By Eric Heinz
A man who had lived in San Clemente the last three years was one of the 12 victims of what the Egyptian government is calling an “accidental” airstrike on Sept. 13 in the Western Desert.
Rafael “Rafa” Bejarano, 41, was a spiritual guide who worked with Rachel Stewart of Healing Tree on North El Camino Real. She said she received the news of Bejarano’s death from his sister moments after landing in LAX on a flight back from Toronto, Canada.
“At that point it was 1 a.m. on Sunday and my first reaction was trying to connect with friends and luckily I was able to speak with them,” Stewart said.
Her frustrations and grief boiled over, she said, but eventually came to peace with the news by remembering his teachings and consoling in her own belief system.
Stewart said she met Bejarano three years ago at a spiritual workshop in Malibu. During the night they met, she said they stayed up all night, counted shooting stars and watched the sunrise.
“It was sort of a reunion, I call it—two souls coming together who remember each other…over many lifetimes,” Stewart said.
The two would become business partners shortly after their encounter in Malibu.
Despite the spiritual allure of Egypt, Stewart said Rafa was aware of the dangerous situations surrounding the region’s recent political and social turmoil. Two years ago, Bejarano’s mother wanted to join her son on the trip, but he was persistent in having her stay behind because of the dangers the area presented.
“His mom in Guadalajara organizes spiritual tours, taking a group of people from Mexico to Egypt,” she said. “They had done it several times before. Rafa went with her three and a half years ago.”
Why Bejarano chose to go to Egypt was a matter of a rare kind of spirituality. Stewart said there are particular places in the world where strong spiritual foundations and energy reside within them. “The pyramids, for example, are very sacred to a lot of people and mean a lot to many people,” Stewart said.
Rafa was in the Western Desert region north of Bahariya, about 200 miles southwest of Cairo, when the Apache helicopter operated by Egyptian military personnel carried out the strike.
Egypt’s government has been less than immediately forthcoming about the incident and, according to The New York Times, its chief prosecutor has issued a ban on media coverage in the country since Wednesday. The ban was prompted after Egypt’s prime minister ordered a “thorough and transparent investigation,” the article stated.
A report of what happened wouldn’t bring Stewart much closure and, in her view, isn’t really necessary, she said.
“I’m so connected and expanded, spiritually, that I have a deeper understanding in my own way and I believe his time here was complete,” Stewart said. “I believe the accident was in the divine plan for him to transition at this time, and he has more work to do up there [pointing upward]. I believe in reincarnation, and we go up and do our work there and maybe we come back down again in another physical avatar.”
Bejarano was a self-described faith healer and shaman who studied healing practices with the Huichol tribe of Mexico. Rafa was an expert player of an instrument similar to the Australian didgeridoo, which he used for healing sessions. Many of his practices were to preserve traditions of his heritage.
Stewart said Bejarano gave shamanic teachings relating to the body, mind and soul. He was born in Mexico City but grew up in Guadalajara.
“He was very childlike, very innocent and very playful and fun,” Stewart said. “He loved to amuse and entertain people with his music. He would do concert ceremonies (at Healing Tree) and we would turn the lights down low and he would do a talk and share some spiritual teachings.”
Bejarano spent time with Stewart and her two daughters, and she said he was a “great cheerleader” for them during soccer games.
“He carried a lot of light with him wherever he went,” Stewart said. “My hope is that people take their experiences with Rafa and remember how they felt in his presence and share that with someone else on their path wherever they go.”
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