into their own power and do it for themselves. It is always exciting to get a call or e-mail a few weeks later and hear that what they had asked for in the velación came out better than expected. Guidelines for Velaciónes To begin with, two fundamentals must first be stressed. When writing the petition for a velacion, (1) ask for an ideal outcome, and (2) understand that everyone has a right to their reality. Most of us have not experienced ideal realities. We may not even know what our ideal looks like or can be, so I recommend that the person ask for an ideal outcome and be open to such. While the person is waiting for this, I encourage them to maintain a positive, faithful, and grateful attitude and to expect to experience something ideal. These high energetic vibrations—happiness, faith, and gratitude—fuel the magic and intention of the velación. I have also had a few clients throughout the years ask me, “Can’t we make him or her understand, or do, XYZ?” Everyone has free will, so we cannot make anyone do anything if they are not willing. Nor can we make something happen to someone if there is no opening. Trying to do so can be a waste of money, time, energy, and is often flat-out unethical. We can, however, ask for and have a right to our own ideal outcome. To do a velación, the following will be needed: Seven-day candles. The number of candles depends on the formation and intention. Two four- to eight-ounce glasses. (Please do not use these glasses to drink from after this or any limpia. The items that are used for limpia rites are sacred magical items and should be placed in a separate space, out of reach, so they are not mistakenly used for other purposes.) Filtered water. Parchment paper. A number-two pencil. Copal. Charcoal tablets. Wooden matches.
A brazier, a steel urn for burning the charcoal tablets. An egg. A picture (optional). Start out by using a white fire to cleanse the space where the velación will be performed (chapter 8, see here, discusses how to make a white fire). Then write out the petition with a number-two pencil on a piece of parchment paper. (As my mentors taught me, pencils are magical instruments.) I start all petitions with “God, Company of Heaven, I Am That I Am, please and thank you with and by the sacred fires of God’s Light and Love for ensuring . . .,” and end with “Thank you.” When I use the term God, it is free of any monotheistic religious associations; rather, it is the divine principle of the Highest Love. The sacred fires of God’s Love and Light clear and transmute any and all kinds of density to light. If the term God does not resonate with the person, I encourage them to refer to something they feel is a divine principle, one they feel has the power to clear and transmute, whether the prayer be to Krishna, Buddha, Hecate, or any other force or deity. Faith in a divine force or principle is what fuels the magic in cleansing and renewal. If a picture of the person or persons or situation is available, use it, and place the picture on top of the parchment paper. On top of the paper and picture, place the principal candle, as well as the glass of water and the egg. The egg is an offering. The glass of water and the egg should be next to one another, and the principal candle should be at the top, in the shape of a triangle. For the principal candle, garner the help of a saint, bodhisattva, angel, or master. Get a candle that reflects the intention. Here are some ideas for the types of divine help and some of their known specialties. Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Sacred Heart of Jesus) and Buddha: for any type of petition where divine help is needed Archangel Michael: to clear any type of negative energies Archangel Raphael: for healing and illumined vision San Judas de Tadeo (St. Jude Thaddeus): when asking for a miracle San Juan Soldado: for safe travels Virgen de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe) and Kwan Yin: help stop family quarrels
Angel de la Guarda (Guardian Angel): helps to look over you and family members Changó and Lucky Buddha: good luck Santa Clara: good fortune San Antonio (St. Anthony), Our Lady of Grace, and Yemaya: for love St. Lazarus: to guide in a new beginning Divina Providencia (Divine Providence): for prosperity Mano Poderosa: to help with work and business matters San Ramon: business prosperity San Simón: to have more financial abundance Santa Elena: to discover the truth Santa Lucia: to see with clarity Santa Marta: to gain strength Santa Teresa: to increase the power of a magical petition Siete Potencias: to get rid of bad luck Infant Jesus of Atocha: petition for help in any situation San Martin de Porres: petition for financial needs Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception: for fertility and health Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: to break bad habits St. Francis of Assisi: for better understanding and peace Velación Formations To strengthen the intention of the velación, place the principal candle and the parchment petition in the center of any of the following arrangements: Triangles: to strengthen a petition. A triangle is considered the strongest formation to strengthen an intention. To create a triangle, obtain three additional seven-day candles (see figure 5.1). Circles: often used to influence a situation a certain way, this is probably the most common shape used. To create a circle, obtain eight additional seven-day candles (see figure 5.2). Squares: often used for stability and to seal an intention. To create a
square, obtain four additional seven-day candles (see figure 5.3). Candle Color As for the color of the candles, here are some meanings: White candles are all-purpose candles; they purify a situation, and garner divine help. Blue candles are burned for serenity and tranquility. Red candles are burned for health and power. Pink candles are burned for goodwill. Green candles are burned to remove a harm or a negative influence. Purple candles are burned to repel dense energies. Black candles are burned to bring closure to something or for magic. Steps for the Velación After the candles have been placed in a particular arrangement, begin by cracking the egg in the glass jar and discard the shell. Light the middle candle with a wooden match. Then light the other candles in a clockwise motion. Use one match per candle, and never use the breath to blow out the match or candle. My mentors taught me that using wooden matches empower the magical intention. I suspect that this belief has its roots in ancient Mesoamerican beliefs that wood or flint has a heart or essence, which can strengthen the magical intention. Once all of the candles have been lit, do not place anything inside the formation or blow out the candles. Let them burn out naturally (of course, make sure to do the velación in a safe place). Finally, light the charcoal and place copal on it. Plan beforehand to place the charcoal on a steel urn, as the charcoal gets very hot; leave the urn outside the candle formation. Make offerings of copal regularly, preferably at night before going to bed and in the early morning. During the velación, pay attention to how the candles are burning. If any of them has a very low fire, burn copal next to that candle.
