Espanta Muerto- Local Options

 In our area, the plant typically used by Botanicas as "Espanta Muerto" is not native, nor does it successfully grow year to year.   As we continue to strive to become more self-sustainable, mirroring the principles of our Taino and Palo Ancestors, we have come to look around for alternative plants that can fulfill the role of many common plants used by Paleros.  We always check to make sure that the Muertos accept our "substitutes".  

 One of the plants we use as an "Espanta Muerto" is the black locust tree.  The black locust tree is native to our area.  It is a prickly tree with thorns that penetrate.  It is a strong tree with wood that endures a lifetime even in direct contact with the earth (used as fence posts for many generations).  It has many other benefits, including benefits to wildlife and bees.  Black Locust is one of those trees that when cut, sends new shoots up from whatever was cut, even a small section of root left in the Earth from removing the Locust will regenerate vigorously.  Locust also "fixes" nitrogen from the AIR into the SOIL helping to heal the SOIL!!!  All these attributes are significant and powerful Spiritual Energies.

 These shrubby Locusts actually came up from roots left when we had planted some locust in a small tree nursery in the area.  When the locust were removed, not all the roots were removed and so they regenerated.  Needing to remove the locusts for a goat pasture that we are creating, we harvested these Espanta Muertos, from which we will have powder, garavatos, bejucos (roots), palos and we can collect and use the thorns themselves.  All these things can be utilized and will be utilized for Nkisis, travajos, and so on.

 There are many "purist" Paleros around who undoubtedly will say that the only true Espanta Muerto is that which is harvested in the Caribbean and sold in Botanicas.  However, some of these same purists have only handled the Espanta Muerto dried in a bag, or half dried leaves in a brown paper bag from the Botanica, and have yet to see, smell, touch and appreciate the whole plant, root, stem, leaf, bark, flower and to see the plant in its natural environment where one can witness what insects, animals and other Relatives it attracts and coexists with.  


In a time where the transportation of everything from food to "things" has reached ridiculous and unnecessary proportions, as people who care for Mother Earth and whose Spirituality is based on the Powers (Mpungos and Cemis) of Mother Earth, we need to root ourselves, as our Ancestors did, in our local environment, the spaces that we occupy in the here and now as much as possible.  We need to embrace the small space that the Great Mpungo has placed us within the great Fundamento of Life (Mother Earth).  


Having said this, we also have a house full of tropical Bano Plantas which we carry inside every winter so that they survive, and yes we use them for Spiritual Purposes.  However, flexibility and adaptation to where we find ourselves, is essential for continued Thriving and for continued Healing of the Sacred Womb of Life.  It is this Thriving and Healing of the Sacred Womb of Life that is our greatest priority as Paleros and as Tainos and as Human-Spiritual Beings!

Note: We also utilize the hawthorne tree which has big thorns and is also native here, as another Espanta Muerto plant.

Palo Muerto, Palo Vivo

 

A forest is a natural extension of the Munanso for a Palero.  It is the space into which the Palero moves in order to gather ingredients for the various Medicines, Fundamentos, and Trabajos that are required.  Inside the forest the dance of life and death is a constant reality as the trees thrive with the help of fungi, and tiny tiny organisms so often overlooked or even despised by so called modern society, and together they all are instrumental in producing the very foundation of our lives that feeds us all, the precious top soil.  In the forest the Palero can retreat from the concrete and lawns that make up so much of the once fruitful Indigenous Land that has been stripped, desecrated and "sterilized" in the name of progression and civilization.  

As Paleros we are blessed to live in a forest, a forest large enough to provide us with all the wood we need for fire, heat, structures, fences and especially all the wood we need for our Munanso.  In appearance all trees look grayish and brownish at first glance.  As we approach closer we see different shades within the grey and brown, perhaps some yellows, reds, even orange tints.  However it is once we cut or split open the wood that the true beauty of it is visible.  First we notice the aroma of the various woods, from the spicy scent of the sassafrass tree to the well known scent of the cedar.  Then we notice the colors within the wood, colors we are surprised by when we only know of the tree from its bark.

