FOLLOW YOUR HEART…

A Call From the Rain Forest

REFLECTIONS ON PACHAMAMA ALLIANCE'S 30^th ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON

I recently had the good fortune to attend the 30^th Anniversary Luncheon (Livestream) of the Pachamama Alliance International group in San Francisco. It strikes me that for 14 years the focus of my Pachamama Alliance engagement has been the programs for transforming “the dream of the north” (e.g. Awakening The Dreamer, Game Changer Initiative, Drawdown, Climate Action Now, Introduction to Community Climate Action Training,,etc.), grounded in the indigenous worldview of interconnectedness.

At the luncheon, my heart was deeply touched by the passion of Gregorio, Domingo, and the other indigenous leaders – calling us, obviously from deep in their hearts, to partner with them in protecting the rainforest and all life. I felt a strong excitement and trust especially in the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance, which offers a vision and plan for a new future, guided by indigenous leaders. Since the Luncheon, I was even more excited to hear that those same indigenous leaders were all in NYC at the UN Climate Week gathering.

The Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance participated in New York Climate Week 2026, bringing to the global stage the voices, knowledge, and leadership of more than 30 Indigenous nations from the heart of the Amazon.

ASHA's delegation championed Indigenous-led solutions for protecting the Amazon and our shared future, including Life Zones free from extractive industries, a just ecological transition, direct access to climate and biodiversity finance, recognition of Indigenous land rights and the Rights of Nature, and stronger protections for frontline forest defenders. “As threats to the Amazon reach a critical tipping point, the need for bold and immediate action has never been greater.”

- The Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance

THIS is a path to the future that really gives me hope. Supporting that part of the PA mission (PROTECT THE SOURCE) is a newly ignited passion within me. I went to the Rainforest in 2012 for a life-changing experience. At the time I experienced the hospitality of the indigenous people who welcomed us warmly, but I still felt it was the PA that was inviting me. After the luncheon I felt the invitation from the Indigenous leaders themselves, personally, passionately calling me back to partner with them in protecting their land and creating a new future.

Since this luncheon experience I have decided to follow my heart to respond to their call to return to the rainforest! I am so blessed to have the resources, health, and loving support of my husband. This is what is calling me:

Journey to the Source - Spend 11 days immersed in the ancestral wisdom, traditions and ceremonies of the Achuar and Sápara Indigenous cultures. Hosted by Indigenous leaders, this is our deepest Amazonian experience, designed for travelers seeking meaningful connection, reflection and transformation.

(The site also features other options for journeys if anyone wants to check them out.)

I am reminded that any money I spend on this trip (except for the airfare) will be going to support our Indigenous partners! No hotels, resorts, restaurants – but these native people welcoming me to their home!

I am also excited by the evolving PA mission to FACILITATE TRANSFORMATION. The new programs are exhilarating and empowering. We continue to open hearts and invite people to consider what is theirs to do and be in these tumultuous times, listening for guidance, as the indigenous people do, from the Spirit, the land, and the unseen world of ancestors and other guides.

I highly recommend that my friends check out the revised Pachamama Alliance Website listing the many new programs emerging to transform us all and empower local communities to become islands of coherence in the midst of chaos. The young woman leading the new initiative for intergenerational engagement was stirring, giving true hope for future efforts.

The last pillar of the mission, CONFLUENCE – collaborating with many other organizations – moves us out of our silos to create a movement toward the new thriving world we know is possible for all future generations of Life.

Beyond our fears, in community, we find hope, connection, compassion and courage! As an exciting new offering says….we’re Coming Home: We’re in this Together!