The Strange Moon or Wyrd Moon (The Mini Moon Event) Astrological Forecast for the end of Sept 2024

From :
The science behind the ‘mini moon’ entering Earth’s orbit

As promised, this is the purely magical, astrological forecast. All the science was in the separate post I made here. This is about the upcoming mini moon on the day of St. Michael’s Feast. The Strange Moon or Wyrd Moon is what I call it. A witch’s special moon.

I began to enter a deep meditation since I first learned of it a few days ago. I kept getting stuff coming in and out of my head. My mind was filled with a buzzing like many bees. This whole thing was a pain in the ass.

So either this is really strange. Or I’m just out of practice. Again this was a pain in the ass. And so far this is part of what came out. I just hoped this mini moon energy I was feeling was worth all the trouble.

Visions

I had a very odd feeling when I tried to meditate. I think I had extra trouble seeing it. I had to wrestle with my visions. Push my sight farther than usual. This is what I got.

Gateways opening from this mini moon. It creates a brand new alignment. Between our real moon passing away (almost dying) and this other moon. I sensed a mother and child energy. It’s good but can also be dangerous.

Energy is unpredictable. Maybe at least partially unstable. That was all I could get from its nature. It was life and death all at once. I still hadn’t known much.

I couldn’t get much more from pure meditation. So I needed to enhance my sight with the tools of my trade. First step thus far, Cartomancy.

Oracle of the Tuatha Dé Danann

I asked Ceridwen and all the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Irish Gods, to speak for me. To show me the way of this mini moon. And the spread was as confusing as the energy of the asteroid moon itself. I begged them to prophesy for me. And show me the way.

As they often do. And again, as they often do, they confuse the ever living fuck out of me. I could still hear some of the Faeries laughing their asses off when I got this spread. I can just imagine my Santero friends You hear FAIRIES? And what? You hear dead people. Is that better? We both have spirits living rent free in our heads.

So no snickering.

The first card was,

The Boar in reverse

The story of the boar is an interesting one. It’s normally seen as a card of abundance and prosperity. And also magic. Boars and pigs were believed to have magical abilities. Related to the gift of prophesy.

The Negative

At first glance it seems that this is a negative card. And yes there’s parts of this moon that will be negative. The card says that for the period of this mini moon, there will be a distinct lack of prosperity. And money problems. That’s nothing new.

We’re in the middle of an inflation. And many of us would say, bordering on a financial depression. It’s been this way for a while. And no matter who’s in control, nothing changes. So that’s not much at first glance.

What they’re telling me is, everything is going to be inverse and backwards. Decisions and strategies that normally would help you in other matters, won’t help you hear. This will be like another retrograde. That’s the first part. The second part talks of inverse sight.

Be extra cheap with everything. Of course there’s always exceptions. Just be smart with how you handle the things you absolutely need.

The Positive

What this means is, the knowledge of the Inworld. The secret world of the spirits. Hidden deep inside. This will be a good for mysticism. For talking to the spirits.

But also walking to the other aside. Astral walking that is. This event is a temporary bridge between our world and the next. Not just for the Fae but for the dead too. However it’s a two way door.

That means you’re going to see a lot of deceased spirits. And fae. And other creatures roaming around the remainder of this year. Even more than us usual. Even for this time of the year.

The fact that we are now entering the dark side of the year, magnifies this. In my temple, we just celebrated Persephone going back to the Underworld. Rejoining her husband, Hades on the throne of death. For many, that’s already the end of the harvest. For Christians (Catholics) Michaelmas is the end of the harvest season.

So we are in between the time of death and life right now. And that actually does remind me of this Wyrd Moon we’re going through right now. The dying mother is the old year waning before us. The new baby (mini moon) represents the new year before us. The combination of both makes this a time where we can go in between spaces in time.

Good for mystical work. Bad for anything a human would consider practical. Because like I said, it’s almost like a mercury retrograde. That’s why I got a semi bad feeling about the mini moon. As if I were being warned to prepare.

So now I am extending that warning to you. Now is not the time for new projects. It’s the time to end old ones. It’s time to stop over working. And focus more on letting go.

Relaxing. I am not saying that will be easy. Because for many, that is the worst advice I can give. If you believe this advice is bad for you, don’t follow it. Listen to your gut.

