February 19, 2025 • 39 mins
Yes, I like to play in the woo. But I am still human, and there are still practical, human needs we need to take care of! So that’s how this episode starts – practical advice I’d give to someone who wants to go to Cuba (since after one visit, I’m clearly an expert 😆).
I end with a little observation on how they feel about their government, and how I interpret their feelings from an energetic perspective. I also give examples from our own government here in the states. I admit that I am not fully up on all the political topics, and many are emotionally charged (for good reason). I know not everyone sees the world the way I do. But I also know solutions come from learning how to see issues differently, and that’s my intention with sharing what I share today: offering a new way to approach the issues we’re facing.
I share things like:
- How we were legally able to travel to Cuba from the US
- An overview of money, food, and other essentials I took with me (and why I believe I had fewer issues with gluten, despite being gluten free in the US)
- Their views on their government, and how I see their “waiting for someone to save them” won’t work from an energetic perspective
Links mentioned:
- Laura Ericson (WI-based travel guide. I wouldn’t ask her about Cuba specifically, unless she has a planned trip you want to know more about) https://www.lauraericson.com/
- Andres: our local guide, historian, and translator. He’s available for tours or private hire as long as he’s still in Cuba. What'sApp: +53 55391854 or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andresasevis/
- Cassie: married to a Cuban, helps plan Cuban travel. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassieincuba/
- 30. Unpacking Cuba Pt. 2 – Manifesting, Setting Intentions, & Experiencing Magic https://rss.com/podcasts/biz-spiritual-path/1879468/
- Grab a FREE Dream Activation session with me! February 2025 only: https://calendly.com/andreaandree/25-min-dream-activation
Links not mentioned:
- See the full write up of my trip via my Instagram posts: https://www.instagram.com/momsgonequantum/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome back to the Awakened Fam, where amazing women come to learn how to harness their spiritual
(00:07):
power so that way they can show up as conscious moms for their family, as successful purpose-driven
entrepreneurs, and learn how to play with the spiritual magic that life has for all of us,
that is available for all of us. So on today's episode, I'm going to tie those concepts
into unpacking Cuba part three. So this will be the last of the three part series of my trip to Cuba.
(00:32):
And today I do want to get a little bit away from the woo and go, I'll start with the practical,
just some practical advice that I learned from traveling to Cuba, if it's something
anyone ever wants to do. And then I'll go back and we're going to talk a little bit about the Cuban
government and just some of the observations that I had based on what I had heard from an energetic
(00:55):
perspective. So I'll get back to the woo towards the end, but because we're human, yes, we are
spiritual beings having a human experience. That means sometimes we do just have to play in the
human. And I've already shared a little bit about things like eating the food and how I shifted my
energy to allow me to get through the week without getting sick, right? But there's also just some
(01:19):
practical things. There's visas, there's travel. And so I want to talk a little bit about some of those
things. Because the most common response that I got after telling people that I was going to Cuba was,
I didn't even know we could go to Cuba. So let's start there. Can we go to Cuba? Yes, Americans
can go to Cuba, but not as tourists. So that's the caveat right now, at least as of the time that
(01:45):
I am recording this. Americans cannot go to Cuba as tourists. But we have to remember that other
countries go there as tourists. And so they're used to tourists. It's not like they've never seen a
foreign person. They appreciate tourists very, very much because tourists bring money into their
economy. It gives them a reason to serve and to support. And so it's not like they're not used to
(02:06):
having foreign people there. It's just the what we've heard from America that makes it a little bit
different. So we needed a special visa to go. And I know there are a few different visa options,
I don't know, 789 somewhere there. I don't remember the other ones. I know there was one about an
agriculture visa, but that's not the one we went under. But the most common one I've heard people
(02:29):
go under is called support of the Cuban people. And so ahead of your trip, you need to pay, it was
like $85 or something for this visa. And you need to know the dates and the airlines and everything.
So get your airfare first. But what support of the Cuban people means is that you're staying in
privately run things. You're supporting privately run institutions. So in Cuba, they, the government
(02:54):
does have a heavier hand in some things. And so there are government owned hotels, government
owned grocery stores, restaurants. And so we were under our visa, we were not technically allowed to
stay and to patronize any of those things. But there are plenty of privately run casas,
taxis, casas are like the hotels, the bed and breakfast where we stayed, taxis, restaurants,
(03:20):
even the farm. So when we got our tobacco in our rum, you can't buy those and bring those back into
the United States if you buy them from a government run place. But you can actually buy them and bring
them back into the States as souvenirs if you buy them directly from the people on the farm.
So that was one of the differences in what allowed us to go. And additionally, what we did under
(03:43):
support of the Cuban people was we took donations. There were they will take expired medicines,
any medical supplies, clothing, glasses, like they are so grateful to receive those things
from tourists. And I don't think you have to go that's that's not something that people are going
(04:04):
to check. Did you do this? But it was really a generous thing that our trip guide, I guess you
would say she puts together as part of her trips. And my group brought apparently a record number
of donations, just suitcases to just leave there full of things. And so we've heard stories of
(04:24):
like, sure, you can go to the doctor, but the doctor can tell you what you need, but he may not
have the medicine to give it to you. And so they're so appreciative of all that stuff, even
expired medicines, like all of it, they will take all of it. I heard stories of either like dental
or surgical like you can we can do the surgery for you, but you have to bring your own supplies.
(04:47):
So one of my neighbors shout out to Katie, she had extra wound care supplies at her house from
when she was taking care of her father in law. I took some of that down and she was like, I just
couldn't throw it away. And I was like, your intuition knew that it would go to really good
use at some point. So any of that, they are so grateful to take any of those things. And so
(05:07):
that was just a bonus, a bonus way to support the Cuban people. And then there was some other
forum we had to print off a week before we went the VA house forum or something. And my guide
knew about it. And then also I booked my flight through Delta. And so all I know is Delta,
they don't pay me, but if they want to send me somewhere, I would be happy with that. But they
(05:30):
they kept me on top of the paperwork that I needed to. So they made sure I had my passport,
my visa and this VA house form. And so I had all those I printed those I had those with me.
I also had printed my itinerary. So here's the other thing our guide told us to keep and to keep
all of these things for like five years in case we ever do get questioned to save our itinerary on
(05:51):
paper. So that way we can prove that we went to these local places, save the photos that we took
again to prove that we went to all the local places. And so let's see, I think, I think that was
that's like the logistics of actually getting there. And then people were like the flights
because formerly, I know my neighbors went years ago before this was an option. And people used
(06:14):
to have to sneak in through Mexico. And so they went in through Mexico and they're like, don't
stamp our passport, please. And so people used to have to sneak in through other countries. But
I went direct from Miami. Most of my group went direct from Miami on United American Delta Southwest
goes there. One person flew from Tampa, I think a couple people flew from Houston. So it's possible
(06:38):
to get there from the United States again, just making sure that you have the right paperwork.
But I just booked a flight and they didn't question me. They just once the flight was
booked to Havana, we flew into Havana, it popped up. And again, it was the list of things,
make sure you get your visa, make sure you've got your passport, make sure you get this VA
house form. So that was pretty easy. Just knowing what to do, I think would be the part of that
(07:03):
there. And then because I mentioned it already, the cigars in the rum. So we there are limits to
what we can bring back. So for us, what we were told was 50 cigars, and up to two bottles of rum.
