudden, you’ll see life expectancy increase.
The Costa Ricans here do drink a lot of wine and they spend an enormous amount of time with family. Their families are super, super close. For instance, on a Saturday, you’ll be driving around, and you’ll see families sitting on their porches. They’ll sit there all day, eating and talking. In the United States, it’s, “Hi, Mom! Bye, Mom.” It’s a big difference. The closer the relationship you can have with yourself, the closer the relationship you’ll experience with other people, and that equates to a long life.
SF: Why and how do the additional wellness treatments such as yoga, meditation, the food, and the colonic cleanse support the optional benefits of the plant experience?
GP: I think that a lot of these things work hand-in-hand. What most people try to do is complete these things in sequence somewhere; they’ll do yoga for a couple of weeks, they’ll eat healthily for a couple weeks, they’ll get some massages, and then they’ll go do a colon cleanse. What we did is put it all in one experience and the whole is much bigger than the sum of the parts. The parts are beautiful unto themselves, but when you combine them it’s an amplified effect. Two times two is not four, it’s more like forty.
When you’re on the medicine here, something happens within a rebirthing process. When you come out the other side, there’s something called imprinting. It’s like when the first thing a baby kitten sees is a duck, she’ll think the duck is her mother. We also have an imprinting of habits here, like the food and the daily practice. When you go home, they stick with you because they’re imprinted.
SF: You’ve said there’s essentially a shortcut to happiness, but might you add that it still requires showing up and doing some work?
GP: Yes, you have to. Take my life for example. There was a time when no amount of work or effort was helping. It wasn’t like I wasn’t trying; I was really trying. I was going to therapy seven days a week and I only missed 2 days in five years; that’s trying. The subconscious mind and your spirit can’t be forced. You can’t white-knuckle through and force happiness. You might get to your ultimate goal, like no longer drinking, for example, but you won’t be happy. The things that happen at the spiritual and subconscious level are the things that bring joy. For me, I could never stop myself from doing something that I wanted to do. If I wanted to drink, eventually I’d drink. I had to really change the things I wanted. I chose to want peace, clarity, and kindness. When I want those things, I just naturally get them.
Maintaining happiness involves practice, and that practice is a practice. You can’t sit down, eat potato chips and junk food, drink booze, and expect happiness to continue. You’ve got to take care of yourself and you have to have a practice. Find something that works like meditation or breath work to bring you into the stillness. It’s really not work when you like it. It’s work when you hate it.
Rythmia’s Head Chef, Meg Pearson / Photo by Andres Frate
SF: Yes, that’s true. Good point. It really becomes more of a way of life; it’s kind of sinking into it.
GP: Yes, and know that as a human, you can get used to anything. There are people in Siberia that live in fifty degree below temperatures every day. You can get used to anything. You might as well get used to something that’s kind of cool and good for you.
SF: And something that feels good. Now you’re seeing a full spectrum of people who come through Rythmia, both with differing and similar intentions to heal inner conflict, find themselves, or discover their soul connection. While their reasons for coming to Rythmia are varied, the majority seem to arrive feeling like everything else they’ve tried has not really given them resolution. You touched on this, but why would you say all these other methodologies are incomplete or ineffective and how is this experience at Rythmia statistically producing such a high rate of effectiveness?
GP: I really believe that it’s because it works in the spiritual; in the subconscious level. That’s where the darkness is and that’s where the light is. There’s so much in that. We do a lot of celebrity work and celebrities seem to have everything because they have money and fame. It’s the same with athletes, and the more they get in life, the more it seems they don’t know what’s wrong with their lives. We commonly hear celebrities and athletes say, “Everything is going great. I don’t know what’s wrong. I have a good life, I have money, but something’s missing and I don’t know what it is.” That “something missing” is the human condition. There’s never been someone that didn’t have something missing and sometimes it takes a life-experience to realize it. Some people just cruise through life and then one day realize it. Others might have a catalyst-event, but eventually, everybody gets to this realization.
It’s funny because, like all good remedies, a lot of people know how to change, but very few people do. For instance, I know that not drinking alcohol, eating properly, and working out will make me live longer. How many people actually do it? One out of a hundred? That’s crazy stuff.
