Reconnecting to the Great Mother: Wisdom from the Mamos and Zagas

The first time I sat in ceremony with the Mamos and Zagas, I felt something powerful awaken within: a return to the sacred. Their presence carries a purity and quiet strength that is grounded, ancient and deeply healing.

Last month I had the opportunity to spend time with these wise elders, spiritual leaders of the Tezhuna tribes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. The Mamos are revered holy men and the Zagas female priestesses, chosen by divination at birth and trained from a young age to attune to the rhythms of the natural and spiritual worlds. As children, their initiation involves spending a minimum of nine years in the dark, learning to perceive through intuition and connect more deeply to Aluna, the Great Mother and source of all life.

In response to the growing global environmental crisis, the Mamos and Zagas have emerged from isolation in their mountain sanctuary to share their wisdom with the Western world. Rooted in sacred service, their mission is to teach us, their “pequeños hermanos” or younger brothers, how to restore balance between humans and nature. They help us reconnect with the rhythms of the earth through ceremony, storytelling, music and pagamentos- spiritual offerings to give back for all that we have taken from the Great Mother and to help her heal.

It’s hard to fully describe the experience of communing with the Mamos and Zagas. Each encounter has been joyful, restorative and transformational. The majority of the ceremonies I attended were led by Mamo Rodrigo, a community leader, educator and Maestro-weaver of the Temple walls and hats of the Wiwa people. He shared sacred knowledge through storytelling rich with symbolism, gentle humor and important lessons woven within. Music was a part of each gathering: the soft melody of the flute, shaking of the rattle and chanting of songs in their native dialect, carrying an energy which felt both familiar and otherworldly.

Throughout the ceremonies, the Zagas would weave. This was an important practice: as women who do much of their healing work in the dream realm, weaving helped the Zagas remain grounded in their bodies while integrating the ancestral wisdom and spiritual energy shared during the ceremony into the mochilas they create. The Mamos and Zagas wear all white, a symbol of purity, their clothing composed of organic cotton and local materials. Most rituals involved a pagamento, each one unique. Mamo Rodrigo would divinate beforehand to understand exactly what the land needed: often we were asked to assemble objects for offerings such as crystals, dead bugs and shells. Ceremonies with the Mamos and Zagas served as powerful energetic activations, offering both individual and collective healing as well as a deeper connection to the unseen.

My most profound learnings from the Mamos and Zagas came simply from being in their presence and observing the ways in which they interact with the Great Mother. In one ceremony, the Zagas sang a special song in their native tongue to call in the birds. We all watched in amazement when minutes later, an entire flock of ducks appeared, landing in the nearby lake where they then stayed for the duration of the ceremony, quietly watching over us. I marveled at how the Mamos and Zagas spoke to the ocean and the waves responded. How they communed with the trees and received direct messages of where to go and what the land required. Being with these wise elders sparked a process of remembrance: the innate knowing that we are connected to the earth, not separate. That the earth has a consciousness, a heartbeat and our path of service as humans is to support, nourish and revere her.

When you spend time with the Mamos and Zagas, your perception of the world changes. You too begin to hear with greater clarity the gentle voice of the Great Mother. A personal example: after our closing ceremony in Nantucket, I went to a small forest area to enjoy my final moments in nature before heading back to city life. I stood in front of a tree, my eyes closed and hands placed upon the bark to connect with its energy, when I heard a sudden rustling nearby. I opened my eyes- and standing just a few feet away was a beautiful deer, intently watching me. For a few minutes we stood in silent communion, her eyes never leaving mine. I tried averting my gaze, thinking perhaps she wanted to pass, yet each time I looked back there she remained. It was a beautiful and profound moment of awe, peace and love: a reminder that our natural state is one of connection to all living beings.

If you are interested in learning more about the Mamos and their mission, I encourage you to watch a short video herecreated by Denise and Michael, founders of the Global Awareness Charitable Trust and Alchemy Soul of Transformation. I discovered the Mamos through Denise and Michael, who offer wonderful programs both in Chadds Ford Pennsylvania and online.

I also highly recommend watching the documentary Aluna-An Ecological Warning by the Kogi People. to learn more about their efforts to help us avoid future ecological disasters and return to a state of harmony with the earth.

The wisdom of the Mamos and Zagas serves as a reminder of our role as guardians and stewards of the Great Mother. Their mission of restoring the sacred balance between people and the land has been an inspiration in my own life purpose and work.

If you are feeling the call to connect more deeply with the wisdom of the earth and heal through her presence, I invite you to join me in Portugal for a healing retreat this June, Return to Wholeness. Through ceremony, elemental activations and healing workshops, we’ll create space for renewal and transformation, allowing the land to guide us back to balance and inner harmony. You can learn more here.