A glimpse into the world of the Muertos!

Photographs have the ability to catch a view of a particular moment in time and give us the opportunity to examine that view in greater detail with our awake minds, rather than have the view enter mostly our subliminal minds.  In the cases where the photograph appears to be "blurry" we can sometimes see more clearly!  The photograph above is one of those photos.  This was taken on El Dia de los Muertos, and one of the most prominent images is that of multiple Kiumba suspended above the Prenda.  It appears as a mass tomb.  Through this photo we get a glimpse of an aspect of who we are making the offerings to.  Certainly we can see that Los Muertos did come forth for the offering- It was received. 

Through glimpses such as this one, we gain a greater appreciation for the multi-dimensionality of working with Nkisi.  The physical Nkisi is only one aspect of what we are working with, this is important to contemplate so that we do not place limitations on our practice.  Through studying the story of our People in the Caribbean, we come to understand and realize that there is a tremendous amount of distortion that has taken place through the process of colonialism and industrialization.  The Palero of "Old" was very much connected to the Earth and in harmony with the seasonal shifts, cycles, and so on that allow the expression of life upon the Earth.  Through industrialization and the power conflicts between various colonizers which threw our Caribbean homes into one agenda after another, (and continue to do so today), the Palero of "Old" has been marginalized and replaced by the americanized and urbanized Palero and the agendas of urban (and in some cases sub-urban) survival.  The Cabildos of Cuba were certainly not exempt from these historical processes, and we must remember the waves of Cubans who came to Norte America and the circumstances of those migrations.  Then we must revisit Africa and the broad diversity of Culture and Spirituality that existed prior to Colonialism and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to further understand the diversity of Spirituality that was brought into the Caribbean which already had its own diversity from Island to Island and even within Islands!!!  We have a tendency to utilize the terms "Bantu and Kongo" as if it is a very precise and distinct "Culture and Spirituality", however the Bantu lands are vast and the various expressions of the Traditions are also vast.  

We have been practicing Palo for many years and throughout those years much has been accomplished. Those years have seen a lot of spiritual battles, very much power struggles, where there have been those seeking to control the practice of the tradition according to their agenda.  We have seen it over and over again.  There are those who proclaim that only they know the "true Palo Mayombe", that their line of Palo is the most superior, and all other manner of nonsense.  We have seen a lot of wonderful successes through working with the Mpungo.  We have come a great distance in our personal lives as well.  Our Munanso has grown in strength and beauty and wisdom.  At this point we are very at ease in sharing a glimpse into one of our sacred moments within Ceremony.  There are those who feel that sharing this type of image could open us up to having our Muertos "pulled", however we are not concerned or intimidated by these types of cyberspace bully tactics. 

In the 4 moments of the Sun, we have the Cycle of our Human Experience within the Cycle of Life and the Cycles of the Community of Life.  We see that we have growth cycles and we aspire to gain "mastery" over our specialties.  Once we have come to the self-realization of what our speciality is in the first place, we must cultivate that to it fullest fruiting possible and then as good community members find ways to share that fruit in ways that will be for the benefit of evolution and progression.   We come to the point in that process of mastery where hoarding wisdom, boasting about wisdom that we are not sharing, and making a business out of our wisdom is totally unacceptable.  

There are many Paleros who have good insights and wisdom to offer the greater Palo Community, who are intimidated away from sharing that wisdom because of a system that is in place of intimidation, secrecy and taboos.  It is a system with so many "rules" and things that must be done by special "secret ceremony" that it becomes rigid and fails in its greater purpose of empowering the community to thrive.  Today Palo is, to a great extent, failing its traditional purpose.  In the following posts we are going to look closely at some of the prevailing misconceptions that are being promoted by Paleros who have hidden or blatant agendas or who are simply confused themselves.  There is a marketing campaign going on with Palo Mayombe, and it does a tremendous disservice to our Tradition.

We will begin by looking at the Palo itself!

"Simba Simbi"

The pathway into the Munanso

Our pathways to our Munanso lead through dense brush, and twist and turn so that it is not possible to see directly into the Munanso from the outside.  The pathway is lined with various bushes, vines and trees, including thorn bushes and poison ivy vine.  These both act as protectors of the pathway.  