Figure 5.1. Velación in the shape of a triangle. Illustration by Carolina Gutierrez.
Figure 5.2. Velación in the shape of a circle. Illustration by Carolina Gutierrez.
Figure 5.3. Velación in the shape of a square. Illustration by Carolina Gutierrez. After the candles go out naturally, if the intention was to have something flourish, pour the water on a plant either inside the house or in the garden. If the
intention was to clear any kind of dense energy, place the water in the toilet, or outside of the house in an area where nothing is growing. Place the petition on an altar or in a special place. When the request has come true, bury the petition. If the rite cleared away dense energy, bury the petition in a location where nothing is growing; otherwise, you can bury the petition anywhere. Phases of the Moon It is unnecessary to begin the velación at night. But the phase of the moon should be known, especially when it comes to drafting the petition. New moon: new beginnings Waxing: increasing or expanding Full: bringing something to a close Waning: decreasing or clearing How the Candle Burns Remember that just because they are called seven-day candles, this does not mean that they will burn for the full seven days. The time it takes for the candles to burn out depends on the situation. First lighting: when you first light the candle, if it emits black smoke, then it is transmuting dense energies. When the smoke is white, then the prayer will be answered, but there may be some struggles. A strong flame: working to send a lot of energy and power to manifest the intention. A weak or low flame: slowly removing heavy obstacles. Burn copal, other resins, or incense next to it to strengthen the flame. A jumping flame: spiritual warfare on your behalf. One or more of the candles goes out during the velación: there is, for whatever reason, a lot of resistance to this intention. Relight the candle that has gone out, and let it burn out naturally. If more than one candle went out, relight those as well. After the candle has burned out, redo the velación. But this time, ask that all energies impeding the petition be transmuted with and by the sacred fires of God’s Love and Light.
Crackling sounds: the spirit of the fire is pleading your case. The stronger the crackling, the stronger the opposition. Candles burn unevenly: if two of the candles that are opposite to one another take more than a day to burn out, then there may be some delays. You can determine then if you want to do another velación to clear obstacles around the situation. Reading the Glass Clear: if the glass remains clear, then your petition will be granted. A lot of wax residue: when there is a lot of wax residue on the glass and those candles have taken longer to burn, it is a good idea to redo your velación and ask for obstacles to be cleared. Turns black: if there is any kind of black, smoky residue on the glass or black spots at the bottom of glass, this generally means someone has been intentionally sending negative thoughts or energy your way concerning this situation, so be discerning. Give yourself a baño (chapter 6, see here, discusses how to do this), give your space a white fire limpia (chapter 8, see here, discusses how to do this), redo your velación, and if needed, seek help. Glass breaks: depending on the circumstances, this can indicate that someone or something may be working against you. On the other hand, the glass breaking indicates that the energy sent your way has been broken. Nonetheless, it is a good idea to still give yourself a baño, give your space a white fire limpia, redo your velación, and if needed, seek help. A Velación for Divine Intervention and Renewal The following is a great example of divine intervention and renewing a situation with a velación. It involved a client that wanted me to help her brother, whom she believed had been bewitched by his fiancée. According to my client, the fiancée was principally after his money. The first time this client came to see me, she gave me a laundry list of the numerous things that were going on in her life, which included ongoing cycles of negative emotional outbursts and a failing marriage. After a platica concerning her stories and woes, she mentioned her brother’s engagement. I requested that we first work on her own life, and then we could work on her brother if it was needed.
