The Central American country of Panama – where I have been living for 21 years – has always been a financial and commercial vortex. But in recent years, it has become a spiritual vortex as well.

As a spiritual vortex, Panama now joins spiritually-minded people from all over the world. Many of them come thousands of miles to live here. Many come suddenly and without knowing the real reason why they have come. Many do not know about the spiritual awakening underway here. But they come nonetheless as if by compulsion to be a part of that spiritual awakening.

To be sure, a spiritual awakening is occurring globally, but it is especially intense here in the Panamanian vortex. That intensity is attracting people from all over the world.

I myself used to think I came to Panama because the US Army brought me here in 1990. And I thought I stayed after retiring because I married a Panamanian in 1994. Throughout the 1990s, I was unhappy and habitually complained about life here. I could not understand why I had to be here or why I had to live in spiritual isolation for so many years.

Then, one day, a dear friend explained it to me. She said that a profound spiritual process had brought me here and kept me here. She said I had arrived early on as a torch bearer for those who would be arriving later. I had important spiritual lessons to learn, and this was a good place in which to learn them. Perhaps I had some karmic debts to pay off here. I certainly had a role to play in the spiritual awakening happening here. Learning the things she told me professed affected my life here in Panama.

Panama is called "the Mother Holy Land" by the indigenous peoples who live here. A brief look at Panama's spiritual history, the indigenous peoples themselves, its natural environment, and medicinal plant life explains why this term is so appropriate.

History helps us understand why we have become what we are today. Some people say that Panama emerged from the ocean as Atlantis sank, creating a bridge between North and South America. Christopher Columbus arrived here in 1501, and today we still suffer from the consequences of the European invasion that followed. Panama's indigenous peoples say that the construction of the Panama Canal in the early 1900s broke the back of the intercontinental division, disrupted the natural flow of energy between North and South America, a disruption that must now be healed.

Within Panama's borders live seven groups of indigenous peoples. They include the Emberá, for example, who migrated here from Colombia back in the mists of time. The indigenous peoples of Panama live much as they did before Columbus arrived. They have assiduously maintained their spiritual beliefs and practices. But they feel a profound sadness for what has happened to the Mother Holy Land.

Peace and Dignity Journeys occur every four years. In these spiritual journeys, indigenous runners leave Alaska and Argentina and link up here in Panama. The runs embody the prophecy of the eagle and the condor in which the indigenous peoples of the north and south will be reunited in a spiritual way. The linkup of runners here in Panama reflects Panama's spiritual significance. The next such run will occur in 2012, and we certainly know the spiritual significance of 2012.

Panama's natural environment allows us to reconnect with spirit. Its beautiful mountains, forests, rivers, and oceans teem with tropical plant and animal life that contribute so much to the country's spiritual energy. The songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers provide us joy and serenity during our spiritual awakening here. More than 30 species of dolphins and whales – keepers of the Earth's spiritual frequency – flourish in Panama's coastal waters. The indigenous peoples believe these natural resources can not be owned by anyone because they are imbued with the spirit of God.

Panama's indigenous people continue to practice traditional forms of medicine using plants that gather from nature. Much of the abundant plant life that flourishes here has medicinal value and can be used to treat disease in the body, mind and spirit.

Sooner or later, we who live in Panama are affected by the spiritual vortex in which we live. We can apply the spiritual knowledge and wisdom we gain by being here to change our lives and indeed the whole world.