InTheTemazcal

For temazcal guide, Cesar Salazar, of the Centro Holistico Casa Mágica (Magic House Holistic Center), in Acapulco, Mexico, the temazcal, or steam bath, comprises one of several components of the center's holistic methods. He commented that the temazcal is part of the Mexican heritage and noted that it has been practiced throughout the Americas. In a previous post, entitled, " Temazcal at Casa Mágica, Acapulco, Mexico ," InTheTemzacal , we talked about the center's mission and philosophy. Aside from serving as a source of income, Salazar described it as ... ...  the beginning of a spirituality ... to bring ourselves closer to our creator. That is our goal, more than anything ... showing people the way. He went on to describe his philosophy of the temazcal : In the  temazcal  we have the philosophy that we die to be reborn. This they do in all of [the  temazcales ] ... die to rise again. What does this consist of?  We mean dying not physically, but...

The Earth is your Grandmother and Mother, and She is sacred. Every step that is taken upon Her should be as a prayer. Black Elk in The Sacred Pipe (1971) I have seen the use of affirmations and affirmative prayer among the temazcaleros . "Affirmations," wrote Dr. Kathryn J. Lively (2014),  Associate Professor of Sociology at Dartmouth College and  co-author of Selves, Symbols, and Social Reality , " are simply statements that are designed to create self-change in the individual using them."  Both inside and outside the  temazcal  affirmations can help us, as  caminantes  (those who walk the path, or Red Road) focus attention in our lives and promote behaviors we value. Oso (Bear) Mario, my brother in the  temazcal  of the  Circulo de los Osos  (Circle of the Bears), in Durango, Mexico, suggested to me the use of affirmative prayer and practicing gratefulness when we talked about coping during a per...

One of the things that really kept me returning to the temazcal,  was the acceptance of diversity inside the circle. Our visitors included people from all walks of life, different races, different religions, and others without religion. A ceremony tied to Native American roots, the temazcaleros accepted me, a non-native, open-heartedly. Likewise, they have shown respect my beliefs and disbeliefs. A few years after coming back to the U.S., from Mexico, I heard something that reminded me of that attitude among the temazcaleros. I heard the song, " All is Welcome Here ," ... a recorded version by Deva Premal and Miten, I believe. German-borne, Deva Premal , a meditative spiritual new-age musician, who drew from Buddhist and Sanskrit mantras, sang it with Miten (Andy Desmond), a Brittish folk singer. It goes like this: All is Welcome Here Broken hearts and broken wings... bring it all; bring everything. Bring the song you fear to sing. All is welcome here. Eve...

Our ancestors observed vernal, or spring, equinox when the sun's path across the sky fell midway between its lowest winter path and its highest summer path. It marks the Northern Hemisphere's first day of spring and the Southern Hemisphere's first day of autumn. Each year, by this time, we observe, in the Northern Hemisphere, earlier sunrises and later sunsets. In the lower latitudes, of the Northern Hemisphere, we already see plants sprouting and trees leafing out, as the spring's longer, warmer days wake the plants from their winter rest. Our brothers and sisters to the south of the equator, begin to see the days shorten and feel the cool autumn air. In both hemispheres, one sees the migration of our winged relatives, away from the equator, in the north, and towards it in the south. Wildflowers begin to pop their heads above the snow or leaf litter, celebrating the beginning of their growth seasons. Major Equinox Celebrations Vernal equinox customs and c...

The caminantes at Centro Holistico Casa Mágica ( Magic House Holistic Center ), in Acapulco, Mexico, have taken the temazcal a step beyond the ancient Mayan steam bath ceremony, integrating it into a modern holistic health center. The center provides temazcales, through its Circulo de Mujeres   Mariposa (Circle of Butterfly Women), and also offers yoga, massages, meditation, reiki, vegetarian food workshops, transpersonal therapy, hypnosis, tai chi, drawing, zumba, painting, acupuncture, and other services.  Cesar Salazar talking about the copalero, or copal burner, at Cása Magica. Photo Source: © Jeffrey R. Bacon, 2017 Hidden away, next to a bustling bus station, just a block from the Playa Hornitos beach, on Acapulco Bay, and just a few hundred feet from the  Parque Papagayo Acapulco , m y duality, Berenice " Gatuño"  Martinez , and I visited   Casa Magica last week. There, Cesar Salazar , Gilberto Chavez , Miriam Lucero , and a youngster ...

The first time I heard the temazcaleros sing, "Tierra mi Cuerpo," in the Temazcal , I knew that I had heard the song long ago ... somewhere in my childhood. There, though, it bore a name from my native tongue, English. I later remembered that I had learned it as "The Element Song," also known as "The Element Chant." The harmony took me back to a circle around a campfire, and, as it drifted through my mind, I heard its echo from a classroom in the Midwest, ... maybe in Greenwood Elementary School . I know that I have heard a number of versions and interpretations by different artists, in several languages. The song, or chant, ... simple and direct ... verbalizes a very basic relationship between the temazcalero, the human participant in the temazcal ceremony, and the elements of the temazcal: earth, water, air, and fire. In the temazcal, or Mexican steam bath ,  recall, ... in its most basic form, the temazcalero sits on an earthen floor, exposed ...