After a few months, my client finally got to a point where she felt grounded and happy, and the emotional outbursts were becoming a thing of the past. She requested again that we help her brother. She believed that the fiancée had been placing something in his food, influencing him to act erratically and to pull away from his friends and family. When my clients bring up beliefs concerning magical work done against them, I do not discount these beliefs. I have seen and experienced too much to do so, but at the same time I know never to empower them. We are children of God, and I know that no one and nothing can ever touch us or do harm to us unless we allow it on some level. So if the client has permitted this to happen, it must be closed off for good. I recommended for her to do a velación with Archangel Michael as the principal candle in a circle of eight white seven-day candles. I instructed that in her petition she invoke the sacred fires of God’s Love and Light, ask that all energies that are less than love and light directed at her brother or between the brother and the fiancée be cleared, and to allow divine truth to be seen. After the candles went out, she threw the water down the toilet as instructed. That night the toilet began to overflow. Approximately two weeks later, the brother was inspired to ask the fiancée for a prenuptial agreement. Shortly thereafter, she broke off the engagement and returned to Europe. Velaciónes are very powerful tools. The New-Year Fire My mentor Don Tomas taught me the importance of beginning the New Year, the first of January, with a New Fire Ceremony to set the stage for the coming year. He instructed me to thoroughly clean the house, let go of items that may hold energies that no longer resonate with me, cleanse and charge my ritual tools, and cleanse and feed the soul essence of my house. To clean the house, I typically make lemongrass and rosemary tea and place a cup of it in the cleaning solutions. If there are items that no longer resonate with me, before donating them, I usually smudge them. On one occasion, I let go of a crystal that had been given to me by someone whom I had a falling out with and had moved away from. I let go of it by burying it in the earth. I went hiking one day, dug a hole, and placed the crystal within the earth, allowing all the energies of this situation to be released and healed by the earth. I then cleanse and feed my house with a white fire limpia and perform sahumerios in each room with copal, frankincense, and myrrh (chapter 8, see
here, discusses how to make a white fire and a sahumerio). Afterward, I leave a gorgeous platter of my favorite fruits on the dining table with a seven-day candle next to it. I do not, however, light the candle until the sun rises. I write my intentions for the New Year with a number-two pencil on a piece of parchment paper. I place the paper underneath the candle, next to the platter of fruit. When the sun breaks, I light the candle and let it burn out naturally. Then I eat half of the fruit on the platter and put the other half into the compost, sharing the fruit with the earth. The candle is symbolic of a New Fire for the New Year, similar to ancient Mesoamerican customs. Beginning the New Year in this fashion is said to bring in great fortune for the year. It has always been fortunate for me.
U 6 Water Limpias Cleansing and Rebirth sing water in a limpia rite can purify the body, mind, spirit, and soul, as well as facilitate spiritual rebirth and rejuvenation. Blessed water can also charge and cleanse other limpia tools, such as herbs, flowers, and eggs, and can revitalize sacred images. Water can be blessed or charged when placed with certain items during different times of the day and night. Bowls of water can be used as offerings to cleanse a situation, see into situations, or act as a portal into divine realms. Certain sources of water are preferred to perform limpias for particular purposes. Specific water temperatures are also preferred for certain types of limpias. Cold water, for example, is commonly used to seal a rite, especially if it started in hot water or in a sweat lodge. Water limpias were highly revered by the ancient Mexica and the Yucatec Maya. Bathing in water, being cleansed by water, and entering water fostered pivotal life transitions, including birth, adolescence, accession of shaman rulers, death, renewal, and resurrection. The ancient Mesoamericans performed waterlimpia calendrical ceremonies for themselves, their sacred images, and their tools. Bathing was an act of cleanliness and a ritual act of absolution, as filth and dirt were associated with vice, laziness, and disgrace. Temāzcalli (sweat bath) rites were believed to heal illnesses, ensure the safety and health of newborns, and purify an individual from various kinds of vices. Like fire and mirrors, water could serve as a gateway to other worlds, where deities could be accessed, consulted, and conjured. 1 Water-related deities were among the most pervasive in ancient Mesoamerica. The Mesoamericans honored a pantheon of deities associated with water, rain, and lightning and called upon them during their water limpias. Pools of water such as cenotes (natural freshwater pools), springs, and bowls
