Memorable Journey to a Past Life: A Spanish Sailors Life in the New World

Author: Milad Cadalso Abboud

Since my early days of religious education in elementary school, I have always believed that our existence in this physical plane is not confined to this life. We live more than one life, with specific lessons to be learned and preconceived experiences to be endured as a result of our karma in each lifetime, in the sacred journey of our soul. This lifelong hunch was finally revealed to me in a dream one night. I saw myself moving through a long dark tunnel with a bright light increasing in intensity as I approached it. As I crossed the light, I was in a sort of large hall of records of impressive dimensions with white-robed hooded monks who seemed to be the keepers of such a place unparalleled in its magnificence with any library or archive on Earth. One of the monks approached me and said: Here you will

find the answer to your quest. He signaled what seemed to be a register in one of the shelves and a wide virtual astral screen suddenly popped up in front me: It was the Akashic record of one of my previous lifetimes. It was the year one thousand four hundred and ninety-two of our Lord (1492 A.D.). I was a guardiamarina (midshipman) on board of the Santa Maria, one of the three Caravelles of Christopher Columbus. My name at that time was Juan de la Vega y Carvajal, from the Southern Spanish city of Cdiz. My father Alejandro was a cabinetmaker and my mother Elena was a tailor. I grew up in the modest neighborhood of Parque Genovs close to the sea. Since my early childhood, I had great passion for the sea, witnessing the continuous maritime activity of vessels incoming from various parts of the ancient world at that time. At the age of 21, I had the opportunity to study as a naval cadet at the Naval Academy in Cdiz under the tutelage of Captain Antonio Mayor. By virtue of my father's extensive acquaintances at the court of the Spanish Catholic Kings, I had the honor to be at the service of the renowned

Italian

explorer,

colonizer

and

navigator

Cristoforo Colombo

(Christopher Columbus). With the favour and finance of the Spanish court, the three

Caravelles: Nia, Pinta and Santa Maria departed in their first

voyage from Palos de la Frontera in mainland Spain on August 2, 1492. The Nia, crewed by 18 men, was about 50 to 60 Tons, with length about 15 meters, keel length 12 meters, beam 5 meters and depth 2 meters. The Pinta, also crewed by 18 men, was about 70 Tons, with length about 17 meters, keel length 13 meters, beam 5 meters and depth 2 meters. However, the Santa Maria, the flagship of Columbus, had a crew of 52 men. It was a merchant ship between 200-600 Tons, with a length of 18 meters, keel length 12 meters, beam 6 meters, and a draft about 2 meters. It had three masts (fore, main and mizzen), each of which carried a large sail. The foresail and mainsail were square; the sail on the mizzen, or rear, mast was a triangular sail known as a lateen. In addition, the ship carried a small square sail on the bowsprit, and small topsail on the mainmast above the mainsail. Most of the driving force of the craft was from

the largest mainsail with the remaining sails used for trimming. The Santa Maria also had a crows nest on the mainmast. It had a raised stern. There was a forecastle in the bow of the ship. Many of the sailors in three Caravelles were from the nearby towns of Lepe and Moguer. The Caravelles would average a sailing speed a little less than 4 knots. Top speed was about 8 knots, and minimum speed was zero. These speeds were quite typical for fifteenth century vessels. As such, 90 or 100 miles in a day would be typical, and 200 phenomenal. Of the three Caravelles on the first voyage, the Santa Maria was the slowest, and the Pinta was the fastest. Nonetheless, the differences were not great over a long voyage of several months. I was so thrilled to be destined at the Santa Maria commanded by Columbus himself and his first officer Juan de la Cosa, from Galicia. The journey on board this impressive Caravelle was akin to a beehive, every sailor performing his assigned tasks with due diligence and a high sense of loyalty. Admiral Columbus, El

