Latina Leadership Lessons: When Do We Use Our Magic for the “Dark Side”?

You Are Magic

We’ve seen the multiple ways this month that each of us IS magic. We have magic, wield magic, and are the recipient of magic — when we turn on the lights, kiss a baby, or cook [insert your favorite Latino dish here – Enchiladas? Mofongo? Picadillo?]. Yum!

We enjoy magical emotions when we fall in love, or when we use our healing energy to support our girlfriends, sisters, lovers or family. We know the positive power of magic, as we know that each one of us is a powerful woman!

And yet… Sometimes we use our magic to hurt, instead of to heal. And those are the times that people think of to use the word “witch” – when we hurt each other.

When We Trick Instead of Treat

The power of words is enormous. I wonder how many of us use care with the words we wield when discussing those around us. Even if we’re not “gossiping” about someone behind her back, perhaps we are less than positive, and this can be harmful.

I know that I myself have been guilty of criticizing a good girlfriend when I didn’t agree with decisions she’d made in her life, overlooking the many amazing qualities about her and reminding myself that each of us gets to make the choices (and accept the consequences of those choices) for our own lives.

Although words are enormous, there are other ways in which we are less than supportive of each other. What about when you overlook the help someone needs if A) her son/daughter is sick, B) the “committee” has become a committee of one – your friend (!), or C) a coworker needs a little direction to maneuver office politics. When we don’t share what we can, then we are withholding the magic and the power we could offer.

Witch with a B

Now, I am certain that none of you make a practice of withholding or looking away when someone asks you for help, or engages in back-stabbing behavior. And yet, there are the little things that, when taken together, can comprise behavior that we’re not so proud of. Often we engage in bad behavior when we feel hurt, angry and frustrated.

It’s no fun to either be labeled a [insert label here – you know which ones you use/hate!] or to use name-calling on someone else. It all devolves very quickly. Let’s be patient with each other and with ourselves and remind ourselves of the true magic we each have.

Sweet Treats

Just telling someone how beautiful she looks today, how she does a great job, how much she’s appreciated for her community/volunteer efforts, or how much you enjoy her cooking/children/art can be enough to make someone’s day.

I’ll bet (if you really tried) you could think of *ten* wonderful things about each (yes, all of them!) of the people around you. It’s not so hard to think of one kind word, deed or thought (saying a prayer for someone counts) that you can do every day for those who make your world magical (and even those who may bring a bit of sourness to it).

So, mujer, will you choose to give out tricks or treats? Up to you…

Latina Leadership Lessons from La Bruja: A Different View of the Supernatural/ Spiritual Connection

From guest blogger Sandra del Castillo, mythologist, writer, and performance artist – a comment on Maria Sabina.

It begins w/an excerpt of her chants during the velada ceremony and concludes with a very brief overview of her work, from a mythopoetic viewpoint

María Sabina: March 17, 1894- November 22, 1985,
Huatla, Oaxaca, Mexico

“Holy Mary, says
She is the Morning Star woman, says
She is the Cross Star woman, says
She is the Constellation of the Sandal woman, says
She is the Hook Constellation woman, says
I am the little woman of the great expanse of the waters, says
I am the little woman of the expanse of the divine sea, says
Holy Father, says
She is a saint woman, says
She is a hummingbird woman, says
She is a humming bird woman, says
She is a woman with vibrant wings, says
She is a woman of good words, says
Of good words, good breath, good saliva, says
…I am woman who looks into the insides of things and investigates, says
I am a woman of sap, says
I am a woman of the dew, says
I am a green woman, says
I am a woman of clarity, says
There is nobody who frightens us, says
There is nobody hovering around, says
I am a woman who cleans, says”

-María Sabina during a velada

The mythopoetic chants of the beloved Mazatec wise woman María Sabina are timeless, their healing power, transformative and palpable. Deemed transmissions from what Henry Munn referred to as the mushrooms of language, the shamaness explained, “Language belongs to the saint children. They speak and I have the power to translate.”

Jerome Rothenberg further elucidates this phenomenon in his preface to the remarkable book, Maria Sabina Her Life and Chants, by Alvaro Estrada, translated by Henry Munn; with a retrospective essay by R. Gordon Wasson, “Her qualification of each line with the word tzo - “says” is testimony to that: that it isn’t María Sabina but the unspoken he/she/it whose words these are.” He goes on to say of her chants, “here is language as medicine, its ancient function: for, as she chants, “with words we live and grow,”… and “I cured them with the language of the children.”