SF: You say a lot of people know about the medicine, but I think that it’s not quite as known because it’s not so available. A lot of people try medicines and will go to treatments in other countries. There are lots of herbal supplements out there but it’s really kind of hush-hush. I feel there’s not a great awareness of the medicine and so it’s not accessible. How many people can really get here to do this?
GP: I think about that often too, and I think about other ways to do it. In most countries, there’s a big underground movement of this and it’s even free in some countries. In Brazil and Peru, it’s not hard to get this medicine. Rythmia is a quick way to get it and have an understanding. I deal a lot with Transcendental Meditation folks and their method takes a lot of time and effort. You can definitely do it that way, but it’s a real lifestyle choice. Here at Rythmia, on the right night you can get the whole enchilada; it’s crazy. I’ve always been a guy who liked a good shortcut and this was a shortcut.
R Christian Minson teaching transformational breathwork. / Photo by Rythmia
SF: Modern society seems to really like shortcuts; the magic pill. Can you talk about that?
GP: Humans love shortcuts. Most people who go through this process the right way will talk about it being the hardest week of their lives. It really drudged up things they didn’t want to see and feelings they didn’t want to have. It can even be a confusing process, so it’s no free ticket; it’s no free lunch. It’s a lot of work, and people are afraid of it because their egos are afraid of it. Your ego has such a vested interest in keeping you just like you are. There’s also a financial interest, too. For example, if I’m working a job that I hate, and I get paid a lot of money, my ego is involved. My ego, my identity, my bank account, everything wants me right where I am. If I make one move, the whole house of cards falls. If I lose my job, I can’t make the mortgage payment, my wife leaves, the kids go with her; kaboom. I hold such a vested interest in believing what I did when I was younger. Mortgages are a 30-year commitment as the result of a one-minute decision. I want to buy that house and I’ve got to pay for it for 30 years! Oh boy, 28 years from now, I hope I feel exactly like I do today. I hope I like all the same things.
SF: It’s so much about identity.
GP: Yes, like, “I’m the guy that owns that house. That’s who I am. I’m the guy that has job at Bear Stearns; that’s who I am. Even my wife is a reflection of who I am, so I’ve got to keep everything locked down and going strong.” When you talk to someone with that mindset about drinking some medicine and they research stuff on the internet, they say, “I don’t want to change my life. I’m not drinking that.”
Photo captured by Andres Frate
SF: We kind of mentioned that Costa Rica is known as being a Blue Zone; a region of the world that supports people that are living the longest, healthiest lives. While this factor of promoting vitality and longevity is valuable to Rythmia, what are some other factors that contributed to selecting this location for the center?
GP: Being 100% honest, the moon journey said I needed to get to this region, and then this place. As crazy as that sounds, it’s the absolute, unadulterated truth.
SF: Is there any other country that’s medically authorized?
GP: We’re the only one that we’re aware of that has a medical license to do plant medicine. We have a lot of different medicines outside of our primary ones that we’re licensed to do here. In other countries there are no restrictions on it, but they wouldn’t have a medical facility that’s licensed to do it. We also have a doctor here. Of all the emergencies we’ve ever had, the biggest one was a woman fell at a flea market. That was our biggest emergency because the medicine is not going to hurt anybody.
Photo by Sasha Frate
SF: That’s kind of a peace of mind though, for your guests. Are there any real physical restrictions for people?
GP: Yes, if you have a really bad heart, it’s not a good idea. If you’re on certain prescription medications, it’s also not a good idea. But outside of that, it’s pretty much for everybody.
SF: Being here, it’s been pretty evident that truly every detail of the holistic experience at Rythmia has been thoroughly thought out and integrated. Every part of the process and the environment feels intentional and supportive of the whole experience. What is involved in putting all these details into place to create this perfect journey?
GP: Oh, I love that. It’s been really hard because we’re kind of taking a yoga resort, a colonic resort, and a food resort, and putting them all together. There are a lot of little details to address. I think it’s just going to constantly evolve to become better and better. One thing we’re really proud of is of Trip Advisor’s 171,000 resorts and hotels, I believe we’re the highest customer-rated one in the world. We’re a little, tiny place, so for us it’s a big thing that we’re doing a good job. We’re constantly striving for perfection and we hope that we get close all the time.
