Borka's Story

All are interconnected and alive!

For as long as I remember, I wanted to fully experience life. At an early age, I decided I wanted to become a journalist, who would go to distant places and write about things no one writes about, find all that truth hidden out there. My other desire was to become a veterinarian, as since I was really little I was in love with animals, which seemed so very special and incredible to me. I did finish University of journalism and was working as an environmental, and later on, a medical journalist for almost two decades.

But what I was taught at home, in school, and what society was showing is the real-life, could not fulfill the void I was feeling in myself – something was always missing in the widespread concept: First, you grow up and finish school/university, then find a job, fall in love, get married, get a house, have children, dog, cat and status symbols, and in the end get grandchildren and die. I would always tell my mother that kind of life has no magic and it feels like something really important was taken out of it. She would just reply with: Get used to it. That is what life is.

But I never did. When I looked at the world I would always have this urge to do something, change something. Oh, I wanted to change everything as a reflection of the world in which suffering (human, animal, or of nature) still exists although it can be overcome and prevented, didn’t seem right. I did, however, with time learn that the only thing that I can and should really change and transform, and the only thing that I have to change, is myself.

That understanding together with a feeling that I keep missing what is right in front of my nose, took me to a lifetime of transformation and working on myself. Eventually, it leads me to the Amazon and going through the process with traditional plant medicines, apprenticing for years with different curanderos (traditional plant medicine healers), and finally taking the path of one.

Somehow always knowing that all that exists on this planet is interconnected, this journey made me fully realize that. Every plant, animal, human, stone, particle of air or water…all is interconnected and whenever something happens to a single part of that, it affects the whole.

Everything is alive, and everything has memory and feelings and it’s a very significant role to play, no matter how insignificant that thing – an ant or tiny tree or to us unknown person – seems to us. Somehow everything is aware of that fact, except us. Or to rephrase, we – the people – forgot about it. As well as we forgot about our role on this planet, and with that, we lost the magic of life – our role of guardians and caretakers. Instead of that, somehow during thousands of years, we turned into predators. Not only predators to nature and all its creatures and resources but to each other too. Nowadays most of us live completely unaware of it and feel complete separation from living nature – which we are still part of. Somehow thinking, whatever happens with it, or somewhere else, far away from us, is none of our concern. But we can not be further from the truth.

Through transformation on my path, and transformation is something that lasts for your entire life, I found myself and the forgotten role of guardian. Today I still work as a healer in the Amazon, and do my best to help whoever knocks on my door – Peruvians or for foreign people, and that is one part of my guardian role. From healing, it also extends to community projects which are important for community health and wellbeing. One of the most important community projects at this moment is the clean water project. Just like all the other places on earth, the Amazon is also affected by climate change which shows itself in more cold weather than ever in the months that come before the dry season, and then strong droughts in the dry season with rivers and other water resources being almost depleted. On our river Momon we have witnessed several years in a row water level dropping to just puddles. This time, as the whole village depends on the river for drinking water, is also the time when stagnant water-borne diseases increase by 80%. Other very important community projects include the education of young generations about the importance of keeping their environment in balance and treating it with respect and care. Unfortunately, western thinking has found its way to riverbank people on river Momon and most of them fear the jungle and treat it as a never-ending and cost-free resource of additional food, trees for cutting, and farms to be made.

Following this, the responsibility I have taken on myself extends to looking after nature, reading her signs, respecting her needs, and following up through replanting spices that are being lost through extensive woodcutting, species that have already been lost, nurturing medicinal plants that bring medicine to nature but also to the people and animals.

A field that really interests me is jungle soil, which is not rich in nutrients, as many people still think, and it gets easily depleted once all the trees are cut for sale or farms are made, which can provide food only 1 to 3 years. A long time ago, before the Portuguese and Spanish conquered the Amazon, indigenous people had managed to create very fertile soil which would in time change surrounding soils and create more than 1 cubic meter of additional fertile soil annually. That soil today we know under the name of Terra preta, or the black soil, but somehow the knowledge of how was it created disappeared. This is really important for reforestation, especially in very nutrient-deprived areas. The reforestation method in which all the dead trees or damaged ones are burned and charcoal is used to feed new trees that are being planted is a good but not good enough method as it creates C02, can damage the root network of existing trees and biome – all plant and animal life interconnected in the area where burning is done. Terra preta method, however, has all the benefits for reforestation, less air pollution, and protecting the existing biome plus it can continue to create itself without human activities once it is started.

All the creatures of nature are also welcome at my house anytime, and especially when they need help and sanctuary. My childhood love for animals has only grown in depth and width on my journey. Truly they are sentinel beings and all of them have their role and bring a lot to the whole. My heart melts when an animal that comes looking for help is saved and her needs fully met, as I look in their eyes and I see the whole universe smiling.

By abandoning the life I was meant to live in the city I did, as people say, lose all of the commodities, and it is true, it is not easy to live in the jungle. The environment, its dangers, climate, and deprivation in essential things can be very challenging. But on the other hand, I found myself, I am here to serve and be a guardian as long as my abilities allow me, and this is what fills my inner void forever always following my motto: Everyone has a right to be healthy, happy and free.