My spiritual journey started at a young age when I realized I had a strong truth-seeking unwavering heart. I can’t recall at what age it exactly happened, maybe it was around five when I would ask contradicting questions during catechism simply because what I was hearing didn’t feel right in my chest. I had a pulsating inner voice telling me that some of the things I was hearing were filled with deception. Or maybe it was when I visited mystical medicine women and shamans living off the grid with my mother and saw them curing people with their potions and cleanses. Or maybe my connection to spirit comes from having faced death as a baby and being brought back to life.  

I have always felt on the journey of expanding, seeking, seeing, questioning, and surrendering. I am a depth dweller with my heart continuously ushering me through the rise and falls.

I come from a Salvadorian family, of Spanish and Mayan descent. The connection to my heart, roots, and ancestry has led me to explore the purpose of our being. To how we can best honor our soul and see that we are all here to live life with a fully engaged heart.

I was a barefooted, somewhat introverted, wild little girl. My most vivid memories are of playing outside in the rain, getting dirty, foraging fruits, roasting coffee and cacao. I had a deep connection to the earth; I loved making miniature teacups out of red clay and playing with ducks and chickens. I was fully immersed in nature.

I grew up in El Salvador despite having been born in the U.S. My parents wanted my sister and I to be connected to their roots. To live in a culture that valued respect for elders, parents, nature & connection to something greater than ourselves.

From first to fifth grade, I attend a private all-girls Catholic School. Attending this school, I now believe shaped a lot of who I am today.  This school had an orphanage that housed children of all ages; many of my classmates came from it. This marked me and left a lifelong imprint.  From an early age, my heart opened to feeling the tenderness and pain of the human experience through my connection with my classmates.

The 90s in Central America were dangerous. I don’t have a single memory of going outside my small town at nighttime. At this time El Salvador was on its way to becoming the most dangerous place in the world due to gang violence. Fear could be felt in the air. Seeing all this in 1998 my parents decided that it was time to migrate back to the U.S.  

Returning to the U.S. was a shock to my nervous system. I was 11 years old. For years I refused to learn English with the pretense that it was too hard. But it was a way to cope with the shock of leaving everything behind. This made it hard for me to feel at ease.

I went from attending a school that prioritized contemplation, prayer, and community; to a public school that felt soulless.  I couldn’t communicate the depth of the heart and spirit with anyone and my heart hurt. Cultural differences became a struggle. This is when my longing for depth in connection started to take hold of me and has become one of my main paths of exploration.