As the splitting of the wood takes place the Palero splitting the wood becomes aware first hand of the various properties of the wood, some splits easily, others with more difficulty and the life within the wood becomes visible.  The Palero sees beetles, spiders, various insects eating the wood, making homes in the wood, laying eggs in the wood.  In these photos these insects and spiders are visible, as well as the shapes they make in the wood, trails and homes.  To see the wood as simply just the tree itself, unconnected to the life which inhabits it and which it inhabits is a form of modern ignorance, which as Paleros we must overcome to truly understand the Spirits and Energies that we work with in our Munansos every day.  Palo, as stated many times by many people, means "stick" and working with the forest, whether by growing trees to renew the forest, or by harvesting and splitting the wood for something so mundane but so miraculous as heating our home is an opportunity to interrelate with the Spirits of the various trees and learn directly from those Spirits!

As Paleros who live outside of the Ancestral homeland, we find ourselves confronted with the reality of winter, a season of cold and ice where warmth is a necessity.  For many Paleros warmth is a thermostat that controls the burning of oil, propane, gas or electricity.  We all know the evils of these materials from the pollution at all points in their refinement process, to the wars and conflicts over the control of these materials.  Additionally in our area electricity is produced primarily from nuclear power and coal mining.  Nuclear power is clearly an insanely dangerous source of power and the coal mining comes from "mountain top removal" that has desecrated and continues to desecrate huge areas of Appalachia, especially poisoning the rivers, one of our our most sacred Misterios, fresh water being so essential to our lives and the lives of "all our relatives" upon the Earth.  At this point we heat our home exclusively with the wood from our forest.  We replenish that wood by planting native trees every year, and selecting only the weak trees to remove or by harvesting trees that have naturally died or the branches broken off in storms.  At the same time we use the small branches which are not useful in our wood stove or for cooking to renew the topsoil and to create gardens and orchards.  We also use the abundance of wood for structural components in the house and in the Munanso.  Paleros appreciate the wood for its spiritual properties within the Fundamento or for its powder that can be used in trabajos or amulets of many varieties, however there is a whole world and depth of understanding that comes when working with the trees themselves in ways that extend beyond the confines of a basement, closet, urban or suburban Munanso.

Within the wood in the photo above the bugs have created a crevice, creating not only a natural sculpture that can be appreciated as a work of natural art, but also imbuing this wood with additional spiritual properties that cannot or should not be overlooked by the Palero.  As Paleros we have not been immune to the devastating effects of propaganda, advertisements, commercialization of life, and the watering down of wisdom and education.  Although we practice a tradition that sprung from the Spirit of Resistance to the invasive spirit that came to reduce our communities to commodities to be controlled, we have also suffered the mental incarceration that has come to enslave us all in the here and now.  It is a journey, a transformation, an evolution to follow the Ancestral Spirit of our Tradition in its process of liberating our Minds, which in turn leads us to making choices to liberate our Lives to the greatest extent that we can, to the full lengths to which our arms can reach in the time that we have been given to walk upon the Earth.   Within this trail our Children are also blessed by this evolution to continue the mental liberation and the liberation of their lives as they can build upon the foundations that we strive for today.  

The forest is a University wherever it be found in the world, and with the availability of information today (unlike ever before), we can easily find insight and history regarding the properties of the various trees, once we are able to identify them, however it is our immediate senses (sight, taste, smell, touch and most importantly the voice of our Ancestors speaking to us) that make those "facts" that are easy to find, a living breathing reality.  The voices of the Ancestors bridge the gap (that has become a gaping hole in the educational system) between facts and Wisdom.  