And we also brought back honey. And coffee was available to us. I didn't buy the coffee. I'm
actually not a coffee drinker. But those were all also available from the farm at certain limits
(07:25):
that we were allowed to bring back. And they came back as souvenirs, because I was doing a little
bit of research, it's illegal to sell Cuban cigars in America, probably because of the embargo that
we have on Cuba. And so we can't bring things in. But I learned you also don't want those cigars
anyway, because when we got the tobacco farm tour, the farmer was telling us they grow the tobacco
(07:49):
leaves, and then they dry them out. And then once they're dry, they have to give roughly 90% of their
product to the government for very little money in return, which is the sad part. But then what
they have remaining with their tobacco, they are able to sell it themselves. So they make their own
cigars using their own recipe. And I didn't know this, but they flavor their cigars and every
(08:10):
farm has their own mixture. And so these ones that I brought back were flavored with like cinnamon,
rum, lime, and honey. And they were very smooth. Not that I would enjoy another cigar necessarily,
but I will say I've had cigars on and off in the past. And oftentimes they make me feel like I
(08:32):
threw up in my mouth, like I just hated the taste in my mouth. But these ones, I didn't get any of
that. I guess I'll go there. I also, I think I talked about it in episode two, just got this
feeling of heaviness from the tobacco and the nicotine and the tobacco. So it's not necessarily
something I'm excited to do again. But I know there were people who were willing to try one. I mean,
(08:52):
Cuban cigars are like supposed to be the creme de la creme, right? But what they told us was when
they give the leaves to the government, the government pumps them full with chemicals
to make them taste a certain way. And then they wrap a label on them and they sell them for like
20, 50, $100 a cigar depending on the label. And ours we were able to buy between $7 and $10 on the
(09:15):
farm. And so definitely like if that's your thing, go to the farms, go direct to the farms. Not only
are you saving money, but you're getting a better product. And then the rum too. So I was able to
bring back two bottles of rum. And I got it back through security as I listed in, as I mentioned
in episode two. And I called those souvenirs. So there were certain other things you had to declare
(09:36):
like live plants and foods and things. I got through the souvenirs and everything was okay,
based on what I was told. So that would be some of those logistical things, money. So cash is king
in Cuba. And we were told a mix of big bills, so like the $100, but those were to exchange,
(09:58):
not necessarily to spend, but then the small bills. And you'll see there's a mix depending on where you
go of either the amount being in Cuban pesos or the amount being in American dollars. And they will
take, I was also told, the American dollars, the small bills, and the like really crispy, crunchy,
(10:18):
brand new kind, the kind that stick together. Because I guess they it's harder for them to exchange
the worn dollar bills. And so if you take them and you pay them thinking that you're helping them,
but then if they can't get money back from that, then you're not really helping them.
So we took the big bills again, we exchanged. And I mentioned on the last episode, we got
(10:42):
$200 exchange for 54,000 Cuban pesos. The thing with that, which we also learned is the exchange rate
is just all over the map. And if you exchange, we exchanged with a trusted person, tour guide,
their locals, they know how to get the money somehow. They told us don't exchange at the airport,
don't exchange anywhere on the street. And so again, this is where it's helpful to have a bit of an
(11:05):
insider that can help you understand the money and give you roughly like an exchange rate in your
head. So the one that we kind of use and again, there is no standard. But our guide Laura said,
think of 1000 pesos is roughly four American dollars. And so everywhere I went, I was trying to do
that math. So money take lots of cash, cash is king, small bills to use to spend, we use those
(11:32):
for tips. So what they told us the money goes farther, like if you go to a restaurant, paying
for the food in Cuban pesos, but then leaving tips in American dollars. And so I don't think it
necessarily matters at the end of the day if all you have is one or the other, but just kind of
keeping in mind like the money goes farther for us if we spend it in pesos, but it goes farther for
(11:55):
them if they receive American dollars. So just again, work with someone that you trust or just
ask a local who can speak and translate for you on what they would recommend. Lots of hand sanitizer
and wipes for all of your body parts. So I mentioned again, an episode two that we didn't always have
(12:16):
showers. And sometimes again, just logistically, like if we were getting up and hiking or something,
but then there was a nice dinner that night, like I didn't want to shower in the morning,
but I maybe wanted to freshen up. And so I found these body wipes that were supposed to neutralize
odors. And I think they did a pretty good job. And then the hand wipes and the hand sanitizer,
(12:37):
because you never know when you're going to need to use an outhouse, or there is a bathroom, but no
sink or no running water or something. So just all the hand sanitizer, all the wipes, very helpful.
The food is incredible. It's all pretty much fresh from the farm. It's whatever is in season.
(12:57):
And that's because that's what it has to be. So they have an embargo. No one can,
they can't import from other countries technically. Although the thing is, like if you import from
another country, then America won't do business with that country. And so some countries just
must not care about America doing business with them, because they get things from somewhere.
(13:19):
And I don't think they fully even understand where all of it comes from. But most of the food at the
restaurant is from the table. Incredible. Like it just, for me, that's just how we're supposed to
be eating is what's in season and like minimally processed. They use some oils and vinegar, salt,
some seasonings. Some of the dressings were flavored with like their fruit, like the guava and some
(13:42):
of the other things that were in season. So really good. Like the restaurants you could walk around,
like they were, I don't say, wouldn't say everywhere in Havana, but we went to Havana and we went to
Vignales. There were certainly restaurants that you could eat at. And we stayed at bed and breakfast
both times. And so breakfast was really easy. They served us breakfast on the roof or in their
(14:03):
dining room or wherever it was. And so food was fairly easy to do there. And interestingly enough,
I am gluten free in the United States, not because I'm celiac, but because years ago I started
having some stomach pains. And an intuitive was like, Hey, why don't you consider taking out gluten?
And I did and the stomach pains went away. And not only that, but I had acne in my body that
(14:26):
cleared up too. And so I chose when I was there, I was like, you know what, I've heard just hypothetically
that gluten in other countries is different than gluten in the United States. And partially because
my, again, hypotheticals, just me talking out of my mouth. But some suggest that it's not actually
the gluten that gives people a lot of issues, but it's the pesticides that they put on the wheat,
(14:52):
or wheat could also be genetically modified in the United States. And so I'm like, you know what,
I'm just going to make things easy because there was breading and bread there. And I didn't want to
not partake. And so I chose to just eat whatever was put in front of me all week and did not have
any issues with stomach pains all week. Interestingly, my back is starting to show a little bit of
(15:15):
acne. And so I do think that there is some sensitivity to gluten that my body, you know,
all gluten is starting to come out a little bit, but not nearly as bad as it was before I went
gluten free completely. And I just it, it made the week for me. People brought me birthday cake.
And there are these little empanadas at breakfast that I couldn't stop eating that were incredible.
(15:38):
They were like sweet breads with little jelly inside and I ate a ton of them every morning.
And the Cuban sandwiches, it's like things like that. I just didn't want to make hard for me.
And so I did bring digestive enzymes with me. I didn't really end up using them, but I know some
people use digestive enzymes as well to help tolerate certain things that they might otherwise
have issues with. They do have dairy there as well. And I didn't think to ask if it's raw dairy,
(16:03):
but I imagine it's probably straight from the farm. And we had it. The only time we really had it
was warmed up for coffee. And so then it would have, although I know people drink raw dairy,
my neighbors drink raw dairy and they look incredible because they're dairy farmers. So
whatever, I'm just going to leave it at that. And we were instructed to bring probiotics and
(16:25):
antibiotics. So probiotics just to help with the gut bacteria and then antibiotics in case we did
get the travelers diarrhea. And so I was pretty easily able to go, I messaged, I my chart messaged
my doctor and they're like, Hey, there's a travel consult that you can do. So I booked a travel
consult and they tried to get me to take all these shots. And I'm like, no, I'm not taking shots a
(16:46):
week before I go because that's probably going to make me too sick to even go. So I didn't do any
of that. But if that's something you're interested in, they will tell you based on the country what
they recommend, just don't do it right before you go in case you have a reaction. But they did
give me antibiotics. And so I had those with me. I didn't need them. Thankfully, I meant to leave
them there and I totally forgot to leave them there. So that way they could have them. But food,
(17:12):
yeah, not really much of an issue. Water would be the other thing. And we took a filtered water bottle.
