Unlocking the Spiritual Power of the Plants - Book

 

Unlocking the Spiritual Power of the Plants

Our upcoming book

 2021

Our book, long in the writing, is taking its final shape, and we anticipate publishing it this year.  

The book is an in depth look into the spiritual powers of plants, understanding some of the most commonly used plants within our traditions, as well as a guide to unlocking the spiritual power of plants found in our "new" surroundings in the diaspora. 

We write from our perspective as Palo Kongo Taino, honoring our dual roots of Kongo and Taino (not negating European). We have combined 45 years of experience as initiated Paleros and elders of our Munanso. Spanning the Kalunga line, this book is both a dedication to our Ancestral Tree and to our Future Generations in the widest sense of the word "our" to also embrace "your".

The book also contains recipes for spiritual baths, incenses or smudges, Chamba, Wine, and more. We also discuss Nkisis or Zemi carved from plants.

We thank you for your patience.

Response of the Spirit

Corn shoots spring forth from our harvest of Corn that we offered to one of the Cemis that we work with.  This Cemis we brought to our newly built greenhouse to continue to bring the blessings and the horticultural wisdom of the Taino Ancestors  to our work with our greenhouse.  All the fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the bowl we collected from our Conucos.  A couple weeks later we notice these fresh green shoots emerging from the corn.  What a beautiful response from the Cemis!  We are always excited to see these types of manifestation because this illustrates the difference between fantasy and real spiritual work!

You can see the original offering before anything grew on this post:
Walking on Conuco Hill

The seeds we planted are already emerging, and we will be following up with photos once the greenhouse is vibrantly green!

Moon Ceremonies (Part 2)

As we continue with our sharing of the Moon Ceremonies, and in particular of the Full Moon Ceremony that we engaged, we want to emphasize that timing is very important.  If we are to do a Full Moon Ceremony, it is of vital importance that the Ceremony be done when the Moon is actually Full; we need to sacrifice our daily schedules to prepare for the Ceremony to take place at the time appropriate in the rhythm and cycle of Mother Earth.  This is an expression of our humility towards HER and an acknowledgement that our LIVES depend on her BLESSINGS!


Another important point to share is that we always make sure that the offerings that we give to the Misterios are in the spirit and energy of ABUNDANCE because that is what we are invoking from the Spirit (Thriving and Abundance) and those are energies desperately needed upon our Earth at this time.  There is a tremendous amount of waste upon this earth, as well as malnourishment, we do not want to bring these energies into our spiritual offerings.  We offer the best that we can with offerings that are both Traditional Taino offerings (Yucca) as well as what we grow in our gardens (much of which is also Indigenous to this continent), such as potatoes, squash, amaranth, peppers, tomatoes, and fruits.

On July 14th we continued with our Divinations, going to each Direction and allowing the Misterios to speak and emphasize different energies.


The WEST spoke of the Ancestors and the Sun, bringing to our attention THRESHOLDS which include doorways including the doorway of DEATH which leads to the world of the Ancestors.  We do know that at this time the Sun is going through some intense and unexplainable changes, and it is the Sun that drives the Cycles of the Seasons.  We are utterly reliant on the Sun to be gentle with us and maintain our climates at temperature ranges that can sustain life.  The Misterio is speaking strongly of not taking these Seasonal Cycles for granted, and the Ancestors are bringing their voices to this concern as well.  We are experiencing extremes in our climate that are only going to escalate.   The Ancestors are also reminding us to live our lives taking into consideration that one day we will pass through that transition to Death, because very often people today live in a deep denial of this inevitability.


In the direction of the North, the Misterio speaks of the Oldness of the Mountains, of the Ancestral Elders, and of Elders, and also of "Hot Winds".  The Ancestors and the Old Grandfather of the Mountain are cautioning us concerning these "Hot Winds" and how these hot winds can affect our Mental Bodies.  Hot Winds can be seen as diseased winds in a literal sense, infectious disease, viruses, (natural or man made).  Hot Winds can also be seen as the mental diseases of denial, of obsession with materialism, of mis-information or dis-information, and of confusion, doubt and indecision.  We are at a time when the toxicity directed at our mental bodies is very intense, especially as much of it is "dressed up" as something positive.  Take for example "new age spirituality" which on the surface appears to be positive (if not a little passive).  When we dig to the root of this new age spirituality we find deeply poisonous and deranged theories on white racial supremacy and yet again the stealing of Indigenous symbols and concepts and the total corruptions of them.  To understand the true ugliness and evil of new age spirituality we have to look at its founders and practitioners (check out Blavatsky and her followers, Thule Society, and the Nazis).  These are the kind of toxic "hot winds" which we are being bombarded with, in addition to the shear amount of nonsense being discussed by layers upon layers of highly educated "experts" and the people who listen to them, not to mention the obnoxious advertising that assaults us from 360 degrees, dawn to dusk.


Finally the East and South spoke with one voice, emphasizing the Indigenous Traditions of the Earth which have sustained Human Communities for hundreds of thousands of years, but which today are either isolated, fragmented or outlawed.  The Misterio emphasized the need to return to these Traditions which are Rooted in Mother Earth, her Cycles, her Plants, her Animals and the Mysteries of Birth and Death.  The Root of a Healthy Experience is Indigenous Tradition, because the facts are that the Ancestors did understand Life, and understood the need for restraint in our behavior, the need to consider the needs of ALL in order to ensure the continued long term fulfillment of our individual needs.  


Looking at these Divinations as a whole we see that the Ancestors are calling strongly for a regaining of our "senses", especially of our "minds" and the redirecting of our energies back towards the Roots that truly feed life, rather than the wasting of our energies within a global system built upon the exploitation of Earth and all her Peoples.  As People who have the opportunity to be able to obtain resources, who are able to grow food upon the Earth, we are very much responsible for consciously directing that opportunity and focusing on what is truly important which is Mother Earth, the Spirit, the Ancestors, the Misterios, and our interrelation and reconciliation with them all.

As night came and the Moon rose, we noticed that the sky which had been mostly clear, became filled with chemtrails (chemical "clouds"), reminding us of another aspect of the "hot winds" that we face, the toxicity which is being layered between us and the Sky, which has not only a physical effect but also a psychological effect.


Continuing with our Divinations we did readings in every direction in order to understand more profoundly the Changes taking place on Mother Earth.


