Mafuka-Mucaro! The Brujo's Bird

Mucaro appeared at our window early in the morning, staring with his penetrating eyes, speaking silently, bringing the messages of the Ancestral Brujos...

Mucaro is a notorious bird, bringing messages of death and dying, often portending an impending crossing over of the Human to the Ancestral!  For this reason Mucaro is often feared, as he does bring messages of death.  This is true, but it is a mistake to become trapped in taboo concerning the Mucaro.  Mucaro's messages are multi-dimensional, and any brujo takes his (or her's, but
for simplicity's sake we use the term "his")  appearance seriously.  This owl is the barred owl and he lives in the forest surrounding our home and Munanso.  The barred owl is the premier vocalist of all the owl species and at times we have heard this owl and he has been the voice of Ancient Indigenous Brujos with their chants of invocation of the Ancestors.   


Mucaro's penetrating eyes see through the masks to the heart.  This is a power that is shared by the brujo or the bohitu.  In many societies the Brujo lived apart from the community, keeping a solitary life, and there are many reasons for this.  The brujo sees through the masks that people wear and that spirits wear, regardless of if she or he tries to.   His Vittiti is natural and penetrating.  It is this power of the Brujo that is very disturbing to some, especially those who are what we term in our Munanso "renegade", those who are being hunted by the Spirits of Justice, the "Justice" we could term "Natural Justice" or "Ancestral Justice".  Those that are "renegade" are often found to be hiding in "new age religious circles" and many are found parading around calling themselves "shamans" or more ridiculously "shamanettes". For this reason those who are "renegade" will feel uncomfortable both under the gaze of Mucaro and the Brujo...

The Mucaro Spirit looks deep into the Ancestral Trails of those Human Spirits walking around, revealing "maboya", revealing "ndoki", revealing old curses, revealing old revenges, revealing the various causes of the spiritual maladies of the Living.  The Mucaro Spirit also looks deeply into the Ancestral Trails, revealing those beautiful Ancestral energies that have been suppressed or tied up.  Although Mucaro is most active at night (the time of the Brujo), he is also awake and sometimes will hunt during the day.  In fact often during the day you will find him scrutinizing people or a situation with out anybody realizing it (much like the Brujo).  The radius that the Mucaro can turn his head again is a power the Brujo also holds, allowing him to see the various causes, or various currents of any given situation, allowing the Brujo to divine the many roots of a malady or the single root with its myriad faces.  

While we are always on alert when we see Mucaro, as Brujos and Brujas, we always see the Mucaro sighting as a Blessing.... especially as the Mucaro is a bird sacred to the Taino!!!