My tour guide had a couple that she recommended, LifeStraws one and Grail, I think it's G-R-A-Y-L
is another one. And there's probably others and they're really designed for travel, they're designed
for like being out in nature and being able to filter your water. And so pretty much all of us
(17:37):
use those throughout the week. And I don't think anyone really had too many issues with the water.
And there are, you can also buy bottled water everywhere you go pretty much. I again, I would
take it when it was there, but I also was conscious of the fact that I don't know where it's coming
from. Is it an import thing that is hard for them to get. And so I took the bottled water when it
(18:01):
made sense or when it was available or when I didn't have my water bottle. But I also just
filled up my filtered water bottle right out of the bathroom sink and I drank it. And again,
I didn't get sick thankfully the whole time. The next thing that was helpful for us was getting
around. And again, because we're part of an actual group, scheduled group, for the most part we had
(18:23):
the same group of drivers with us the whole time. So they picked us up from the airport,
they got us to our casa. They weren't there the next day because it was just a Havana walking tour.
But then that same group of drivers took us from Havana to Vignales, which I think it took longer
than it should have. I think it was scheduled to be about a three hour drive. It ended up being four
(18:46):
to five hours, just given how slow you have to go on the roads because of all the potholes and the
horses and everything on the roads. And also just making pit stops and things along the way. But we
had that same group of drivers, they stayed overnight with us in Vignales for a couple nights
and then they drove us back to Havana. And there were a few other points where for fun,
(19:06):
our tour guide arranged these little cocoa taxis, which are like motorcycles in front,
kind of think of it like a motorcycle, but in back it's like half of a ball like a circle.
So you sit in the back cocoa like half a coconut maybe or cocoa because they're just
local. They it was almost like bumper cart like Mario Kart when we were driving just cutting in
(19:27):
front of each other. So a little loco, but the cocoa taxis, there's BC taxis, which are bicycles,
people on bicycles where you sit in back. So there's and then just regular taxis. So there's
lots of ways to get around. But I don't know that I would exactly know how to navigate that if we
didn't have somebody with us, although my neighbors, the ones who snuck in through Mexico years ago,
(19:48):
they somehow got around without going with a formal tour. And so it's possible that would just be
something if you're not going with a formal tour to get a little bit more information on would be
my recommendation. So remember when we went to get our tattoos, our tour guide, it's like,
how do you get a taxi around here? He goes, Oh, I just there's three WhatsApp groups that I send
and the first one that responds to me is who who picks a stop or whatever. And then you get
(20:15):
and I was like, Okay, like, how would you know that if you were if you were a tourist? And I did
see like the taxis, they do have the labels on front. And I did see people in the street with
their hands up. And so I do think it's possible to just get a taxi. But again, not a lot of people
also speak English there. And so even many of our taxi drivers, we needed translators to help us get
(20:39):
to where we were trying to go. So I would probably do a little bit more around transportation, and
maybe even reaching out seeing if there's like a driver you can hire for a week or something like
that. I'm going to leave a few pieces of information below just as people that I now know from the
group that you can reach out to for information. Laura, Laura Erickson, she was the group that I
(21:02):
went through. She does scheduled tours to Cuba. And so I probably wouldn't reach out to her unless
you wanted to go on actually one of her scheduled tours. Andres was our tour guide and translator
and historian and amazingness. He still is in Cuba, but I know he's they now have an opportunity to
get Spanish citizenship. And so he's trying to move to Spain. So I don't know how much longer
(21:27):
he'll be there. But I'll leave his information for questions. And then Cassie would be the third one.
Cassie is British. But she went to Cuba years ago fell in love with a Cuban cowboy, they got married.
So now she spends part of her time in Cuba. And so she might she's who helped arranged our
casas and our transportation. And so she might also be someone that could help you out with some
(21:48):
of these logistical questions. Again, I don't know how long any of these people will be doing what
they're doing. But if you hear this in the immediate future, those would be a few people you could
reach out to potentially for questions. And Cassie also does organize her own scheduled tours that
are not through Laura. And I think she uses Andres and with Andres eventually trying to go to Spain,
(22:08):
I think she even that is in question on how long she'll be able to run those. But I imagine she'll
at least know people for a period of time. So those I'll leave some people below that you can check
out. And I kind of mentioned the translator, there's not a whole lot of English in Cuba, like I
remember, and I haven't traveled internationally a whole lot. I'm hoping my intention is that this
(22:30):
is the beginning of me doing that more. But there are some places you go, you see it in their native
language, and then you see it in English. But that is not the case in Cuba. They speak Spanish. It is
apparently very fast Spanish, like faster than traditional Latin speaking countries. So if you
don't know enough Spanish to get by, I would probably find a translator or some way to speak
(22:52):
and get around. And the final piece of practical advice I will give is battery packs. So we were
instructed and advised to take extra batteries just to charge our cell phones. And again,
I really use my cell phone for pictures, because it didn't take a SIM card. So I couldn't use the
mobile, generally speaking, when we're out in the country, I would hook up to Wi Fi if we were in a
(23:16):
place with Wi Fi. But I did want it available for pictures. And I know one of the women on the trip
had hearing aids that she needed to charge every night. So she had battery packs to help with those
too. So in case you go through a power outage, just really helpful to have backup battery packs.
Okay, so that's the practical. Now I just wanted to share a few observations of the government
(23:40):
and just some of the things talked about some things that I heard, and also bring a little bit
of a tie back to our government, our American government. Because that is definitely a theme
when you go there. And it, why wouldn't it be like that is the reason we can't travel there. So
a bit of the history and again, history is not my strongest suit. But the very highlights of what
(24:06):
I remember from the Cuban history was it was initially a Spanish colony owned by Spain,
taken over by Spain. And then the people wanted freedom from Spain. So they fought for the freedom
from Spain eventually got it. Then somehow the US just was like, well, we're just going to do some
stuff here on the island. So somehow the US got involved. But it wasn't like from an ownership
(24:29):
perspective. And then there was one guy at one point, his name was Baptiste, that apparently was
running the island and people didn't like him. And so Fidel Castro was part of the group that
wanted to overtake him. And at one point he got put into jail and released from jail with some
hush hush agreement. And he fled, I think to Mexico or Argentina and some other country again, sorry
(24:54):
history. But then he came back and eventually was able to overthrow the prevailing government. And
at the time that was supposed to be a good thing. This is what kind of shocked me was at the time
he was for the people. And the people supported him, they backed him. But then at that time the
Soviet Union saw what was happening. And they were like, Hey, Fidel, come here. So apparently he
(25:17):
went to the Soviet Union for a period of time and then came back socialist. And that's that's when
the the American government was like, no, we don't like what you're doing. We'll put an embargo on
you. And that's when the American government said they're not going to do business with anybody
that does business with Cuba. That was roughly in the 60s, I think 1962 was around the time the
(25:41):
embargo happened. And I loved Andre's when he was talking about this, he's like embargo for you
bitch. Like, if that was my history teacher, I probably would have paid more attention to history.
So interesting what we didn't get from the Cuban side. So one of the women on our trip,
her dad was in the military around Cold War era, and had some intel on the embargo. And apparently
(26:07):
from his perspective, the American government putting the embargo on Cuba, what the embargo was
supposed to ideally do was bring the wealth so far down in Cuba, that the people would rebel and
overthrow the government. Again, right, that seems to be the story as the people they empower
(26:29):
themselves and overthrow the government happened numerous times throughout Cuban history. But
what they learned was that the Cuban people are so damn resourceful, that even with this poverty
situation, they found a way to get by. And even before I heard this story, I was like, damn,
they are resourceful here. Like when you think about the basic, basic needs of what you need,
(26:51):
food, clothing, you know, shelter, like they find a way to make it happen, even though,
quote unquote, like, they might look or feel, you know, monetarily in poverty, but they find
ways to make it happen. And for me, that was just interesting. And when I think about, like, spiritual
perspectives and how the universe will provide for your needs, I was like, man, to me, that was
(27:16):
just proof that God is with Cuba, even though they don't necessarily feel like it's there.