The West spoke about the Diversity of Animal Life upon the planet and the psychological breakdown that western society has when it comes to relating to the Web of Life.  We can track the root of western society's Fear of the Natural World and attempts to dominate, control and exploit "Her" to european christianity, which explicitly taught the people that "Nature" was malevolent and filled with demons to be feared.  This created a deep mental disease among the european christians which they brought through imperialism and colonialism and now fascism to the rest of us.  There is a mental allocation of all animals, birds, insects, even bacteria to "good or bad" status in the western mind.  "Good" gets tolerated under certain controlled conditions, "wars" are declared against the "bad".    Most of science and technology has been developed to war against the "bad", be the "bad" certain animals, bugs, bacteria, environments, climates, or even people.  The Natural world is considered only in terms of what it can be exploited for, examples are animal feed lots, chemical agriculture, and western medicine.  The result continues to be a Massive Extinction of Species which in these Earth Changes we are facing means very real, very dangerous threats to human sustainability on our Mother Earth.  Sadly one can enter any zoo and see Bird Species there that are extinct in the Wild.  Clearly the Misterios are saying that the only way forward is to transform the "fear of the other" into an embracing of the Web of Life, with an approach of acknowledging the rights Animals, Plants and Even Insects and Bacteria have to Life and Coexistence upon this planet. When we step away from seeing things as "pests" or things to eradicate, we come to realize that something acting as a pest (for example an insect eating our crops) is actually giving us critical information concerning the lack of Health of our Plants and/or the lack of Diversity within our Gardens, just as "Disease" is giving us critical information about lack of harmony and balance in our physical-emotional-mental-spiritual bodies.  


The North spoke, continuing and deepening on this understanding, turning to the developments in agriculture made by the Indigenous Nations of this Continent.  These Indigenous Nations utilized intensive gardening techniques and a Spiritual Approach to Cultivation that enabled our Ancestors to develop all kinds of foods, materials and medicines that allowed the development of modern "agriculture".  The Misterio spoke of potatoes, corn, cotton, tobacco, rubber, beans, squash, pumpkin, tonka beans, tomatoes, chocolate, peanuts, strawberries, pineapples, avocadoes, sunchokes, yucca, quinine, maple syrup, chicle, vanilla, cashews, peppers, and coca- all of which were developed by Indigenous People.  Western civilization utilized these developments to enrich the elite of europe and satisfy the appetites of europeans, refusing to give credit to the the Indigenous People who developed the knowledge of these plants.  Even today with a renewed interest in plant medicines (which is positive) there is a refusal to acknowledge the Indigenous People behind the knowledge, much less reimburse them for their thousands of YEARS of research put into this knowledge.  By focusing in on just a few of these products we can see how western society took positive developments and turned them into systems of exploitation of Earth and People...  


Cotton:  A wonderful crop that produces soft fiber, easily made into clothing that does not itch (unlike wool), this was eagerly embraced by european society when it became easily available.  However, this cotton was produced on plantations utilizing slave labor... In 1850, cotton had become the number one cash crop of the US south, 
a full 75% of slaves (1.8 million) were exploited in order to make this cotton the cheap fiber it became.  The way the plantations grew the cotton meant that it depleted the topsoil of the South and created a desire for more land on which to cultivate cotton, which fueled the continued stealing of Indigenous Lands.  Cotton today continues to be an industry exploiting virtual or actual slave labor from the field to the mill to the clothing sweat shops. Cotton also is a crop which although it is only grown on 3-5% of the worlds cultivated land, uses 10% of the pesticides and 25% of the insecticides, making it a very toxic fiber.  This wonderful development (cotton) was turned into a product produced through violence, intimidation, and misery.


Corn:  Corn (Maize) is an amazing agricultural feat by Ancient Indigenous People of the South.  It is still unclear how exactly the breeding of modern day corn occurred.  Corn became a major product of this continent and secured great wealth into the hands of a small minority of europeans.  Corn was a staple of Indigenous diets, and was bred in many colors and adapted to many different regions.  We are still blessed to be able to grow various Indigenous strains of corn in our gardens.  However corn is yet another Sacred Crop that has been perverted and abused.  Today we see various abuses of corn, from its use in feedlots for animals (who should be grazing on pasture), to its use to make high fructose corn syrup- destroyer of health.  Indigenous People chewed corn, which when combined with saliva became a sweetener, but this was very different from the synthetically processed corn syrup plaguing our health today.  It has even become apparent that the colony collapse disorder devastating the bee population today is partially associated with the high fructose corn syrup that commercial (and many private) bee producers feed their bees during the winter.  Corn syrup has been shown to stimulate, or suppress different genes in the bees than honey, and has been shown to reduce their immunity, and to make them more susceptible to pesticides.  This combined with the use of commercial bees to pollenate single crops, rather than diverse crops, is thought to lead to colony collapse disorder.  Finally corn is one of the most genetically modified crops in the world, adding to its negative effects on our health and food supply.


Chocolate:  Tree of the Gods to the Ancient Civilizations of Central and South, cultivated by Olmec, then Maya, then Aztec, revered, utilized as "money" and for Spiritual Ceremonies.  This bean was unheard of in Europe until Hernandez Cortes established the first evil plantation to cultivate Cacao (after murdering the emperor Montezuma who first introduced him to Cacao), and imported cacao beans to Spain.  The Spanish King put the Cacao in the hands of Monks who created additional recipes with which to prepare it.  It became a guarded secret of Spanish royalty and the spanish church, until other regimes (Dutch and French) also created plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil and Indonesia.  Still chocolate was expensive and therefore was food only for european aristocracy.  It is said that Charles II sipped chocolate while watching the Inquisition murder its victims.  Early 1800s chocolate as a drink became cheaper and available to the european and american masses.    At this time slave ships would come across the Ocean bringing African Slaves to work on these plantations and returning to europe with cargos filled with Cacao beans and other crops.  Time has passed, however the vast majority of chocolate consumed in the western world (whose appetite for chocolate ranges from US-12 lbs/ year to Swiss 22 lbs/ year (2004 figures)) continues to come from slave labor, especially from child slave labor and torture of children, most significantly in West Africa (especially Cote d'Ivoire).  Even those children being "paid" are exposed to pesticides and given machetes to work with (very dangerous for children).  The average cacao farmer earns LESS per year than the average Westerner spends per year on chocolate, and cannot afford to purchase chocolate, being very unlikely to ever have tasted it.  This is what happens when a Sacred Food is perverted.  500 years have passed and effectively nothing has changed in this industry.  It is significant to recall that Montezuma greeted Cortes with open arms and warm hospitality, presenting him with chocolate drink in a golden cup, thinking that Cortes was an individual with honor, however Cortes only saw both chocolate and gold through the demented eyes of ultra gluttony, and Montezuma was betrayed and his son kidnapped and taken to Spain.  Chocolate is very popular today, and is associated with all kinds of positive and lustful associations.  While chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac by Montezuma, it was perverted by europeans (to this day) to be associated more with prostitution energies.  