María Sabina called the Psilocybe mushrooms the saint children, as well as many other terms of affection. “I take Little-One-Who-Springs-Forth,” she said, “and I see God.” The mushrooms were ingested during the velada ceremony, an ancient Mesoamerican healing ceremony. Practiced at night and in secret for over 500 years after the arrival of the Spaniards to the Americas, the velada ceremony was brought to the attention of the non-indigenous western world in the 1960’s. The Beatles and Bob Dylan were among the many diverse seekers that sought out this great wise woman for her remarkable and profound healing gifts.

Sandra del Castillo is a language teacher, soon –to-be grandmother, writer, and passionate student of Mexican and Yoruba mythology. She formed and directed her own informal theatre company during her 14 year stay in Mexico called Teatro Azul, Dreams, Myth, and Legends - where she had the privilege and honor of working with professional actors, dancers, musicians, archaeologists, and shaman. She is currently compiling Mexican legends to publish and bring to life through theatre and film.

Latina Leadership Lessons: Our Love Affair with the Paranormal

With the Halloween season in full gear, it’s no wonder that we see La Bruja almost everywhere, flying around on her broomstick, long black robes and hair trailing behind her. But La Bruja isn’t alone these days in her mischief. She’s accompanied by an endless number of vampires, werewolves, zombies, Transformers and Disney princesses. I don’t know which of those is the scariest.

On television, all those things that go bump in the night are available on a daily basis. Just flip through the channels for a serving of ghosts, vampires, alternate realities and assorted monsters. In movie theaters, Paranormal Activity is scaring audiences everywhere as it strives to become a cult hit.

So why is it that we are all so enamored of scary things? Why are paranormal books, movies and television such big business today?

Scientists and psychologists will likely tell you that the fright we get from such things produces a rush from the adrenaline rocketing through our bodies, much like the experience from a roller coaster ride. The rush is safe and easily repeated by just getting on the ride again.

But as a writer of the paranormal, I like to believe that it’s about much much more than that.

Think about those ghosts and spirits. Isn’t it a comfort to believe that there is a place to which we might pass when our mortal lives end and that despite death, we can somehow reach that place? That the death of those that we love doesn’t end our ability to connect with them? Isn’t it even scarier to imagine that something has gone wrong with that passing over and that an angry spirit is going to let us know they are unhappy?

As a paranormal writer, death and the dark side are things I play with in almost every story because they are universal fears. Regardless of religious beliefs, race or ethnic background, death and darkness play an important role in most cultures. Is it any wonder then that virtually every culture has some kind of version of an immortal creature that can survive death and thrives in the night, usually by gorging on the blood of others?

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is one of the more well-known novels about vampires, but I’m sure Bram Stoker couldn’t have imagined the industry he would spawn with the creation of his night-loving bloodsucker. Stoker also probably didn’t realize that the myth would become one associated with such sexiness. From the unrequited love angst of teen vampires to the more erotic writings in adult paranormals, vampires have become creatures that we love and who love us. Often. Sometimes in very unique and different ways.

Because readers love that difference, it is not uncommon to see Latinos and their myths in paranormals, including the Latino version of a vampire – the chupacabra – which has appeared in various books and television shows like The X-Files.

Unfortunately not as sexy as Dracula, the chupacabra myth is also not as long lived as other vampire legends. Monstropedia notes that the earliest stories regarding the red-eyed lizard/dog-like demon reputed to suck blood from goats began in the 1990s and incidents involving chupacabras were limited to attacks in Puerto Rico. In recent years, however, chupacabra sightings have occurred in South Texas. In 2007, the Associated Press reported on the apparent discovery of a weird dog-like creature thought to be the elusive chupacabra just outside of Austin.

So is it possible the chupacabra isn’t just a myth or urban legend?

What about another Latino demon – La Llorona?

There are many versions of La Llorona throughout the Americas with the same basic theme – a woman kills her children and then herself and is then doomed to spend eternity wandering the world weeping and searching for her children. Sometimes the myth includes the woman taking wandering children to replace those she had lost. According to the Handbook of Texas Online, La Llorona is probably the most well-known ghost in Texas and possibly associated with Cortez’s interpreter Malinche who some believe betrayed her native Mexico to the Conquistadors.

Have you ever heard La Llorona weeping in the night or seen something run into the underbrush that didn’t look quite like a dog? Have you experienced a paranormal event of your own or do you have some other Latino myths that you’d like to share with us?