of water could be used to see into past, present, and future events. 2 Particular bodies of water were also frequently worshipped as magical sources of water, where water rites took place, and where water was obtained for other limpia ceremonies. THE WATER LIMPIA RITES OF THE MEXICA The Mexica, who greatly venerated water, had many elaborate water limpia rites. A love of cleanliness and bathing appears to have been common among the population. Everybody bathed often. Water could wash away sins and illnesses and help keep the body, spirit, and soul strong. Motecuhzoma (also known as Montezuma), the ruler of Tenochtitlan, was said to bathe twice a day. 3 Abstaining from bathing was a sacrifice, and an offering. Merchants, for example, would vow not to bathe until and if they returned safely from long, dangerous expeditions. 4 Water rites also helped procure a favorable transition into the afterlife. 5 Water limpias were important for welcoming and cleansing newborns. When a baby was born, the tlamatqui (midwife) would first cut the umbilical cord and then bathe the baby in water. As she did so, she would call in Chalchuihtlicue, goddess of lakes, streams, agricultural fertility, purification, and birth, to cleanse the baby of the parents’ vices and other possible iniquities, to purify their hearts, and to welcome in a good and peaceful life for them. 6 After invoking Chalchuihtlicue, the tlamatqui would breathe into the water, place it in the baby’s mouth, touch the chest and head of the baby with it, and tell the baby that it had come from the place above the nine heavens and had arrived to earth. 7 Afterward, parents went to the soothsayers to determine the kind of day the baby had been born on. The tetonalmacani (diviner or soothsayer) would refer to their books, paintings, and writings and would look at the tonalpohualli day sign and its companions to determine the baby’s tonalli. If the baby was born on an unfortunate day sign, they looked to see if the companion signs could improve its fortune. 8 After these signs were prescribed, the tetonalmacani would determine the day to initiate the four-day bathing rite, the water limpia ceremony in which the baby was named, and her or his trade was determined. If the child was born on a favorable day sign, such as ten rabbit, they bathed the baby on another favorable day, such as thirteenth monkey, to strengthen and improve the day sign. 9
During the preparation for the newborn’s bathing ceremony, the parents would generously pay the tetonalmacani with foods and goods. 10 If the family was rich and prosperous, the bathing could be delayed seven days, so the naming of the baby could take place on the most favorable day. 11 The poor probably did not have the luxury to prolong the bathing rite for too long, even if the baby had been born on an unfortunate day sign. The rhetoric of the tlamatqui during these water limpias suggests that the fate of someone born on a given day sign could change. The fate of a fortunate person who failed to be humble and disciplined in making offerings to the deities could change for the worse. Conversely, babies born and bathed on unfortunate day signs could change their fate if they were observant in making offerings, humble, and ethical. 12 The bathing limpia took place early in the morning, when the sun appeared. At the time of the bathing, an important banquet was held. 13 Assignments were made, and work was distributed for everything. First came the tobacco servers. Tobacco was served and smoked. The flower servers followed, providing flower crowns and garlands. Participants sat smoking and inhaling the fragrances. Then came the chocolate server. They sat and drank a frothy chocolate drink. 14 The newborns of the pipiltzin (nobles) and well-off would be bathed in a basin for a four-day bathing rite, whereas most of the macehualtin (commoners) would be bathed in small springs or streams. The parents and family would make substantial offerings to the water. 15 The tlamatqui would once again invoke Chalchuihtlicue, breathe into the water, place it in the baby’s mouth, and touch the baby’s chest and head with it. Often many tlamatqui and other shamans were involved in this four-day bathing rite. 16 After the rite, if the baby was a noble girl, she was given miniature implements for spinning and weaving. If the baby was a noble boy, he was given a sword and a shield. Children of commoners received symbols of their future professions, according to what had been prognosticated by the sign under which they had been born. For example, if the signs indicated the baby would be a painter, he was given a paintbrush. If it was determined that the baby was to be a carpenter, an adze would be given. 17 The Mexica also used tobacco and a water limpia to help restore a child’s tonalli. The tetonalmacani would invoke the spirit of tobacco through prayer to find and attract the child’s wandering tonalli. After invocation and prayer, the tetonalmacani would place some water on the top of the child’s head and spray its face with water. The child’s shuddering announced the return of the soul
