A Tree visited by Paleros

"Palo" short for "Palo Mayombe" with its multiple RAMAS (Lines) is a deeply cultural system of Spiritual Understanding, Spiritual Practices, and a deep and enduring Spiritual Root.  It is complicated and most often misunderstood by outside "observers", and it is often maligned, and often misrepresented by both non-Paleros and (sadly) some Paleros themselves.    Palo means "Stick" and is most often explained as being a reference to the various Palos that are found within the typical "Fundamento or Nganga" of the Palero.  


"Palo" is a spanish word, which clearly places its usage within the Caribbean after the arrival of the mad malevolent Ndoki (or Maboya) Columbus and his gang.  Palo is readily accepted by most of its practitioners as being of African Origin, specifically of Bakongo origin.  Some make outrageous and ignorant claims that Palo traveled intact from Africa to the Caribbean within the slave ships and subsequently continued (primarily in Cuba) intact to the present day.  However historical fact indicates otherwise as many of the Mpungos spoken of in the Tradition today were not described or addressed in the Bakongo Traditions (remember we are speaking of a large region) in the way they are described and addressed today.  Many Paleros deny the influences of Taino Traditions within the Palo they practice, and will only begrudgingly acknowledge influences of other African Traditions within Palo.  This is either due to arrogance, ignorance or business/ political agendas.  Our Munanso embraces firstly the Taino Influences within Palo and also the other African Influences within Palo.  In our assessment of historical fact and human responses to oppression and need for survival, we are confident that Palo as an AFRICAN-CARIBBEAN tradition, evolved and transformed greatly due to multiple influences during its 400-500 year evolution within the Caribbean.  


In returning to the term "Palo" as meaning "Stick", we understand that "sticks" come from TREES, and as Paleros and Human Beings we understand TREES to be very SACRED to us.  As we walked by the River we came across the TREE below growing on the bank of the River, sending its roots over and between stones.  It is a "Beech Tree",  native to this region.  It came to our attention because our daughter insisted and persisted in leaving an offering for Mama Chola at the Roots of this Beech Tree.  This Beech, being native to our area, is a tree that we often utilize when gathering "Palos".  In looking at the photo of the Beech, we see an Ancient Face, or Faces, looking at us.  

Beech is Medicinal (although rarely used as a medicinal these days).  It has properties of astringent, antiseptic and disinfectant.  On a physical level, these are properties of tightening or tonifying the body tissues, preventing growth of micro-organisms, and destroying bacteria.  Spiritually this translates to energies of defense, protection and strengthening.  It is a strengthening of protective boundaries.  This also applies to the mental body, and it is important to note that our mental bodies are constantly having to fend off "invasive, parasitical/ Ndoki energies".  

Beech is also very nutritious to animals and humans from the leaves to the nuts and has been consumed Traditionally upon this continent.  This nutritional aspect places the energy of the Beech as also very nurturing and sustaining.  Beech is in the same family as OAK and SWEET CHESTNUT, two other trees that also offer much sustenance to human beings and animals.  In the right conditions Beech Trees can live 500 years.  Tsalagi People (Cherokee) would raid the Beech nut stashes of chipmunks and allow the chipmunks to do the work of gathering, sorting and shelling the nuts for them; a beautiful example of working with the natural energies of Mother Earth, not against them.  

In Europe, among Celtic tribes, the Beech is associated with the development of the Alphabet and writing as well as its root DIVINATION.  Trees inscribe within them a written history of the cycle of seasons that they live through from conditions in the air, soil and water as well as conditions of the Sun.  They are a book that records this natural story.