But a lot of them, from what we were able to see again, and it's a limited perspective of everything,
but there was food from the farm, food in stores, it might not have been a ton. We also didn't see
any overweight Cubans. So there's that they all were healthy ish, they, they had animals, they had
(27:42):
pigs running around their front yard like dogs and horses and cows just grazing on the side of the
road. So they don't have to pay to feed their animals, they just graze naturally. And then
they don't have to pay to mow anything, because the animals just graze. And so there's, there's,
there's this incredible resourcefulness that we did see. I remember when we were driving, one of the
(28:05):
girls noticed someone's front canopy for their front porch on their house was one of those
overhangs that you would see on a boat, like they just have this incredible way of recycling things
to meet their needs. So they were so damn resourceful. It was really incredible to see that.
And the story that was woven out was also just repression by the government. Just they could,
(28:29):
you could tell it was a narrative that wove throughout society. And one of the things that
kind of broke my heart that we were getting when we got the history was this idea that the Cuban
people are just waiting for someone to come save them. And one of the reasons that broke my heart,
(28:50):
one that's a very disempowering perspective and sad, like you're just surviving, you're just doing
your thing, waiting for someone to come save you, like that would be a very hard perspective on life
to take. And what I want to share here is that's from an energetic and spiritual perspective,
(29:10):
that's also not how it works. We have to save ourselves and we save ourselves by going within
and shifting our consciousness and shifting our energy. Because what I would see if someone tomorrow
was just to come in and say, all right, easily, like the government switched, right, the people
(29:30):
still have this consciousness of being repressed, government, collective things, they're really
projections of collective consciousness. This is true of our government as well, our government,
their government, everyone's government is a projection of collective consciousness. But
if their collective consciousness remains in a state of feeling like the government represses them,
(29:53):
and none of that changes, your consciousness stays the same, even if you get new people in power,
then they will just continue to recreate that because that is what they've known and that's
the story that they tell. And so for me, what would need to happen, and this is what is slowly
happening through America's America shifts to is it starts with the consciousness, it starts with
(30:19):
understanding that the government does not, it's like false control, because at your core,
you're a spiritual being, and you're inherently divinely free. And I know this is hard to think
through based on some of the things we see and some of the things that we hear, but we are
(30:44):
divinely free. And when we choose that and stand in that and enough people, like get to that level
of knowledge, then the government is it has to reflect that because again, it's just a projection
of what's going on in the consciousness of the people. When you stand in your divinity and know
(31:07):
that you're inherently free, that is when things start to shift. And so for me, anytime, anytime,
like even in your life, and this was me back in corporate days, when I hated corporate life,
I realized no one was coming to save me out of corporate life, right? Like I had to do the work
(31:30):
to shift my mindset, just shift what I thought was possible for myself and shift the stories I
told about who I was and what was possible for me in order to start to change my life.
And I believe that that is true of any, any group, anywhere, no one is coming to save you.
It starts from within the shift starts from within. And this is a really vulnerable thing for me to
(31:55):
share, but I'm going to share it to illustrate what I mean here. And I'm going to bring it to
the American government for a second. Years ago, when Trump was over turning rovey-wade,
women were in uproar. And they felt like there was attack on their bodies. There's an attack on
(32:17):
the female body going on. I didn't feel that. And that's because I know that the government doesn't
own my body. I own my body. My body is divinely given to me by God, by source, by the universe.
And it's mine. And when I can claim that and stand in the spiritual divine truth of that for me,
(32:46):
then that is what my world is going to reflect. And no one can do anything to my body that I
don't give them permission to do. And so for me, I'm like, there isn't an attack on my body,
because I divinely know that my body belongs to me. What that is to me, again, it's a projection
(33:09):
of consciousness of where the patriarchy has told us lies that we don't own our body. And there have
been moments through history that have reinforced that fear based moments through history, where
maybe women have adopted this idea that we don't own our bodies. But it's not the truth. And so as
(33:35):
long as we carry this narrative that we don't own our body, and enough people carry that narrative,
it's going to be reflected in our government. It's our government think of it as like a projector
screen, like this, the projector is all of our consciousness, our thoughts, the stories we tell.
(33:56):
And then the government is just the screen. It's just reflecting back, hey, this is in your unconscious.
And so for me, in this case, in all the cases and all the shitty things we see going on in our
government, it's not about fighting the government. It's about shifting yourself so that way you can
stand in the energy of what you want. Right, standing in the energy of this is who I am,
(34:22):
this is my identity, I love and accept myself. Again, this could be another place where I don't
intend to make people upset and trigger you. But I do feel like it's my place to offer a different
perspective so that way you can think differently. But if there is a general attack on what people
feel like is their identity, then what that tells me is not enough people are owning who they are
(34:47):
and loving and accepting themselves for who they are. Because if enough people did that,
you wouldn't see this reflected and played out on a broader scale. And so for me,
everything starts with you. Everything starts with claiming who you are, loving yourself
unconditionally, loving all parts of yourself, accepting all parts of yourself, claiming sovereignty
(35:08):
and freedom over you because it's your God given right to do so. And so that for me, and I share
those things just to illustrate how I see some of this play out in American politics too. But for
me, when I think about the Cuban people and how they're waiting for someone to come save them,
(35:29):
like that's for me, when I know how things work from an energetic perspective and how our energy
creates a reality, then for me, that's not the answer because someone new coming in, they're
just going to recreate the same thing. That's why if you've ever switched jobs, gotten a new
relationship, but you're like, this one feels just like the old one. It's because you didn't shift
(35:51):
your consciousness, your consciousness, your perspective, the stories you tell what you deserve,
what you're worthy of, it needs to start from within and then the bigger, broader things will
shift to match. So if I was to talk to the people, and I know there's some spiritually tapped in
people there, our guide, he is really motivated to learn. He's reading all the, he called them the
(36:17):
Forbidden History books, he was finding the forbidden books, learning the real history, he really
wants to like get out and do something with his life. That's why he really wants to go to space
and he really wants to go to Spain. And I asked him, I'm like, where does your motivation come
from? Like you're looking around and there's people who are perfectly happy farming their whole
life or driving taxi their whole life, which is great. Like that's how they want to live their
(36:39):
life. But he was damn motivated in a way you didn't see with a lot of the people in Cuba.
And he was like, I don't know. To me, that is a spiritual awakening. That is a pull. Something
is pulling you people that sort of person into something bigger. And for me, so I know that
they're there, I know that they're out there. And for me, it's starting to shift your own
(37:02):
consciousness to be that which you want to see in your world, in your life, in your community.
And whether you stay and you do it for everyone or not, like that's the opportunity at least
on an individual level that I see for everybody is stop waiting for someone to save you and start
claiming ownership over what it is you want. There's not one world. There's eight billion
(37:23):
individual worlds, all playing on the same planet Earth. And we are all the center of the world
that we individually live in. And we are in control of that. So I'm going to leave it at that,
because I'm kind of running out of things to say. And I'm not a very good closer. I'll be honest.
(37:43):
I need to learn how to close these a little bit better. But I said everything I wanted to say.
And again, hopefully that was helpful. I'm not trying to piss anybody off. But I do feel like
when I tap into my soul and what I'm here to do, one of the things I'm here to do is change your
perspective and get you to see things differently. And so that is at least what I hoped I did today.