piece. 18 Mexica calendrical rites also involved water limpia ceremonies. After the Pachtontli rite, which marked the end of the flowers and the coming of the cold season, they engaged in a water-cleansing ceremony. For this the tlamacazque, embodying the goddess Xochiquetzal, would weave the rejuvenation of flowers into the succeeding season with a loom. *20 Afterward everybody was required to go to the rivers and bathe before the coming of dawn. This bathing served to cleanse sins and lesser transgressions committed that year. 19 The shaman would warn the people that if they failed to wash and purify themselves, they would suffer ills and contagious diseases. Thereafter they would go to eat tzoalli, amaranth bread, regarded as the flesh of the gods. 20 It was common to wash the sick, because the Mexica believed that disease came as a form of punishment, which water could cure by cleansing the related sins. 21 If a person went to tell a shaman about their own illness, or that of a child or a spouse, the following prescription was given to them: to make and eat tzoalli by grinding amaranth seed, kneading it with corn, and mixing it with honey. But before doing so, they were to wash themselves and purify themselves of sins. 22 The Mexica engaged in calendrical limpia rites to bathe and cleanse their sacred images. On Tepeilhuitl, the festival of the hills in the thirteenth month, they wrapped all of the wooden serpent figurines that were kept in people’s houses in amaranth dough. On the eve of the feast, toward sundown, they washed the surfaces of these figurines at their temāzcaltin (plural for temāzcalli) and at the shores of water. Thereafter they played wind instruments for the figurines and began to adorn them with human accessories. They applied liquid rubber to their faces, placed a spot of fish mixed with amaranth on their cheeks, dressed them in paper banners, and fitted them with paper headdresses. 23 The Mexica also practiced the casting of lots into water to diagnose illnesses, foretell the future, connect with the deceased, and divine into many different types of situations. 24 One of my mentors taught me this practice with flowers, glasses of water, and corn. Depending on where the corn and flowers landed, he taught me how to determine the source of a problem and perform a limpia to clear it. Exactly how the Mexica cast lots is not explained, but they did use grains of corn and a basin or water jar, and then looked into the basin or water jar to discern what was typically unseen. 25 Certain waters, such as those found in caves and springs, were identified as
sacred. The Mexica bathed in and obtained water from these places to perform cleansings. 26 Tezcaapan (water mirror), for example, was the name of a spring where devotees came to bathe in fulfillment of their vows. 27 There were also sayings concerning bathing and cleansing oneself at sacred waters. Someone who recovered from a great illness or was relieved of a great burden would say, “May I bathe myself at Chalpultepec!” 28 For someone who had committed a heinous crime, there was a saying: “Nowhere is there water with which thou wilt bathe thyself, with which thou wilt cleanse thyself.” 29 The Mexica frequently engaged in temāzcalli rites to cleanse themselves from illnesses, strengthen the flesh, and give health and strength to both the sick and the healthy (see plate 5). The temāzcalli, the place where the rites were performed, was a small, low hut that could typically hold ten persons in a squatting position. It was typically heated by volcanic stones and by the water that would intermittently be thrown onto them. Fire aided in heating and cleansing the participants. The water that came out of their pores purified and strengthened their bodies, facilitating a kind of rebirth; fire too aided in the healing and cleansing process. After thoroughly perspiring from the heat, participants would leave the temāzcalli and wash themselves with approximately ten to twelve pitchers of very cold water outside. Temāzcalli rites were so important to the Mexica that almost every household had access to one. 30 There were shamans who specialized in heating temāzcalli and would perform special rites when doing so. The nobles had people who cleansed their entire bodies with cornhusks while they were in the temāzcalli. 31 In addition, the temāzcalli for the high-ranking shamans were located at the cardinal points of Tenochtitlan. 32 When an expectant mother was in her seventh or eighth month, the parents of the married couple consulted with a trained tlamatqui (midwife), who would bathe the mother-to-be in a temāzcalli throughout the last stages of her pregnancy, a process that was believed to strengthen the body of the baby. 33 When the mother was beginning to experience labor pains, the tlamatqui would bathe and wash her. If she was wealthy and experiencing severe pain, her tlamatqui would place her in a temāzcalli. 34 Like her baby, who would be purified by water at the time of birth, the mother was cleansed by the fire and water of the temāzcalli and the perspiration that came out of her. As soon as someone died, the person, regardless of their social status, would be stripped naked and washed carefully. After being washed, the deceased was
buried or incinerated. The water was essential to ensure a full transition to a favorable passage after death and to banish the family’s grief. 35 THE WATER-LIMPIA RITES OF THE YUCATEC MAYA The Yucatec Maya also used water limpias to mark and facilitate transitional stages of life. The rites purified individuals of vices and the illnesses that arose from them. They procured a cleansing and an ideal birth and rebirth and enabled living people, supernatural beings, and the recently deceased to travel into other planes. They also enabled shamans to prognosticate the future and discern the circumstances that were affecting people. In addition, certain bodies of water were identified as sacred and as being able to cleanse people and ritual objects. Water limpias were performed when babies were born. Afterward, the parents took babies to a shaman who would declare their fate and the office or post they would have and give them their childhood names. The name of the child remained the same until the coming-of-age ceremony, the caput-sihil, when they took the name of their father. After they were married, they took the name of both father and mother. 