Trust it. I was told to do things like that. And things kept crashing down around me as soon as I let my guard down. I did get the spiritual lessons and blessings I was told I would get. But at a great personal and even professional cost to me. I lost projects.

Money etc…

The problem is progress for the spirits isn’t always progress for us. So you have to talk to your guides. Talk to yourself too. Listen to your inward self. And make your own decisions.

Or do a combination. In my case I am in a place where I can heed this advice fully now. And it doesn’t bother me. But if you’re a business person. Or someone who’s a control freak, I can’t make that determination for you.

Finally, look for prosperity within for the remainder of the year. Prosperity in areas such as love. Family. And other things. The things that are important.

Don’t become a slave to money. That’s what they told me. Next I read from the Celtic oracle book. In order to see to find additional help understanding this first card. The Boar represents power in the book.

So the inverse of the boar represents loss of power. Or power inverted. Meaning to seek power within yourself. Or in hidden places. It’s similar to what I already sensed with the card by itself.

My signals got crossed at this point. A lot of confusion. It’s like one massive static barrier. I hate that shit. Perhaps that’s the point.

To look beyond the Wyrd Moon. And see deeply through the veil to see ourselves. Our true selves. Whoever or whatever that might be. Next card,

The Well of Segais inverted

This is a mystical well spring of knowledge. It’s said that no one could attain wisdom without first drinking from this well. It’s sort of like the holy grail for the Irish celts. Only it doesn’t grant eternal life. It grants all wisdom.

The Negative

When it’s inverted, it obviously means the opposite of that. Your natural instincts and foresight are not to be trusted. Because you’re surrounded by illusion. I think that’s the massive static barrier I was hitting. That’s why I couldn’t see farther.

The Positive

In the static, you can see another door. Another way of attaining knowledge. You just have to shift your perspective. Look inward. Search your feelings and your mind.

Find wisdom and knowledge within. Again, that isn’t going to be much help to you when it comes to business. Or to anything practical in the human world. The message I am getting is that now is not the time for projects or practical things. At least not practical in the sense of the constant hustle.

In the old days, as Samhain approached, the celts prepared for winter. Now Samhain isn’t until November. But what I mean to say this, we need to prepare and slow down. As if we were going through winter. Sort of adopt a survivalist mentality towards things.

Focus only on the important. The essential for life. Not the same silly bullshit we always focus on. I’m not saying don’t enjoy the holidays. I’m saying don’t allow yourself to be drained by the holidays.

Financially or emotionally.

Don’t just act smart. Be smart. I again turned to the book to better understand what the card might mean in this situation. And before I got it I saw a large snap shot of the future. I don’t know if the US is going to actually enter a physical war alongside “israel” (Occupied Palestine).

I will say, that it looks like we are being told to prepare. For things are going to only escalate from here. That was before I even turned to look inside the book. It was a spontaneous vision. I turned to the book.

And it mentioned “empowerment by water“.

The reverse of that is obviously the lack of water, drought. What’s interesting about this is that it coincides with what the Chinese Feng Shui practitioners all said. At the very beginning of the year, they claimed we were living in a year of fire. They said this even before the year of the wood dragon. They said we needed to be balanced by water.

It looks like this mini moon is trying to magnify that further. The positive was I kept getting visions similar to a kaleidoscope. Many dimensions. Many views. More mysticism.

But a warning about false visions and false wisdom. Don’t be like those influencers online who think they’re yoga masters. Be smart. Question everything. Finally, the only upside card in all of this.

The Woodward

A lot of people will probably disagree with me on this. But I see the Woodward as an avatar of Cernunnos. A mighty Celtic Deity. In this form, he is the king and master of beasts. This is a highly auspicious card.

Because it symbolizes perfect balance with nature. And mastery of your surroundings. The stags it holds in its hands symbolize power. The dragons do as well. The renewal of power after a long journey.

There’s nothing negative about this card. It mentions that the journey will bare fruit in your life. I asked the book once again, and got this. I learned that those are oak leaves falling from his hands. Which represents more power and vitality.

I also think it represents money.

