He walked thousands of miles on a quest to find himself. After a trying life journey that took him from preaching at the pulpit, to a mental hospital, to homeless in North Carolina then led him to the wild depths of the Copper Canyon in Northwestern Mexico, Mickey Mahaffey is now sharing the stories behind his “10-year spiritual odyssey.” Whispers of My Blood is a memoir that recounts years of a false happiness, internal strife and eventual separation from his family. Being the Diablo is a documentary that illustrates how this lost Gringo finally found a deeper meaning in life through the simple ways and remote homelands of the indigenous Rarámuri people, a community that lives a secluded life south of the border. Both the book and the film, Mahaffey said, are meant to offer his family answers to their painful questions and insight to those currently in the midst of their own quest to find themselves.

“I hope that my experiences will inspire others to follow their own unique path in life regardless of how different or eccentric it may appear to others,” Mahaffey said. “I have revealed some of the most intimate parts of my life in order that others might be able to relate their own struggles and challenges in life.”

His book, Whispers of My Blood, will be the first project released to the public. Scheduled to be published in July, Mahaffey said his memoir boldly exposes remarkably difficult experiences, such as being “strapped to a bed in a mental hospital in Asheville, NC” before chronicling his “profound experience of dancing as a diablo with the Raramuri of the Copper Canyon.”

Redefining Connections

“The Raramuri lifestyle informs everything that I do in life,” Mahaffey said. “They are the standard by which I measure my life and my involvement in the industrialized world.”

Though the film portrays much of this distinctly symbolic Semana Santa celebration, Mahaffey said the true star of the film is his daughter.

“In this doc I’m most proud of… the role my daughter Stephanie plays… because of her candor about the difficulties she experienced as a result of our separation and conversely the strength and intimacy we have managed to maintain in our relationship,” Mahaffey said.

A short bio of the film outlines Stephanie as one of Mahaffey’s biggest supporters throughout his “spiritual odyssey” though she herself recalls suffering from her father’s absence and strange decisions.

“I think the book and the film will touch a place deep down in people’s hearts,” Stephanie said. “A place where people have hidden all the hopes and dreams of their soul in order to follow the dream of Society. Maybe this will awaken dreams in people; dreams of knowing themselves better; dreams of following their heart’s desires.”

Living with Less

In an age where “more” is valued most, Stephanie says Mahaffey’s lesson is about being fulfilled with “less.”

“The most compelling is the whole concept of ‘living without,’” Stephanie asserts. “He has given up all worldly possessions and even dependent connections with family to learn about life when you have nothing and you are all alone. He dove deep into his soul and his heart and knows a place within that most people don’t ever get a glimpse of. It isn’t until you are lying down on the ground, becoming one with the earth, and facing yourself with nothing to cloud your vision, that you can really know who you truly are. He has done this, and he has taught me to do the same.”

Nubia Gamboa, the producer of a new film project about the Rarámuri that Mahaffey is involved with, considers Mahaffey’s journey to be the journey of life.

“For him, to arrive at who is Mickey, it involved a tireless search for his self-consciousness, making radical changes in his life and many times remaining in solitude,” Gamboa explained. “This is precisely what he communicates to us in his book, the path of transformation of a man who hopes to know and realize his deepest mission in life.”

Mahaffey said he simply wants to inspire others to rediscover themselves:

“My greatest hope is that my stories will inspire others to seek the wilderness, to learn the essentials of life from the roots, the dirt, the water, the bears, coyotes and red-tailed hawks; the cycles of the moon and the light of the sun. And encourage people to seek solitude and prayer for their guidance in daily life.”

Mahaffey and his daughter Stephanie operate guided tours throughout wilderness areas in both North Carolina and the Copper Canyon in Northwestern, Mexico. They can be contacted through their organization, School of the Traveler.