So we see that the Beech Tree is a tree of great interest to the Palero.  It has significance in all areas to which it is native (Europe and America) and tells us a profound story as well as gives us profound tools.  Are we to, as Paleros, reject both the Beech and the gesture of a Child to insist upon placing her offering for the River at the Root of the Beech, because the Beech is not native to Africa or the Caribbean?  Did the Bakongo who arrived on the shores of the Caribbean in chains reject the traditional plants of the Caribbean because the plants were not native to Africa?  Did they refuse to learn the medicinal and nutritional and spiritual qualities of the plants from the Indigenous People of the Caribbean (Taino, Garifuna, "Carib" and so on), because these plants were not familiar to them?  Not so, lets review any list of plants typically used by Paleros (or other African-Caribbean traditions) and we find many plants native to the Caribbean on the list.  If we are to uphold the principles of the Ancestors, then we need to follow in their footsteps of adaptability and willingness to "remain teachable!" especially in the face of great "Changes" be they changes brought about through colonization, war and oppression or be they the Earth Changes we are facing today, emanating from Mother Earth and the Great Light of our Life, the Sun!  

Returning again to the term "PALO" we arrive at the root.  In Taino Tradition any person walking through the forest (and we must understand that there was more forest than anything else over this whole continent at that time, the deforestation is a travesty and a growing issue), who would see a Tree shaking or moving in an usual way would immediately call the Bohitu (witch doctor or brujo) who would come and determine what the Spirit was asking for, be that a Cemi, or what have you.  Many times a Cemi (Nkisi if you will) would be made from that particular tree.  These roots here called our daughter.  Was it the Taino in her responding or was it the Palero in her responding?  Should we honor one Spiritual Tradition over the other, give one "superiority" over the other?  In our Munanso we uphold the principle of respect for Spiritual Traditions and Roots and do not follow the line of thinking that gives one "Spiritual Superiority" over the other.  For us the most important point is that she responded to this powerful tree, whose Spirit, having received the innocent offering, Nchila, from this child, in that moment strengthened her in terms of defense, immunity, sustenance, and wisdom, all vital spiritual energies for her evolution and progress.  This Spirit also guided us, her parents to seek out further understanding and appreciation of the Spirit of the Beech Tree!  

Spiritual Heat

An intense Spiritual Heat is enveloping us globally, expressing itself on multiple levels.  This year has seen an amplification of Earth Changes; tornadoes, increasingly violent storms, fires, droughts, the Earth cracking, sinkholes, earthquakes, and volcanoes.  The Sun himself is sending energies towards the Earth that are not understood by "science" and there are events occurring cosmically that are outside the "norm" or what is expected.  On human levels the increase in a behavior of desperate denial among some populations has reached a truly psychotic stage.  Meanwhile many voices globally from People and from the Spirit of Mother Earth herself continue to get louder urging not only AWARENESS but also ACTION.  


We have had several people mention (independently) to us how their experience of the Sun has intensified, how the Sun's rays are carrying an intensity not felt before, which does not have to do with the "temperature".  And we know that there are changes occurring within the Sun and that the Sun truly is the governor of our climates and ecosystems, and therefore our sustainability.  


As People of Tradition who not only have skills and tools of Divination but also skills and tools of Resolution (Solution Finding), we are well aware of the energies present in this yearly cycle, and are not surprised by the intensity, and neither are we expecting this intensity to pass so we can all "go back to normal", we are expecting this intensity to increase as the Earth herself, including all of us, goes through intense changes.  We understand that now in all this intensity is the time for us to turn to our Spiritual Practices even more strongly.   Within those practices we also know this is the time for us to amplify and focus our efforts at Reconciliation with Mother Earth and the returning to a Sane way of living upon her.  


One of the ways that we approach this Spiritual heat is to go to the Camino of Chola Wengue and refreshen ourselves in her waters.  This refreshens and vitalizes not only the body but more importantly, the Spirit, the Ancestral Frame, and the various subtle energies that are within our Spiritual-Physical-Body.