36 The elaborate caput-sihil ceremony, in which the child was initiated, or reborn, into adolescence, involved many different kinds of limpias, including a water rite. The child was anointed with a sacred blend of flowers, ground cacao, and virgin water taken from the hollows of trees or rocks in the forest. 37 Whenever a parent wanted their child to experience this ceremony, they informed the ah-kin, who announced it in town. Afterward four old and honored men were chosen to assist the ah-kin on the day of ceremony as chacs. For three days beforehand, the parents, as well as all officials, fasted and practiced sexual abstinence. 38 On the day of the ceremony, parents, children, and officials assembled at the house of the host. They brought all the children who were partaking in the ceremony into the patio or court of the house. An aged woman cleansed the girls, and an aged man cleansed the boys. 39 Afterward they cleansed the house and had the children engage in a confessionary platica. Thereafter the ah-kin began to bless the children with long prayers and began to sweep them with hyssop. The director of the fiesta took a bone, placed it on the foreheads of the children, and wet the bone in a jar that contained a sacred blend of water. He anointed the children with the sacred water on the forehead, the face, and between the fingers
of the hands and feet. 40 Then the shamans’ assistants brought a bunch of flowers for the children to smell and a pipe to smoke. 41 The sacred water marked the children for a coming of age at which they could now take the name of their fathers. Water gathered from the dew of leaves and flowers, as well as from the hollows of trees, understood as virgin water (sujuy ha’ ), was also used to cleanse their idols and spaces, such as their temples. Shamans often consecrated areas by spraying this water from a serpent-tailed aspergillum. They also aspersed this virgin water during platicas and consecration rites. 42 One of my mentors had me get up at dawn to gather the dew on particular flowers, indicating that both dew and flowers had magical properties ideal for limpias. The ancient, and many modern, Yucatec Maya associated flowers with the breath soul that symbolizes the life force, and with the process of death and rebirth (see plate 8). 43 Florida water made from spring or blessed water, along with certain flowers, is still one of the most common tools for limpias of self and space. The Yucatec Maya bathed constantly, but principally for health rather than cleanliness. Vice caused illnesses, and it was believed that water could cleanse vice. 44 They bathed frequently in cold water, especially after leaving the chitin (sweat bath). Like the temāzcalli of the Mexica, the Yucatecans’ sweat bath houses were usually heated by volcanic stones and the steam from the water that was thrown onto them. The water was commonly infused with cleansing plants. 45 The sweat bath houses were sacred spaces, where people could cleanse themselves from physical illnesses to keep the body strong. Babies were also born in sweat bath houses, and then bathed with water. They were also ritually charged spaces, where time itself took on different representations and where deities could be consulted, conjured, birthed, and rebirthed. 46 The ancient Maya constructed both physical, functional sweat bath houses and metaphorical ones, pib naah shrines. The pib naah was a sort of inner sanctum, probably a private space where the elite Maya conducted sacred rites, including limpias. 47 Cenotes were highly revered. They were the principal sources of water in the northern lowlands of Yucatan, where there are neither rivers nor lakes. At these cenotes the chacs, Maya rain gods, were worshipped. Surfaces of particular cenotes were also understood as having divinatory qualities. It was common for the Maya, especially in the northern lowlands of the Yucatán, to conduct pilgrimages, sacred ceremonies, and offerings at particular cenotes. The cenote at Chichén Itzá, for example, was likely one of the most important destinations for the precontact Yucatec Maya. The great round surface of water was likely
perceived as a mirror for divination and auguring (see plate 9). 48 The Classic Maya often depicted other worlds or underworlds as watery realms. From these watery realms, deities, such as the Maize Deity, could be rebirthed and travel. 49 There is also strong evidence suggesting that the Classic Maya believed that at the time of death, the soul entered a watery underworld realm and went through a process of further death and transformation. 50 Entering this watery realm was probably seen as a means of traveling through other realms to become something else. 51 The Postclassic K’iché’ Popol Vuh also identifies a watery realm, or literally a body of water, as a source of transformation and resurrection. In the Popol Vuh, the hero twins enter the underworld of Xilbalbá and its many levels, such as the House of Bats, the House of Knives, and the House of Fire. The bones of the twins are then ground and thrown into the river, after which they are resurrected once again as handsome boys. 52 INTEGRATING ANCIENT MESOAMERICAN WISDOM My mentors taught me early on about the versatile uses of water for limpias cleansing items, people, and spaces; they also taught me how water could act as a gateway to other realms, while at the same time serve as an offering. They provided me with important recipes for baños, instructed me about the types of limpias that were recommended for certain bodies of water, and about the use of certain water temperatures for limpias. Exploring the ancient Mesoamerican rites enabled me to develop my limpias with water and deepened my comprehension of the many benefits and uses of these rites. Inspired by my ancestors, I began to use them to mark and facilitate life transitions, and to activate, vivify, and renew sacred spaces. I also began leaving bowls of water at strategic places with the intention that they would serve as offerings and gateways to specific planes. Charged or Blessed Water For water limpias, it is necessary to use charged or blessed water. Typically, blessed water, as its name suggests, is understood to be water that has been blessed by a Christian priest in curanderismo traditions. Charged water, by contrast, has been blessed by someone who is not necessarily a priest. The term