SF: It really feels like it even with the classes that are offered and the music everywhere. The music in the rooms keeps that peace going. With the ceremonies and the music, it feels so intentional.
GP: I’m so glad.
Photo captured by Andres Frate
One thing we’re really proud of is of Trip Advisor’s 171,000 resorts and hotels, I believe we’re the highest customer-rated one in the world. We’re a little, tiny place, so for us it’s a big thing that we’re doing a good job.
SF: Who would you say Rythmia is for and is there anyone that you believe wouldn’t benefit from it?
GP: I think it’s for anybody 18-108 that wants to gain a deeper understanding of nature and a deeper understanding of their own nature; it’s invaluable. This really is an experience that is very hard to find. I was a crazy man, jumping out of airplanes and all kinds of wild stuff. I did all that without ever finding peace. The peace that you get from a week here that you carry with you for your whole life is just amazing. I can say that because I speak to people after they’ve been here, and we survey them. Six months later, 97.55% of the people that have been here report that this was the week that changed their lives. That’s an amazing statistic. It’s a real, verified, electronically-reported statistic. Not only do you have this amazing thing happen while you’re here, but it keeps showing up in your life afterward and you see the difference that it makes.
SF: Even with a personal account of someone sharing their experience at Rythmia, it’s difficult for anyone who hasn’t been here to fully grasp what it’s like, no matter how hard they try. I’ve had lots of people share their experience, and yet I came with so much anxiety from not really knowing what it was going to be like. As you’ve said, some people can learn just by being told the information. Might you say that this is something that just has to be experienced to fully understand it?
GP: Yes, what’s interesting is that most people try to write about it, but the words really don’t match because it’s so experiential. If people have had the full experience, they get to really see and feel divinity. That’s a hard thing to talk about and explain to someone because it’s so emotional and personal. One of the great benefits of going through this experience is that people no longer fear death. Once their fear of death is eradicated, it’s the first time they start to really appreciate life. It’s the opposite of what you’d think because one would assume that the fear of death would make you appreciate life, but it’s doesn’t. The fear of death forces you to try to hang onto life; this is counter-productive to actually feeling good.
The nice thing about riding a roller coaster is that your mind knows that even though it feels like you’re falling, you’re going to be okay. It allows you to throw your hands up and sing! No longer fearing death allows you to ride the roller coaster of life knowing that death is going to be a part of the journey and it will be okay.
SF: Yes, the difference between living off fear-based actions.
GP: Ah-hah; terrible life. That’s really rough, living off fear.
We’ve found that 70% of people do it once, they go home, and they write us about how their lives have changed. Thirty percent of our attendees are seekers that want to go deeper. A lot of people just want to be around people that really want truth. Our medicine is a gateway to truth; that’s all it is. Being around other people that want truth, wholeness, and love, creates a very unique group. It’s easy to find people in your everyday life who say they want these things but finding people who are willing to do something about it is a different story.”
SF: People are coming to Rythmia as couples, as individuals, as mother-daughter pairs…
GP: That’s a great one; mother-daughter works great!
Husbands and wives, lovers, business partners, mothers and daughters, grandparents, couples of all types do the work individually and together throughout the week. / Photo by Andres Frate
SF: How have you seen these different scenarios have different impacts? For example, couples do the work individually and together throughout the week.
GP: Fathers and sons are a crazy connection to feel. Husbands and wives, lovers, business partners, mothers and daughters, grandparents, couples of all types; it’s amazing stuff. And it all works. When people are thinking of coming here, it’s more than, “I want to go there.” There’s something else; there’s a soul-pull. The soul is pulling you here and however you’re brought here, it always works out.
I’ve seen couples getting into the worst fights by Wednesday and Thursday of their week. Everything gets resolved by Saturday or Sunday, because it all comes full-circle. It all divinely works. This is really a place where we’re assisting the divinity that’s trying to happen.
