Sun Lines & A Colombia Glow Pt. 2
I really thought I was going to end the year in Brazil. I had a deep desire to go, but was met with so much resistance when planning the trip. My time in Mexico was winding down, and I had no clue why something was so blatantly saying no to Brazil.
Then I had a dream at the beginning of December lol.
Fast forward two weeks, and I was on a plane to Colombia to celebrate my 30th birthday lol. As I had previously experienced, divine intervention placed the location on my spirit, and OF COURSE I found the cutest spot in the middle of the city that called to me as soon as I started looking, there was an abundance of cheaper-than-usual plane tickets available, and the trip parameters were perfect enough to have me with family for the holidays.
As I stated in my previous entry, Sun line energy to me is like a full embodiment of your “happy place”. Whatever reminds you of home, charges you up, and leaves you feeling deeply, satisfyingly settled in your soul - that’s how I feel when traveling to these locations. My sun sits in my 8th house, which in astrology is governed by Pluto/Scorpio. Surprisingly, but juicily lol, that energy took precedence this trip.
It started with a random prompt to listen to Alice Coltrane on the flight. Momma is legendary for so many reasons, and plainly put, her music ain’t harmonious to my spirit. To me, it sounds like she’s just straight up channeling the whole gotdamn time, riding that very fine line (if a line exists at all) between the spirit and physical realms. Her music makes you pay attention to all that she embodied. Like you have to pay attention to notice, holy shit - what she’s doing here is literal genius. Her version of womanhood and pursuit of destiny is one of my absolute favorites because all that she created and did in her lifetime was so straight to the point and raw; it was a beautiful reminder as I began my solo trip in Colombia to celebrate my 30th birthday. Going through immigration upon entering the country was a two-hour process, so I decided to listen to Girltrek’s episode on Alice. They have a great summation of her life and work if you want to listen during your next walk!
During my time in the country, I spent the majority of my trip in Cartagena. It was sweltering hot, the vendors were incessant, and baby, I had a timmmmmme!
My first stop after my flight was finding coffee. Looking at my host’s suggestions, I was surprised to see one of my favorite coffee shops from Mexico City! Turns out they have 4 locations in the world, with one just a short 10-minute walk from my spot - hallelujah, we were off to a great start.
I did all the things in my short time in the city: decided to treat myself and book two different cooking classes to learn more about this region’s cuisin, a rum and chocolate tasting to understand the spirits of the land, tried all the yummy spots, made friends and laughed endlessly over an old fashion on a rooftop, as well as booking with Black Legacy to visit Palenque - the first free town of Black folk in the Americas post-enslavement. Looking back, the fact that I was still taking client calls and attending my Yoruba classes during this time was wild considering how packed my schedule was. But there was just so much to see and do, on top of visiting the beach, walking old historic streets, taking in all the art, and trying all the Colombian coffee my heart could withstand.
This was that Sun line magic, though. If you recall in my previous post, my Sagitarius sun and stellium is the happiest when I’m able to comfortably explore, expand, and engage all my senses. Staying in the middle of the city, everything I needed was a short walk away. Which, bonus, also meant the bed was just a short walk away if a nap or downtime was needed. I was well-rested, well-fed, and was getting in more than my daily steps. This meant I was also gloriously sweating like a mug, which I LOVE to embrace. One of the 8th house hacks I’ve learned over the years is the requirement to routinely purge and get out all the heaviness that can coexist with the themes of this house, especially with my sun and other planets positioned here.
This is what the Holy in Between and the Holy Diaries are about in general - moving energy. Often, consistently, and in a way that’s in alignment with getting me to my desired destination. So when it came to an internal glow that no 10-step skin care routine could create in comparison, I’ve learned to embrace the sweat, the tears, and the stimming necessary for energy to not get trapped in my body. The more I can do this, the lighter I feel and the more capacity I have for goodness <3.
The city was vibrantly alive, and what they say about the vendors is true. It can definitely be overwhelming if you don’t know how to affirm your boundaries and mind your business, as folks can be aggressive! But as a frequent solo traveler, I don’t play that. I choose not to walk in fear and don’t let the fact that I’m a woman or by myself stop me from doing what the fuck I want to do lol.
This practice has allowed me to master the energy of leave me alonnnnnnnne, no I don’t want to buy nunnnnthing. I prebook any experiences after thoroughly researching reviews, I move with intention, and I understand I have certain privileges in countries like this. My skin was dark like theirs; I spoke enough Spanish to not sound like an ignorant tourist waiting to be pounced on, and I smiled or spoke when coming across folks in the street, as if I had some sense.
I’m going to list out a few of my Cartagena trip highlights below, but the real magic of this trip was my 48-hour impromptu sidequest to Cali that took the cake. It was here that I met the ancestors of this land through drums, community, and dancing the streets at the witching hour - all 8th house yumminess that sealed the deal on this Sun line adventure. More on this after the Cartagena trip highlights:
Trip Highlights
Palenque with Black Legacy Experiences
Libertario Coffee
This was one of my favorite shops in Mexico City. I didn’t realize they had four locations! Their food menu is healthy and hearty, which is also what makes this location favorable to get work done.