In the above photo the white splotch is a spider web right within the tree that has just been split and in the photo below we can see the fungus growing on the outside of the tree.  The spider is a very sacred spirit to us, to the point that we do not intentionally kill spiders.  Fungus has a bad reputation in today's ignorant modern society where it is viewed as a bringer of disease to be sterilized out of all areas of our lives.  However mycellium the true body of the fungus (fungus just being the "fruit" you see) is the foundation of the health and nutrition of our planet!  Many beneficial fungi are powerful medicine allies in overcoming diseases and carry a high price tag in health food stores!  As Paleros we need to remember that the Earth (the great Fundamento we all live inside of) naturally covers herself in forests (Palos if you will), and most of the open spaces we see today are man-made and man-maintained with endless tree cutting and vegetation cutting that goes on every growing season at great expense and use of limited resources.  The forest creates, with fallen leaves and wood rotting into the Earth, a perfect environment for a huge fungal network (mycellium) that powers the soil fertility cycle and gives natural health and healing to the many organisms living within it.  We also utilize some of our trees to cultivate edible and medicinal mushrooms such as Oyster and Shitake as we happen to have trees varieties that are perfectly suited to these edible mushrooms.    Essentially trees are the "food" for the fungi and fungi are essential in the process of death of the tree, decay of the tree that creates topsoil that allows further growth of trees and plants.  At this time where we have a top soil crisis globally due to chemical farming and deforestation, the importance of this process of care taking a healthy forest and restoring topsoil to the gardens and orchards we caretake is essential to us as human beings, but also is essential work to us as Paleros.

Being initiated as Paleros means many different things to many different Paleros depending on their perspective and story.  For some being initiated was a quick fix for certain issues within their lives, for others it is part of a business, an opportunity to profit.  Some take on a gangster mentality regarding Palo, and some take on a romanticized view of being Palero.  Some Paleros sadly only have the local botanica to rely on for their essential ingredients and some Paleros allow negative experiences with their fellow Paleros to isolate them from actively practicing the Tradition.  To us these are all effects of the process of colonialism and mental slavery.


Within our Munanso we recognize Initiation as the beginning of a journey hand in hand with the Spirits of the Ancestors and the Mpungos themselves deep into the worlds of the Misterios as they reflect in the world around us.  It is a journey back into the Ancestral Minds and the Ancestral Wisdoms that still vibrate in the natural world, a rediscovery of the many insights the Ancestors had regarding the great Mpungo, the great Fundamento - Ntoto, Mother Earth herself.  Every day relating to the natural world, coming back into real relationships with her, brings wisdom and a profound appreciation. We also emphasize bringing the Initiate "off the cross", in other words freeing the individual from the incarceration created by the image of the human sacrifice of the so called "Jesus" that keeps many of our Sisters and Brothers entrapped in a network of lies, deceptions and cultural genocide.

When the difference between your home being 60 degrees or 30 degrees is between the tree, your axe, your mallet and your maul, a great appreciate arises for the empowerment that the trees give to us.  Our trees give us the empowerment to reject nuclear and coal as sources of warmth for us, the beauty of that also being that through this process we also ensure the health of our forest and gardens.  Here we have an example of the Palo representing power in real and practical terms, now when we put the Palo into the Fundamento (or carve a Cemi from that Palo or spiritual Baton or what have you) we have a greater appreciation of that Palo but we also carry within us in our action of placing that Palo into that Fundamento greater strength and power because of the empowerment manifesting in our lives through the choices and actions of reclaiming our empowerment within heating our home.  The strength of the Fundamento is not just in its raw ingredients but also in the Wisdom and Spiritual- Ancestral Strength of the Palero placing those raw ingredients into the Fundamento.  By empowering ourselves in our lives in terms of our relationship with Mother Earth and all her Relations, we empower our Ancestors and we empower the movements that we make within our Munansos.