These are just three examples of Sacred Food Developments of Ancient Indigenous Culture that have become tools of empire, exploitation and oppression.  What the Misterio is calling forth is a returning to a healthy, loving and respectful cultivation of these and the many other wonderful developments that have come out of Ancient Cultures of this Continent.  The Misterio is also making the point that Blessings (such as Corn, Chocolate, Cotton, Tobacco etc) can turn into global Curses in the hands of maniacs and gluttons.  


The East spoke clearly of the WEB OF LIFE and called for a return to Indigenous understanding and approach to Life and Earth, which is a radically different way of thinking, knowing and living.  Western science has long looked down its long nose at Indigenous Mythology, thinking of Myths as humorous stories for "naive" populations.  This arrogant view is perpetrated unfortunately among some of our own (Taino) with obscene renditions of our Creation Myths.  However it has come to the attention of various westerners that Indigenous Mythologies are actually Scientific Archives, holding all kinds of information pertaining to Evolution, Geology, Biology, Genetics, and the Story of Peoples movements and developments upon the Earth.  Western science tries to portray itself as "rational and objective" however, it, like any philosophy or science, is subjective due to its development from a particular perspective.  It attempts to put down and undermine all other perspectives on the Earth, however the facts have become clear that western science lags far behind Indigenous Science.  The Misterio made it clear that there is a direct dependence that Humanity has on the health of Mother Earth, humanity is not the exception in the Web of Life, is not the weaver of the Web of Life, but is an expression and contributor to (or we have seen destroyer of) the Web of Life.  We need to regain our senses and return to the central focus and purpose of our lives which is Spiritual Growth, Creative Expression, Harmonious Evolution, the respectful use of resources, and the pursuit of wisdom rather than obsession and appetite for consumption of material goods at the cost to all Life.  


South:  Continuing on these understandings the Misterios in the South spoke further of Indigenous ways of Thinking, Indigenous Philosophy if you will.  Indigenous Stories (termed Myths, Legends etc) are descriptive narratives concerning Natural Phenomenon, Sources of Life, People, Language, Migrations, Cultures (Traditions), the movement and evolution of People through time and space.  Indigenous Understanding does not separate and draw convenient lines through stages of development, as Indigenous Understanding grows like a Root of a Tree, deep to its Source.  Indigenous Traditions recognizes the organic growth of Life, not the separation and sterilization of Life.  There is no intrinsic hierarchy among Traditions, and there is no "rational or logical" basis to the widely held assumption that western science is more accurate and advanced than Indigenous science.  


The Earth Changes that we are facing REQUIRE us to return to our Traditions and Roots, and if we lack a Tradition or Root, it requires us to humbly seek a Tradition and Root that is grounded in love, respect and understanding of Mother Earth.  It requires a return to Indigenous Agricultural Methods (modern day "permaculture" utilizes many of these methods, but unfortunately does not alway give credit to the Indigenous Root of the method).   The Earth Changes require us to come to a more holistic view of the Universe that we find ourselves in, and give acknowledgement that the animals, plants, and even insects and bacteria also have a right to life upon this planet.  We need to re-examine what is "beneficial" and what is "bad", we need to re-examine what we consider "sweet and bitter", and we need to find a way to overcome the corruption and perversion of the amazing Indigenous Knowledge that has been stolen and utilized to make a minority wealthy beyond imagination.  Mother Earth is telling us clearly that the ABUSE CANNOT CONTINUE.... and is giving us very clear Directions on how to find our way "Home"!

To be Continued....

Bohio

View from the Bohio looking out Entrance to Batey towards Ceremonial Field

Before the New Year we also cleaned out the Bohio, raked all the leaves, dusted spiderwebs, swept the floor, clearing out the old energy and debris so that the energy can be in a positive flow for the New Year.  As we approach the Spirit in a holistic way, it is important to periodically or seasonally "clean house" especially the Munanso and Bohios as those are the houses of the Spirit.  Cemis and Nkisi should always be kept in a clean orderly space, even if they live in a very small space.  To keep the Cemis and Nkisi in chaos is to invite chaos into our lives.  In a holistic approach to the Mystery the vital energy is in the every day approach and it is not a matter of getting "dressed up" for public appearances.  The juice for the Brujo or Bohitu is in what is private, not what is public.

Opiel and Guatauba Maquetaurie look out from the patio of the Bohio

Within the Bohio the space is heavily smudged with Sage, Tobacco and Tabanuco (copal) incense.  The earth floor is swept and shelves cleaned and ordered.    We are fortunate to be able to place our Cemis, Medicines, Nkisi directly on the Earth as they can then absorb the Earth's energy, and this grounds the Medicines more powerfully as well as energizes the Medicines.  Opiel and Guatauba are outside, but protected from the ice and snow by the patio roof, this way they also benefit from the Energies of direct Sunlight, Moonlight and Starlight as well as the energies of the Winds.    

For us it is very important that our Cemis are as close to the Earth as possible as they are emanations of Mother Earth and her Universal Energies and belong in a 'natural setting'.  Many Paleros and Bohitus are restricted in their access to natural settings and are unable or restricted in their opportunity to place their Medicines (Cemis, Nkisi) on Mother Earth to absorb Sunlight, Moonlight, Rain and Wind.  This is a sad result of the urbanization of the Taino and Palero.

The Bohio is made from many Palos (sticks), many of which came from the Land itself, even the roof is wood (cedar shingles).  It is built in a very precise location and oriented in a precise direction.  Underneath the Bohio is a Natural Spring that comes into the daylight slightly down hill from the Bohio.  Regardless of the time of year (summer drought, spring floods) this Spring is at the very least slowly seeping water out of the Earth.  In the heat of Summer, the Bohio is the coolest place on the Land.  While it has shutters for the windows, various animals do find their way inside when the windows are open, such as Bats, Snakes and of course the inevitable mice.  When we need to bury a certain Cemis we are able to do so right inside the Bohio. 

Below is a very Sacred Bundle with a Long Story and immense Significance.  This is a bundle that has witnessed and been in the Energy of many, many Ceremonies, it is a bundle that has traveled hundreds of miles for various Ceremonies, and has brought great healing to many. It is a bundle that responds to the thirst of the Spirit!