It speaks of how he is the guardian of the middle wood forrest. Again speaking to finding power between the spaces. In liminal places and spaces. Reaffirming the previous cards’ message. So it looks like we’re in for an artificial retrograde.

Final Thoughts

Lord Shiva and his family

I also looked at my calendar and realized something. St. Michael’s feast and the Wyrd Moon also coincide with Pradosham. The feast of Lord Shiva. It’s a monthly holiday. Normally happens twice a month.

Once before the full moon. And once before the new moon. Give or take a few days or so. Commemorating the anniversary of Lord Shiva saving all of creation. He had swallowed a horrible poison capable even of killing Gods. And he survived.

If he had not done so, that poison tidal wave would have destroyed all of the creations. When he rose, it was at the hour of the Pradosham. And he danced cosmically during that hour and delighted the other Gods. And all beings. Tradition has it that it happened on a Saturday.

Now this Pradosham is happening on a Sunday. But that’s only a day apart. So the influence will still be felt. Between Shiva and Michael (a Michaelmas on a Sunday which is the day sacred to him) there will be a lot of Warrior energy. And a whole lot of fire energy.

Which will be increased further by the year of fire we are already experiencing.

Get ready for a bumpy ride everyone.

– M

Strange Visions in the Night : And the Shadows Came, and made Beasts of the People

The people I saw in my dreams

I want to preface this with something. I am not a Liberal. I lean way more left than that. I’m not one of these “love trumps hate” people. Or those people that wear those ridiculous Vagina hats when they go to protest.

I view Liberalism and Conservatism to be part of the colonial framework of the oppressor : the US Government. I used to be a typical Cuban Republican. Until I woke up. And realized I had been brainwashed by the idiots in my Cold War Era Republican community. But soon I learned that Liberals are no better.

Because Capitalism is a Goddamned death cult. I don’t care what you believe in. You have to acknowledge that this is true. Only a fool could say otherwise. Especially while the capitalist death machine is forcing us over the edge of mass suicide and mass homicide everyday.

It’s what allowed the Colonizers to steal this land from the indigenous peoples. To me, liberals are the same kind of thieves and corrupters that the conservatives are. The lesser evil, is still evil. And if you vote for it, you’re ultimately enabling evil. That’s why I prefer movements for justice.

Like Black Lives Matter, Antifa, the NoDapl Water Protectors etc….

So I make this statement so that you don’t think I’m another one of those bleeding heart fools. Who claim they “support people like me” when they don’t. I normally despise both factions of American politics. And I reject the notion of “national unity”. Because that’s the slogan used by those in power over all of the oppressed.

They told black people to stop protesting for their rights for “the good of the country”. Fuck the country. My country is the Earth. And the struggles of all people, are my struggle too. But now to begin this post.

Really begin it. I’m sure you all recall my angry post yesterday. Me screaming my head off to my native guide. After last nights outburst, I had dream. A weird one.

Algonquian Shaman

It was as if I was experiencing everything myself. Not all of the dream can be shared. Some of it was specifically for me. But there were other visions as well. And those are meant to be shared.

And those are the ones that bother me. Because I believe it’s happening right now. And it will trigger an event in the future. I was visited by Niiji spirits last night. Spirits of the land.

Spirits of Turtle Island. I have seen native spirits in visions when I was awake. And worked with them when I was awake. But I have never dreamed with them. I have had dreams of other spiritual groups I am a part of.

But not indigenous. Until now. I wish I could say it was a nice dream. I wish I could prattle on endlessly about how “enlightening” it was. Or how the “spirits accepted me!” Blah blah blah.

But unfortunately friends this was not a positive dream. Well, let me take that back, there were positive things in the dream. From a certain vantage point. I will talk about that afterwards in another blog. This is what the Elders who entered my dreams showed me.

First, they weren’t natives from Florida like I had expected. I have tried to connect to indigenous cultures and religion from here. I assumed up until now, that maybe I was rejected by the spirits. They insisted that they haven’t. That they were “growing our relationship slowly”.

That in time they would come to me. But after a while I just became skeptical. And I believed the native spirits just didn’t embrace me. Man did they kick my ass yesterday. I don’t know if it was the smudging.