Leave us your comments and we’ll pick one lucky winner to receive a copy of one of my earlier vampire novels - DEVOTION CALLS - which features my take on what happens when a chupacabra makes its lair in Spanish Harlem!

Latina Leadership Lessons of La Bruja: Healing Magic

The origins of the word “witch” came from words having to do with magic and/or religion. There were derivations that had meanings of craftiness and guile, and others that meant holy. The word was also related to wisdom and knowledge. There are many speculations and questions about the root of the word and how it came to be what it is today.

What we do know is that women were the traditional healers within communities. The midwives used their wisdom and knowledge to help others through the birthing process, and other healers would make tea and poultices to heal children, elders, the infirm and those who might have been harmed in an accident.

Unfortunately, over time, when medicine was being “professionalized,” women who helped others to heal and take care of bodily pain and injuries were called “witch” – a word that was used in that context with negative connotations and with a strict penalty (sometimes even death!).

So let’s take back this meaning and ask ourselves: When are we healing women? How do we help others to heal, and when do we stifle the healing process? How can we create more and better circles within which to heal ourselves and others?

Healing has been women’s domain for a very long time. There are indigenous healers, shamans, and any manner of wise women, visionaries, and crones. And I’ll bet many of you had a grandmother, aunt or other wise woman in your life that had her own methods of healing (which may have included Vicks Vapor Rub!). J

During the course of the Powerful Latinas Interview Series, we’ve spoken to women who’ve helped to heal others (psychiatrists, doctors, music therapists, etc.), as well as themselves. Some of our interviewees have gone through serious trauma (!), and they’ve all had obstacles and challenges to overcome. Multiple times, the women have talked about the historical power of women to heal each other.

Part of how we heal each other is in community. If you have a close circle of comadres, I’ll bet you’ve seen each other through romantic heartbreak, angst with family and work, childrearing questions, and even just questions about the meaning of life and love.

Have you ever had a hand in caring for a sick child, a sick parent, or a sick lover? When someone is in need of healing (both the physical and the emotional/mental kind), what we can provide is immense, and if we choose to assist with the healing (sometimes we can take this on, and sometimes we can’t!), we have a responsibility to provide this well, and without bringing them further down.

So ask yourself, who has been there to help you heal in times of crisis? What did they do that hastened the process and what did they do that may not have been the most “healthy” for you? How can you be a truly healing woman, and not an “evil sorceress” who brings harm instead of healing? [More on this in the next blog post!]

For today, mujer, be the woman who is a healer, a wise woman, and a “good witch.”

Latina Leadership Lessons: The Magic of Love

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? It might have been an elementary school crush, or perhaps it was later in life when you got those butterflies when you saw that special him or her.

That feeling is “magic” and we talk about our beloved as if we have been “bewitched” or he/she put a “spell” on us. However, for any of us who have lived through the ups and downs of relationships (and who hasn’t?), we know that you cannot *make* anyone love you.

So although we may be powerful healing women (more on that in the next blog post), the magic of love is something we cannot control. Or at least we cannot control it from the outside.

Love is something that can lift us up, make us be more of who we are, and give us energy, as well as bring us joy. And that special love is not something anyone can define for you or give to you; it is something internal and all your own.

And while the object of our affections may incite the feeling of love, and a lot of warmth and tenderness, it is truly up to us to keep that torch alive and to develop love into a stronger and more flexible bond than the fragile wisp it is when it first appears.

Have you ever fallen in love with a puppy, or maybe a child that you held in your arms? I know that I fell in love with my son the first time I saw him – actually, even before that! And we know that for that kind of love, we have to keep it alive even when that puppy chews up our favorite (and expensive!) purse, or when your child does something that truly disappoints you.

So when we talk about brujería with regards to love, let us remember that while we control our own emotions (and ONLY our own), we have little control over others’. However, the power of being able to control our own emotions around love – whether it be to keep love alive, or to let love go when it doesn’t serve you – is still pretty potent!

How have you experienced the magic of love? Have you fallen in and out of love with partners, children, pets and even friends? What do you do to maintain that love, and when do you let it go?

Mujer, remember that YOU are magic – you create it every day in a million ways. Let’s learn to direct our magic to create the kinds of lives we want. And it all starts with love (and not just the romantic kind)…

Vickie Jimenez

Vickie Jimenez grew up for the most part in California, and now makes her home in Colorado.  The child of Puerto Rican parents, Vickie is the middle child and has both an older and a younger sister.  After fleeing to Mexico with her mom and sisters to escape a violent father, Vickie had some unconventional educational experiences that taught her to see the world differently.