 Poison ivy is a notorious plant, while some people do not get a rash from it, even when handling it barehanded, most do, and some people get a rash from walking by it without even touching it!  It also changes its potency at different times of the year.  In summer it is a shiny green three leafed vine, in fall it changes to beautiful reds and oranges.  It is an oil that it releases that is the poison.  The poison ivy grows eventually to a very thick hairy vine, which is  very potent and we use it spiritually for various purposes, year round.

Poison ivy twines itself up trees and can reach high up into the branches.  Looking at the tree it is easy to mistake the poison ivy for the tree leaves.

Poison ivy may at first appear as a one dimensional "poison" however it has various properties that allow us to understand that it is a very multi-dimensional plant.  Historically it was used by Indigenous people of this country to develop immunity to it, they would do this in a "homeopathic" way by ingesting small amounts to trigger the body to develop immunity.  This resulted in the vast majority of the population being immune to this vine that they would have undoubtedly encountered all around.  This is significant to us as Paleros and Tainos because this poison ivy at our pathways "allows" the Indigenous Spirit through, but stops the spirit of colonialism, imperialism and all the other -isms in their tracks.  Today there is a homeopathic remedy made from poison ivy called Rhus Tox, which is highly useful.  


Another aspect of poison ivy is that human beings are the only ones allergic to the poison ivy.  Goats in particular love to eat poison ivy, and certain species of birds feed on its berries in the winter when food is scarce.  Again, poison ivy "allows" in all the animal Spirits and bird Spirits, only stopping those human Spirits who hold the thinking that those things that do not benefit them should be annihilated, (usually with round up).  


Not only did the Indigenous People of this country utilize the poison ivy to develop immunity to it, they also utilized it to make baskets, and (we have heard) as a remedy for ring worm.  So it did have beneficial properties for people who were NOT engaging genocidal approaches to Mother Earth's children (Plants, Animals and People!).    It is fascinating to us to notice the various changes from year to year that our Spiritual Spaces undergo, and to gain wisdom and knowledge in the pursuit of understanding why these changes are occurring.  At this time the Land here is leading us on a trail of transforming our thinking concerning care taking Land, especially with regard gardens and our Ceremonial Spaces.  Many years ago we would have launched a painful process of trying to remove the poison ivy, however at this point we have come to the realization that things appear for a reason and that Mother Earth is always seeking Balance and Healing, and so we are much more open to her need for the poison ivy, and the Spirit of the Munanso's need for the poison ivy, so that we can also understand our need for the poison ivy, and learn to live in harmony with it, and learn to use it for protection and within the processes of healing for others.  Knowing even a little bit of the "story" of a particular plant, guides us greatly in our own discovery of the uses of that plant!

River Plants

During this heat wave that is hitting us, we were out by the River taking photos for a book that we are writing on Palo Gardens and Plants, and our daughter was walking with her father who was taking the photos.  Most of the River here is shallow but he entered a deeper part and told her to wait for him.  I heard our daughter call out excitedly, she had found Wild Mint growing right on the river bank.  Standing with her feet in the cold river she said "something told me to smell this plant and it is mint".  Sure enough it was mint, and the same variety of mint that we had purchased at a herb festival for our garden the month before.   It is mountain mint that is native to this area, so we had wanted to reintroduce it to our Land.


I was very proud of our little 6 year old, not only for accurately identifying the mint upon smelling it, but also because she was listening to her Spirit who is guiding her.  It also is a wonderful example of what we are going to be including in our book concerning the Palero's Garden!  The mint was growing only 30 feet away from where our daughter's father had first put her in the river at the age of 8 months old.  She has been going to that river ever since, and there are many medicinal plants growing wild in that area that we enjoy identifying and appreciating, but we had never seen mint here before!!!


Many of us have to go to Botanicas or supermarkets to purchase mint.  We do not know where or under what conditions that mint is grown or what variety of mint it is.  There are hundreds of different varieties of mint- we grow 7 different varieties here.  This particular River has a very profoundly strong Spirit, and we have spent a lot of time over the years up and down this river, because there is also large hills on both sides of the River with lots of beautiful rock formations and old forest, and even a waterfall off the beaten trail.    This river was tremendously beautiful on this particular day and its Spirit resonates all around, so this mint is growing right in that resonance and utilizing the water from the river to grow because it grows right on the bank itself.  