A Reality that Blinds Us: Earth Changes

A Reality that Blinds Us:

Earth Changes

February 21, 2010

Koki Medicine Clan

I want to place some concentration within this article on those who identify as “Taino”.  I begin, first and foremost, by asking the question: “What is a Taino?” and “What is it that is in our consciousness when we say out loud “I am Taino”?”  What does this actually mean inside of our conscious thinking, inside of our Spirit, and inside of the Life that is being lived upon the Earth within this very moment that our eyes are upon this article?  My question does not rise from the habitual response that has been born out of the Taino Resurgence which is “Tainos are the ‘good people’”.  If this is what we are holding in our consciousness as a Taino, then the description is astronomically out of balance.  If one is responding to the question by saying “I was born a Taino”  then what does this actually mean?  The way that many self-identified Taino today are living, in reality, is in total contradiction to the values, principles and focus of our Taino Ancestors in the Caribbean.  This is a fact that only through a dense denial can we try to avoid.

The facts are that our Taino Ancestors were master ecologists and master agriculturalists who had a pristine and prolific environment which they were care taking.  This same agricultural, botanical and ecological ability and sensitivity extended all over this entire continent with its gifts continuing to bless us in the form of the many foods (vegetables and fruits) which were selected, cultivated and developed by our Ancestors.  Our Ancestors were innovative in dealing with the wet and dry seasons and were far advanced in the practices of permaculture and working with the natural ecology to sustain themselves.  The Spirituality was a direct result of this intimate relationship, it was not something abstract or disconnected from the Earth.  Our Ancestors had profound principles and understandings and these revolved around “The Dead”, “Agriculture (or Sustainability)” and the relationship of the Living to the Dead and to Atabey (the Earth).  Not only did they revere the Spirit of the Earth as well as the Processes of Life and Death, but they also understood these things and gave intricate expression to them as can be seen in the myriad of petroglyphs and Cemis which continue to resonate today, although today they are much less understood.  The Myths (of which we only have fragments left) clearly are complex and profound expressions of geological, biological, astrological, cultural, spiritual, botanical, historical and ecological Truths.  

The definition of Taino as “good people” has worked against the empowerment of our people, often creating a feeling of passivity or victimization that has worked contrary to our process of reclaiming an identity.  When we say “I was born Taino”, are we referring to DNA, are we referring to a family identity as Taino or “Indio”, are we referring to a category on the census, or are we referring to a holistic approach to life which extended from the food we ate and the structure we lived in to the education we received and the medicines we used?  Or are we referring to a spirituality which revolved around the Dead and the use of Cemis, and if our Spirituality did revolve around the Dead and the use of Cemis, what were they used for? Or are we talking about Christians who acknowledged an “Indio or Taino” identity within the family line?

We must consider carefully all these points and reflect on our Ancestors understanding and value for these points and our understanding and value for these points today to see if truly there is a contradiction or if there is a breakdown within the typical definition of being a Taino today.

Taino burial practices were very spiritual, the understanding of the process of Death and  the world of the Ancestors was elaborate and profound.  Ancestral Remains were placed in Ceremonial Grounds and in gourds handing right within the home.  Ancestors were held very close and many of a Family’s Cemis represented certain Ancestors and were used as a link to those Ancestors.  Ancestors were important to every aspect of life including childbirth, agriculture, weather cycles, protection of the community, fishing, hunting and certainly Death.  The Cohoba Ritual also revolved around Ancestors/ the Dead.  Our Ancestors could “see” the Death that is biologically ever present within Life and constantly elaborated on their understanding of this phenomenon.  Without a doubt if our Ancestors were to witness a typical burial today they would be horrified and disgusted at the heartlessness within this process. The Ancestors never had dreamed of care taking the body of the deceased in such a barbaric and cold manner.  As Agriculturalists they would have been outraged at bringing a body into the Earth full of contamination of unnatural embalming fluid and encasing the body in a concrete box in a cemetery far from the center of the community.   They would have been outraged to see a body left to strangers to wash, to clothe and to prepare for burial, and a body left unprotected and uncared for overnight in morgues and funeral homes.  Traditionally our Ancestors always had full access to the remains of their Dead; the modern cemetery is the equivalent of institutionalizing the Dead and ensuring a growing breakdown in communication between the Living and the Dead.

As Tainos we must be focused and concerned about these issues of burial practices and we must run (not walk) to become engaged within the growing Green (Traditional) Burial Movement which will allow us to bury our Dead with the honor and respect that our Ancestors held so sacred.  Green burials, meaning home funerals, no embalming, full empowerment of the Family within the whole process and either bringing the body to “Green Cemeteries” or to Family Burial Plots in (usually) more rural locations can allow us as Tainos to fully express our Spirituality and Traditional Practices within what can be seen as one of the most important Ceremonial Moments of Life which is DEATH.  Not only is this “eco-friendly” meaning that we are not leeching the highly toxic formaldehyde in the embalming fluid into the soil and are not burying the metals and plastics of the caskets and cement of the vaults into the soil, but it also allows the body to go through its natural process of decay.  To allow the body to go through its natural process of decay is very important to the Spirit of the Deceased, and eases the transition from Life to Death, it is the process of the material absorption by Atabey (Mother Earth).  Ideally we can bury our Dead in Family Burial Grounds where our children and relatives can have full access to our Bones so that they can communicate with us unencumbered by the limitations of cemeteries.  For those who grasp for the excuse of not having enough money to go against the “norm” I will point out that Green Burials are a fraction of the cost of the typical american funeral and burial.  Our Ancestors were Muerteros “Workers with the Dead” and today we continue to be Muerteros.  To continue to allow our Dead to be placed in conventional cemeteries, poisoned with embalming fluid, and suffocated in caskets and cement, is insanity when we have a reasonable and available alternative which resonates deeply with our Spirituality and Traditional Values.