>>  I’ll be talking to Vickie about how her experiences taught her to be an explorer and how she took those lessons with her to create a better mindset.

Vickie later received a degree in Accounting and also spent time as a police officer.  After pursuing the “traditional” route to success, Vickie learned that she was much more of an entrepreneur and found she could have fantastic success in ways that made her happy and leveraged her natural strengths.

>>  What can Vickie tell us about pursuing the traditional path, and how to figure out if that’s right for you or not?

In addition to her degree in accounting, Vickie also received a degree from the prestigious Barbara Brennan School of Healing.  Vickie has been in business development and performance consulting, utilizing her background in healing and Shamanism for over 20 years.

She has taught and lectured internationally on the subject of self-command and self-esteem. In that time she has diligently worked to create specific techniques for retraining the brain. In her practice, she has been able to pinpoint the particular issues that inhibit self-command and performance.

>>  What is the role of self-esteem in your level of success and what can Vickie tell us about her own journey to work on her own?

She expanded into performance consulting and has developed key strategies that catalyze results now. She now dedicates her time to writing, training and teaching these easy to use, life transforming techinques. Vickie delivers a strong, time-tested method of retraining the brain to achieve power, freedom and maximum results.

Vickie has over 80 articles on mindset performance or business development and has appeared on several blogtalk Radio shows. She has been a featured author in other books such as, “Diamonds Pearls and Stones,” Hawthorne and Holden and “The Official AWE Guide 2009.”  Her newly released “Champagne Thoughts and Caviar Power: The Science of Results Oriented Thinking” came out in May 09.  She is currently working on her fifth book, which is scheduled for release in 2010.

Vickie also has two step-children and has some unconventional ideas about how to find quality time with your family and kids while still pursuing your dreams.

>>  I’ll be asking Vickie about how she’s combined family and work, and learned how to “think outside the box” for more than just her career!

Join us for this exciting interview, and hear Vickie’s insights and words of wisdom.  You won’t want to miss it!  And make sure to find out more about Vickie at her website:  www.SuccessSystemsNow.com.

Latina Leadership Lessons: Hispanic Heritage Month

At the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to talk about self-knowledge and self-reflection. Many of our Powerful Latina interviewees have emphasized the need to know ourselves well. I would argue that this self-knowledge is also good to have about the GROUPS one is involved in, including one’s ethnic/heritage/racial group.

For Latinos, there are some exciting and wonderful things about our cultural groups, and there are also some problematic things. If we are not knowledgeable and aware of both sides of the coin, it makes it difficult to be able to take appropriate actions. This month gives us a chance to do some of that self reflection for us as Latinos. We can celebrate our wins, mourn our losses and see how we can improve.

For example, on the positive side:

• The U.S. is the country with the second greatest number of people with Hispanic descent. Only Mexico has more! The U.S. is also number 2 in the world in number of Spanish speakers.
• Latinos are YOUNG – 25% of the population is under 5 years old. Wow!
• 8 million Hispanics voted in the 2008 presidential election increasing Latino voting power by 28.4% since the 2004 election!
• Hispanic America’s buying power is among the top 10 economies – surpassing the gross domestic production of Spain, Mexico, and Canada. Latinos are the fastest growing market segment!

When you look at these statistics next to each other, it is clear that we are a growing population in the U.S., that we will continue to have a growing impact, both on our politics and our economy.

On the other hand, there are also some issues that we, as a community, need to deal with.

For example, on the negative side:

• 41% of Hispanic female students do NOT graduate on time with a standard high school diploma
• Latinas have the highest teen pregnancy rates and teen births of any racial or ethnic group – almost twice the national average
• Latina teens in the US are attempting suicide more than any other group.

These statistics show us that, although we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go, and we need to work TOGETHER to arrive at solutions to our problems. Only by working together can we rise up. Individual achievement is important, and yet there’s more than just that.

As Latina women, we need to know about our strengths and our weaknesses. I want ALL my Latina sisters to achieve their full potential, no matter their circumstances. And I want to work to figure out ways to address the challenges we have in our lives. It’s obvious our girls need support and resources.

I hope you’ve taken the time to learn some more about Hispanic culture and history over the course of this past month, and I also hope you have shared some of that knowledge with others.

In closing, I wanted to share again with you all the beautiful pictures taken by my friend, photographer Alberto Varela, at a Hispanic Heritage Month event. Thanks Alberto! He reminds us of the beauty and complexity of Latina women, and how important it is to have pride in ourselves and our culture!