SF: What do you believe is some of the greatest wisdom that’s being gained by those who have experienced the alternative medicine offered at Rythmia?
GP: I always think it’s the knowledge that they are part of God; that they’re eternal and part of God. When you get into your journey and you see a past life, or you see a future life, or you see your own origin, that’s a piece of wisdom. If you go home and get in a legal battle with a neighbor, or get sued by the IRS, you realize that nothing matters. It doesn’t really matter because you know where your origin is, and you know where you’re going. That’s the most beautiful part of this thing; that’s the part that brings joy in all things.
SF: There’s also an incredible sense of community-building from day-one at Rythmia. By the end of the week, it seems to evolve into a really heartfelt love and appreciation for everyone. We’re all just going around hugging everybody, you know?
GP: Already, and we’re only on Thursday.
Indoor-Outdoor Spa at Rythmia / Photo by Andres Frate
SF: Even those with which you haven’t had the chance to sit down and have a discussion, you see them from across the walkway or across the room and just have this appreciation. What is it like for you to be intimately a part of this community each week?
GP: I honestly think I have the best job in the world because I get to meet all kinds of super-cool people, and I get to meet them when they’re their most vulnerable. It’s here that they’re their most true selves. I meet the most beautiful people and part of my job is to get to know them.
I wasn’t always a guy that liked people. The only thing people presented to me was problems. So, I went from really disliking people to being in a business where I get to know so many people, and they’re all super-cool. It’s like I have this huge community that I get to be a part of. I get to see people come back and I know them. I’m living a dream.
SF: It sounds like you came from a place of disconnection.
GP: I was completely disconnected and now I’m over-connected. I’m so connected to so many people; it’s really interesting. I get around 60 emails a day, around 30 WhatsApps, and everybody is like, “Hey! How are you doing? Remember me?” And I really do remember them. More than half of my day is spent in communications, but it’s good. It’s really a large extended family. I believe we are having a great impact on people, not only the ones that were here, but their families, colleagues, and friends. It’s really having an impact. I believe that in my heart.
SF: Do you get any feedback on this actual “ripple-effect” that you were just mentioning? What is the impact of a transformed community when Rythmia guests take the experience home with them into their lives and the lives of others around them?
GP: Yes, we do. I hear from guests when they come back with their children or their children come here on their own. They’ll ask if I remember their Dad, for example, and when they show me a picture, I do! I’ve had the response, “You know, he used to be an a**hole and he came back a different guy. That’s why I’m here.” I frequently hear that our guests have known a boss or a neighbor that has been here and they saw what Rythmia did for them.
Businesses that are built this way are difficult to build, but easy to maintain. Businesses that are built in other ways are easy to build but harder to maintain. We have something that’s affecting people at a core level and they’re talking to others about it. That shows us it’s the right way to build; that’s the right way to do it.
Rythmia property grounds / Photo by Sasha Frate
SF: Throughout the week, Rythmia offers classes, presentations, and workshops from speakers from around the globe to really provide a full-scope of preparation, integration, and inspiring wisdom tools. What type of speakers do you choose to feature here?
GP: We have such a wide array of speakers from Michael Beckwith, to Graham Hancock, to Panache Desai, to John Gray. We also have all kinds of authors, including Anita Moorjani. Our speakers are just so varied. The kids from Spirit Science are here this week. There’s no particular schedule, but we have people from the plant community, people from the spiritual community at large, energy workers, energy healers, and even spiritual pet psychologists.
SF: Mark Victor Hansen has called Rythmia the ideal environment for inspiring revolutionary positive change. Why and how are people who have experienced Rythmia able to share the positive change with those who haven’t experienced it and done the deep work?
GP: I believe that when a person is merged, when they’re back in their soul, that almost anything they do is an expression of God and an expression of love. So, if you’re a mom taking care of your kids, you’re doing it at a different level when you’re merged as opposed to when you are “split.” It’s not what you can do, it’s that everything you do when you’re merged is healing and loving. You’re just you, and you’re playing the role you were supposed to play.