The beauty of the wood tells us its story and not only its story but the story of the environment that it grew in, the weather patterns, the nutrient patterns, animal patterns, insect patterns, the cycles of the seasons and even human activity.  In all the wood we have chopped never have we found an "ugly wood" or "bad smelling wood", it is all beautiful, amazing and aromatic, which tells us that we as humans have a profound connection to the trees (and all the plants), it tells us that the name Palo does not just refer to "sticks" but refers to a deep relationship to the forest and an understanding that it is the forest that is our natural home.  It is not a coincidence that colonialism came with so much deforestation because colonialism came with the spirit to kill and destroy our Traditions and Cultures.  As Paleros we must never forget that our Tradition arose from the Spirit of Resistance to Colonialism and that today that battle continues although now it is much more insidious, manipulative and deceptive.

Below the wood has begun a process of decay through the insect activity within it.  Death is occurring within the tree intertwined with the life of the tree, just as it is occurring within us, as cells within our bodies die off and are renewed simultaneously constantly renewing our physical body.  Even within the roots of the tree the tree cycles between the growth and dying off of the roots as essential to maintaining a healthy vibrant tree.  It is within the dance of life and death that vibrant health arises, it is not through the fearing of death and decay but the conscious working with those cycles that allow us to thrive.

Below is just one example of one of our native trees in this area, the Osage Orange tree (also nicknamed "monkey brains").  The Osage Orange tree was used by Osage Indigenous People to make Bows from its exceptionally strong yet bendable wood.  Its color inside is a beautiful yellow.  It is extremely resistant to rot, making it perfect for fence posts, but can also be cultivated to make living fences that can keep animals in or out of areas.  It can protect a garden or flock of chickens from "predators".    Below a section of Osage Orange has been sanded and prepared for use as a structural material and the powder resulting from sanding has been collected in the jar.  Paleros utilize many different powders in the course of work within the Munanso.  This powder collected here is a great powder for our Munanso, naturally holding properties of Protection, Strength and Endurance.  The true beauty of the wood is revealed when sanded at which point we see how extraordinary this ordinary tree really is!  It is the journey of the Palero to make these discoveries whenever the opportunity arises so that we do not take our Tradition for granted or contribute to the assault and negative reputation that falls upon Palo that unfortunately occurs on a daily basis as many Paleros are well aware of.  It is in the hands of Paleros themselves to reclaim the Tradition from the ravages of colonialism, and the ongoing ravages of industrialization and global greed and destruction.

What does it all mean? Vittiti

Here we continue on our Camino of Chola Wengue.  Looking carefully at all the photos below we see layer upon layer of Spirit manifestation, in the waters, trees, stones, in the play between them all, within the Spider web.  These manifestations remind us of cosmic images, of images from wombs, of various animals, and of many human Spirits.  Depending on which layer we focus on, we can see multiple manifestations layered upon one another from the river bed to the surface of the water, like many layered veils.  As we come to realize and develop our eyes to have the Vittiti (spiritual eye) to see these Spirits, not only in photos but when we are right in front of them, the question arises "what does it all mean?"  

The language of words, especially written words, has come to dominate our minds.  Starting early in our (mis)educational process we are taught that there is a right answer and that it is desirable and we will be praised if we get this "right answer".  The educational system is dominated by a very intellectual and quasi-rational approach to the Spiritual Phenomenon which is life.  While this system prides itself on its "objectivity" it has many blind spots because of its inherent "subjectivity".  As a child we are guided away from seeing and understanding the subtle symbols and energies that are all around us.  The subtle energies of life are dismissed, pushed aside, and we are led further and further away from our natural understanding of the language of the Spirit, who always speaks in symbols.  Our minds become increasingly calcified into superficial thinking, and our minds have meltdowns when confronted with anything complex or profound.  


Even within systems of Divination, there are many practitioners who approach Divination under the influence of this mis-education, and therefore who can only Divine the superficial, acting more as "psychic readers" who will let you know if your spouse is being faithful or your boss is going to fire you and then prescribe various "brujerias/ travajos" to counter these issues.  A true Diviner will be able to understand the Divine Message she or he is receiving  within the shells, or within the waters of the River, the Ashes of the Fire, the Stones of the Mountain and so on.  The Misterios are always sending us messages, it is our ability to first recognize and then understand these messages that is stunted.

