My journey through the world of Yerba Mate

“Here, try this” – I remember a friend of mine saying this while he was passing me some strange wooden-like cup, filled up with some dried green thing and a bamboo straw sticking in it. It was hot, bitter and like nothing I had ever tried before. I instantly rejected it. But what I did not know at that time was that the bitter taste was directly related to the heart.

After this first meeting with yerba, a year passed. During that time there was always a search. A search for a relationship with my own heart. This took me through several revealing journeys with sacred and powerful plants. And then a connection was made. My own transformation and openness took me to a Yerba Mate circle where people were drinking and sharing Mate. This time, I fell instantly in love with it, and my journey through the world of yerba started.

The beauty of Yerba Mate in Bulgaria

I am lucky to meet amazing materos here in Bulgaria; people with true vision and connection to the plant. I have the possibility to try incredible, rare and artisanal types of Mate. Like the Moonshine Dream Harvest from 2016. A true magic beyond words. It was entirely prepared according to the old, handicraft way, and during all stages of it’s processing, smoking and packaging does not touch metal and / or plastic. It was cultivated on the night of the full moon in June, just before sunrise, when it’s coldest, and the leaves gather and retain the highest level of aromatics and the lowest levels of caffeine. The people who made it only produced 80 kg of it. From the oldest trees in the wild forests of the Gehm Seberi family. Unfortunately, a year later, there is none left and I am expecting its new harvest.

My preferable mate accessories are the traditional cuia and the Brazilian type of bombilla. The cuia gives me this natural flavor and helps to enrich the beverage with oxygen, which is pumped through its pores. The Brazilian bomba favor and guarantee the smooth and unobstructed passage of Mate from the base of the cuia, without adding any undesirable aroma and taste of metal. It is made of stainless steel and it is designed and fabricated with a number of precise, miniature openings for the filter. This makes it extremely suitable for the small and fine particles of Brazilian Mate.

My favorite place to drink Mate is in nature. Whether going to the mountains or just taking a walk in the park, for me, it is always good to have Mate outdoors rather in closed and limited spaces. It amplifies  my sensitivity. I become more receptive and open. If there are any people around me, I sense all of their emotional states. Sometimes, it is pretty weird, but I am exploring myself through others and in this respect Yerba Mate is an amazing tool for me.

What does Yerba Mate mean for me?

A look inwardly at myself, a self-reflexivity, a moment of silence, a ritual, a personal intention, a way to share, a catalyst and a booster, a teacher to my own attention of the here and now. Through it I have the potential to reach and dive into those deep layers of consistency and awareness that more often remain under the veil of our “busy’’ everyday life.

Whether I am drinking it at home, at work or somewhere else with friends, it always gives me a different experience. It always helps me discover a new specter of feelings – both emotional and physical. Always a different point of view and perspective. It boosts my inner state and brings to the surface parts of me that I am unconsciously trying to mislay, ignore and not to deal with. And I love this. I love that this is such an underestimated experience in our “western” culture, and yet such a powerful and available plant. Its frequency is so high that every illusion goes away. It transformed my mind and my body.

After drinking it, I feel my cells restructuring. And yes, it definitely helped me to change my life; my attitude towards even the smallest everyday tasks. It gives me a moment of silence when I can hear my own self and connect with it. Otherwise if I have no connection with myself, I cannot truly have it with another. And this is what life is all about – cherishing life, connecting and sharing it with others.

As it is said: Happiness is real only when shared. And we are all related.

To all of our relations,

Yours Svoboda

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