We see such huge life changes. I don’t want to be overly dramatic about it, but it’s crazy when you get to see the difference in your own life if you’ve been separated and you become merged. It’s an intense thing that’s like night and day. It’s as if the lights were off and now, they’re on; it’s a discernible difference.
SF: I’m really starting to see that even in a lot of the people this week. They’re just lighting up.
GP: Yes, because they’re at the halfway mark. It’s amazing; you’ll see.
SF: How would you say that one week at Rythmia can truly be a complete experience and also why is it that many people still want to return for more?
GP: We’ve found that 70% of people do it once, they go home, and they write us about how their lives have changed. Thirty percent of our attendees are seekers that want to go deeper. There are nine aspects of your soul, so it is possible to merge your soul nine times. There is this idea of three-framed treatment where there are three gifts, three levels of awareness, and three freedoms that the moon describes. A lot of people just want to be around people that really want truth. Our medicine is a gateway to truth; that’s all it is. Being around other people that want truth, wholeness, and love, creates a very unique group. It’s easy to find people in your everyday life who say they want these things but finding people who are willing to do something about it is a different story. Being a spiritual doer is different than being a spiritual show-er or a spiritual actor. It just so happens that right now spiritual stuff is cool, so you’ll see a lot of actors in your lives.
SF: That’s very true.
GP: The doers are always more fun than the posers, right? Doers are fun. There are people that talk about fishing and there are people that go fishing; they’re different people.
SF: I don’t know if I’ll come back and do the plant medicine over and over again, but I can see myself coming back and being part of the people.
GP: Yes, absolutely. What’s interesting is that we’ve never had someone return and not do the medicine. You’ll see the calling. The way you feel now, versus how you’ll feel Saturday and Sunday will be completely different. That’s why it’s so interesting to talk to people on Wednesday and Thursday because it’s hump day of everything; it’s a rough day. There’s still another push in there later in the week.
SF: There are four nights of ceremonies with different medicine each night. Can you describe the process of the order or why there are different types of experiences that you’re aiming to create?
GP: This is where it gets mystical because the moon told us to do it that way. We’re following a recipe that was created and I don’t even know the “whys” into the detail of it, because I didn’t ask, I just accepted it. You’ll see that people go through a kind of cycle in the ceremonies and have different experiences each night. It’s beyond what I know. I do know that when I tried to change it, it didn’t work, so I’ve learned to not go against what the moon said. I’ve watched the outcome of sticking to what she said and it’s a good outcome; a really good outcome.
SF: How did you select the shamans?
GP: They came here. So, just like all things, you put out a beacon and then people start coming to it. We serve more medicine than anyone in the world right now, and the providers that are here have more experience than probably anywhere in the world; they’re very good at what they do. They also love what they’re doing, so it’s an easy fit.
SF: From what I’ve seen so far, about 80% of Rythmia’s guests are from North America.
GP: Yes, I think that’s because most of our marketing is focused in the Northwest. Most of our guests are generated from that. Even though Canada isn’t densely populated, we have a lot of Canadians here. They’re great people, too; Canadians are super sweet.
SF: When we’re talking about waking-up a soul, can you do that with someone who has psychological issues or has committed serious crimes?
GP: There aren’t bad souls. When you reach divinity and you really see how the soul works, it’s nothing but amazing. Even people who have ill intentions, their souls are beautiful. They’ve just had something happen to them on this earth that has separated their soul. Generally, those folks won’t come to something like this. They won’t put it on their life-list to come here. But if they did, and they drank enough medicine, it would be beautiful. I wish they would.
SF: I’ve seen a situation where a person has been very destructive, but then, in a moment, you can see that light in them. They may have done some horrible things, but you can see the light.
GP: Absolutely. I had a guy last week, he was a 72-year-old Vietnam veteran and he had been an assassin. Yes, it was wartime, but he did a lot of bad things. He killed a lot people; in excess of 200. That’s a really dark energy, but what a beautiful guy he was. He had a couple of difficult days here, but he was as free as a bird. He’s a really wonderful guy. So, it all divinely works.
SF: Thank you very much for this; we appreciate you and the work you do here at Rythmia.
GP: I appreciate you guys, too.
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