To truly appreciate these photos, they must be clicked on to enlarge, this way the various Spirits become more visible.  Something else becomes more visible as well...  There are many Paleros out there speaking about "patipemba" or "firmas" (depending on who is talking), emphasizing the need to understand the meaning of the various symbols, arrows, lines, and so on.  They do not all agree, except they do agree that each of them is the expert and knows "the real Palo" which they will teach you, for a price.  While some of the information being distributed out there is valid and useful, there is a narrow-mindedness that does not serve the Tradition.  We make this as a general statement and make no statement regards the specifics that anyone is teaching or not teaching.  As with all generalizations there are EXCEPTIONS.  As we look again into the Water Rapid created by River, Stone and Air, by forces of gravity and illuminated by the Sun, we come to realize that the Misterio of the River herself is making a patipemba or firma right within this rapid.  This is an ever changing patipemba that will be very different from moment to moment.  As we make our invocation to the River at this place, at this time, she is creating a unique Patipemba that is receiving and transmitting our invocation and her response to our invocation.  We are standing at the crossroads of life and death, just as we do every time we invoke the Misterio, however here we are able to see the Misterio's response to us.  

Understanding the Misterio's response to us is another matter.  While most Paleros are skilled and familiar with the use of the coconut shells or caracoles, or fire, ashes, and so on as systems of Divination, they are not (again as a general statement) so skilled at first recognizing and second deciphering the messages from Spirit that manifest in expressions of the Mpungos themselves.  This is a lost (?) or misplaced skill that we as Paleros or we as People of Rooted Tradition must regain (Remember Once Again!).  While we are more or less familiar and knowledgeable concerning the patipembas that we use for our Fundamento, Nganga, Nkisi and so on, we must also remember to always remain "Teachable", with the understanding that the greatest teachers are the Misterios themselves.  

We are a Munanso that strongly holds the principle that we are suffering, as Indigenous People, from a "Stolen Legacy", in which our traditional knowledge has been dispersed and co-opted by the so called "dominant" society or the "crusading" society.  In this moment in time where so much information is available to us, we have an unprecedented opportunity to retrieve our "Stolen Legacy" and connect the shattered wisdom through the wisdom of our Ancestors and our Traditional Root.  Only we can do this, for the "scientists and academics" are too narrow minded, too specialized, too compartmentalized, too much "experts" and too engrossed in the "crusading society's" pathological mindset, to be able to do it "for us".  We cannot turn an eye of denial to the historical facts of colonization and the devastating "work" of the missionaries among our People.  We cannot turn a blind eye to the stealing and perverting of our traditions in the past and in the present, and it is our responsibility to uncover and overcome those perversions that through colonization created the conditions that turned "us" into unconscious agents of the crusading societies pathological mentality.  All these energies are intertwined within this Spiritual Heat, and to adapt and find our way to still progress and evolve within this Spiritual Heat we must see beyond our narrow viewpoints and habits.

Erosive Power of Chola Wengue

We found a tree growing by the River, simultaneously growing and decaying.  Like many trees a hollow was developing inside creating a rich habitat for bugs and a rich buffet for birds.  By crouching down we realized that the roots and the process of decay had created an opening through which our daughter could look.  

She "bounced" around the tree, checking it out from different angles, having fun, however a deeper teaching was taking place.

Interesting to note that from certain angles the opening is not visible.  Upon examining the tree closely we realized that it is the root forming the opening, most likely due to not only the decay but also to the soil erosion.  Every time the river floods this tree has more soil pulled from it.

This tree shows the effects of the "play" between the River and the Tree.  It also shows the power of erosion that the river has.  This power of erosion through water (rain, flood and river) is a major issue that occurs worldwide and is a major threat to our sustainability upon this planet.  In this particular location the system is balanced, in that the hill is covered with trees, who are constantly through their annual leaf fall and through their eventual decay, building new soil so that the soil taken by rain to the River and by the river herself is replenished by the trees.  In those places that the trees are removed from hills and the soil plowed up or left bare, nothing is renewing the soil and the top soil (the rich soil created by decaying organic matter) is lost every time it rains.  This continues to devastate our ecosystems, as the feet of topsoil once stabilized on this continent are now reduced to inches or fractions of inches.  This tree is a beautiful example of the erosive power of the River, who is able to erode rocks themselves and carve canyons deep into the Earth's surface, but is also a lesson in the importance of trees upon the hillsides rather than plows.  It also gives us insight into the Misterio, Chola Wengue, her power to renew life, and her power to take away the gifts that she has given when they are unappreciated and are not caretaken with love and intelligence and respect.