The “joke” my spirit played on me. Or maybe it was my own lack of faith. Sometimes the spirits wait until you are ready for them. But their definition of ready is different from ours. I laid down to sleep last night.

And I began to dream. But this was a really strange dream. It didn’t seem to be about me. It wasn’t psychological. I received visions of Algonquian.

Many of them. Some were alive. And some were dead. There was a small town somewhere I couldn’t recognize. A place that was infested with evil.

And the souls of the Algonquian were warning me. I saw violent scenes of persecution. I saw all these southerner types with pitchforks. But then I noticed something strange : I saw people with torches like the Neo Nazis had in 2020. But there was something different about them.

They were dead. And they weren’t Nazis. They looked like German barbarian tribes. The Teutons of Germania. From the time of the Roman Empire. They had been dead for thousands of years.

They were dark spirits. Blonde haired and blue eyed. They were the spirits of war and conflict. They died in battle. And their souls had never found peace.

And they were haunting their descendants. Only it wasn’t just their descendants anymore. Something dark and unseen, like a massive shadow was controlling them. I saw all these crazy right wingers being made more violent and fierce by them. But then the Algonquin Elders pointed to them again.

And I heard them say,

“Pay attention,”

And I did. And I soon realized that these wild spirits had other wild spirits accompanying them. From various cultures. And each of these wild spirits were tormenting humans from their own cultures. And making them more violent.

And then I realized what they were. In Santeria we call them Eggun Buruku. Or Muertos Oscuros, Dark Ghosts. In Indian culture they have the Pretas, which are also called Hungry Ghosts in China.

A flame mouth Preta or Hungry Ghost

And these, shadow things stood invisible to them all. I call them shadow things, because I don’t know what they are. I can only guess as to what they could be. All I could say is that they were a collection of energy. Evil energy.

Avatars for evil. Or maybe what we call evil doesn’t have a true form. Maybe this is what evil, true evil looks like. When it isn’t hiding in flesh and bone. Maybe this is the true form of evil.

Naked and unashamed.

The closest thing I could find to the world these spirits came from. It was cold and dark. A frozen wasteland.

They were telling me that the social and political conflicts were being egged on by spirits of conflict. Angry spirits. Evil spirits. And that people on both sides were being effected. Left Wing, Right Wing, it doesn’t matter anymore.

Something evil is infecting people. That’s what they showed me. I also remember pulling people out of a mud bank in a river. They were alive. But something had absorbed them into it.

They were trapped. I think these are people who are neutral. Or innocents getting caught in the crossfire. I don’t know. Hell, for all I know these could be the “immigrants” from the border.

I use the quotation marks, because those people are indigenous. Almost all Mexicans and so called Latin Americans, are people of native ancestry. Or mixed Native and European ancestry. They were labeled “immigrants” by the US regime to strip them of their Niiji identity. It’s easier to control and block native peoples from returning to lands they have gone to, since the beginning of time, if you label them something else.

The Rio Grande (Great River) is being messed with by Greg Abbott. I didn’t see these people in the mud as being North or South natives. Just as natives. As if interfering with the River is causing a spiritual imbalance in the land. It makes sense.

Natives all over the continent have seen bodies of water as doorways to the other side. Some natives left offerings to the spirits at ponds or rivers in small baskets. But the natives trapped in the mud were alive. I think this is about the indigenous peoples coming across the man made European American border. What is effecting them, is also effecting their ancestors.

And then there was a mist. And I was pulled out of the Dream. And I woke up. In Florida, we have been afraid for some time now. The Governor here is openly authoritarian.

And we fear that any day now, any form of criticism may end with you going to jail. Gods know he’s already tried to make it illegal to speak bad about him or his party. Whole families are being uprooted and forced to leave Florida now. Even those loud mouth Cuban immigrants who are life long republicans have been forced to go. These idiots who voted for DeSantis are now being forced to go to states like Tennessee.

There’s more Cubans there than have ever been. To escape from here. The rabid wolf is biting the hands that fed it. Good. If the rest of us are suffering, they should do.

They created this dystopian nightmare in Florida way before DeSantis. Played a pivotal role in making this a red state. Now they can enjoy the fruits of their labor. And go be exiled again. Because, it’s the “free state of Florida” right?