also refers to water that comes from a sacred source, whether it is one that has been identified as such by a shaman or one that has been widely revered as being sacred. My first set of mentors taught me to always have on hand a glass of charged water for the day. The water could be used to prepare eggs for limpias; to dip my hands into before a card reading; to place on the forehead of my clients after limpias in order to seal the cleansing; to sprinkle on a bundle of herbs or flowers for a limpia sweep; or to leave as an offering on my altar. Some ways to charge water include: Water, crystals, and light. Put filtered water, or preferably spring-water, in a clear glass or bowl, and place a clear calcite or clear quartz crystal inside the bowl. Then place the bowl on top of a parchment paper on which a prayer has been written with a number-two pencil. Leave the glass of water outside or on a windowsill for a full twenty-four hours to get both the magical energy of the moon and the stamina of the sun. Be aware of the moon phase: the new moon is for new beginnings; a waxing moon is for increase or expansion; the full moon, for completion; and a waning moon, for decrease. Keep in mind that even if it’s cloudy, the rays of the sun will go through the clouds to raise the water’s vibration. Water with plant cuttings. Water with plant cuttings that can produce roots is also a great source for charged water if it has also been getting sunlight and moonlight. Plants such as coleus, mint, African violet, oregano, basil, sage, lemon balm, thyme, and rosemary can grow from cuttings in a glass of water. Water the parent plant a day or two before taking cuttings. Take cuttings from a healthy, vigorous, and disease-free plant. Cut three- to six-inch sections of a stem that has a growing tip. Make a clean, angled cut just above a leaf node. Trim off any leaves on the lowest one-third to one-half of the cutting, keeping at least two leaves on each cutting. Place the cuttings in a water-filled jar so that the leafless portion of the stem is submerged and the remaining leaves are out of the water. Set the jar with cuttings and water somewhere that gets partial sun, like a windowsill. If the roots turn brown and mushy with rot, discard the cuttings and water. Prayer or invocation. Say a prayer or invocation over the water and send your loving intentions into it. If you are using a glass of water, it helps if you also place a label with one or two words reflecting what you would like the water to do for you personally or for loved ones. Water from a sacred site. Obtain water from a source that has been
identified as sacred. Place some of this water into a glass of spring water or distilled water, say a prayer over it, leave the glass open, and let the water absorb at least eight hours of sunlight. After that point you can seal the glass, and you now have more sacred water. Florida Water Limpia A Florida water limpia is an all-purpose cleanse that removes dense or stale energies and then renews the person with charged or blessed water. I start out by taking a tiny bit of Florida water in my mouth (but not past my teeth) and spraying the person with it. I make sure to always get the head, heart, solar plexus (abdomen), root chakra (genital area), knees, and feet. If the person is sitting down, I also spray the spine. I run a rattle over their body to shake away stagnant or dense energies. I then sweep away these unwanted energies with a feather fan, flowers, herbs, or an egg (chapter 7 explains how to conduct sweeps). Finally, I anoint the person with charged or blessed water, placing it on their forehead, throat, and heart chakra. The water at the end seals the limpia and facilitates a rebirth. (As I explain in chapter 7, see here, sometimes I will use an oil to anoint the person and facilitate a rebirth. The choice, of course, has a lot to do with intuitive guidance.) Water Limpias for Graceful Life Transitions Placing glasses of charged water in certain configurations is an ideal water limpia for going through a significant transition, such as leaving a job that is no longer in alignment with oneself, initiating a divorce or separation, or beginning a new business. The following items will be needed: Four- to eight-ounce glasses. The number of glasses needed depends on the kind of configuration that will be made with them. (Please do not use these glasses to drink from after this or any limpia. The items that are used for these rites are sacred and magical. They should be placed in a separate space, out of reach, so they are not mistakenly used.) Incense or charcoal and resins, preferably copal. Epsom salts and rubbing alcohol (to cleanse the space first with a white fire limpia). Charged or blessed water. There should be enough water to fill the glasses of water more than halfway.
