Magical Moments in Morocco - 4 Steps to a Better Life
Magic is everywhere in Morocco. You can see it in the beauty of its varied landscape, in the exotic shapes and patterns within its colorful design and architecture, in the eyes and colorful dress of its people, and in the magic of its tantalizing tribal culture. I recently visited Morocco with my daughter and good friend and highlighted some of the memorable moments that inspired me to make changes to better my life. I look forward to sharing them with you and perhaps you too might be moved by the magic of Morocco.
#1 Get out of your comfort zone - Push yourself and don’t give up
Traveling opens your heart, mind and feeds your soul. At times, it pushes you out of your comfort zone; getting hot and dirty, trying new foods, feeling sleep deprived, being flexible and patient with others, learning to communicate in a foreign country, and opening up to a culture that is completely different their your own.
One of my most memorable experiences was riding a camel into the Sahara Desert. Our guide gave us the option to ride straight to our camp or ride up into the dunes. We chose to ride up into the dunes, because that sounds like more fun, doesn’t it? When we arrived in the high dune area, our guide told us to dismount from our camels, and take our shoes off. I assumed our camels were walking us up. I guessed wrong! Our guide led the way at a fast clip towards the first dune. I’m thinking: “This is no big deal, I’m in good shape. I can handle this!”, yet I found myself at the back of the line, choosing a slightly slower pace and taking pictures of our ascent. Walking in deep sand on the side of a steep dune in the hot Sahara was more challenging than I expected. When I reached the top of the first dune, I felt quite breathless but grateful I made it up. Glad to be finished, I reluctantly saw our guide continue to walk full speed ahead up a second steeper dune. I rested a few moments before trekking on.
The third and final dune was so steep my athletic friend ahead of me was on her hands and knees slowly making her way up. Oh, boy, here we go! Half way up the last dune, my heart pounding, my legs burning and my throat dry as a bone, I thought to myself, I don’t think I can make it to the top. I wanted to give up. But I told myself THAT WAS NOT AN OPTION! I rested a bit longer and marched on, or rather climbed up, on hands and knees, feeling like I had just run a marathon. When I finally reached the top, our camel caravan looked like tiny specks below. I was so grateful I made it! We celebrated with high fives and big gulps of water, while soaking in the breathtaking views. Our journey ended with an exhilarating ride down the sand dunes on a magical carpet.
The moral of the story is: Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Life is waiting for you to explore and for you to grow. You don’t have to trek up a sand dune in the middle of the desert, but you can try new things that make you slightly uncomfortable. As you do, your self-confidence will grow and your life will expand exponentially.
#2 Create a Ritual for yourself
I was spellbound by the adhan, the call to prayer in Morocco. In the countryside, it sounded like an eerie hum in the far distance, and in the Medina of Marrakech sounded like an orchestra in full surround sound building into a tremendous crescendo. Each call is done at a specific time to mark five different times of the day. This is the clock to which the Muslims live their lives. The call before sunrise called fajr, dhuhur at midday, ‘asr in the mid-afternoon, mghrib at sunset and ‘isha at night. This ancient practice honors the cycles of time within each day. It is considered sacred by allowing God or the universe to control time rather than people.
When I heard the call to prayer, it reminded me to slow down, be in the moment, and give thanks for everything in my life. It reminded me to get out of my head and into my heart and connect with the Universal Divine Love of God. It inspired me to create a ritual practice for myself. Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now.
My Western call to prayer is quite different from the Muslim world. It is my heart’s call and it begins first thing in the morning. I use my cell phone and listen to a 10-minute guided meditation from Insight Timer, an app on my smart phone. It guides me to breathe, release fear, create new intentions, be grateful and let go. I follow my meditation with 5 minutes of Donna Eden’s Energy medicine a quick light meditation and a prayer. If I have more time, I may journal or pull an angel card. My second, third and fourth call is during the day when I’m sitting behind my desk for too long. I get up and stretch or walk barefoot outside for a few minutes and drink in the summer sun. My final call to prayer is one of gratitude before I fall asleep. I look forward to these simple sacred rituals everyday as I gain clarity, insights and a sense of well-being in mind, body and spirit. I encourage you to create your daily nourishing practices that speak to you.
#3 Connect with nature inside and out
Moroccan architecture is fascinating and has parallels with Feng Shui and biophilic design. The buildings in Morocco and built to last for hundreds if not thousands of years. Their purposeful design is to connect to nature and to God. In certain areas, homes are mandated to be built with center courtyards. In Feng Shui, courtyards are considered very auspicious. They reinforce the healing power and connection with the outside world and for Moroccans connect them to the heavens above, which is considered paradise in their culture. If one doesn’t have a courtyard, then the next best thing is a doomed ceiling. This very popular design feature lifts the eye to the heavens above. Adding a riad, or garden, in the courtyard further connects one to nature. Water is especially revered as life force energy in a desert country. Moroccans believe that in paradise there are water fountains for as far as the eye can see. Water fountains represent their connection between heaven with earth. In Feng Shui water symbolizes abundance and the flow of life and a water fountain is considered great qi.
You may not be able to change the architecture of your home, but you can bring nature inside by adding plants, crystals or a water fountain. Open your windows and listen to the birds and allow the fresh breeze to cleanse your home. Connect in with nature’s healing power, inside and outside.
#4 Spend more time in community and give others your loving touch
Moroccans value relationships above all else. They live in tight knit communities where everyone helps each other out. Many generations of family live together and share in the daily activities of keeping house, making meals and raising family. Families who can afford a bread oven share with those who can’t afford one.
Moroccans are not afraid of touch. Men naturally put their arms around another man’s shoulders. It is not considered uncomfortable in their society as it is a sign of affection. We had the privilege to have lunch with our driver’s Berber family. His six sisters and mother embraced each one of us with four hugs followed by a prolonged squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. At first, I pulled back, feeling a little uncomfortable with this intimate connection, but then surrendered to its rhythm and found myself feeling incredibly loved. So much so, that when we said goodbye, I felt very emotional and wept.
Most people in Morocco don’t suffer with feelings of isolation and depression the way we do in the Western World. They covet relationship, touch and connection to their community. It was very apparent to me. You could see and feel it everywhere.
I encourage you to reach out daily and touch your loved ones. Give someone a pat on the back. Put your arm around another’s shoulder or give someone a hug. Make eye contact with those who are in front of you and share your unconditional presence and love with them. We are meant to be in community with others. Spending too much alone time can have adverse effects. If you don’t have family in your area, then spend more time with your friends. Join a club, spiritual center, or volunteer your time to help others. You will feel loved faster than you know.
Check out my latest video of my highlights while in Morocco.