Doj-Noj, the Maya altar, is being prepared. All the ingredients are ready for contacting the Nawal Kawoq. The spiritual guides—the Aj’kij—arrived very early, and the IPHU participants, some restless, others looking forward to the ritual that is about to begin, greet each other, happy and smiling, and take their places around the stone circle that will now become the centre of a sacred site stewarded by Fire.
One by one they place their offerings to be consumed by the dance of Xaml. These are the copal and pitch pine, the incense and sugarloaf, flowers, fruit and grain, basil, rosemary and honey, divided into sections aligned with the four cardinal points, starting with the east, where the sun will rise and followed by its opposite, the west, where the kingdom of night lies, the north, from where the wind blows, and the south, from where the water flows. The circle is also adorned with the colours representing the four corners of the world, but the circle embraces the whole Universe.
Once the fire is lit, the ritual begins with an invocation of the energies of the cosmos, to distribute them to the people present. Everything focuses on understanding the human race and its profound relationship to the Earth and its plants, animals and water. In our communal silence, I think about how much ignorance and poverty of spirit the invaders brought to these lands over 500 years ago and how they were incapable of understanding the richness and depth of this type of message, full of vitality and joy. Instead, in their greed for gold, they could only impose an empire of barbarity tasting of pain and death.
It is imperative for us to enhance the meaning of the word “sacred,” since it is more than a simply religious notion, but rather a kind of primordial teaching and the unification of our being and of others, with the unity of all that surrounds us that gives meaning to existence itself.
Hence, the struggle of the people—not just native peoples, since humanity as a whole must fight injustice and social inequity—should be associated in this new millennium with the practice of a militant spirituality that explains and practices the secrets to living well, the essence of which is full of basic principles and of knowing how to share. Thus, the development of a new society committed to life, will not be simply talk or useless actions that bleed the poor, because it will have as a general rule the respect for and understanding of diversity, such as the diversity we see in the components of the Maya altar, contained within a single body, embraced by the circle.
This morning, something touched the depths of our understanding. The birds never stopped their song of accompaniment and the wind cooled the heat from the sacred fire. Thus began a new day loaded with dreams and expectations.
The energy was given to us!
Now, it is our job to go forth and trap death, lest it devour us before we have fulfilled our promises.
Chimaltenango, 15 april 2010
Jaime Idrovo Uriguen
EQUIPO COMUNICÁNDONOS