Knowing that our Ancestors were master agriculturalists who had a deep sensitivity for the ecosystems they lived in, again it is essential within the depths of our Spirituality and Tradition to examine deeply the use and abuse of food within our lives and the way this food is grown and processed.  The typical modern diet consists of a high percentage of highly processed foods, many of which are made from genetically modified crops, most are made from crops grown with chemical fertilizer and chemical pesticide and herbicide.  Animal meats are produced in horrific, terrifying and barbaric conditions with no concern for the Spirit of the animal who is giving its life to feed human beings.   Animals are inbred to the point that they are distorted in appearance and would not be able to survive in natural conditions.  The typical diet consists of a small variety of vegetables and fruits ignoring the vast array of vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts and grains which are available for human consumption, not to mention herbs and medicinal plants.  The result is undeniably failing health, degenerative disease, increasing weakened immune systems and emotional and mental issues derived from poor nutrition.  In essence a de-evolution of the human body, mind and spirit.  Crops and animals are grown as “monocultures”, crops in huge fields where the life of the soil is destroyed through compaction by large machinery, the constant planting of only one or two different crops and continual application of poisons (pesticides) and chemical fertilizers.  Animals are penned together in unhygenic food lots.  The soil fertility continues to decline and with it the nutritional value of the food grown upon it.  Spiritually food has become a wasteland, and as we see spiking levels of obesity and disease, it has become clear that (chemical) food has become an enemy of the healthy human body.  Many people have no idea of how to grow food and many are adverse to “getting their hands dirty” to reach out and touch Atabey (Mother Earth).

Our Ancestors were geniuses in their ability to work with the natural environment to create Gardens which produced abundant food for the People.  They would mix together different plants, all of which served the whole system, whether the plant produced food, medicine, useful fiber or substance or if the plant attracted a beneficial insect or bird which kept pests away from the crop plants.  They did not clear massive fields to plant only one crop in them but created diversified areas within the natural landscape.  Some of our Northern Ancestors (or Relatives if you will) perfected a still popular (to organic gardeners) and well known technique called the “Three Sisters Garden” which combined corn, beans and squash (as well as Sunflowers).  In a given space all three (or four) crops could be grown at the same time.  The corn provided the trellis for the beans, the squash shaded the roots of the beans and corn and reduced the need for rain or irrigation, and the beans brought nitrogen into the soil helping to “feed” the corn and squash, and all three thrived together.  More corn could be grown on the same area if only corn was planted but when all three (or four) crops are grown together the net result is more food within a more balanced ecosystem.  This same model was used throughout this continent including within the Amazon Rain Forest.  Our Ancestors worked with natural systems to produce food, they did not work in opposition to natural systems.  Our Ancestors recognized a greatness and a beauty and love within the gestures of placing ones hands upon the Earth to cultivate food, medicine and materials.  

As Indigenous Caribbean People (Tainos) we must overcome the mental incarceration which has separated us from the Earth we walk upon which we depend on for nutrition (the sustaining of Life), and we must once again empower this very important Ceremonial Aspect to our Lives.  Studying Indigenous Techniques, studying modern revival of those Techniques, studying the natural ecosystems we live in and mimicking and working with those systems is Essential to Our Spiritual Development.  Once again we must Re-member the healing properties of the plants which surround us, we must turn once again to Native Plants which can empower our immune systems and bring us much needed nutrition.  We need to return to thinking “Native”, not just as lip service but as actual practice.  Again for those who say finances limit ones ability to make these changes, this is not usually so.  While ideally we would all have a whole acre to make into a garden, through making a Garden using the modern revival of Indigenous techniques (permaculture) we do not need much space to produce food and medicines.  We may also be able to join a community garden, get access to a small garden plot, or even do some balcony, rooftop, fire-escape, or window gardening, or as one of my dear friends has done make a community garden in a median on the road (supported with seeds and compost by the local township).  The possibilities are only limited by our own mental limitations and our lack of thinking “Indigenous”.  Gardens are also a powerful way to bring communities together.  Those who love Gardening will tell you quickly that there is a deep Spirituality within this practice as well as emotional and mental cleansing and healing.

Along with the process of Death, the process of Birth was also essential within our Ancestor’s consciousness and spiritual practices.  The popular petroglyph showing a Frog Woman in a birthing position  (many call her Atabey, and we consider her to be the aspect of Atabey who is “Guimaco” Fertile Frog Woman) underlines the importance of the power of Female Fertility and Giving Birth.  Many aspects of the fragments of the Ancestral Myths that we do have refer to processes of giving birth.  Obviously our Ancestors gave birth in natural conditions under the care of experienced midwives, much as the global population has given birth until relatively recently.  Yet, somehow today many of our women (supported by us men) run to the hospital and undergo a very medicalized process of giving birth to our Children which is approached as a “disease” process and during which fear is instilled into the expectant Mother that she must rely on this over medicalized process or else endanger herself and child.  I do not advocate not seeking medical or hospital treatment in the cases of pregnancy and birth in which a genuine threat is present to the Mother or Child, as there are very real emergency situations and medical conditions which do require a hospital setting.  However the vast majority or births are normal and natural and do not require anything other than an experienced midwife or birthing center which provides a setting in which the Mother, Father and Child can be comfortable and can approach the whole process in a traditional manner or a spiritual manner.  (Midwifes and Birthing Centers are again a fraction of the cost of a hospital birth).  The vast majority of cases do not require chemicals be given to the mother for pain which then get passed on to the child.  The Mother being more comfortable is less likely to need “inducing” and is likely to be much more comfortable and able to deal with the contractions and intense energies of childbirth in a way that is empowering and not disempowering.  This natural process can then be followed by the process of breast feeding of the Child which has 100% benefits to both Child and Mother, including the transferring of antibodies from Mother to Child, bonding, and stimulating the Mother’s uterus to shrink back to its original size and removing excess weight from the pregnancy.  It also means that infant formula is not required and the money spent on this can be redirected into things that will support the Mother’s health and immune system for the time she is breast feeding.   For us Taino we can have a Cemi present during this whole process to empower it. This process, then leading to the education of the child, must be the domain of the Parents and Community rather than institutions if we are to truly see ourselves as Indigenous Taino People. It is the Birth, Nurturing and Education of the Children which lead to a healthy Indigenous People, and as the situation stands today few “Taino” of today are finding a way to break through this mental breakdown to be able to envision and carry out a new (yet traditional) approach to this Sacred and Essential Process of Life!  We have all heard the horror stories of how Indigenous Children were kidnapped from their parents and sent to western “boarding schools” where they were forced away from their traditions, beaten for speaking their traditional languages, and were subjected to mental (and sometimes physical) torture which created a profound breakdown within those communities just as the same root of brutality attacked the Africans who were kidnapped, tortured and deprived and enslaved within this continent.  Today this same process of the kidnapping of our children continues but now with our consent, which is given from a center of fear inside ourselves.