"Palo Rompe Monte" Palos and the Stones they break and consume!

When we found this tree we named it "Palo Rompe Monte", "the tree that breaks the mountain" due to the fact that it is growing right out of the rock, and in the process of its slow growth broke the rock in two.  When we go to the rocky hillside it is important to understand how some of the formations that we see were created how they continue to change over time.  In this instance the Palo is stronger than the stone through its endurance and tenacity and extremely efficient use of resources.  This is a tree that ADAPTED to its conditions.  We can use soil from this tree, bark from this tree, or Palos from this Tree, when we are looking for these qualities of endurance, tenacity and adaptability to challenging conditions.  We can also use soil from this tree in situations where something seemingly less strong (Palo) is facing something seemingly more strong (rock).

This tree has overcome adversity or challenge and adapted and even flourished in a seemingly impossible situation.   Its journey is a powerful teaching story from its humble seed falling on a crevice of the rock and taking root in the little patch of soil created by leaves falling on the rock, to its breaking of the rock over time.

From a different angle we see the same tree with its multiple holes due to the wood pecker drilling for insects.  This tree at the time we found it was a half-alive tree, with parts that are dead, and parts that are alive.  It feeds life with both parts (dead and alive) giving habitat and food to insects, birds and animals, and every year building the soil with its falling leaves.  In turn it gives us magical ingredients to work with!

The same tree looking up shows it as having a foot in each world (death and life) and being a powerful contributor to both.  Western thinking has a tendency to "separate" life and death, whereas Traditionally we understand their interrelationship.  Both processes are always occurring simultaneously; this tree is a beautiful representation of this truth.  It also shows life (the tree) relating to death (mineral/ stone) because the fact is that the trees pull nutrients (minerals) from the soil which in great part is made up of pulverized stone.  Life requires Death.

Below we look at a second tree.  This tree again grows around stones, quartz in this case.  The tree had the quartz underneath as if protecting a treasure.  Only by walking around the tree did this become visible.  It is also important to note that all trees described here were not on a 'trail', they were off the path and we found them when we were walking down the hillside towards the river, so we could use the river to guide us back to where we had started out from.  Some of the most powerful places are "off the beaten path", by not venturing off the beaten path we miss out on Misterios that may be calling us.  We do not want our "Camino" to be governed by what is typical or conventional or easy.  

The tree is actually growing around the quartz and appears almost like an amoeba eating it prey.  We do not know if years from now the quartz will even be visible and we do not know how much quartz the tree is "hiding" or "consuming".  We do know that this is not a usual sight and that we would have difficulty ever finding it again because it is not on a marked trail.  This is one of those moments to treasure.  Our daughter was especially thrilled by the tree hiding its treasure, an image that came alive for her.

Children have an openness to Spirit that too often gets calcified in adults.  Through seeing the children in this way, we begin to understand through the depths of its root what is meant by the phrase "Trato son trato"!  By walking these Caminos with our daughter, we are constantly getting new perspectives on the Misterios, and she is always using unexpected terms and expressions to describe the Spirits, using words in ways we would never think to.  Since we are not going on these Caminos for any negative purposes, it is a excellent place for the growth and education of our daughter and the continuation of Tradition.  By excluding the children, we only harm the tradition, and then are surprised when our children turn their backs on tradition.  And when the children turn their backs, is when the tradition harms us.  We also know that the Misterios of the forest, river, monte, are seeing our daughter and are receiving offerings embodying love and reconciliation from her hands.  Not only is it important that we recognize the Misterio, it is important that they recognize us.  In the photo below you can see a Misterio looking right at our daughter as she interrelates to the Spirit of the Tree.

Finally a third tree is home to many insects and animals, and has this little cavity within it that is filled with tree dust (which we did collect).  It was also filled with moths who were hiding from the daylight waiting for night to come so they could go about their "business". 

