I am good friends with the public figure known as La Gitana Patricia, curator of Encuentros Magicos. We have been good friends for twenty years now. I drove to her healing center to catch up and to ask her for advice. She sat with me in her office for what felt like an hour, going back and forth between who I really am, and the type of flexibility I have developed to solve my life's problems. She reminded me that the Gloom she knew doesn't yield or bend for anybody. We laughed about it, she knows better than anybody how life can change you. I voiced my concerns and outlined the general direction my life is going on. Not much later she had decided what I would do to heal, and gave me a bag full of beeswax to craft with. She outlined the directions with all the specifics and sent me to the back for treatment.
I resisted the experience because I didn't want to take any ancestral medicine. Anybody who has gone through it knows it has wonderful payoff at the cost of a very uncomfortable time. Usually it lasts about 30 minutes and makes me miserable the entire time I am under its influence. Today was no difference, it really proved to be a tough time for me. It's really no walk in the park.
Patricia blew the snuff herbs at my face and the intense burning started immediately. I felt this warm buzzing entering my nasal cavity and going straight to my brain. From there I could feel the substance burning down my spine, hands and finally my feet.It was as if an angry beehive had entered me. My entire body was on fire and I felt like I was going to faint a few times. Down the abyss we go.
It took about an hour to heal from the rapé. I remembered my closeness to buckets, and I said to myself it was ironic that my best friends in time of ceremony are buckets, water and paper towels. You won't think much of them until you're in pieces on the floor, and trust me even then you'll be a little surprised of your attachment to them. It's not all glamour, I guess.
To my dismay my mentor had more for me. While I healed from the first dose of herbs they had me with my feet in a container with water and an ionic machine sucking all the heavy metals out of my brain. I felt tingling in my feet and eventually the water started to darken. By the end of the session it was dark umber. This wasn't all that bad, I felt like I had some time to rest and recuperate.
I'm sorry. I know it's not pretty... |
I was finally ready to lay back and relax after how difficult that was. I was on my phone when they approached me with sananga eye drops. I definitely resisted, but they got me anyway and administered the dose. I didn't get the proper dose in my left eye because I kept pushing their hands away. They almost got me there. For the next 20 minutes my eyes were burning and I knew what it was like to have been cursed by FF9 monsters in Gizamaluke's Grotto. They cast blind on me.
It took about thirty more minutes after that to feel like myself again. Afterwards they put me back in the healing chambers for a chiropractor session. Angel set me straight. He rearranged the bones in my body and worked on the tense areas. This was the only part of the day I really enjoyed other than catching up with Patricia. I could feel my bones being pushed back in place and a lot of the tension I carried with me being relieved. I'm going to sleep so, so well tonight...
Its been quiet in my head. No noise, music, negative thoughts, or thoughts about anybody else. I have been present and stable. Even happy. Despite it having been very difficult, I made it through. I'm going to have the most amazing sleep tonight that I have had in years, and I am really looking forward to see what I dream with. On the drive home I saw a rainbow. This is the case every time I'm going to see her, or just after having seen her. I've been seeing rainbow prisms reflected in the daytime, as well as have it coming up as a symbol in my daily life. when I drove up the mountain path in 2012 I drove through the end of a rainbow, with another rainbow shining over the one I drove through. Mario Kart has nothing on me, this is real life.
The work I did with the beeswax kept me up all night. I started to melt it around 3 in the morning. Crafting took around 1.5 hours, and afterwards I was so wound up with excitement that I couldn't sleep. I felt my work coming to life as I molded it, treating it very gently and whispering in a gentle, loving way. The legacy of my ancestors is alive through me, I carry it with pride and will honor it throughout my lifetime. None of my family members really shared their secrets to their craft. We've all kept it private, but funny enough we each know the other practices.
I confess it took exactly one day before she asked me why I smelled like candle wax. I told my mother what I was doing in the car and she said, "Your creativity knows no bounds." This makes me laugh heartily because she knows that I do crazy things all the time, but when she comes in contact with my lifestyle, she still manages to seem surprised. Forget that I've tutored her in making some crafts that aren't her usual. lol
Bless her heart. She accompanies me on my errands when I am going far. Goes as far as to help me locate what I need, doesn't ask questions, waits patiently. I am very grateful for her support in the path I have chosen. She knows it to be one of trial and sacrifice, but also one with rewards paying off in dividends. I love her very much.
Since the day of the crafting, I thought about it and worried I should go check on my work to make sure it had been effective. Patricia told me to look for signs of abundance, and that the best I could hope for is to see growth. I drove back to the mountain and found the area where I had crafted had new plants growing as far as my eyes could see. I couldn't walk back over to the site because there were plants everywhere. I left with my heart glowing.
During the time basking in the sun while we sat on the river rocks, my friends and I spent some quiet time. We each took a few stones home, trinkets to commemorate our day there. On the drive out of the mountains we spotted a giant, healthy blue crab in the middle of the road. All three of us were impressed by it. That's not something I have ever seen unless I went to adjacent islands like Culebra and Vieques! We took it as a big sign for all three of us. I enjoyed the rest of my trip, feeling happy and purposeful. Having fun while missing Chris, Teemo and Frost back home in Beverly Hills.
DISCLAIMER:
I went through with this day in full knowledge of what was going to happen and how the medicine would affect me. I trust my mentor because she has 40 years of experience with this, we've known each other for over 10 years and she has treated me before. Do not endanger your safety; do some research and find a professional to care for you during time of ceremony and healing.
Social Icons