Free of humanity. Free of compassion. So here it’s already begone. But like a fool I believed the more liberal states wouldn’t fall to this. The vision says otherwise.

When the Weimer Republic in Germany collapsed from within, it had a bunch of moderates and liberals. And everyone believed that Hitler could be voted out in the next election. We all saw how that one worked out. And liberals here aren’t doing anything to stop this. Their answer to everything is “vote blue!”.

Or “blue wave!” as if that will change anything. They even use the same language as the people in the Weimer Republic.

“When the pendulum swings, democracy will come back,”

No it fucking won’t. We never had it in the first place. This country was only free during native rule. That’s it. But we, all of us in North America, have never experience true democracy. Just a parody of it.

It’s like they’re not even planning to fight hard for 2024. They just assume they have their little victory on a silver plate. They use these elections to raise campaign money. That’s it. The same thing happened in Mexico.

During the Mexican Revolution, Francisco Madero and his moderates believed that when they took over that was it. That they didn’t have to replace the corrupt army or anything else. All they had to do was be the government of the people. Of course Emiliano Zapata had warned them repeatedly about the corruption still inside the government. About Paramilitary forces that wanted to take over.

Madero ignored the warnings. First, they arrested Pancho Villa on trumped up charges. And forced him into exile. With Villa gone, they moved in on Madero and his government. The rest is history.

Of course in this case I think it will be worse. The Algonquin Elders showed me that violent spirits would be everywhere. And would corrupt everyone. Right Wing and Left Wing alike. I think that’s the trap.

I think they’re trying to trick us into offing ourselves. We’ve seen the rise of People’s movements. Fighting for black lives and indigenous peoples rights. And for the right to not be erased from history. I think that the dark ones want us to kill each other.

Because they have so far been unsuccessful in stopping us from waking up. And fighting back through protest. I can only imagine that this must be causing spiritual ramifications. The spiritual world has beings that govern this world. Faerie Kings.

The Mighty Dead. Angels. And even Demons. Its believed in Christianity that there is an Angel and a Demon for every country. Saints too.

And Gods as well. Marion Weinstein in one of her books (I forget which) said that she believed there was a spiritual component to conquest. That evil spirits erode the will of a people. To make them easier to conquer. If that’s the case, the collective will of America has started to be recharged again.

And since they can’t erode us the way they used to, this is plan B. Today, in my YouTube mentions I saw this.

From the Humanist Report

You should watch the video. But the cliff notes version is the Canadian government is making arrangements. In case the US becomes a full Authoritarian State within the next elections. Because it isn’t just Trump anymore. There are far right wing extremists all over the GOP.

Many of which joined pre and post Trump. These aren’t the regular Republicans of yesteryear. These people are nuts. But what this particular video isn’t showing, is how far to the right the Liberals are as well. They have moved right of the spectrum.

They may disagree on economic issues. And liberals may pretend to care about social justice. But the truth is, they are just one side of the same coin. And if the Dream is any indication, it won’t just be one side or one group that will be tempted by these dark spirits. We all have to watch our backs now.

And we all have to work together to ward away whatever this is. And we must all be aware of our own behavior. I reiterate this again : I am not one for national unity. Or bleeding heart notions of “we need to come together”. I think it’s Bullshit.

But this message came from the Elders. And if I have to choose between a warning from them, or my own political opinion, I’m choosing them. They have never led me astray. Something bad is not coming. Something bad is already here. And we were all blind not to see it.

The Shadows are here, making beasts of all they touch.

– M

Shamanic Tea Ritual used to find missing children, alive, in Colombia

This account was so fascinating, that I decided to translate it myself from Spanish to English, the original article in Spanish is here.

Title

The sacred ritual with a hallucinogenic tea that rescuers used to find lost children in the jungle of Colombia

With little hope of finding the four children who were missing for 40 days in the Amazon after a plane crash, the indigenous people turned to ayahuasca, and one of them predicted:

“Today we find them.”

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The weary indigenous men gathered at their base camp. Among towering trees and dense vegetation that forms a green sea so immense it is disorienting. They perceived that their ancestral homeland — Selva Madre — was unwilling to allow them to find the four children. Who had been missing since their charter plane crashed weeks earlier in a remote area of southern Colombia. Indigenous volunteers and military teams had found signs of hope: a bottle, half-eaten fruit, dirty diapers strewn across a wide swath of rainforest.