Our daughter heard us discussing Vittiti (spiritual sight) and came in on our conversation to add "Vittiti is not only seeing from your Eye but from your Heart".  Vittiti is only possible through the eye of the heart that reaches out to connect with the Misterios around it.  Understanding the symbols we see in these images in the water requires that we suspend our intellectual habit that constantly wants to categorize and qualify whatever it perceives.  By immediately interpreting and categorizing what we see, we block out the more profound messages that it is bringing.  Vittiti allows to us suspend this mental behavior to allow the symbol we are witnessing to speak to us in the heart, and from that place our minds can interpret what our heart is recognizing.  

When we look at Taino Petroglyphs or a Patipemba, we are seeing symbols that have multiple dimensions, multiple meanings and multiple trails within them.  We will understand them to the depth that our minds can go at the particular time we look upon them.  We could be told what they "mean" and we can then parade around with this intellectual knowledge, but to truly understand them we need to recognize them internally, in our hearts, and allow our "definition and knowledge" of them to come from the heart, not from an external "expert".  It has been external "experts" that greatly contributed to the mental enslavement that we suffer from and greatly contributed to our miseducation and our subsequent "lazy minds" that want to entertain themselves constantly in the "superficial".  Becoming a "Palero", or waking up to being "Taino" initiates a process of re-education where our minds recover from their calcification and become agile and flexible once again, and are able to return to their higher function of serving the Spirit's voice rather than serving the voice of the oppressors of life.

The spider weaves her web and waits patiently for the prey to become caught in her web, where it exhausts itself struggling to disentangle itself.  When we see the spider by the river, we need to ask ourselves, are we the spider or her prey?  Are we struggling in someone else's web, or are we a spider in the web of life creating connections between all the Misterios of the Universe?  In the photo above the web appears to have stars in it like a night sky, and the stars are connected by the web fibers as if someone is drawing the connections between stars to illustrate the meaning of the constellations within the cycles of life.  If we are not a "spider" within the web of our life (especially as a Palero, a Bruja, Brujo) then we are the prey getting caught up in the orchestrated chaotic energies of society going from one drama to the next.  Note that the Spider is often referred to as a female entity (Grandmother) and as a Creator/Generator of Life, the matriarchal deity if you will.   The Spider is a Ngangulera weaving the threads of her world rather than being the debris caught in the threads.  Here she sits in the center of the web, as if in the eye of the Hurricane, where she is the mover and shaker of her world.  

Within these particular photos many of the Misterios visible are remarkably "feminine" in energy.  Now, if we were to come to the River in a different moment we may see primarily masculine energies.  To us, it is significant that these were the Misterios who showed us their faces on this day, and we had to allow our minds to become active and open up the Eye of the Heart to see the symbols and images and to Divine the meaning of them.  We ask the question "what does it all mean" and we know immediately that it means a great deal, but that being mentally lazy will never allow us to get beyond the "what does it all mean?" stage of the experience.

We also understand that the Misterio has a mastery of language that make us look like babies in our immature abilities to communicate.  The same River can communicate simultaneously two different stories and messages to two different people who look upon her waters.  The River can communicate multiple different messages to one person that looks upon her waters.  We are fortunate that we have photos that "capture" these images and many can enjoy these photos from the computer.  However our presence at the River and the eye of our Spirit, the eyes of our Ancestors walking with us, are the most important aspect of this Divination, because as we walk along the River, overwhelmed in a way by the sensations, sounds, energies, and millions of images, our Ancestors are communicating, divining and understanding the messages of the Misterio of the River, Stones, Sun....  Their presence in those moments (through our physical presence, our body, our DNA) is what truly allows us to Divine what we see in these photos.  


