Through the Third Eye: Book 1 Third Eye Trilogy

Episode 11: From Kuna to Queen

Panama City, Panama

A little over two weeks later at Panama's Tocumen International Airport, Clay and Shali walked outside the terminal to the taxi stand. The heavy smell of tropics filled the air, which was humidity-laden after a late-afternoon rain.

As they loaded their cases of equipment into the back of the large SUV, Clay called out to the driver, "Marriott Hotel, por favor."

The driver acknowledged with "Si", and they drove out the airport exit ramp. Dusk fell as they roared along the parkway and approached the glittering glass towers of downtown Panama City, the Queen of Latin America. Shali slowly gazed over at Clay with the seductive look of a TV wine-commercial. She caught herself and snapped her head forward again, as if determined to keep their agreement not to become involved again.

After freshening up at their hotel, the two met for dinner across the street.

Over their first glass of red wine, Clay said, "Iqbal's guide gave us more than enough leads to easily find this Sogui Iglesias. The problem will be getting her to undergo regression. We have to work our way into her trust. Getting close to a Kuna Indian would not be easy for a Panamanian, let alone for an American gringo."

"So how do we break the ice?"

"Maybe I'll play to Kuna history. The Kunas have always been a fiercely independent people. Five hundred years ago, Spanish conquerors testified to the ferocity of the Kunas in their reports to the king. The Spaniards were never able to totally conquer them. Then, in 1925, the young Panamanian government was about to militarily crush the Kunas during a rebellion for independence from Panama. But the Americans parked a fleet of naval warships in the San Blas Islands as a warning to say they must show tolerance to the native Indians. I've heard the Kunas have had a slight endearment to the gringos ever since." Clay chuckled. "Perhaps they saw the '88 American invasion of Panama to get Noriega as a sixty-year-old payback."

Shali looked puzzled. "That's kind of ironic, isn't it? I mean, did not the Americans almost wipe out entire American native Indian population, take away their land and their way of life? So why try to save the Kunas from the Panamanians?"

"It was probably a gringo guilt trip. Ever since that rebellion, the Kunas have enjoyed an autonomous relationship with Panama. They have their own government, territory and laws, all of which enabled their society to survive."

"How'd you know so much about them?"

"About ten years ago I served several tours of duty with Army Intelligence in Latin America, chasing drug lords. I worked with several indigenous Central American Indian groups closely related to the Kunas. I looked up some old Indian friends down here and got an introduction to a good contact in Panama, close to the Kunas."

"Is this the woman you've been talking to on the phone the past few weeks?"

"Sure is. She is a psychology professor at the Universidad de Panama and is a Kuna herself. At first, she was apprehensive about our motivation, but she understands our use of regressions. After all, she's a shrink herself. Nonetheless, I think she was so intrigued that she agreed to help us."

"How did she find Sogui?"

"On our first phone call, the professor knew exactly who we were looking for. Sogui Iglesius was one of the three Sailadummads, or Great Sahilas, of the Kunas. These three people, plus a secretary general, make up the leadership of the National Kuna Congress. For many years, Sogui was one of the local Sahilas serving in a governor-like role. She was responsible for management of her home island, one of the forty-nine separate Kuna communities. It turns out Sogui was a natural leader, exactly as described by Iqbal's soul guide in Jordan. She had success despite the male-dominated political structure and the terrible physical and mental suffering she has experienced throughout her life."