Almirante as his men used to call him, was admired and respected

by all, for his extensive knowledge and experience in seafaring, his modesty, his shrewdness and namely, for his great spirit of solidarity and as team leader. When I first met him in the Spanish court, I was so impressed with his personality, candid and serious, with a brilliant intellect and a positive attitude towards others. On board the Santa Maria, he used to supervise every task performed by his sailors in coordination with Captain Martn Alonso Pinzn of the Pinta and Captain Vicente Yaez Pinzn of the Nia. As his commissioned officer, I used to dispatch with him on miscellaneous matters such as calculating our navigation position at regular intervals by celestial navigation or astronavigation, depending on the position of the sun, the moon, the planets or any of the 57 navigational stars. Furthermore, I used to report any incident or event in any of three Caravelles or in the sea at large throughout our first voyage. There was nothing that the Almirante could not handle; every problem had a satisfactory solution and everybody regardless of his rank and occupation was satisfied with the

Almirante's criteria. It was a real pleasure to have him as Master

and Commander for this journey. The days in this first voyage went by smoothly. All three Caravelles were fully equipped with all that may be deemed necessary in terms of provisions, utilities and weaponry from mainland Spain. I was traveling in this voyage with the Almirante in our quest for paradise, the discovery of the new promised land, the land of riches and new opportunities that we have been dreaming of, with the expectation of a promising future for intrepid sailors like me. On October 12, after three months at sea, Rodrigo de Triana, the sailor aboard the Pinta, sighted land ahead. The Almirante and all of us were so thrilled with joy and excitement to have discovered new land at last. As we approached this new land, it turned out to be a small island uncharted before. Columbus, the Almirante, named the island San Salvador, although he remarked in his journal that the natives referred to it as Guanahani. We landed ashore in crystal-clear waters on a beautiful sandy beach, armed with swords, wary of the unexpected. We noticed at first glance the inhabitants of this island, the Tano (Arawak)

Indians as we later denominated them. They were naked, tawny, well built, with good bodies and handsome features. They ran to greet us, brought us food, water and gifts as well as parrots, balls of cotton, spears and other things, which they exchanged for glass beads, and bells of hawks. They had a great sense of hospitality and sharing. They willingly traded everything they owned. They were so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would ever believe it. When any of us asked for something they have, they would never say No. To the contrary, they offered to share with anyone. They had no iron. They carried spears made of cane and did not know of any other arms. I approached one of them on purpose, a young warrior in his twenties, and showed him a sword. Surprisingly, he took it by the edge and cut his hand by sheer ignorance. I immediately wrapped his wounded hand with a piece of garment to contain the bleeding making him understand not to do that again. He nodded back with an innocent smile in appreciation for my kind gesture. They looked at us as if were the long-awaited gods who according to their

tradition, came in ancient times and taught them the basics of early civilization with a promise to return in the distant future. The Taino (Arawak) Indians were peaceful by nature, living simple lives in small rural communities, catching fish with their cane spears and procuring the rest of their food from the Island's flora and fauna. The Taino language was very incomprehensible to us. I barely understood it. We barely communicated with these newfound natives in sign language. The Almirante and the accompanying monks decided to evangelize the Arawak and teach them the language and culture of the Good Book, the Bible of Christendom. In our quest for paradise, our concern was primarily the search for gold. In view of the evident gullibility of the Arawak, the Almirante also decided to round them up and force them into slavery, exploiting them in search for EL Dorado, the gold which has always been at the very heart of our quest. I participated along with the other men in gathering them into

small groups for better control. As a result of such a hostiles act on our behalf, the Tainos resisted and violent clashes erupted with them. There were many victims among the natives, innocent men, women and children ruthlessly killed in front of our eyes. At the end, a peaceful and simple people like the Arawaks became subjugated and bonded into slavery, brutally exploited in search of our precious. Our conquest of paradise came at a very high price. At this point, I woke up in bed at home, startled by this bewildering dream, wondering about its symbolism and true interpretation. The following question crossed my mind: did I actually live this stunning lifetime as revealed in this dream or was all a figment of my imagination? Only time will tell. It all depends on the path that I may follow in this lifetime.