Our Taino Ancestors did not build grandiose structures made of stone, huge temples or vast pyramids, however they did build a type of structure that was perfectly adapted to the climate of the Caribbean with its Hurricanes, Earthquakes, and Volcanic activity.  These humble structures were natural, non-toxic, circular (to be less susceptible to high winds knocking them down) and healthy spaces for the Families to live in.  They did not take out high mortgages to build these structures and they did not pay rent to live in these structures.  If the home did get destroyed by a Hurricane, they were easy enough and quick enough to rebuild.  The largest stone structures our Ancestors had were their Sacred Caves and Caverns which were (and still are) deeply spiritual spaces and also very safe areas to go to during a Hurricane.  Their Bateys were marked out with large stones many of which were carved with petroglyphs, so clearly our Ancestors were familiar with Stone, skilled at working with stone but felt no need to build homes from stone.  Today many of us live in “concrete jungles” or as some say “concrete reservations” where we live in high rise buildings, encased not only by concrete but also by all manner of toxic material from the insulation used, the carpet glue, the adhesives within all the plywood and wallboard, the toxicity of the paint and the list goes on down to the toxic cleaners used to clean the homes.  Workplaces tend to be even more toxic as carpets are replaced more frequently, cleaning agents are stronger and more toxic, and in many cases natural light is even more dimmed.  The huge amount of electricity which powers all this comes from coal mining and nuclear power predominantly in this area which devastates mountains, poisons rivers and which accumulates nuclear waste which is a danger which is impossible to neutralize.  Indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air (even city outdoor air) due to all the toxins inherent in the way modern buildings are constructed, remodeled and the way all the furniture and furnishings are made and the chemicals used to clean everything.  

The “Green Building and Green Remodeling” is gaining in popularity as those with the money to spare remodel their homes or build new ones with natural and nontoxic materials, however this is a very expensive approach and for many of us it is very difficult to find the money to do this unless we roll up our sleeves and provide the labor ourselves.  Other options include the growing in popularity “small house movement” which can enable those of us who have the courage and adaptability to make changes, to find a way to live in a healthy home.   For many of us substituting our power source with “solar energy or wind energy” is a dream due to the large costs involved in buying solar panels and windmills.  Fortunately, the options continue to expand and wind energy is available as an energy choice on the grid in some areas and in others companies will rent you solar panels and charge you a kilowatt hour charge just like the power company, making this a viable option for some.  However, one of the first advice we received in our research concerning living “off grid” was “reduce energy use to 10% of what you use now”.  Since then we have, without changing homes, cut our energy use in half without much effort, switching bulbs, being more conscious of energy use, turning off lights, computers, foregoing outdoor lighting, and switching one appliance to a more energy efficient one.  We also opted to get 100% of our electricity from a local wind energy producer.  We are Indigenous People who find ourselves in a society which is in direct opposition to our Indigenous Values however the most obvious option is not the only option and as the climate crisis and energy crisis and financial crisis, food crisis, water crisis, healthcare crisis continue to get worse growing options are arising which are allowing us to make choices which are more in harmony with our Indigenous Spirit.  As Taino today we must be in the forefront of the changes which are occurring which allow us to lower our devastating negative impact upon our Mother Earth and allow us to extricate ourselves from this alien way of life that we have found ourselves entrapped within.

Many people are talking today about “Earth Changes” from Climate Change to Maya Prophecy and other Indigenous Prophecies and Cycle Transitions as seen from many different cultures.  Earth Changes are depicted as many different things from a series of devastating end of the world type catastrophes to changes in consciousness.  Seminars are being held, conferences are taking place, workshops are occurring and books are being written all on this general topic of “Earth Changes” and in terms of “Climate Change/ Global Warming” laws and regulations are being enacted, promises are being made (and broken) and protests are getting ever more vocal.  

As a Taino I fully recognize that “Earth Changes” are upon us, there is no doubt that we are confronting a reality that can only be denied for so long, and “so long” is already out of time.  However from my perspective “Earth Changes” include much more than a climactic change or a mystical “shift in consciousness”,  Earth Changes include everything we are interrelating with on a daily basis.  Our Mother Earth is responding to the behavior of human beings upon her and there is and will continue to be consequences to the dumping of mass toxicity into the Soil, Rivers, Ocean, Skies, and there is and will continue to be consequences to mining and quarrying deep into the Earth to exploit resources that are better left alone (such as Uranium) and the widespread destruction of ecosystems to feed the ongoing addiction to fossil fuels.  There is and will continue to be consequences to the manipulation of weather cycles through weather modification and the creation of manmade earthquakes to suit the agendas of a minority.  Our Mother Earth will always seek balance and will always seek healing, and the ways that this may come about can be catastrophic to human beings (as well as other biological life).  These “Earth Changes” are not “natural” as they are being cause by the “unnatural” behavior of a total disregard for life, for ecosystems and for the Sacredness of the Earth, Sky, and Waters.  These “Earth Changes” have occurred because of a “Consciousness” of greed, a epidemic of inferiority complexes and superiority complexes, a breakdown in the relationship to Mother Earth.  We also need to understand that the Earth is always transforming and changing and we need to be sensitive to those changes so that we can continue to survive and thrive within our experience here.  

Western thinking separates everything into its components and ignores the underlying wholeness of Creation.  Western thinking addresses symptoms independently rather than the underlying imbalances or weaknesses.  Indigenous thinking analyses the underlying issues, imbalances and weaknesses which once addressed will allow the whole system to thrive.  With the  “Earth Changes” that are upon us we must, especially as Indigenous People, look at all the “Changes” that we are confronting as symptomatic of an underlying disease (which we could classify as colonialism, imperialism, tyranny, power imbalance, feudalism, industrialization without consideration of natural systems, and a breakdown in the human mind or mental disease).  Our Climate Crisis is not a separate phenomenon from the Oil Crisis, Water Crisis, Food Crisis, Economic Crisis, Health Crisis, Mineral Crisis, Educational Crisis, Cultural Crisis, they are all interwoven and come from the same fundamental crisis, which is a crisis in Consciousness and Spirituality, which has been coming to a head for over 500 years.  What we do need to recognize is that we are at the point of “Earth Changes” where the crisis is reaching a point where it affects the whole organism (whole Earth and all her Biological Life) in a way that precipitates a massive “Change” which we have classified as “Earth Changes”.  It reaches a point where the current prevalent behavior of greed, disregard for the Earth and all her Life, is no longer able to be sustained by the resources of the Earth and change is no longer something to be sought out or hoped for, it becomes something that is inevitable and comes regardless of whether we have prepared for it or not.  Every empire falls when it becomes diseased and corrupted internally, this particular “empire” is a global empire which has conned virtually all people of the Earth into becoming totally dependent upon it.  Most of the time we do not even realize how dependent we have become upon the material (and emotional, spiritual and mental) (mal)nourishment that we live upon, we only get a glimpse of it when the power cuts out, we loose a job, or a “catastrophe strikes”.  