The photo below clearly shows a primordial human entity, the image reminding us of two things immediately, a fetus in the dark of the womb (almost like an ultrasound image) and also of the Taino Cohoba Cemis (very skeletal).  This entity clearly is busy doing something, taking ACTION, digging, fishing, plowing... This is a profound communication coming from the world of the Misterio and requires our ongoing contemplation to fully appreciate the depths of it.  Cohoba Ceremony has everything to do with standing on the crossroads of Life and Death and communicating with the world of the Ancestors directly.  The fetus is making the transition from the world of the Ancestors to the world of the Living.  In fact there are many images within these photos of Skeletons, and Kiumbas.

We always take into consideration the context of the Camino.  We never isolate the Camino from its context, historical and contemporary.  This park had been heavily logged to feed the iron furnace nearby for hundreds of years, then it became a presidential retreat, trees were planted and its recovery process began.  It is a space that has been raped and abused, and today it is a space that many come to enjoy the forest, river and mountain, but with what "consciousness"?  Is it with the consciousness of Reconciliation, or is it with the consciousness of exploitation?  Or is this place a battle ground of these two opposing Cultures?

Within these images we also see the bear appear, both within the waters and in the stone.  Of course bears were once in this area, and once in a while they reappear briefly.  Bears are natural medicine animals and utilize herbs to enhance and protect their health.  Great respect is given to bears among those cultures who live in "bear country", from the Indigenous People of this continent, to the Indigenous People of what is now called Russia, Siberia, Asia and Europe.  In fact tracing the bear we find that there was an Ancient Bear Goddess in Europe who was the Goddess of Nature, connected with "shamanism".  Bears are associated with Medicine and Medicine People all over their territories.  This Bear Goddess was of course the target of  christianity, and was shunned and pushed to the side.  We see more recent manifestations of this behavior in the witch hunts of Europe and in this country both in the witch hunts of caucasian witches in "new england" and the witch hunts of our Indigenous Ancestors all over this continent who were barred from speaking our Ancient Language, and who were barred from practicing the Spirituality of our Culture.  This bear is speaking about this oppression, and connecting this oppression globally and across time, across thousands of years and thousands of miles.  It is the oppression of our cultures and the denigration and destruction of the Mothers of Life (women) and pushing aside of the Feminine Divinities, replacing them with a singular male divinity.  

Although our cultures have sustained much damage, records and books were destroyed, Cemis destroyed or stolen, Carvings decimated, Cemeteries robbed, Sacred Grounds polluted, and our memories distorted, the voice of the Spirit remains clear and vibrant.  We may have had our language taken, so much that there are Paleros out there who claim that if one does not speak spanish, one is not a real Palero...!  However, the language of Mother Earth, the language of the Misterios is something that cannot be destroyed or stolen, it is too complex, too profound, too multidimensional and too relentless to be silenced.  Here the River is telling us that she has stored all the stories, she has not forgotten one of them, and that at any given moment she will begin to share their secrets with the Diviner.

As we continue to follow the bear we see a cosmic connection...  the Bear Goddess in Europe and the Bear Spirit on this continent is associated with the constellation "the Big Bear" (the Big Dipper, the Big Dog).  This constellation is see by our Ancient Taino Ancestors as a constellation connected to the arrival of the Hurakan (Hurricane Season) and the story of Guahayona, Anacacuya and Guabonita (Medicine Teacher).  The Bear is the messenger between the world of the Dead and the world of the Living, just as the Taino Dog (or South American Dog) travels between these two worlds.  The Bear's message of Feminine Medicine, Feminine Power and the Power of the Natural World (Mpungos) connects cosmically to the story of Guabonita, powerful Taino Medicine Woman Teacher through this particular constellation (BIG BEAR).  The Misterio is bringing up a primordial root to our Ancient Cultures globally.  They are not all diverse, independent, non-connected "cultures" they are evolutions of an Ancient common Spiritual Root (which has nothing to do with what is spoken about in new age circles as Lemuria, Atlantis and the like (pure fantasy)).  

Below we see a dog or bear moving through the water, connecting again to Taino- Opiel Guabiron- the Cemis that travels between the world of the Living and the world of the Dead.  