(38:06):
If I triggered you, look at that because triggers are information for you on where you can go deeper
within yourself, whether there's something that is ready to heal. That's something that I help my
coaching clients do is learn how to read their triggers. And I did not mean for this to go and
(38:26):
delay, hey, work with me. But I will leave my information below on how you can book,
I'm calling them the dream activation calls in February. So if you did want to talk to me,
and either talk about your triggers or just talk about like those dreams, those things that you
have that are calling you, like talk to me, they're free, they're not they're not sales calls. If we
(38:47):
wanted to do a sales call, that would be a subsequent follow up call. But I really just want
to get in front of people and support any way I can. But triggers triggers, triggers, I should
probably at some point do an episode on just the beauty that comes from a trigger, because
there's so much information there. So if I triggered you, then good, that means your soul
wants you to look at something. That means you're carrying something heavy in your energy body,
(39:11):
that it doesn't want you to keep carrying. So again, that was not my intention, but I'm sure
it probably happened based on the topic of the conversation. So I will leave you with that.
I'll be back next week with a brand new topic.
Welcome back to the Awakened Fam, where amazing women come to learn how to harness their spiritual
(00:07):
power so that way they can show up as conscious moms for their family, as successful purpose-driven
entrepreneurs, and learn how to play with the spiritual magic that life has for all of us,
that is available for all of us. So on today's episode, I'm going to tie those concepts
into unpacking Cuba part three. So this will be the last of the three part series of my trip to Cuba.
(00:32):
And today I do want to get a little bit away from the woo and go, I'll start with the practical,
just some practical advice that I learned from traveling to Cuba, if it's something
anyone ever wants to do. And then I'll go back and we're going to talk a little bit about the Cuban
government and just some of the observations that I had based on what I had heard from an energetic
(00:55):
perspective. So I'll get back to the woo towards the end, but because we're human, yes, we are
spiritual beings having a human experience. That means sometimes we do just have to play in the
human. And I've already shared a little bit about things like eating the food and how I shifted my
energy to allow me to get through the week without getting sick, right? But there's also just some
(01:19):
practical things. There's visas, there's travel. And so I want to talk a little bit about some of those
things. Because the most common response that I got after telling people that I was going to Cuba was,
I didn't even know we could go to Cuba. So let's start there. Can we go to Cuba? Yes, Americans
can go to Cuba, but not as tourists. So that's the caveat right now, at least as of the time that
(01:45):
I am recording this. Americans cannot go to Cuba as tourists. But we have to remember that other
countries go there as tourists. And so they're used to tourists. It's not like they've never seen a
foreign person. They appreciate tourists very, very much because tourists bring money into their
economy. It gives them a reason to serve and to support. And so it's not like they're not used to
(02:06):
having foreign people there. It's just the what we've heard from America that makes it a little bit
different. So we needed a special visa to go. And I know there are a few different visa options,
I don't know, 789 somewhere there. I don't remember the other ones. I know there was one about an
agriculture visa, but that's not the one we went under. But the most common one I've heard people
(02:29):
go under is called support of the Cuban people. And so ahead of your trip, you need to pay, it was
like $85 or something for this visa. And you need to know the dates and the airlines and everything.
So get your airfare first. But what support of the Cuban people means is that you're staying in
privately run things. You're supporting privately run institutions. So in Cuba, they, the government
(02:54):
does have a heavier hand in some things. And so there are government owned hotels, government
owned grocery stores, restaurants. And so we were under our visa, we were not technically allowed to
stay and to patronize any of those things. But there are plenty of privately run casas,
taxis, casas are like the hotels, the bed and breakfast where we stayed, taxis, restaurants,
(03:20):
even the farm. So when we got our tobacco in our rum, you can't buy those and bring those back into
the United States if you buy them from a government run place. But you can actually buy them and bring
them back into the States as souvenirs if you buy them directly from the people on the farm.
So that was one of the differences in what allowed us to go. And additionally, what we did under
(03:43):
support of the Cuban people was we took donations. There were they will take expired medicines,
any medical supplies, clothing, glasses, like they are so grateful to receive those things
from tourists. And I don't think you have to go that's that's not something that people are going
(04:04):
to check. Did you do this? But it was really a generous thing that our trip guide, I guess you
would say she puts together as part of her trips. And my group brought apparently a record number
of donations, just suitcases to just leave there full of things. And so we've heard stories of
(04:24):
like, sure, you can go to the doctor, but the doctor can tell you what you need, but he may not
have the medicine to give it to you. And so they're so appreciative of all that stuff, even
expired medicines, like all of it, they will take all of it. I heard stories of either like dental
or surgical like you can we can do the surgery for you, but you have to bring your own supplies.
(04:47):
So one of my neighbors shout out to Katie, she had extra wound care supplies at her house from
when she was taking care of her father in law. I took some of that down and she was like, I just
couldn't throw it away. And I was like, your intuition knew that it would go to really good
use at some point. So any of that, they are so grateful to take any of those things. And so
(05:07):
that was just a bonus, a bonus way to support the Cuban people. And then there was some other
forum we had to print off a week before we went the VA house forum or something. And my guide
knew about it. And then also I booked my flight through Delta. And so all I know is Delta,
they don't pay me, but if they want to send me somewhere, I would be happy with that. But they
(05:30):
they kept me on top of the paperwork that I needed to. So they made sure I had my passport,
my visa and this VA house form. And so I had all those I printed those I had those with me.
I also had printed my itinerary. So here's the other thing our guide told us to keep and to keep
all of these things for like five years in case we ever do get questioned to save our itinerary on
(05:51):
paper. So that way we can prove that we went to these local places, save the photos that we took
again to prove that we went to all the local places. And so let's see, I think, I think that was
that's like the logistics of actually getting there. And then people were like the flights
because formerly, I know my neighbors went years ago before this was an option. And people used
(06:14):
to have to sneak in through Mexico. And so they went in through Mexico and they're like, don't
stamp our passport, please. And so people used to have to sneak in through other countries. But
I went direct from Miami. Most of my group went direct from Miami on United American Delta Southwest
goes there. One person flew from Tampa, I think a couple people flew from Houston. So it's possible
(06:38):
to get there from the United States again, just making sure that you have the right paperwork.
But I just booked a flight and they didn't question me. They just once the flight was
booked to Havana, we flew into Havana, it popped up. And again, it was the list of things,
make sure you get your visa, make sure you've got your passport, make sure you get this VA
house form. So that was pretty easy. Just knowing what to do, I think would be the part of that
(07:03):
there. And then because I mentioned it already, the cigars in the rum. So we there are limits to
what we can bring back. So for us, what we were told was 50 cigars, and up to two bottles of rum.