As Indigenous People and certainly as Taino (who have experienced this unnatural consciousness within our homelands for more than 500 years, therefore who have a very extensive resume of experience with this consciousness) we must see these “Earth Changes” as systemic and seek to prepare ourselves from a holistic point of view, taking the various points I mentioned earlier (Burial, Birth, Food, Heath and Housing) and others into consideration when envisioning a plan of action with regard these Earth Changes.  My concern today is not just regarding the Earth Changes but regarding the fact that many of us are in denial or blind to the reality of what is confronting us and what it is escalating into, which is why I entitled this article “The Reality that Blinds Us: Earth Changes”.  Identifying as Taino today has everything to do with this Reality and seeking to craft an identity as Taino which does not take these points and changes into consideration is an exercise in fruitless denial.  

Written in the Spirit of Our Multiple Grandmothers....

Changes are Inevitable

Many years ago, talk of "Earth Changes" were low profile, but many of us (Tainos and others) at that time were very concerned with the challenges that these Earth Changes would inevitably bring to the People including the Plant People and Animal People.  Of greatest concern was the movement away from "land" towards urban and suburban residences that has occurred in the last 100 years.  Many of my People, Taino, Boricua, Afro-Caribbean found themselves displaced from rural settings in Boriken and transplanted into the belly of the beast in "nuevo york and surroundings" as well as other metropolitan areas.  A People once largely agriculturalists had become entrapped within the most deprived economic cycles of city life.  I am not excluding in my concern or thinking a similar story of those from other Caribbean Islands, or Central or South America, or the multiple stories globally.

Years have since passed and the numbers of my brothers and sisters who have empowered themselves to make the changes necessary to be prepared as best as possible for these "Earth Changes" are disturbingly low.  I see many of my people totally dependent on and engulfed within the energies of total lack of sustainability and enslavement, and many who express anger and resentment when faced with the suggestion to make these positive preparations and changes which not only provide a preparation for the future but also enhance the health, harmony and stability of the present.  However there are many of my younger brothers and sisters who are actively pursuing these changes and it inspires me to see their level of consciousness, creativity and dedication.  

Today "Earth Changes" has become a common phrase within the thinking and speaking of all people, whether it is described as "global warming" or whether it is concern over the Maya prophecies of 2012 (or what is being presented as the Maya Prophecies of 2012?).  What I see when I speak of "Earth Changes" is both a Cycle within Mother Earth but also the effects of human beings industrialization upon the Earth and the consequences of that and the "backlash" from that.  I also see "Earth Changes" in terms of what the insensitivity towards the Earth brings about, which is illness (rampant disease primarily caused by a diet which does not nourish the body and puts the body out of balance), technological overload and consumerism where although all the gadgets are supposed to save time and improve the quality of life of the people, the effect is the opposite and they have undermined families and communities.  And there is the economic changes which are inevitable as the Earth's resources continue to be plundered and waterways, air and land continues to be polluted and destroyed leaving less and less fertile land, less and less clean air and less and less clean water available for "us", humanity, People to thrive from, and the economic changes caused by an increasing dependence on global corporations who have NO HEART and the subsequent disempowerment of local industry.  

Back in the day, our solution was simple, "Land and Community" where we could be self-sustainable.  We knew we could not control all factors in what was coming, we knew that the energies were much larger than us, but we also knew that creativity and working together could take us a long way.  Here is a brief view of how in my humble way I respond to the accelerating Earth Changes and encourage those others whether in urban or rural settings to also embrace these humble achievements.  At one time (and even today) "farmers" (or in my homeland Jibaros) were looked down upon as the lower class, lacking in sophistication, poorly educated, and it is essential that we overcome that mental block.  This prejudice can also be seen in the behavior of the various people on certain Caribbean islands towards people of other Caribbean Islands who they consider to be "less than".

One challenge we face here is WINTER.  In the Autumn the first heavy frost kills most of the vegetables, peppers turn brown, tomatoes rot, potatoes rot and so on.  This is very different that the tropical climate of the Caribbean but the Caribbean faces its own challenges, one being an intense dry season.  Regardless of where one is upon the Earth there are cycles that must be appreciated and worked with (not against).  Here we have two "cold frames" which are basically two wood boxes placed on the Earth with a window cover.  As you can see we have many leafy greens which because the cold frame does not "freeze" are able to grow all winter long and provide important nutrition that would not otherwise be available without a dependency on the supermarket.  All this without the use of any electricity.  The only heater is the solar rays of Grandfather Sun!

The supermarket's leafy greens are firstly limited in scope, the supermarket tends to stock those varieties and types of leafy greens that are convenient for them (long storage life, easy to produce, bland) which means that many types of wonderful leafy greens never hit the grocery shelf.  Secondly the leafy greens in the supermarket have traveled thousands of miles by truck from (usually California, or Florida, and even further afield) and every step along the way they lose vitality and nutrition.  There is an astounding difference in taste between the greens that come out of our cold frame and the best that the supermarket has to offer.  Another concern with supermarket produce is its potential to be infected with pathogens which we know is a real threat based on all the recalls that go on with various produce.

In these photos you can see piles of snow around the cold frames and the green of the cold frame stands out far more strongly than it would in the summer time.  The contrast is not only visually refreshing but it helps to combat the "winter blues".  

The cold frames allow us to appreciate the lushness of the Spring, Summer and Fall in a tiny dose which brings further awareness of how dependent we are on the Cycles of Mother Earth when the false illusion of security of power plants, fossil fuels, electricity grids, TVs, is cracked as we find ourselves without power in the cold of winter due to a storm, high winds or what have you.  

Greens in a bag to be taken to the table for salad.  It is important to realize that much of our Indigenous Spiritual Practices revolve around these "humble" concerns, abundance, thriving, fertility, harmony, balance and community.  There is an ironic breakdown in the individual who claims an Indigenous Spirituality yet walks upon the Earth with a total lack of sensitivity, or speaks of loving "Mother Earth" yet consumes and absorbs products from the market and stores which cause destruction to the very same "Mother Earth" in the ways they are harvested, quarried or formulated and causes destruction to the sacred temple the human body!