What a Camino of Chola Wengue, and how much more profoundly do we understand her now!  We understand more about this particular River, and more about the Misterio herself.  This understanding takes time, it takes focus and concentration and it also take heart, because it is the heart that understands the value of this exploration which has nothing to do with the usual needs and greeds of life.  It is this exploration that truly empowers us and allows us evolve and develop as Paleros, Tainos, Indigenous People, People with Trato, with Initiation, and to develop and evolve as the "Walking Sticks" of our Ancestral Trees!

Mama Chola's whispered Stories

Water is the Mother of Life upon this Planet, and our evolutionary process rises out from the Primordial Oceans to then walk upon the Land.  Although we left our watery "homeland" (in terms of the Evolutionary Process and in terms of our Birthing from our Mother's Womb), we continue to submerge ourselves in water on a daily basis.  We have the ability to swim, dive, and float upon the waters, in both River and Ocean, and when we do this we are entering a more Ancient World in terms of our Story.  

In the terms of our Mother's Womb, we need to understand that this Womb is much more than a simple sack of fluid in our Mother's Uterus.  Womb is a manifestation on a microcosmic level of the Macrocosmic Maternal Womb of all life.  Our Mother's Womb is a doorway from that Cosmic World to this particular experience upon and within Mother Earth.  Our Mother's Womb holds the power to carry us through a whole process of evolution from a tiny embryo, through stages where we appear like Ocean Creatures, to the formation of the Fetus and recognizable human features.  Our Mother's protective Medicine Pouch (Placenta) is a defense and a nurturer for our process of incarnation, coming from the World of the Ancestors to the World of the so called "Living".  In Taino Understanding the Lagoon is the entry way/ passage way to the World of the Ancestors.  We also place clear containers of Water for the Fundamento, we go through much effort to make Spiritual Baths which are primarily Water, and we utilize water to refreshen all kinds of situations.  


To us in this Munanso we find it offensive when some Paleros describe the Woman's Menstrual Cycle as a weakness, and describe Yayis as weak because of this.  We have also heard Tainos say that women cannot be "Medicine People" and cannot be involved with the Medicine at all.  In terms of Taino this ignorant statement contradicts one of the powerful Taino Myths regarding a powerful Medicine Woman named "Guabonita" who taught the Casike "Guahayona"  the secrets of the Medicine.  In terms of Life itself these ignorant misconceptions contradict the evidence that Life herself continually gives us, demonstrating the power of the Woman's Menstrual Cycle and the Power of Woman's ability to Nurture and Give Birth to new Life.

When entering any body of water, whether it be Ocean, Lake, River, Waterfall, Lagoon, we need to recognize that we are entering manifestations of our Mother's Womb and that we are entering manifestations of Mother Earth's Womb that has given birth to Life in all the diversity that we enjoy from her.  Waters should never have become dumping grounds either physically or spiritually, yet today they have become both.  When we walked to this (relatively) pristine River, we were immediately struck by her Golden Color and how her Waters were the texture and color of Honey.  The Waters were clear and we could see to the bottom where many Misterios looked back at us.  We were able to submerge ourselves in her cool waters, refreshening in ways that are never possible using indoor plumbing.  In some parts we saw many tiny fish.

In all these photos many Spirits are easily visible, some fierce, some ancient, some beyond what we may even recognize.  And it is important to note that it is the currents of the River that has moulded the expressions of the Spirits that become visible upon the stones.  She has "revealed" them, if you will.  Our Ancient Taino Ancestors carved Cemis from Stones, revealing the Spirit that had been "hidden" in the Stone or piece of Wood.  In this sense Mama Chola is the carver of the Cemis that are found within her.  The photo below clearly shows the face of a Spirit looking directly at us.  In giving this some contemplation, we realize that Mama Chola, the Spirit of the River, is creating "Medicine".  