If you go into a Botanica (and we have nothing against Botanicas and the essential services they provide) and purchase a Palo, a soil, or a water, one consideration we must make is that we do not know the story or the hand that collected that Palo, Soil or Water.  In some cases it was collected from the local park (sad but true), in other cases it is a legitimate item in that it is what it is said to be.  The fact is sometimes we have a need and the only way we can address it is through the Botanica.  However when we have the opportunity to collect Palos, Soils, Waters and Stones for ourselves, we can have a much more profound and empowering understanding of what it is we have in our hands and what we are putting in our "Medicines".  We also have the opportunity to appreciate the various insects, bugs, bones and feathers that may also be in those soils, or collect them separately for our spiritual purposes.  We definitely appreciate the access we have to these wonderful Caminos, both right here on the Land that we caretake herself, as well as accessible through relatively short travel.

Walking The River And Mountain!

We speak about the "Caminos" of various Misterios (Mpungo), such as the Caminos of Chola Wengue, and there are many Caminos that are discussed and are significant within our Spiritual "Trails".  Caminos always carry historical, ancestral and geologic significance, or we could also say, Caminos are born from time (the story of our evolution within this planet), from our Ancestral trail and from the expressions of Mother Earth herself.  Caminos are simultaneously spiritual and physical and relate to the interweaving of the spiritual and physical expressions of life.

On this particular trail we sought out the "mountain river" which is carrying the energy of coming down from a high elevation over many rocks, full of small water "falls" and rock pools.  The river here has a momentum that we were seeking for particular purposes that have to do with a spiritual energy that we are needing at this particular time.  The mountain river which is a specific Camino of Chola Wengue is very different than the slower and wider flowing valley rivers, or the deep wide delta rivers that are sometimes so wide we cannot see the opposite shore.  The mountain river, since it is not flowing past agri-businesses, chemical and nuclear plants and urban dumping grounds, has not only more pristine water, but a more pristine energy.  We have to take note that historically, or our-story-ically, this has not been the case, however it is a reality we face today, which does affect us spiritually and does affect our "walking" of those Caminos.

The other consideration we make when coming to this River is that this River is intricately connected to the Monte down which she flows.  Her river bed is full of the Mountain's Stones, which create the various water falls, and bubbles that make this river so attractive.  We cannot separate this River from the Mountain that she is flowing from, which emphasizes the point that Life is an interwinding of Misterios, it is not a rigid, linear entity that can be neatly boxed into different categories or Misterios.  When we go to the Camino of Chola Wengue, we also are visiting other Misterios, and these Misterios express themselves more or less strongly as we travel up the River.  

Yet another consideration we make is that the energy of the River changes from day to day.  On the bright summer days that we were on this Camino, the River was clear, with a golden brown tint from the leaves of the trees that had decomposed on her river bed, and from the contributions of micro-organisms, fish, insects, and other organisms that live within her.  If we visit during a rainstorm or right after a heavy downpour, we see a churning brown river, rushing down the mountain pulling the soil of the mountain and small rocks, sometimes even much larger rocks, down to the valleys.  During the coldest times of winter we see ice all over, and only where her strongest current is, would we see the water flowing.   Here the seasons also affect the "Camino" we are walking on.  We have to expand our minds and also our knowledge to take into consideration the various dynamics that are vibrating within this one "simple" (?) Camino!

From the River we walked up the mountain, looking closely at the Palos and the Spirits expressing within them.  These are the trees from the steep hillsides whose leaves are flowing into the River and giving her the golden color that we have been appreciating.  These Palos are contributing their energies, their "medicines" to the Camino of the River.  They take in nutrients from the bedrocks as they send their roots into the soil, sometimes wedged tightly between rocks.  Those nutrients (which hold spiritual power) express in the leaves, which are also transforming the energy of the Sun as billions of beautiful, life-giving, "power plants".  When the leaves fall into the River, or when the leaves decompose into soil that washes into the River during rainstorms, this spiritual empowerment is entering the River.  When we look at the above photo, which clearly shows a tremendously expressive spirit, we gain greater understanding of the River Camino herself.