Latina Leadership Lessons: Magic of Science

I don’t know about you, but I see magic everywhere!  One definition of magic is, “Of, relating to, or invoking the supernatural.”  Another is, “Possessing distinctive qualities that produce unaccountable or baffling effects.”  When something is “super” natural, it means it seems more than natural, right?  Well, what’s natural?

When something is beyond the explainable *to me* is seems like magic.  I wake up in the morning (no, that’s not the magic part!), and if I turn on the light or the music, I have no idea how the particular mechanisms works to bring light or music into the room.  Sure, I understand the basics, but truly, who can explain electricity, light and sound?  Not how it works but WHY?

Now, I know some of you are engineers and can probably explain those simple phenomena to me.  However, as things get more complex, the magic seems even more amazing.  What about how computers work to send an email to a friend, or that we can store hundreds of songs in a device that’s smaller than a wallet?  Or that you can take blood out of my body, or hook me up to a machine and tell me all sorts of things about what’s going on inside me.  Even driving my car is amazing.

I could go on and on with what science has brought to our world in terms of health, and gadgets, and household and work.  And just a short time ago, all these things would have been “magic.”  They would have been “super-natural” and yet as we learn and grow, more and more things that seemed like “magic” become part of the everyday.

For those of you who lived B.i. (Before iPod), do you remember cassette tapes, or even (gasp!) 8 track tapes?  Science evolves what is possible so quickly and what we don’t think is possible TODAY we may have far surpassed in a few years.

And we take advantage of so many of them without truly understanding how they work, or why, but simply trusting and having faith that they WILL work, and that they’ll do what we want them to.

As Latinas, we women tend to be more open to the fluidity of the supernatural and how it affects our everyday lives.  Many of you might read and learn about your astrological sign, say prayers to your ancestors, or light a candle when someone is sick.  And how many of us say prayers believing that it will help those we pray about (and science has shown us it does!).  So, we’re open to magic in our lives of faith, but how about the little “magics” everywhere?

So today, look around.  Enjoy the magic of the everyday.  Be grateful for what science has brought to your life thus far and trust there will be much more to come!

October Latina Flick Picks

An open letter from Sofia Quintero:

Tell me about the Book, Film or Album you believe should be part of the “mediagraphy” of the Chica Luna Media Justice Toolkit.

I have been working on a filmography of popular movies that I believe can be used to spark discussions about women of color, the issues we face, and the way we are represented in entertainment media.  Then I realized that (1) it should not just contain movies but also novels and albums and (2) that others like yourselves should weigh in on it.  I’m asking for just 3-5 sentences reviewing any popular media product that you feel provides teaching moments with respect to women of color.  Here is the criteria:

1.  What do I mean by popular? It should be a form of entertainment and easily accessible (that means it can speak to a mainstream audience and can be acquired readily online or in stores.)  This doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be mainstream production (although that is our emphasis) because some independent films and albums are indeed part of the toolkit (e.g. Girlfight and Slam.) Think: could I get the average American 16 year old to engage it? Think narrative films and novels (i.e. fiction.)  If it’s too arthouse-y, it doesn’t fall into the project’s objective.

2. It has to depict women of color in meaningful ways (not necessarily positively… more on that later) even if the main characters or creator is not a woman or woman of color.  There should be enough of a presence of women of color to have a discussion about the message the product sends to and/or about women of color.  Even the filmmakers and protagonists are male, Monster’s Ball and Hustle and Flow will be part of this list.

3.  If the language is not in English, it should at least be something that was marketed in the U.S. to an English speaking audience. Something like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a great example of something that fits the bill.

4.  While we want an emphasis on positive depictions (and by that we mean COMPLEX rather than SANITIZED), negative depictions — if framed and discusses with forethought — can also be useful so don’t rule out submitting a rant about that movie you love to hate if you feel its problems have teaching value. Just be very particular in your review as to why we should be watching/reading/listening to something “negative.” Perhaps your critique speaks specifically to a depiction that everyone is else is lauding as positive and you want to shine light on the problem that many are overlooking (cough, cough Madea cough… excuse me, got something in my throat.) ;-P Oh, and I don’t mean “so bad, it’s good.” I love to hate (or is it hate to love) Glitter, but it’s NOT going on the list.

5.  If you can refer to a particular moment, chapter, scene, track, verse, etc., wonderful!  You’re also welcomed and encouraged to talk speak from the “I”.  That is, talk about your personal reaction to the film.  (See my examples.)