And we also brought back honey. And coffee was available to us. I didn't buy the coffee. I'm
actually not a coffee drinker. But those were all also available from the farm at certain limits
(07:25):
that we were allowed to bring back. And they came back as souvenirs, because I was doing a little
bit of research, it's illegal to sell Cuban cigars in America, probably because of the embargo that
we have on Cuba. And so we can't bring things in. But I learned you also don't want those cigars
anyway, because when we got the tobacco farm tour, the farmer was telling us they grow the tobacco
(07:49):
leaves, and then they dry them out. And then once they're dry, they have to give roughly 90% of their
product to the government for very little money in return, which is the sad part. But then what
they have remaining with their tobacco, they are able to sell it themselves. So they make their own
cigars using their own recipe. And I didn't know this, but they flavor their cigars and every
(08:10):
farm has their own mixture. And so these ones that I brought back were flavored with like cinnamon,
rum, lime, and honey. And they were very smooth. Not that I would enjoy another cigar necessarily,
but I will say I've had cigars on and off in the past. And oftentimes they make me feel like I
(08:32):
threw up in my mouth, like I just hated the taste in my mouth. But these ones, I didn't get any of
that. I guess I'll go there. I also, I think I talked about it in episode two, just got this
feeling of heaviness from the tobacco and the nicotine and the tobacco. So it's not necessarily
something I'm excited to do again. But I know there were people who were willing to try one. I mean,
(08:52):
Cuban cigars are like supposed to be the creme de la creme, right? But what they told us was when
they give the leaves to the government, the government pumps them full with chemicals
to make them taste a certain way. And then they wrap a label on them and they sell them for like
20, 50, $100 a cigar depending on the label. And ours we were able to buy between $7 and $10 on the
(09:15):
farm. And so definitely like if that's your thing, go to the farms, go direct to the farms. Not only
are you saving money, but you're getting a better product. And then the rum too. So I was able to
bring back two bottles of rum. And I got it back through security as I listed in, as I mentioned
in episode two. And I called those souvenirs. So there were certain other things you had to declare
(09:36):
like live plants and foods and things. I got through the souvenirs and everything was okay,
based on what I was told. So that would be some of those logistical things, money. So cash is king
in Cuba. And we were told a mix of big bills, so like the $100, but those were to exchange,
(09:58):
not necessarily to spend, but then the small bills. And you'll see there's a mix depending on where you
go of either the amount being in Cuban pesos or the amount being in American dollars. And they will
take, I was also told, the American dollars, the small bills, and the like really crispy, crunchy,
(10:18):
brand new kind, the kind that stick together. Because I guess they it's harder for them to exchange
the worn dollar bills. And so if you take them and you pay them thinking that you're helping them,
but then if they can't get money back from that, then you're not really helping them.
So we took the big bills again, we exchanged. And I mentioned on the last episode, we got
(10:42):
$200 exchange for 54,000 Cuban pesos. The thing with that, which we also learned is the exchange rate
is just all over the map. And if you exchange, we exchanged with a trusted person, tour guide,
their locals, they know how to get the money somehow. They told us don't exchange at the airport,
don't exchange anywhere on the street. And so again, this is where it's helpful to have a bit of an
(11:05):
insider that can help you understand the money and give you roughly like an exchange rate in your
head. So the one that we kind of use and again, there is no standard. But our guide Laura said,
think of 1000 pesos is roughly four American dollars. And so everywhere I went, I was trying to do
that math. So money take lots of cash, cash is king, small bills to use to spend, we use those
(11:32):
for tips. So what they told us the money goes farther, like if you go to a restaurant, paying
for the food in Cuban pesos, but then leaving tips in American dollars. And so I don't think it
necessarily matters at the end of the day if all you have is one or the other, but just kind of
keeping in mind like the money goes farther for us if we spend it in pesos, but it goes farther for
(11:55):
them if they receive American dollars. So just again, work with someone that you trust or just
ask a local who can speak and translate for you on what they would recommend. Lots of hand sanitizer
and wipes for all of your body parts. So I mentioned again, an episode two that we didn't always have
(12:16):
showers. And sometimes again, just logistically, like if we were getting up and hiking or something,
but then there was a nice dinner that night, like I didn't want to shower in the morning,
but I maybe wanted to freshen up. And so I found these body wipes that were supposed to neutralize
odors. And I think they did a pretty good job. And then the hand wipes and the hand sanitizer,
(12:37):
because you never know when you're going to need to use an outhouse, or there is a bathroom, but no
sink or no running water or something. So just all the hand sanitizer, all the wipes, very helpful.
The food is incredible. It's all pretty much fresh from the farm. It's whatever is in season.
(12:57):
And that's because that's what it has to be. So they have an embargo. No one can,
they can't import from other countries technically. Although the thing is, like if you import from
another country, then America won't do business with that country. And so some countries just
must not care about America doing business with them, because they get things from somewhere.
(13:19):
And I don't think they fully even understand where all of it comes from. But most of the food at the
restaurant is from the table. Incredible. Like it just, for me, that's just how we're supposed to
be eating is what's in season and like minimally processed. They use some oils and vinegar, salt,
some seasonings. Some of the dressings were flavored with like their fruit, like the guava and some
(13:42):
of the other things that were in season. So really good. Like the restaurants you could walk around,
like they were, I don't say, wouldn't say everywhere in Havana, but we went to Havana and we went to
Vignales. There were certainly restaurants that you could eat at. And we stayed at bed and breakfast
both times. And so breakfast was really easy. They served us breakfast on the roof or in their
(14:03):
dining room or wherever it was. And so food was fairly easy to do there. And interestingly enough,
I am gluten free in the United States, not because I'm celiac, but because years ago I started
having some stomach pains. And an intuitive was like, Hey, why don't you consider taking out gluten?
And I did and the stomach pains went away. And not only that, but I had acne in my body that
(14:26):
cleared up too. And so I chose when I was there, I was like, you know what, I've heard just hypothetically
that gluten in other countries is different than gluten in the United States. And partially because
my, again, hypotheticals, just me talking out of my mouth. But some suggest that it's not actually
the gluten that gives people a lot of issues, but it's the pesticides that they put on the wheat,
(14:52):
or wheat could also be genetically modified in the United States. And so I'm like, you know what,
I'm just going to make things easy because there was breading and bread there. And I didn't want to
not partake. And so I chose to just eat whatever was put in front of me all week and did not have
any issues with stomach pains all week. Interestingly, my back is starting to show a little bit of
(15:15):
acne. And so I do think that there is some sensitivity to gluten that my body, you know,
all gluten is starting to come out a little bit, but not nearly as bad as it was before I went
gluten free completely. And I just it, it made the week for me. People brought me birthday cake.
And there are these little empanadas at breakfast that I couldn't stop eating that were incredible.
(15:38):
They were like sweet breads with little jelly inside and I ate a ton of them every morning.
And the Cuban sandwiches, it's like things like that. I just didn't want to make hard for me.
And so I did bring digestive enzymes with me. I didn't really end up using them, but I know some
people use digestive enzymes as well to help tolerate certain things that they might otherwise
have issues with. They do have dairy there as well. And I didn't think to ask if it's raw dairy,
(16:03):
but I imagine it's probably straight from the farm. And we had it. The only time we really had it
was warmed up for coffee. And so then it would have, although I know people drink raw dairy,
my neighbors drink raw dairy and they look incredible because they're dairy farmers. So
whatever, I'm just going to leave it at that. And we were instructed to bring probiotics and
(16:25):
antibiotics. So probiotics just to help with the gut bacteria and then antibiotics in case we did
get the travelers diarrhea. And so I was pretty easily able to go, I messaged, I my chart messaged
my doctor and they're like, Hey, there's a travel consult that you can do. So I booked a travel
consult and they tried to get me to take all these shots. And I'm like, no, I'm not taking shots a
(16:46):
week before I go because that's probably going to make me too sick to even go. So I didn't do any
of that. But if that's something you're interested in, they will tell you based on the country what
they recommend, just don't do it right before you go in case you have a reaction. But they did
give me antibiotics. And so I had those with me. I didn't need them. Thankfully, I meant to leave
them there and I totally forgot to leave them there. So that way they could have them. But food,
(17:12):
yeah, not really much of an issue. Water would be the other thing. And we took a filtered water bottle.
My tour guide had a couple that she recommended, LifeStraws one and Grail, I think it's G-R-A-Y-L
is another one. And there's probably others and they're really designed for travel, they're designed
for like being out in nature and being able to filter your water. And so pretty much all of us
(17:37):
use those throughout the week. And I don't think anyone really had too many issues with the water.
And there are, you can also buy bottled water everywhere you go pretty much. I again, I would
take it when it was there, but I also was conscious of the fact that I don't know where it's coming
from. Is it an import thing that is hard for them to get. And so I took the bottled water when it
(18:01):
made sense or when it was available or when I didn't have my water bottle. But I also just
filled up my filtered water bottle right out of the bathroom sink and I drank it. And again,
I didn't get sick thankfully the whole time. The next thing that was helpful for us was getting
around. And again, because we're part of an actual group, scheduled group, for the most part we had
(18:23):
the same group of drivers with us the whole time. So they picked us up from the airport,
they got us to our casa. They weren't there the next day because it was just a Havana walking tour.