Garlic, a crop which gets planted in the fall to be harvested the following summer.  It takes in the coldness of winter as an empowerment and it provides a powerful immune stimulant that can be especially used during the winter!  We take the very best of our garlic harvest and replant it so that we can continue to adapt these varieties of garlic to the Land, with its unique make up of minerals and soil components.  Garlic is also good for combatting the fall out from those "chemtrails" which we continually see streaking across our skies as we turn our faces upward to make prayers to "Yokahu Bagua Marocoti", or prayers to the Sun or to Nsambia Mpungo or Great Mystery!

The garlic is hanging in the gazebo (which we also use to dry tobacco, sage, sweet grass (see sweet grass braids to left of garlic) and other herbs.  Later the garlic is moved inside where ideally it is kept in cool conditions in a root cellar or unheated basement, but failing that garlic deals fairly well with most conditions (other than moist).  

One of the staples of our South American Relatives, the Potato is truly a wonder.  There are thousands of varieties of potatoes most of which we supermarket goers have never seen or even dreamed of.  These are purple potatoes, with a purple flesh that retains its color and brings a beautiful addition to soups and stews.  Every year we try different varieties but the purple potato is one of our favorites.  Although we grow our potatoes in a large garden, they can also be grown in containers on a sunny balcony and some gardners have produced amazing harvests with various techniques in urban settings.

Our chickens!  The hens produce eggs almost year around (they take a short break in late December- January) and the roosters are used as well (spiritually and for food).   We could stimulate the chickens with false light to lay eggs year around but we know that allowing them to live in their natural cycle keeps them healthier and happier and ultimately more productive, and the eggs and meat are healthier for our well being.  The taste of the eggs bring many of our Older Relatives back to their old memories of rural life and to their memories of eating farm eggs when they were children in Boriken or elsewhere.  The taste of the chicken itself is much more "gamey" than your typical store bought chicken.  The tastes are miles apart and the flesh itself is much healthier and densely nutritious than the market chicken.  When someone in our family falls sick we go out grab a rooster or older chicken, hand process it, and throw it in the pot with potatoes, onions, winter squash (all from the garden) as well as medicinal herbs, lots of garlic to give us a nutritious and warming meal!  The chickens also eat all the kitchen scraps as well as worms from the garden, any insects, any unwelcome garden grubs, slugs or bugs.  They also eat ticks.  Since we have had the chickens the tick population has decreased dramatically because we let our chickens free range once summer comes around and the hawks and foxes are less hungry.

One of our outdoor grills fired up ready to cook.  We appreciate the fact that even though we only cook outside in winter on rare occasions, we always could if we needed to.  Our indoor stove is propane, but if for whatever reason we could not get the propane or the propane was unavailable or became astronomically expensive we could easily cook our meals outside.

Buffalo meat cooking with peppers and onions from the garden.  We eat vegetarian meals primarily but approximately twice a week we cook some meat, buffalo, chicken, lamb, goat.  We especially like the buffalo and appreciate that buffalo tend to be raised primarily on pasture (unlike most beef) and so the quality of meet is consistently higher and healthier (although more expensive).  We also honor and appreciate the Spirit of the Buffalo which is a very powerful spirit and it is especially good for those who are weak in Spirit to occasionally eat Buffalo even if they are "vegetarian".

A pot cooking on the grill of a mixture of squash, potatoes and onions.  Every variety of potato has a unique taste, as does every variety of squash, and a unique texture.   We like to mix them all up then compare all the different flavors as we eat them.  Our daughter has her own names for certain potatoes like "the creamy potato" the "butter potato".  By eating different varieties not only do we provide different tastes for our taste buds but we take in different spiritual properties and energies which in turn work on our mental body to expand our mental capacity and perspective.  We especially seek out heirloom and Indigenous Varieties for their great flavor, connection the Ancestors, and because many of those seeds are rare and in danger of extinction and by growing them we help to prevent their extinction.

A summer meal, buffalo with onion and pepper, two varieties of potato with whole garlic cloves cooked in olive oil and herbs from the land, and a Tomato and scallion salad with basil.  

These two dishes are the purple potatoes (above and fish with onions and herbs (below).  You can get a good look at the purple flesh of the potatoes and their dark purple skins!

Eating from the Land where we live is more than just convenient, economically sensible and fun, it is allowing us to take in some of the Soil's properties where we are living, harmonizing us with the environment where we live.  This is very different than taking in the properties from a factory farm or large plantation type farm thousands of miles away from us.  We take in the Spirit of the Land herself in minute quantities when we eat from the Land.  This is very important to us as Paleros and as Tainos and as People who love "Atabey" Mother Earth.  Spiritually it is very significant and it is also significant when we can utilize animals or fruits and vegetables to give the Nkisis and Cemis which have come from the Land herself.  There is a significant difference!

Cafe!  Important to us all Muerto y Vivo!  On this day it began to snow but did not interfere with the process or cooking that was about to take place.  All the wood for the grills comes from the Land herself, and we are not just taking wood, we are also replacing it with new live saplings.  So all this wood is sustainably harvested and does not represent net CO2 emissions into the climate.  Wood after all is a renewable resource!  The ashes from all the fires is collected and used for both spiritual purposes and to add to the gardens for fertility.  Last year we found tobacco seedlings growing from our Ceremonial fire's ashes that sprouted from the tobacco we grew the year before that we used to make offerings to the fire.  We transplanted the seedlings to the tobacco garden where they flourished and produced tobacco which is now drying to be used next year!

The wood that is placed on the fire comes from a tree that has died or a branch that fell off a tree in a storm or a tree that was harvested   for whatever reason.  The wood is often from a tree that has been around for 30-50 years and has been a witness to much upon the Land.  Many animals built their home in the tree, ate from the tree, urinate, defecated on the tree, or even died on or within the tree.  Woodpeckers poked holes in the tree, bugs made special tracks in the tree, worms ate the tree and much more.   The tree took in many rains, many winds, and many rays of the Sun and took in the flashes of lightning and sounds of thunder and storms that passed by it.  The tree took in the snows and the many minerals from the soil.  In other words the tree has taken in energies from all the Mpungos! This tree is now put on the fire, the flames start to release the spirit of all this by using the oxygen in the air that is present, and the material essence and spiritual properties of all these spirits is left in the ash.  When this ash is for example placed ceremonially upon a Baton (ancestral staff) all this spiritual energy is given to the Baton and brings the Spirit of that Baton to "Life".  

The fire and behind it Lucerito's Monanso (hut).  The hut is made from sections of tree trunk which all have a spiritual property to them.  What better way to a make a Palero's Monanso?  Palo of course meaning TREE!