InTheTemazcal

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 period of anguish. Although I frequently look to l

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 named   Alex g