The men were convinced that the children had survived. But the heavy rains, rugged terrain and the passage of time had dampened their spirits and drained their energy. The weak in body, mind and faith cannot get out of this jungle. Day 39 was life or death, both for the children and for the search teams. That night at the camp, Manuel Ranoque, father of the two youngest children, resorted to one of the most sacred rituals of the Amazon’s indigenous groups.

Yagé, a bitter tea made from plants native to the rainforest, widely known as ayahuasca. For centuries, the hallucinogenic cocktail has been used as a cure for all ailments by people in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. Henry Guerrero, a volunteer who joined the search from the children’s village near Araracuara, told The Associated Press that his aunt prepared the yagé for the group. They believed it would induce visions that could lead them to children.

“I told them, ‘ There’s nothing to do here. At first glance we will not find them. The last element is to take yagé, ‘ “ says Guerrero, 56. “Really the trip for us is made in very special moments. It’s a very spiritual thing. For us, it’s like the last resort.”

Ranoque took a sip and the men watched for a few hours. When the psychotropic effects wore off, he told them it hadn’t worked. Some rescuers were ready to leave. But the next morning, 40 days after the accident, an elderly man drank what little was left of the yagé. Some people take it to connect with themselves, cure illnesses, or heal a broken heart.

The elder Jose Rubio was convinced he would help find the children sooner or later, Guerrero said. Rubio dreamed for a while. Vomited: a common side effect. This time, he said, it had worked. In his visions, he saw them. He told Guerrero,

“The children, today we found them.”

The four children — Lesly, Soleiny, Tien and Cristin — grew up in and around Araracuara. A small Amazonian town in the department of Caquetá. That can only be reached by boat or plane. Ranoque said the brothers had happy, but independent lives because he and his wife, Magdalena Mucutuy, were often away from home. Lesly, 13, was the mature and quiet one.

Soleiny, 9, was playful, and Tien, almost 5 years old before the accident, restless. Cristin, then 11 months old, was just learning to walk. At home, Mucutuy grew onions and cassava, using the latter to produce fariña, a type of flour, for the family to eat and sell. Lesly learned to cook at age 8. In the absence of adults, she often cared for her siblings.

On the morning of May 1, the children, their mother and an uncle boarded a plane. They were heading to the town of San José del Guaviare. Weeks earlier, Ranoque had fled his hometown, an area where illegal drug cultivation, mining and logging have thrived for decades. He told the AP he feared pressure from people connected to his work, though he declined to elaborate on the nature of his work or his business dealings.

“The work there is not safe,” Ranoque said. “And it’s illegal. It has to do with other people… in a sector that, well, I can’t mention because I put myself more at risk.”

He says that before leaving, he left Mucutuy 9 million Colombian pesos (about $2,695) to pay for food, other necessities and the charter flight. He wanted the children to leave the village because he feared they might be recruited by one of the rebel groups in the area. They were on their way to meet Ranoque when the pilot of the single-propeller Cessna declared an emergency due to engine failure. The aircraft disappeared from radar a short time later.

“Mayday, mayday, mayday… The engine failed me again… I’m going to look for a river… Here I have a river on the right,”

Pilot Hernando Murcia told air traffic control at 7:43 a.m., according to a preliminary report released by aviation authorities.

“One hundred and three miles outside of San Jose… I’m going to aquatize.”

The Colombian military began a search for the plane after it failed to reach its destination. About 10 days later, with no aircraft or signs of life found, indigenous volunteers joined the effort. They were much more familiar with the terrain and families in the area. One man told them the plane made a strange noise when it flew over their house. That helped them outline a search plan that followed the Apaporis River.

As they walked the unforgiving terrain and took breaks in groups, ants climbed on them and mosquitoes fed on their blood. One seeker almost lost an eye to a tree branch and others developed allergy- and flu-like symptoms. They kept looking. Historically, the military and indigenous groups have been at loggerheads. But deep in the jungle, after food supplies and optimism dwindled, they shared water, food, GPS equipment and satellite phones.