On the particular day that we came to this River, we had been hearing a Palero, who will remain unnamed, speaking on the internet about how Yayis are weak because their menstrual cycle, and talk too much, and that Yayis are not even allowed in some Munansos.  In our walk to the River, the River herself spoke to us, not through the internet, but through her Waters, her Stones, and the glimpses that she gave us into her world.  We need to consider the historical facts of colonialism of our Matri-focal cultures by paternalistic aggressive western mentalities.  These onslaughts of colonialism with its genocide and enslavement of our Peoples, left its scars that we are still struggling to heal from.  The most dangerous of those scars are the ones that we do not even realize are scars because of the scar tissue of ignorance that covers them.  The degrading of women and the describing of the Powerful Cycle that allows our Human Experience (the Menstrual Cycle) as weak is  one of the scars of colonialism and genocide that still haunts us.  

Other schools of thought blur the line of the Menstrual Cycle and try to attempt to give it a function with the Man, which is yet another scar from colonialism.  Some Tainos (who will remain unnamed) depict "Guakar", a female Misterio relating to the Menstrual Cycle of Women, as a masculine force.  This is another psychological scar that still seeks to undermine the Power of Mother, the Power of the Menstrual, the Power of the Mother giving Birth!


For those who have never read Willie Lynch's speech to his fellow slave owners,  we suggest reading it for a better understanding of the psychic attack that we as a Culture, as a People, as Communities and as Families, as Women and as Children and as Men endured and continue to endure.   Note that the individual "Willie Lynch" is described as a slave owner in the West Indies giving a speech to slave owners in Virginia on how to keep control and power over their 'slaves'.   We also suggest reading "The Dark Side of Christian History" by Helen Ellerbe for a deeper understanding of the energies within Christianity, the same Christianity that was forced upon our Indigenous ways through violence and psychic attacks.  It is important not to turn a blind eye to the story of the past, because it is only through facing the stories of the past that we can detoxify our mental bodies in the present and break free from our mental enslavement.  

Many within our Traditions come to the River to address "love issues", issues between Women and Men, issues of Marriage, and issues of fertility.  This is of course very appropriate.  We come bringing the River honey to sweeten these relationships in our lives, to open up energies of healthy relationships and love, and this is wonderful and good.  The River will take us as deeply into these trails as we are willing to "dive", and when we dive below the surface of our "apparent" need, we find the stories of our Ancestors vibrating within her waters, taking us to much more profound levels concerning our "issue with love, relationship and fertility".  We have seen the River enable Children to be Born to so called "infertile" parents, we have seen the River heal tumultuous relationships, we have seen the River open up doorways for relationships of love.  We have also seen how the River always has a deeper story to tell to us, if we are willing to listen, because these issues are never just a phenomenon of the present, they are trails linking to the Ancient Past, and the trails are not often nearly as beautiful as the River appears on this day.  

With all her beauty when flowing through a bright, clear summer's day, we have to also remember the tumultuous, debris ridden raging aspect of her that appears from rains from storms, and recognize that we are not dealing with a split personality, where we can relate to one without relating to the other, we are interrelating with a whole Mpungo, a whole Entity, and we offend that Mpungo when we look at her from limited perspectives, just as we offend the Mother of Life when we look at her daughters from limited perspectives, calling Yayis weak and indicating Yayis lack discipline.  Rape is rampant upon this Earth and is used as a weapon of war, globally.  In terms of the "homeland" of our tradition, Kongo, we see that every day hundreds of Women, Girls and Babies are raped, and this is certainly not the only place Women are being raped on daily basis.  Violence is used against the Mother's of Life and on a minute, yet significant, level when Tata's find themselves speaking down about Yayis, this violence is perpetuated further, and when women are sidelined and told they cannot "learn the Medicine" again this violence continues.  Some claim it is "tradition" but that has to be examined closely and the legacy of colonialism and its christianity, both on the African continent prior to the Atlantic slave trade, and on this continent, needs to be factored in as a real pollutant of our "Traditions".   Once we recognize it as the pollutant that it is, we can break our  enslavement in the most important place, and that is within our Spirituality.

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.