Right next to the river grow all the plants necessary to create a spiritual bath or travajo, or bilongo to pull the energy of this Spirit that can flow around obstacles, clear out old debris, renew life, and refreshen over heated situations.  In fact we had come to the river to refreshen ourselves from the intense heat that we had been working in.  You can see the mint in the photos among daylily leaves (sharp long spiky ones), I am pointing to the mint in the upper photo.  There is no comparison between harvesting your plantas personally from this type of location and buying them in the store.  There is also no substitute for teaching your children right from birth to be at home in the natural world, Mother Earth.


24 years ago the Tata was working with his Elder in Palo, and was instructed to go out into the city streets and harvest whatever plants called to him, whether they be plants growing through concrete cracks, by the railroad tracks, in parks, at the edges of back yards or what have you.  Then he was to prepare spiritual baths for both himself and his whole family.  He did this many times, even though at the time he generally was not identifying what plants he picked.  Today this practice has evolved to a whole different level as we have gardens and forest right on our Land that we harvest from and we have a growing body of knowledge concerning the identity and spiritual and medicinal properties of the plants.    Having walked this road, the Tata of our Munanso is very encouraging to others to step outside the rigid boundaries of reliance on commercial outlets and to begin to engage their own Ancestors to bring forth the plants that they need for their spiritual progress.  There were many baths the Tata created at that time that were very itchy (although he knew how to identify poison ivy and avoided that plant!) however as Paleros we know that sometimes that is exactly (meaning itch) what is needed.  I do recommend plant gatherers be able to recognize plants such as poison ivy, poison oak, sumac and other poisonous plants in order to avoid making a spiritual bath that can cause a painful rash.  


Our 6 year old (and 4 month old) are the direct beneficiaries of this trail, as our journey to gain wisdom on the many plants that are used spiritually, nutritionally and medicinally is directly feeding their growing wisdom.  I am happy and proud that our 6 year old knows far more about plants that either the Tata or myself did at 25 years old!  She is also clearly exercising her Spirit, as we are always testing her.  We do this because we do not want to raise a subordinated, disempowered Yayi!   It is moments like this when we get a glimpse of how much more powerful a practitioner of both Palo and Taino our daughter will be than we will ever be!!!

Yayi- Somos o no somos?

Woman's Nkisi has traditionally been for Fertility, Ease of Childbirth and Healthy Children.  Taino Female Cemis are also about Fertility and Children.  These Nkisi and Cemis are concerned with the Continuation of Life, which is the Vital Life Force of all People and is the Vital Life Force upon this Earth, within this Cosmic-Earthly Circumference that we find ourselves within.

Long before Humanity walked this Sacred Spherical Earth and much longer before someone decided to say that women came from the rib of man, the tiny organisms of life in the Oceans were reproducing, ensuring the next generation and the evolution of life.  The first organisms reproduced by simply replicating their DNA and dividing in half, a process that I (with a background in biology) as a Yayi suggest is a more reflective of female Ovums than male Sperms.  Ovums provide the "UNIVERSE"with its own snake of DNA into which the Sperm brings its complimentary snake of DNA.

In the depths of the Heart of this Continent in the Amazon, the practices of Ayahuasca have been practiced for millennia.  In the Ayahuasca ceremony two plants are used, the Banisteriopsis caapi  (Ayahuasca) Vine and the Psychotria viridis (Chacruna) Leaf.  Some describe the action of these two plants as the snake of the Chacruna penetrating the snake of the Ayahuasca producing Spiritual Visions!  From a scientific stand point there is an active ingredient in the Chacruna that is destroyed by the digestive system unless combined with a second compound in the Ayahuasca.  This potent combination allows the journey into the spiritual and biological foundation of life itself.

To demote the Yayi within Palo to a lesser role in any way is to bring ignorance to the Tradition.  A Yayi is just as powerfully equipped with Spiritual Power, Spiritual Vision and Spiritual Wisdom as the Tata, and has a rightful role to be just as active within the working of the Nkisi.  In many Munansos the Yayi is given a lesser role simply as a tactic of "power over"- a way to disempower the Yayi.  Some Paleros even suggest that Yayi's menstrual blood is "evil" and "bad", forgetting that the menstrual blood is what enable him to develop from a fertilized egg to a fetus, to a baby and to have children himself!