Most times simply moving around the tree reveals multiple Spirits expressing within the Tree.  If we are seeking soil from the monte, we look out for particular places, trees, or formations that hold spiritual energy.  We do not want to just pick up "any" soil, we want to put sensitivity and insight into the particular soil we need for a particular purpose, be that purpose the creation of a Medicine of some kind, the creation of a Ceremonial Space or the energizing of a Spiritual Garden.  We also always give respect and acknowledgement to the Spirits that we encounter.  There are far too many two-leggeds walking "blindly" through the forest or by the River, we, especially as people within Spiritual Tradition, by no means want to contribute to ignorance, callousness, carelessness, or lack of groundedness.

Within the River, right within the rapids, the camera "captures" some of the Spirits that otherwise remain unnoticed.  This rapid carries a powerful energy, that even though we are speaking of a mountain river that many consider "small" and a mountain that many consider "small" we can seek out and find within this seeming "smallness", places of energy and spirit that connect to the larger more rushing mountain rivers, that for us happen to be far away.  We never approach the Caminos with arrogance, or with comparisons to other Caminos, every Camino is unique to that place, that season, and that moment in time, and the Spirits are able to speak more loudly to a humble mental approach.

To fully appreciate these photos it is essential to click on them to enlarge them.  There are many, many Misterios in these photos, layer upon layer of Misterios, in the water, in the stones, in the transitions between them.  The photo below shows a large powerful Misterio with water coursing down his head, along with many smaller Misterios all around.  This is an excellent place to collect River Water for Spiritual Purposes.  Again  we do not just blindly collect waters and soils in places that are most convenient, but take the time and energy to go to more difficult, or deep places to collect specific energies.  If we are going to cleanse ourselves in the River, again we look for specific currents, specific locations where the energy that we are seeking is expressing itself.

Here the Yayi is about to cleanse her head in the River, when we look closely at the photo we can see all the Misterio that she is actually touching, as she places her hands on the stones of the River, as well as all the Misterio in the water into which she is about to plunge her head and face.  This is important to recognize.

Here we see a quieter pool, where the water is moving more calmly, yet still with a good current.  Here we can look at and appreciate the colors of the River, and how the Sun Rays are interacting with the water, glittering on the surface, penetrating to the depths and lighting up her golden riverbed.  Here again we have the interaction of two Misterios, in this case the River and the Sun, once again, we may be thinking of Chola Wengue primarily, yet we must take into our thinking the multiple other Misterios who are "at play" here.

Moving back towards the trees and hillside, we see many more Spirits within the Trees, and we need to also think of the insects, animals and birds which contributed to the expression of these Spirits.  Time itself is critical to the expressive process of these Spirits, as time reveals the many faces of the Spirit of Life.  Some of the most awesome Spirits we encounter are on trees that are dead (the natural Palo Muerto) or are half dead, trees that would have already been cut down in the city or suburbs for fear that they would fall on a house or car.

Below our daughter (5 yrs) pulled this Stone from the water herself, insisting we carry it back for her.  Every Camino we embark upon brings more learning and understanding to her, and gives her the space and time to exercise her Spiritual Eyes, Ears and Understanding.  It also gives us the opportunity as her parents to gain greater understanding and appreciation for her Spirit as she moves around the River and Forest.

Below are two views of a tree whose roots grew around a stone.  There is a phallic expression above the stone reminding us  that the natural world is full of sexuality and sexual symbols, as it is this energy of sexuality that gives rise to the ongoing expression of life.

The tree below is on the River bank, erosion slowly takes away its soil as it adapts by bending its roots out around and back into the river bank, developing a powerful network to keep it upright in spite of the erosion taking place.  This tree is very tenacious.

Every time we visit the River, the forest or the Mountain, we learn more, and we have the opportunities to gather vital spiritual ingredients that simply cannot be purchased at a Botanica.  We have the opportunity to spend time in places that are not so disrupted by human activity, places that are in advanced stages of recovery from the degrading activities that once occurred in them.  It is important to go to these places as they empower our Spirits and vital energies, it is also important to go to these places to give the Misterios and Spirits that we see in them the recognition from human beings of their beauty and power.  We also note that we always leave our offerings to the River, Forest and Mountain.  These are moments of Healing and Reconciliation!