But then that same group of drivers took us from Havana to Vignales, which I think it took longer
than it should have. I think it was scheduled to be about a three hour drive. It ended up being four
(18:46):
to five hours, just given how slow you have to go on the roads because of all the potholes and the
horses and everything on the roads. And also just making pit stops and things along the way. But we
had that same group of drivers, they stayed overnight with us in Vignales for a couple nights
and then they drove us back to Havana. And there were a few other points where for fun,
(19:06):
our tour guide arranged these little cocoa taxis, which are like motorcycles in front,
kind of think of it like a motorcycle, but in back it's like half of a ball like a circle.
So you sit in the back cocoa like half a coconut maybe or cocoa because they're just
local. They it was almost like bumper cart like Mario Kart when we were driving just cutting in
(19:27):
front of each other. So a little loco, but the cocoa taxis, there's BC taxis, which are bicycles,
people on bicycles where you sit in back. So there's and then just regular taxis. So there's
lots of ways to get around. But I don't know that I would exactly know how to navigate that if we
didn't have somebody with us, although my neighbors, the ones who snuck in through Mexico years ago,
(19:48):
they somehow got around without going with a formal tour. And so it's possible that would just be
something if you're not going with a formal tour to get a little bit more information on would be
my recommendation. So remember when we went to get our tattoos, our tour guide, it's like,
how do you get a taxi around here? He goes, Oh, I just there's three WhatsApp groups that I send
and the first one that responds to me is who who picks a stop or whatever. And then you get
(20:15):
and I was like, Okay, like, how would you know that if you were if you were a tourist? And I did
see like the taxis, they do have the labels on front. And I did see people in the street with
their hands up. And so I do think it's possible to just get a taxi. But again, not a lot of people
also speak English there. And so even many of our taxi drivers, we needed translators to help us get
(20:39):
to where we were trying to go. So I would probably do a little bit more around transportation, and
maybe even reaching out seeing if there's like a driver you can hire for a week or something like
that. I'm going to leave a few pieces of information below just as people that I now know from the
group that you can reach out to for information. Laura, Laura Erickson, she was the group that I
(21:02):
went through. She does scheduled tours to Cuba. And so I probably wouldn't reach out to her unless
you wanted to go on actually one of her scheduled tours. Andres was our tour guide and translator
and historian and amazingness. He still is in Cuba, but I know he's they now have an opportunity to
get Spanish citizenship. And so he's trying to move to Spain. So I don't know how much longer
(21:27):
he'll be there. But I'll leave his information for questions. And then Cassie would be the third one.
Cassie is British. But she went to Cuba years ago fell in love with a Cuban cowboy, they got married.
So now she spends part of her time in Cuba. And so she might she's who helped arranged our
casas and our transportation. And so she might also be someone that could help you out with some
(21:48):
of these logistical questions. Again, I don't know how long any of these people will be doing what
they're doing. But if you hear this in the immediate future, those would be a few people you could
reach out to potentially for questions. And Cassie also does organize her own scheduled tours that
are not through Laura. And I think she uses Andres and with Andres eventually trying to go to Spain,
(22:08):
I think she even that is in question on how long she'll be able to run those. But I imagine she'll
at least know people for a period of time. So those I'll leave some people below that you can check
out. And I kind of mentioned the translator, there's not a whole lot of English in Cuba, like I
remember, and I haven't traveled internationally a whole lot. I'm hoping my intention is that this
(22:30):
is the beginning of me doing that more. But there are some places you go, you see it in their native
language, and then you see it in English. But that is not the case in Cuba. They speak Spanish. It is
apparently very fast Spanish, like faster than traditional Latin speaking countries. So if you
don't know enough Spanish to get by, I would probably find a translator or some way to speak
(22:52):
and get around. And the final piece of practical advice I will give is battery packs. So we were
instructed and advised to take extra batteries just to charge our cell phones. And again,
I really use my cell phone for pictures, because it didn't take a SIM card. So I couldn't use the
mobile, generally speaking, when we're out in the country, I would hook up to Wi Fi if we were in a
(23:16):
place with Wi Fi. But I did want it available for pictures. And I know one of the women on the trip
had hearing aids that she needed to charge every night. So she had battery packs to help with those
too. So in case you go through a power outage, just really helpful to have backup battery packs.
Okay, so that's the practical. Now I just wanted to share a few observations of the government
(23:40):
and just some of the things talked about some things that I heard, and also bring a little bit
of a tie back to our government, our American government. Because that is definitely a theme
when you go there. And it, why wouldn't it be like that is the reason we can't travel there. So
a bit of the history and again, history is not my strongest suit. But the very highlights of what
(24:06):
I remember from the Cuban history was it was initially a Spanish colony owned by Spain,
taken over by Spain. And then the people wanted freedom from Spain. So they fought for the freedom
from Spain eventually got it. Then somehow the US just was like, well, we're just going to do some
stuff here on the island. So somehow the US got involved. But it wasn't like from an ownership
(24:29):
perspective. And then there was one guy at one point, his name was Baptiste, that apparently was
running the island and people didn't like him. And so Fidel Castro was part of the group that
wanted to overtake him. And at one point he got put into jail and released from jail with some
hush hush agreement. And he fled, I think to Mexico or Argentina and some other country again, sorry
(24:54):
history. But then he came back and eventually was able to overthrow the prevailing government. And
at the time that was supposed to be a good thing. This is what kind of shocked me was at the time
he was for the people. And the people supported him, they backed him. But then at that time the
Soviet Union saw what was happening. And they were like, Hey, Fidel, come here. So apparently he
(25:17):
went to the Soviet Union for a period of time and then came back socialist. And that's that's when
the the American government was like, no, we don't like what you're doing. We'll put an embargo on
you. And that's when the American government said they're not going to do business with anybody
that does business with Cuba. That was roughly in the 60s, I think 1962 was around the time the
(25:41):
embargo happened. And I loved Andre's when he was talking about this, he's like embargo for you
bitch. Like, if that was my history teacher, I probably would have paid more attention to history.
So interesting what we didn't get from the Cuban side. So one of the women on our trip,
her dad was in the military around Cold War era, and had some intel on the embargo. And apparently
(26:07):
from his perspective, the American government putting the embargo on Cuba, what the embargo was
supposed to ideally do was bring the wealth so far down in Cuba, that the people would rebel and
overthrow the government. Again, right, that seems to be the story as the people they empower
(26:29):
themselves and overthrow the government happened numerous times throughout Cuban history. But
what they learned was that the Cuban people are so damn resourceful, that even with this poverty
situation, they found a way to get by. And even before I heard this story, I was like, damn,
they are resourceful here. Like when you think about the basic, basic needs of what you need,
(26:51):
food, clothing, you know, shelter, like they find a way to make it happen, even though,
quote unquote, like, they might look or feel, you know, monetarily in poverty, but they find
ways to make it happen. And for me, that was just interesting. And when I think about, like, spiritual
perspectives and how the universe will provide for your needs, I was like, man, to me, that was
(27:16):
just proof that God is with Cuba, even though they don't necessarily feel like it's there.
But a lot of them, from what we were able to see again, and it's a limited perspective of everything,
but there was food from the farm, food in stores, it might not have been a ton. We also didn't see
any overweight Cubans. So there's that they all were healthy ish, they, they had animals, they had
(27:42):
pigs running around their front yard like dogs and horses and cows just grazing on the side of the
road. So they don't have to pay to feed their animals, they just graze naturally. And then
they don't have to pay to mow anything, because the animals just graze. And so there's, there's,
there's this incredible resourcefulness that we did see. I remember when we were driving, one of the
(28:05):
girls noticed someone's front canopy for their front porch on their house was one of those
overhangs that you would see on a boat, like they just have this incredible way of recycling things
to meet their needs. So they were so damn resourceful. It was really incredible to see that.