In our Munanso, the Yayi is as empowered as the Tata.  Here we can see various views of the Women's Nkisi Munanso which has a forest garden with various (mostly native) plants, seen above and below.  The plant above is Oswego Tea (Monarda) with both culinary and medicinal uses and used extensively by Indigenous People of this continent where it grows profusely.  The Munanso structure itself is built from trees from the Land itself with the gaps filled with a mixture of straw and mud.  An extension was built using stucco.  This Munanso is the home of multiple female Nkisi.

Various spaces around the Munanso are used for bringing the Nkisi out to absorb Sunlight and Moonlight, and as well for certain ceremonies.  Here vines wrap around the trees at the edge of the clearing.

Below Wild Ginger is a native spreading ground cover we brought into the forest garden.  Its rhizomes can be used for cooking (ginger flavor).

Below is Golden Seal, well known powerful medicinal, native to this region and used by Indigenous People here.  It became over harvested during colonialism and no longer covers the forest floors.  However, when re-introduced it grows well.  At one point the forests of this continent were more diverse but due to the abuse and ignorance brought upon them by greed and recklessness, they are in need of our contributions in terms of bringing back the diversity.  In the Women's Munanso's forest garden we are concerned with making this contribution as well as providing plants to be utilized medicinally, to eat and for spiritual purposes.

Below is a powerful women's herb, Black Cohosh.  This is a powerful herb used by generations to strengthen labor.

Sweet woodruff is a sweetly scented herb and groundcover, it is native to Europe and North Africa.

Remembering the Ayahuasca and Chacruna as a potent combination giving rise to profound vision and spirit, remembering the Ovum and Sperm as a potent combination giving rise to Life, and knowing that it is the female Universe (Ovum, Placenta, Uterus) that nourishes this Life, and it is the female "Milk" that provides Divine Nutrition to the growing baby, we state as fact that the Yayi is an ESSENTIAL component within a Healthy Munanso and is ESSENTIAL to the continuing Evolution of the Spiritual Traditions.  To negate or diminish the Yayi is to diminish the Tradition.

This fact has been shown within our Munanso, as the space for the Female Nkisis was created, the contribution brought forth by them was greatly enhanced and this contribution benefited the "whole" of the Munanso, the "whole" Family opening new pathways.  An example of this that we are willing to "share" is the Munanso Garden, which has brought more magic into the Munanso space as well as bringing a contribution to Mother Earth and us all.

Returning to Women's Nkisi and Women's Cemis and the Fertility and Ease of Childbirth and Healthy Children, we must also track along side the disempowerment of women within Palo, the disempowerment of women in the area unique to women, Pregnancy and Childbirth.  Traditionally women gave birth with the midwife at "home" where the power of the Nkisi and Cemi were utilized to empower and protect this process.  There was no "pain medication" other than herbs, no "inductions" other than herbs such as cohosh, no fetal monitoring other than the midwife's expert hands, and childbirth was "raw" and in this rawness childbirth empowered the women and was a true rite of passage.  Now women place themselves in the hands of institutions and a medical system that regards pregnancy as a disease, women give birth on their backs in disempowerment, frightened due to the scare tactics of the system, and in this country 32% get their uterus sliced open so the baby can come out, told that their uterus is not strong enough to push the baby out or their pelvis to small to allow the baby through, in other words they are not good enough, strong enough or competent enough to give birth, giving rise to a generation of babies born through a procedure that the women's body interprets as a violent attack, not a health giving process.  Birth pain is the only pain that is telling us something good is happening (a baby entering) and is not warning us of something wrong in the body.  The Nkisi and Cemis empowers women to trust and align with the power inherent in life that gives rise to all life, to trust and align with Mother Earth in those Rite of Passage Moments.

Above and Below, two faces of Nkisi, one African, one Taino, both powerful!

Somos o no somos!!!

Article by the Yayi of this Munanso.

Ceremonial Tree

Trato son Trato

There are agreements with the Living and there are Agreements with the Dead and there is the skillful use of Nkisi by the Brujo to navigate through difficult waters.  


The tree that is photographed here has a long story, and it is a story of agreements, Nkisi, and the wisdom of the Ancestors guiding the Brujo.  This tree was originally planted in a different location, where the Munanso was at the time, before this Land came about.  It was also originally a different tree.   