Via Associated Press (in Spanish)

Sixteen days after the crash, with the mood low among all search groups, rescuers found the wreckage of the aircraft. The plane appeared to have plummeted: it was found in an almost vertical position, with the front down. The group assumed the worst. The men had found the aircraft and saw human remains. Guerrero said he and others began packing things from their camp.

But one of the men who had approached the plane spoke.

“Listen,” he said, according to Guerrero. “I didn’t see the children.”

The man slowly realized that when they found the wreckage of the aircraft, they had not seen the body of any children. He had approached the aircraft and saw the children’s bags outside. He noticed that some things looked as if someone had moved them after crashing. He was right. The bodies of three adults were recovered from inside the aircraft.

But there was no sign of the children. Or indications that they were seriously injured, according to the preliminary report. The army’s special operations forces changed their strategy based on evidence that the children might be alive. They no longer moved silently through the jungle.

“That’s where the second phase begins,” says First Sergeant Juan Carlos Rojas Sisa. “We went from the stealth part to the noise part so that they would already hear us.”

They shouted Lesly’s name. And played a recorded message from the children’s maternal grandmother. Asking them in Spanish and the language of the Huitoto people to stay in one place. Several helicopters dropped boxes of food and flyers with messages. The military also brought in trained dogs, including a Belgian Malinois shepherd named Wilson who did not return to his caregiver and is still missing.

On the ground, about 120 soldiers and more than 70 indigenous people searched for the children, day and night. They left whistles for children to use if they found them and marked about 6.8 miles (11 kilometers) with tape similar to crime scenes. Hoping the children would take the marks as a sign to stay in place. They began finding clues to the children’s location, including a footprint they believed was Lesly’s, but no one could find the children. Some rescuers had already walked more than 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) — the distance between Lisbon and Paris or between Dallas and Chicago.

Exhaustion was beginning to weigh and the military implemented a plan to rotate the soldiers. Guerrero made a call and asked for the yagé. It arrived two days later. On day 40, after Elder Rubio drank the yagé, rescuers combed the jungle again from the site where they found the diapers. His vision had rekindled hopes, but he did not provide details on where the children might be.

The groups deployed in different directions, but as the day progressed, they returned to base camp with no news. Sadness descended upon the camp. Guerrero told Ranoque when the teams returned:

“Nothing. We couldn’t… There is nothing.”

Then came the news. A soldier radioed that the four children had been found, 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the crash site, in a small clearing. Rescuers had passed between 20 and 50 meters (66 to 164 feet) from there on several occasions, but did not see them. The soldier informed Guerrero, who ran toward Ranoque.

” They found all four of them,” she said through tears and hugs.

A helicopter pulled the children out of the dense forest. They were first airlifted to San José del Guaviare and then to the capital, Bogotá. Each with a team of health professionals. They were covered with insulated aluminum foil blankets and given intravenous lines due to dehydration. His hands and feet showed scratches and insect bites. Ranoque said Lesly reported that his mother died about four days after the crash.

The children survived by collecting water in a soda bottle and eating cassava flour, fruits and seeds. They were found with two small bags of clothes, a towel, a flashlight, two telephones and a music box. Tien and Cristin had birthdays while rescuers searched for them. All four remain in the hospital. A custody fight has broken out, with some relatives claiming Ranoque was violent toward the children’s mother.

He has admitted to occasional verbal and physical fights, which he called “a private family matter.” He has also said that he has not been able to see the two older children. Officials, medical professionals, special forces and others have praised Lesly’s leadership. She and her siblings have become a symbol of resilience and survival around the world. The Colombian government, meanwhile, has highlighted cooperation between indigenous communities and the armed forces in their bid to end national conflicts.

“The mother jungle gave them back,” President Gustavo Petro declared. “They are children of the jungle and now they are children of Colombia.”

That’s true, Ranoque told the AP. But they were also saved by indigenous culture and rituals. He credits the yagé and the vision of the old man in his group.

“This is a spiritual world,” he said, and the yagé “is of utmost respect. It is the maximum concentration that is made in our spiritual world as an indigenous people. That’s why they drank the tea in the jungle, he said, “It’s like for the goblin, the cursed devil, to let go of my children.”