Review of Themes from 2009 (Part II)

In our last post, we talked about the themes the Powerful Latinas site (interviewees, blog posts, newsletters, book and film picks, etc) centered around in 2009.  Here is the second half of the list…

In July, the theme was La Vendida (the betrayer or “sell out”).  We talked a lot about the theme of betrayal in our lives, both in personal relationships, as well as how the idea of a “sell out” in our communities can be a tricky one to navigate.  Shouldn’t we all be working together to support and build each other up?

In August, the theme was La Trabajadora (the worker).  As Latinos, we are often taught to “work hard.”  Unfortunately, this may not always be the most valuable advice, since while a good work ethic is key to advancement, other characteristics are also of prime importance.  However, we still want to recognize and appreciate the work ethics we’re taught, be grateful for those who have gone before and worked hard to make it easier for us (!), and also reflect on what projects we choose to work hard at.  Finally, we talked about OVER-working ourselves, particularly as Latina women.

In September, the theme was La Llorona (the crying woman).  While discussing the myth and story of the traditional La Llorona legend, we also talked about why we cry as women, and how crying can help and heal us.

In October, the theme was La Bruja (the “witch”).  We talked about how we as women wield “magic,” how magic infuses our everyday lives, and the magic of love.  We also considered why it is that strong, powerful women can be considered a “witch,” the history of the word, and how we can be not so nice at times…

In November, the theme was La Hermana (the sister).  We contemplated how sisters (biological or not) bring so much to our lives, how they support and build with us, and also how the division between sisters can be harmful to families and communities.

In December, the theme was La Anciana/La Vieja (the elder/the old woman).  We talked about the wisdom of our elders, how we respect (or don’t respect) the aged, how we can reflect on and learn from our experiences, and how we can embrace the lessons we’ve learned.  In short, Don’t be scared of “aging”!  After all, what’s the alternative?

As you may know, we have an archive of prior newsletters, which should soon have all the newsletters from 2009, so if you missed past newsletters and want to go back and read the articles, you can do so here.  Also, remember, you can always go back and read prior blog posts here.

Next week, I’ll be unveiling the themes for 2010!  I hope you  enjoyed the themes, were moved by the questions and enjoyed reflecting on these ideas.

If this site is interesting and useful to you, please share it with your friends and have them sign up for the newsletter.  Happy New Year!

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!