The original tree was planted Ceremonially with a large fundameto which was in the process of being created, underneath it.  The ceremonial purpose of the tree was to hold the winds of challenge and navigate the Munanso through the difficulties involved in transitioning from a state of "landlessness" to a state of "Land".  At the time there was additionally a great state of confusion created by those people and those spirits who did not want to see this transition occur due to their own mediocrity, jealousy, greed and even hatred.  


The day after the tree was planted Ceremonially, with the Nkisi underneath it, thousands of flies crowded around it, and the tree became infested with parasites and within a month it was dead as it took the spiritual impact of all the negativity and opposition to the transition we were bringing forth.   At this point we removed the dead tree, gave it to the sacred fire, and planted the tree you now see in these photos in the same place, right above the Nkisi.  This tree flourished since the original tree had absorbed all the vicious negativity and spiritual attacks that had been projected towards the Munanso.  

Once we were able to transition from "landlessness" to Land about a year later, we brought both the tree and a large marble stone that also came from the original location.  We removed the Nkisi from beneath the tree and the Nkisi continued its transformations to take on the form that it holds today.  The tree was again planted ceremonially to take up its rightful place within the Bateys of the Land.

Here the tree maintains it's thriving good health, and is quickly maturing, never showing any signs of the parasites that destroyed the original tree.  

We share this story to share a vital understanding that we hold within our Munanso, which is to always continue to develop one's spiritual practices beyond the confines or prejudices of the dominant "society".  This tree is a story of overcoming negativity, of victory within a spiritual battle.  This tree is also symbolic of the positive outcome of the Brujo listening to the Ancestral Spirit and not stubbornly walking with "blinders" on, being afraid to develop the spirituality further.


One thing that we know is that our Ancestors were constantly evolving and transforming the ways that they communicated with the Dead.  For example if we look at the spirituality of the Arawak peoples as the spirituality changed and evolved we see all through the chain of islands that is the Caribbean the diversity of spiritual practice, which all followed some central principles, yet was very different in its expressions.  Spirituality is an expression of the Essence of Ones Spirit inside of this Mother Earth that we find ourselves within the Community of the Living and the Dead.  By Living we also include all Living forms, and even include the minerals and metals of Mother Earth.  Spirituality is not a stagnation and it is not a dogma.  


Many Paleros like to utilize the term "Religion" to describe Palo, however that is a term that we personally find to represent a more dogmatic, stagnated form of spirituality, usually guided by a "definitive word of god" text, which is constantly quoted.  Palo in our definition of it, is not a "religion" it is a "Spiritual Tradition" and like all "Spiritual Traditions" or "Indigenous Spiritualities" upon the Earth is always undergoing transformations, yet holding onto Spiritual Principles of Thriving and Evolution and continuing discovery and understanding of Mother Earth and all her Life Forms (Spirits or Relatives).  


We are well aware that many folks will criticize our practices and claim that there is no precedent for this particular ceremony with the trees and Nkisi, and we can dispute that on various levels, including historical ones, as we all have to agree that Palo developed in the Caribbean undergoing many transformations, and it is only ignorance that today would have Palo suddenly become stagnant and rigid.  However, one of the most compelling "arguments" for this particular ceremony is that "it worked".  The original tree with Nkisi underneath did indeed take the impact of all the negativity and indeed "brujeria" and the second tree has been able to flourish.  We put many Palos in the Fundamento, however in this case we utilized a "living palo" to enable the Fundamento to overcome the obstacles and opposition.

Plant Spirit (A rare glimpse)

(Click on photos to enlarge)

During the bright light of day, it is rare that we can truly "see" the Spirit of the Plant express itself within the very shape of the plant.  However there are times of the day- night cycle, and times during certain weather conditions when the Spirit reveals itself much more clearly.  One time of the day-night cycle we use a lot to see the Plant Spirit is dusk, when the Sun has set, or very early in the morning before the Sun rises, or at night, especially with a full moon.  However it is very difficult to take photographs that accurately represent what we are seeing during these times with the camera we have.  So we look for certain Weather conditions to take photographs to "capture" glimpses of the plant's Spirits!