And the story that was woven out was also just repression by the government. Just they could,
(28:29):
you could tell it was a narrative that wove throughout society. And one of the things that
kind of broke my heart that we were getting when we got the history was this idea that the Cuban
people are just waiting for someone to come save them. And one of the reasons that broke my heart,
(28:50):
one that's a very disempowering perspective and sad, like you're just surviving, you're just doing
your thing, waiting for someone to come save you, like that would be a very hard perspective on life
to take. And what I want to share here is that's from an energetic and spiritual perspective,
(29:10):
that's also not how it works. We have to save ourselves and we save ourselves by going within
and shifting our consciousness and shifting our energy. Because what I would see if someone tomorrow
was just to come in and say, all right, easily, like the government switched, right, the people
(29:30):
still have this consciousness of being repressed, government, collective things, they're really
projections of collective consciousness. This is true of our government as well, our government,
their government, everyone's government is a projection of collective consciousness. But
if their collective consciousness remains in a state of feeling like the government represses them,
(29:53):
and none of that changes, your consciousness stays the same, even if you get new people in power,
then they will just continue to recreate that because that is what they've known and that's
the story that they tell. And so for me, what would need to happen, and this is what is slowly
happening through America's America shifts to is it starts with the consciousness, it starts with
(30:19):
understanding that the government does not, it's like false control, because at your core,
you're a spiritual being, and you're inherently divinely free. And I know this is hard to think
through based on some of the things we see and some of the things that we hear, but we are
(30:44):
divinely free. And when we choose that and stand in that and enough people, like get to that level
of knowledge, then the government is it has to reflect that because again, it's just a projection
of what's going on in the consciousness of the people. When you stand in your divinity and know
(31:07):
that you're inherently free, that is when things start to shift. And so for me, anytime, anytime,
like even in your life, and this was me back in corporate days, when I hated corporate life,
I realized no one was coming to save me out of corporate life, right? Like I had to do the work
(31:30):
to shift my mindset, just shift what I thought was possible for myself and shift the stories I
told about who I was and what was possible for me in order to start to change my life.
And I believe that that is true of any, any group, anywhere, no one is coming to save you.
It starts from within the shift starts from within. And this is a really vulnerable thing for me to
(31:55):
share, but I'm going to share it to illustrate what I mean here. And I'm going to bring it to
the American government for a second. Years ago, when Trump was over turning rovey-wade,
women were in uproar. And they felt like there was attack on their bodies. There's an attack on
(32:17):
the female body going on. I didn't feel that. And that's because I know that the government doesn't
own my body. I own my body. My body is divinely given to me by God, by source, by the universe.
And it's mine. And when I can claim that and stand in the spiritual divine truth of that for me,
(32:46):
then that is what my world is going to reflect. And no one can do anything to my body that I
don't give them permission to do. And so for me, I'm like, there isn't an attack on my body,
because I divinely know that my body belongs to me. What that is to me, again, it's a projection
(33:09):
of consciousness of where the patriarchy has told us lies that we don't own our body. And there have
been moments through history that have reinforced that fear based moments through history, where
maybe women have adopted this idea that we don't own our bodies. But it's not the truth. And so as
(33:35):
long as we carry this narrative that we don't own our body, and enough people carry that narrative,
it's going to be reflected in our government. It's our government think of it as like a projector
screen, like this, the projector is all of our consciousness, our thoughts, the stories we tell.
(33:56):
And then the government is just the screen. It's just reflecting back, hey, this is in your unconscious.
And so for me, in this case, in all the cases and all the shitty things we see going on in our
government, it's not about fighting the government. It's about shifting yourself so that way you can
stand in the energy of what you want. Right, standing in the energy of this is who I am,
(34:22):
this is my identity, I love and accept myself. Again, this could be another place where I don't
intend to make people upset and trigger you. But I do feel like it's my place to offer a different
perspective so that way you can think differently. But if there is a general attack on what people
feel like is their identity, then what that tells me is not enough people are owning who they are
(34:47):
and loving and accepting themselves for who they are. Because if enough people did that,
you wouldn't see this reflected and played out on a broader scale. And so for me,
everything starts with you. Everything starts with claiming who you are, loving yourself
unconditionally, loving all parts of yourself, accepting all parts of yourself, claiming sovereignty
(35:08):
and freedom over you because it's your God given right to do so. And so that for me, and I share
those things just to illustrate how I see some of this play out in American politics too. But for
me, when I think about the Cuban people and how they're waiting for someone to come save them,
(35:29):
like that's for me, when I know how things work from an energetic perspective and how our energy
creates a reality, then for me, that's not the answer because someone new coming in, they're
just going to recreate the same thing. That's why if you've ever switched jobs, gotten a new
relationship, but you're like, this one feels just like the old one. It's because you didn't shift
(35:51):
your consciousness, your consciousness, your perspective, the stories you tell what you deserve,
what you're worthy of, it needs to start from within and then the bigger, broader things will
shift to match. So if I was to talk to the people, and I know there's some spiritually tapped in
people there, our guide, he is really motivated to learn. He's reading all the, he called them the
(36:17):
Forbidden History books, he was finding the forbidden books, learning the real history, he really
wants to like get out and do something with his life. That's why he really wants to go to space
and he really wants to go to Spain. And I asked him, I'm like, where does your motivation come
from? Like you're looking around and there's people who are perfectly happy farming their whole
life or driving taxi their whole life, which is great. Like that's how they want to live their
(36:39):
life. But he was damn motivated in a way you didn't see with a lot of the people in Cuba.
And he was like, I don't know. To me, that is a spiritual awakening. That is a pull. Something
is pulling you people that sort of person into something bigger. And for me, so I know that
they're there, I know that they're out there. And for me, it's starting to shift your own
(37:02):
consciousness to be that which you want to see in your world, in your life, in your community.
And whether you stay and you do it for everyone or not, like that's the opportunity at least
on an individual level that I see for everybody is stop waiting for someone to save you and start
claiming ownership over what it is you want. There's not one world. There's eight billion
(37:23):
individual worlds, all playing on the same planet Earth. And we are all the center of the world
that we individually live in. And we are in control of that. So I'm going to leave it at that,
because I'm kind of running out of things to say. And I'm not a very good closer. I'll be honest.
(37:43):
I need to learn how to close these a little bit better. But I said everything I wanted to say.
And again, hopefully that was helpful. I'm not trying to piss anybody off. But I do feel like
when I tap into my soul and what I'm here to do, one of the things I'm here to do is change your
perspective and get you to see things differently. And so that is at least what I hoped I did today.
(38:06):
If I triggered you, look at that because triggers are information for you on where you can go deeper
within yourself, whether there's something that is ready to heal. That's something that I help my
coaching clients do is learn how to read their triggers. And I did not mean for this to go and
(38:26):
delay, hey, work with me. But I will leave my information below on how you can book,
I'm calling them the dream activation calls in February. So if you did want to talk to me,
and either talk about your triggers or just talk about like those dreams, those things that you
have that are calling you, like talk to me, they're free, they're not they're not sales calls. If we
(38:47):
wanted to do a sales call, that would be a subsequent follow up call. But I really just want
to get in front of people and support any way I can. But triggers triggers, triggers, I should
probably at some point do an episode on just the beauty that comes from a trigger, because
there's so much information there. So if I triggered you, then good, that means your soul
wants you to look at something. That means you're carrying something heavy in your energy body,
(39:11):
that it doesn't want you to keep carrying. So again, that was not my intention, but I'm sure
it probably happened based on the topic of the conversation. So I will leave you with that.
I'll be back next week with a brand new topic.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.