The Effortless Flight & The Infinite Divine Love

In June 2026, my godmother invited me to spend a few days with her in Torres, a city on the northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul.

Her cozy home and the living nature of this coastal town provided the perfect inspiration to start writing about my adventures once again.

Pedra da Guarita - Guarita's Rock - The city's postcard

These adventures do not happen only when I travel. Even a stroll through the streets of my own neighborhood can inspire profound inner journeys, philosophical reflections, or simply a feeling of deep appreciation for life and nature.

This sensation expands when I am in motion.

Through the bus windows, I watched the landscape slowly change. City buildings gave way to the emptiness of the open road. The overcast sky followed along, a typical winter day in southern Brazil.

Heading north, the hills began to appear. Rio Grande do Sul is a land blessed by the Atlantic Forest, abundant in hills, trails, and waterfalls of immense beauty. From the road, only the peaks of the hills could be seen, awakening a curiosity in me about the hidden beauties this land holds.

The sun decided to show up to welcome me, and at my godmother’s house, I was greeted with a delicious lunch. Heartwarming meals are also a blessing I have learned to be grateful for.

In the afternoon, a strong headache began to bother me, but I decided to take it out for a walk. After all, between having a headache at home or by the seaside, I preferred to at least be in the company of the waves.

I headed toward Lighthouse Hill, it’s a relatively short walk from where I was staying, and sunset was approaching, promising splendor.

Even before going up the hillside, or rather, right at the foot of the hill, like a guardian of the path, a huge banyan tree occupied the corner with its ancient trunk, its branches, and its gigantic canopy that didn’t even fit entirely into the photo I took. I found myself thinking about how many times I had walked up that hill and paid no attention to this 'simple' tree. This time, it didn't go unnoticed; I greeted her as she deserves, an elder of the city.

Researching it later on, I learned that it is a sacred tree to the Hindus, mentioned even in the Bhagavad Gita, representing a pillar of connection between the earthly realm and the divine.

The Banyan Tree

As I walked up the slope, even more charms of nature were waiting for me.

Rather than describing them with words, I share here the photos I captured along the way.

Argentine Senna

The way to the lighthouse

Pink Trumpet

Acalypha

Already radiant and energized by the hike, I arrived at the hilltop.

That view, so familiar to me, still never fails to impress. How beautiful the Guarita rock is, how beautiful the infinite horizon and the sea, the sea that never stops having waves. This is one of the most beautiful things in existence to me.

Every time I get to the beach and see the ocean waves, it touches me in such a profound way. It might even seem silly; how can something so 'obvious' as ocean waves touch someone so deeply? But I see that these waves coming and going are just like God's love. I see this infinite ocean as the vast divine essence, calm, loving, always there, no matter if we can see it or not. I can go to the city, live through many good and bad experiences, completely forget about the sea, or even remember it with longing, but when I get close to it again, it will welcome me in a unique way. It is the pure energy of Odoyá, the mother of all Orixás, the water mother who gives life. The mother who embraces and does not judge.

And she inspires freedom, immensity, purity, and purification. The waves bring healing embraces. They never stop, never. The tides are always rising and falling, the waves are always coming and going, just as divine love is always flowing, infinitely, ceaselessly.

It was magical to see the waves, the ancient rocks, the vegetation around the hill, and to feel the strong wind coming from the sea. The cold winter wind, salty with sea spray.

But I found myself wondering, where could the sun be? I walked to the other side of the hill, turning my back to the sea and facing the forest. From behind the woods and a beautiful Jerivá palm tree, I received the golden blessing of the sunset.

I blew a sacred breath toward the palm trees, letting the wind carry my gratitude to them, as I opened my hands to the sky.

I continued my adventure at the top of the hill, stopping once more to look at the imposing Guarita Rock, but this time, the ones that captured my attention were the masters of effortless flight: the vultures.

I have been an admirer of their flight for a long time. Although many people see them as ugly creatures, to me, watching them glide, flowing with the thermal currents, is the perfect example of Grace.

They take advantage of the rising warm air, and simply by opening their wings, they rise with it, capable of flying thousands of feet high.

The Condor, an Andean relative of our vulture, is seen by indigenous peoples as a sacred bird and a spiritual messenger that, by flying at high altitudes, carries our intentions straight to the sun.

This bird is also a symbol of alchemy and rebirth. At that moment, watching them glide in grand spirals, I allowed them to feed on everything that had already died within me, transforming it all into a sovereign, soaring flight.

I lingered a while longer, taking in the view of the vast immensity from the hilltop, before making my way back along the shoreline.

In the presence of so much expansion and magic, the headache that had tormented me at home was now a distant echo. The sound of the waves and Odoyá’s love filled my heart.

I walked down that hill knowing that no matter how long I stayed away from it, when I climbed it again, I would be different, but the Mother’s love would be the exact same.

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Next chapter of this 3-day adventure coming soon!

With love, Liah'ah