This was a double whammy because I had FUN and this restaurant was incredible, Café Lunático in Getsemaní. Their croquettes were the best in the city, and I think about them often lol.
I did two separate classes in search of a coconut rice recipe. I preferred the one linked in the title because of the overall flow and timing, but in both, I gleaned great information about local dishes. Between this trip and a cooking class I took in Panama, I've noticed that I really appreciate cooking classes that are under two hours. The kitchen is such a sacred place that it requires balance - I shouldn’t have to eat before class because we’re there for over four hours lol.
It was time for a switch-up! I decided to take a weekend trip and found myself choosing between Medellin and Bogota, which both seemed to have large immigrant communities that found ease in relocation. In the midst of deciding, a friend reached out on Instagram, excited that I was there. I had totally forgotten that she facilitated study abroad trips to the country and just so happened to be there at the same time! She highly suggested that I ditch my plans for whatever I was thinking and go to Cali. It was also a perfect weekend to visit, as numerous holiday community events were taking place that I could enjoy.
Aight, so boom. The cheap plane ticket and boutique hotel were booked shortly after lol.
Long story short,
I walked what was supposed to be an easy 20-minute walk to a local mercado to buy herbs and see what access to spiritual tools was looking like. As beautiful as the people were, I saw firsthand how shit ain’t really all that breezy with the remnants of the war on drugs still lingering.
Experienced viche, their local version of mezcal or moonshine, I guess? Herbal liquor that opened you up in such a unique and beautiful way, specific to this land.
Walked the busy plaza that had salsa, food, and laughter on every corner.
Found myself at a house party hosted by a local DJ who presented their dissertation on the Blackity Black origins of house music, giving honor to Soul Train, Detroit, and beyond - but in like, Spanish, on a rooftop in Colombia lol. I love our people.
Attended a Kwanza event hosted by a community leader who opened their home to host underrepresented art residencies from around the world.
Broke bread at a community center in one of the Blackest neighborhoods that Uber drivers didn’t want to drop us off in without warnings. After dinner, they started breaking out the percussion instruments, which led to an all-night affair of dancing, calling down spirits, and honoring their rich history.
Shit was beautiful, and I definitely almost missed my call to the airport after getting an hour of sleep. I saw what my friend, Nyasha was talking about in terms of Cali being politically Black compared to other states. On top of that, the fashion alone was out of this world and expressively Black, which reminded me of New York or Los Angeles. Regardless of bigger politics at play within the country, there were endless events and communities really pushing the needle here in terms of what Black, Queer, and women-centered language and representation mean in a world that we’re cocreating together. Because none of us are free until all of us are free, type-shit.
It was 10s across the board, so I truly appreciate Nyasha for putting me on. This is her study abroad program that I implore you to check out if you’re interested in having the best plug to the inner networks.
To conclude, I must say there was no desire to relocate to Colombia, even though it’s a top destination for Black Americans in search of a home outside of the United States. To me, it felt far, unfortunately. Far from family, far from business since my clients and partners were based in the States, and I get it! This was a shocking conclusion, as I’ve definitely traveled farther from home for longer periods of time before lol. As I’ve stated before, home is a very subjective idea for me, so in that regard, I didn’t feel ancestrally at home, in Colombia as I had in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nigeria, and Cuba.
And that’s okay.
Feeling ancestrally connected is an important part of my daily ritual and well-being as an Ifa practitioner and my passion projects. There may be other reasons I didn’t feel the urge to extend my trip or consider relocating to Colombia, but maybe for now we can chop it up to the fact that I was incredibly full and satisfied by the end of my trip. The spirits of the land and the ocean were appeased and satiated with my offerings of joy. I had appeased my spirit by offering her fresh seafood, root foods, some of the best coffee in the world, dancing, deep, rich Black and ancestral connection to community, and endless fun in the sun. I felt recharged after a long, long ass year of travel, and I was ready to go home to enjoy the stillness of winter.
(Special shout out to Lobo de Mar for taking care of ya girl! The best birthday dinner - croquettes, a warm lobster roll, salad with goat cheese, almonds, and all the fixings, and then rose ice cream to top everything off.)
This is why I recommend considering your birth chart first, then applying it to your astrocartography chart. There’s deep insight available in the nuances of our charts that I would have missed if I had decided to visit my Sun line for stereotypical reasons. It’s more than okay if you don’t vibe with a popular destination - your particular math (birth chart and energy) probably don’t vibe with the energy of the land or its ancestry.
Astro.com has a great astrotravel breakdown; tap in and don’t forget that any and all astrology interpretations are someone’s bias, and that your birth chart is a culmination of the synergy of a lot of different energies. Taking it a step further, when you apply that to your astrocartography, be mindful of the bigger picture our charts paint when considering planet lines.
Take time to get to know your birth chart first. Research astrologers to help you begin interpreting your astrology and stay off ChatGPT. Then dive into astrocartography and use it as a way to be in tune and reflect on how you feel in certain places, not the end-all be-all of your travel choices.
I pray there is more sun line travel in the future for all of us. This that shit I’d love to bottle up and enjoy whenever a recharge is needed.
There are two more planet lines I’m going to explore in this astrocartography series, so if you’ve stuck around this far, I appreciate you!
Until soon,
Janiece Ifasooto