Now let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about. If you’re connected to me on Facebook, you may recognize the comments from the notes I posted this past February under MEDIA JUSTICE MONTH FOR WOMEN OF COLOR. This is how my capsule review of PHAT GIRLZ might appear in the mediography.

I admit that when I first saw the trailer for PHAT GIRLZ, I had no interest in seeing it because it struck me as yet another vulgar, stereotypical and just downright childish “Black comedy.” Then a friend forwarded me an open letter by the writer/director Nnegest Likke who expressed her deep hurt that the Black community did not support her film. In that letter she described a quite different movie than I had expected to see based on the trailer. Whatever dissonance I may perceive between Sister Likke’s intent and execution, I do feel that hints of her intention still ring through in the film. There’s one particular choice she made that I think pushed PHAT GIRLZ out of the slapstick trope that I found amazingly gutsy. That one scene makes PHAT GIRLZ worth seeing. — Sofia Quintero, author, Bronx , NY

Here’s another example regarding the movie GIRLFIGHT:

Aside from all the obvious possibilities, I’ve wondered if this film faltered at the box office because the anger Diana feels (played by Michelle Rodriguez) is so incredibly palpable. Here’s a young woman who is overtly oppressed on multiple level, and she’s pretty damned pissed about it. This is immediately and literally brought into focus from the opening shot as the camera zooms in on Diana — isolated at the end of the corridor while classmates teem about her as if she is invisible.  — and closes on her intense glare. Michelle Rodriguez is not as hyperfeminine as Jessica Alba in DARK ANGEL or Sarah Michelle Gellar in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, flirting with a man before kicking the shit out of him with her stiletto boots.  Rather GIRLFIGHT offers a depiction of female rage without the eroticization that makes it easier to watch then forget. That’s exactly why everyone should see watch it  — Sofia Quintero, Co-Founder, Chica Luna Productions, New York, NY

Final notes: Yes, sending me your capsule reviews implies permission for Chica Luna to include it in the “mediagraphy.” Yes, you can send as many as you inspired to write. Yes, you can forward this to your friends.  Yes, we welcome depictions of ALL women of color and especially need more discussions of women of Asian Pacific Islander, Arab, and Native American descent. Yes, we welcome depictions of women who are LGBTQI, disabled, older and immigrant. No, there is no deadline — this will be a living document (we’d like to start with a print version which means limiting its size, but eventually, we’d like to put it online to make it more accessible and keep it current.)

Don’t hesitate to write me back with any questions.  Thank you for making a contribution to this important work.  Chica Luna really couldn’t — and shouldn’t — do this alone.

One,
Sofia

sofiaquintero@chicaluna.com

La Bruja — Creator of Magic

The theme for this month is La Bruja — the witch.  What does it mean tobe a “witch” — to wield magic, power and something out of the “natural”or “normal”?  Isn’t a bit of magic what we all wish for in our lives? On October 4th was the full moon, and the full moon is supposed to be a time of power and the time when “spells” are cast and those out of the ordinary come into their own…  And isn’t midnight the “witching hour”?

Why is it that we are afraid of power we don’t understand or that is out of our normal understanding?  Are we afraid of someone/something else using it against us, or is it possible that we are afraid of the power that each one of us has inside herself?

It can be scary to own up to the fact that YOU are an amazing, powerful, insightful woman and that you are capable of doing almost *anything* you want.  How does that make you feel?  Do you feel full of possibility, or skeptical and dismissive, or sad for the opportunities you’ve allowed to pass you by?

When we use the word “magic” we think of the magic we feel when we fall in love, or when something special happens in nature (like the first snow of the season), or when something unexpected and delicious shows up in our life (like a big bonus!).  If the word magic is imbued with such positive connotations, have you ever asked yourself why the word “witch” — one that is credited with supernatural powers — is a person that is bad?

We make magic when we cook an amazing meal.  Isn’t it incredible that we can put raw ingredients together and it comes out so radically different and delightful?  That is a magic all it’s own.  And there are so many things in our everyday lives that, if they aren’t magic, I don’t know what they are!

Giving birth to a baby, finding the perfect book, being moved by a song, and even watching a toddler feed a duck — all these moments are magic! So, for us as Latinas, let us walk into our our magic and power and not be afraid of the word “witch”.

I’m sure that many of you know that the original meaning of the word “witch” was used to malign women who were healers.  Let us not be scared of how each of us are “super-natural” and how we work to heal each other and ourselves.

This month, send me your thoughts on all these ideas, and let’s unpack both the good and the bad meanings of the word “witch.”

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