As Paleros and as Tainos it is vital for us to build a relationship with the various plant Spirits that we utilize in our Spiritual Practices.  There is a world of difference between going to a Botanica to purchase so called "fresh" leaves or dried herbs to make a Spiritual Bath, or going into our gardens, parks, forests and streams to find and directly interrelate to the whole plant or tree that gives us those leaves.  Relying on the Botanica separates us from the source of the plants and we miss out on this direct experience, although we are well aware that many of us do not have the access to the plants directly due to location or mobility. We are fortunate to be able to be in a place to study these things in depths with direct access to the plants under all kinds of weather conditions and at all times of the cycle of day-night and the yearly cycle.  We are able to see the plant grow from seed to seedling, to flowering plant, fruiting plant, to seed producing plant and also see its death and return to the Earth's soil.

This plant here is a Rhubarb plant that has large heart shaped leaves.  Its stem is edible (delicious) but its leaves and roots are "toxic" although the root is a powerful medicine if used by a fully qualified herbalist.  During the heavy rain storm the leaves become fountains or funnels.  For those who have followed the various research concerning vibrations of water and how water absorbs the vibration of whatever is around it, you will realize here that if we were to collect the water that is flowing off this leaf, we would have a very special water that could be used for certain things Spiritually.  (We do not recommend drinking this water).  

When we look closely at these photos, we can begin to see the multiple Spirits that are showing us their faces within the surface of the leaf, as revealed by the water flowing over it.  Some are old, some are young, some are almost like petroglyphs, others are more like animal faces, or faces that are not human, not animal, but clearly intelligent.  It is at this point that we can begin to appreciate the multi-dimensionality of the plant that we may be using to create an important Spiritual Bath, or to utilize directly in the Fundamento or Nkisi.   We can also gain a greater appreciation for the Spirit within the various plants that we may need to go to the Botanica to pick up.  

When we take the time to study these things, and take the time to be outside with the plants under various conditions, and we take the time to go walking in the forest, or up the mountain or by the river, we are stimulating our Minds and Spirits to bring us further wisdom an understanding concerning the Plants that we use Spiritually, as well as the soils, Palos, stones and so on.  We also come to understand that depending on where the plants and trees are growing, they will have a healthier or unhealthier vibration which also will have an impact on how we may use them or decide not to use them.  This rhubarb is in a very diverse and lush garden which is not sprayed with any chemicals whatsoever.  This rhubarb has a very different energy than a rhubarb that is grown for profit in a monoculture.   Just as these have different levels of nutrients if we are to eat them, they also have different levels of spiritual "nutrients" when we use them.  As Paleros, Paleras, and Tainos, these are vital considerations when we are going to use plants, as our work is about healing, therefore just a when a person who is physically sick needs high quality organic fresh food, a person who is spiritually sick needs high quality organic fresh plants for their Spirit!

We want to conclude with a true story:  One day there was a conversation going on between a few people.  One was a brujo who possessed various spiritual plants such as "chacruna" and "yage", which they had growing.  The others were several women who had journeyed at great expense to south America to have experiences with the Shamans using exactly these plants.  The Brujo pointed to the Chacruna and Yage and asked the women if they knew what the plants were.  One women made a guess that they were "Peyote", which the Brujo thought was very funny as it is fairly common knowledge that Peyote is a cactus.  None of the other women could tell the brujo what the plants were, however they talked over and over again about their experiences in the South with the "Ayahuasca", never even realizing that they were sitting in front of the very Plants themselves.  This is the level of ignorance that can be found today, where we have situations that allow people to have experience with the Sacred Plants yet not even be able to recognize them when they are sitting in front of them.  


This story is not to denigrate anyone because how many of us realistically can recognize all the plants we use if we found them growing in the forest?  It is a wake up call for us to reclaim our medicinal power!

Masu!

While planting some new medicinal herbs and plants, the turning of the soil revealed a beautiful female spider (Masu) carrying her eggs.  We were even able to see the cord that she uses to carry them around.  (enlarge the photos by clicking on them to fully appreciate her beauty).  In the close up below you can even see her black eyes and red mouth, an awesome sight!

As Nganduleros, it is a blessing to encounter Masu when planting in the garden.  This is a powerful totem and is also something that from time to time we utilize in working with the Muertos.  This particular spider was obviously female, it is not always so obvious!

Spider is the weaver of webs, webs that can bring knowledge and webs that can entangle!