We would like to share the passing of a valued member of our Facilitator community, Erik Castañeda, who passed away last month. The below has been written by his community in Mexico and makes it clear what a huge impact he made on those he met and worked with.
Our community in Mexico recently suffered a great loss. Erik Castañeda, who was an active Facilitator of the Symposium, participated in Generation Waking Up and the Four Years Go campaign, passed away at the age of 28, having deeply touched all of our hearts.
As soon as he learned about the work we were doing (through Twitter and The Pachamama Alliance website) he contacted us, and immediately shared the self-discovery journey he was experiencing. He felt so “at home” in this movement that in a short period of time he became one of the most involved facilitators in Mexico. His willingness to re-transform himself through Pachamama was astounding.
He did not hesitate to create what he thought necessary and make drastic decisions towards his values. His search for congruence led him to quit his job, dedicate his life in search of inner peace, and strive to create spaces for peace and happiness.
Erik asked honest and hard questions of himself and this became a powerful way to connect to those around him. Every encounter with him was an opportunity for learning, sharing and feeling inspired by so much giving. His commitment and authenticity were contagious to those he met, sharing light and inspiration with everyone who crossed his path.
We keep his friends and family in our thoughts and prayers; we know his essence lives on through us and he will continue to play an important role in our lives and the Pachamama movement. A true messenger of light, Erik was very loved and he is being deeply missed.
