Oso Mario, from whom I learned much of the ways of the red road, was, when I met him, the guide of the Circle of the Osos. On the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, just on the outskirts of the City of Durango, Mexico, upon drenched, gritty clay-sand floor of the temazcal of the Osos, Mario and Lety, I listened, in the darkness, as he would request a prayer from each of us.
I recall, one day, discussing with him my lamentations of having become separated from my family. I told him of my suffering and pain in my new world. We talked of circles and cycles, and he told me to pray.
I had told him that I practiced no religion and had no beliefs beyond what logic told me was real: things I could understand through my five senses or my rational based upon information from my senses. He said that it did not matter and again suggested that I pray. "When you kneel, in the morning, to put on your sandals, or when you kneel, to lay down, in the evening, kneel a bit more, and pray," he told me.
Every morning and evening I did as he told me, understanding the rationale for doing so. Praying helps us verbalize and untangle our unconscious and conscious problems. It has known psychological utility.
I felt ridiculous praying. Even so, I prayed, every day...verbalizing whatever I needed to verbalize on a particular day..., and the benefits came...the circle.
A few orbits around the sun later, life's path took me far away from the Oso and his temazcal. His temazcal disappeared, and he too left the City of Durango. My path led me to solitude, accompanied, for the most part, only by coworkers at the university, during work hours. The economic strife of starting over, together with the solitude, challenged me.
Friends, though, came forth, each with some item or offering: Jennifer and Vince with transportation; Vince's family with meals; Mary shared friends and food; Jim and Jan provided me with meals and company; and one old friend, Hung, even loaned cash to help make it through the difficult time. That cash offering sparked a series of investments that brought me to relative stability, covering basic needs.
That same friend, Hung, coincidentally, called me again, during another time of change in my life. This time, he offered something even greater than material aid. He told me: "Pray. Pray every day. Get on your knees and pray." I prayed.
After Mother Earth took us around the sun a few more times, Hung came into my life again, with a written petition in support of his son's evangelical mission to the Amazon Rainforest. He included a small form to fill out, which I did. I scanned it and sent it back in an email, committing to prayer, in support of his son, Jordan, during his evangelical travels.
The commitment has been challenging, especially since I've also committed myself to begin this long-postponed blog as part of that commitment. How satisfying, though, to participate in one of the circles that El Oso described in the temazcal: the circle of returning favors.
...con todas mis relaciones!
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