A prayer or invocation. Begin by cleansing the space where the water limpia will take place, possibly with a sahumerio or white fire limpia (chapter 8, see here, discusses how to conduct these rites). Then make a configuration with the glasses of water, and leave a space through which it will be possible to walk to the middle. Here are some basic configurations: Squares: to seal an intention. It is also recommended to use a square to inspire peace in families and nonromantic relationships. Five glasses of water will be needed (see figure 6.1, below). Triangles: to strengthen and focus an intention. It is common to use triangles for business or entrepreneurial ventures, or when clarity is needed. Using triangles is also ideal for enhancing the charge of an oil, tincture, salve, or mister. Four glasses of water will be needed (see figure 6.2, below). Circles: to influence outcomes. Circles can change misfortunes to great fortune and can heal physical and emotional illnesses. The number of glasses to be used depends on the intention and intuitive guidance (see figure 6.3, below). Here is a little insight into numerology using basic numbers, as well as some master numbers: Five: flexibility and freedom Six: matters of love and compassion Seven: good fortune and wisdom Eight: unity and divine power Nine: securing divine aid and cooperation Ten: completion Eleven: connection between all that exists, that has ever existed, and that will ever exist Twenty-two: actualization of the God within the self, recognition that God is in the totality of existence, and understanding of the God outside of the self Three-three: ease in actualization and manifestation Forty-four: metamorphosis and continued change
After making the formation, walk into the middle of it and close it with the glasses of water. Focus on the intention, and pour the water into the glasses, moving clockwise. Return to the center, sit with the central glass of water, and focus on a rebirth. Sometimes I bring my brazier, charcoal, and copal in the middle to further cleanse the space and myself, as well as to serve as an offering. I sit with my intention of rebirthing, say prayers, sing a medicine song or two, and journey. If I am doing this limpia for another person, I may also do a barrida for them and/or take them on a shamanic journey while we are in the middle of the formation. I stay in the center until I feel the intention has been set and the limpia is complete. After I am done, I pour the water on a plant, so that the plant’s spirit helps to nourish my intention of rebirth and spiritual growth. A Water Limpia Petition A water limpia petition can be done instead of doing a velación to cleanse a situation or manifest something that is in ideal alignment with oneself. This rite opens pathways for ideal outcomes. The following items will be needed: Four- to eight-ounce glasses. The number of glasses that are needed depends on the kind of configuration that will be made with them. (Again, please do not use these glasses to drink from after this or any limpia. These are sacred, magical items and should be placed in a separate space, out of reach, so they are not mistakenly used.) Incense or charcoal and resins, preferably copal. Epsom salts and rubbing alcohol (to cleanse the space first with a white fire limpia). Charged or blessed water. There should be enough water to fill the glasses of water more than halfway. Charcoal tablets. Wooden matches. A brazier or steel urn for burning the charcoal. Parchment paper. A number-two pencil. A picture that reflects whom or what the petition is for (optional).
Begin by cleansing the space where the water limpia will take place, possibly with a sahumerio or white fire limpia. Write the petition or intention with the pencil on the parchment paper. (I highly recommend following the guidelines for writing petitions described here.) Arrange the glasses of water in a geometrical configuration, and place the petition in the center. If a picture is being used, place it on top of the petition, and then place the glass of water on top of the picture. If there is no picture being used, then place the glass on top of the petition. Place a glass of water in the middle, and then place water in the rest of the glasses moving clockwise. Finally, light the charcoal and place the copal on it. Plan beforehand to place the charcoal on the steel urn, as the charcoal gets very hot, and leave the urn outside the geometrical formation. Make offerings of copal regularly, preferably at night before going to bed and in the early morning. Leave the water in the glasses, and let the formation stay intact long enough to coincide with one of the following intentions.
Figure. 6.1. Square Water Limpia Petition. Illustration by Carolina Gutierrez.
Figure. 6.2. Triangle Water Limpia Petition. Illustration by Carolina Gutierrez.
Figure. 6.3. Circle Water Limpia Petition. Illustration by Carolina Gutierrez. New moon: new beginning; a three-day ceremony. Begin one day before the peak of the new moon, and end on the day after the peak.
New moon transitioning into the waxing moon: new beginnings that will lead to the expansion or increase of something; a ten-day ceremony. Begin the ceremony on the day of the peak of the new moon, and end it nine days after. Waxing moon: focusing simply on the expansion or growth of something; a nine-day ceremony. Start four days before the peak of the waxing moon, and end it four days after the peak. Full moon: sealing an intention; a three-day ceremony. Begin one day before the peak of the full moon, and end on the day after the peak. Full moon transitioning into the waning moon: sealing an intention and clearing off residues that may not be in alignment with this closure; a tenday ceremony. Begin the ceremony on the peak of the full moon, and end it nine days after. Waning moon transitioning to new moon: winding something down prior to a new beginning; a nine-day ceremony. Begin eight days before the peak of the new moon, and end on the peak. What to do with the water after this rite: If a new beginning or an expansion was requested: Pour the water on a plant inside the house or in a special area of a garden, preferably somewhere where curanderismo work is done. Bathe in this water. Use this water in a mister. If a closure or decrease was requested: What to do with the water depends on the energy of what you asked for. If it is something dense, consider placing the water in the sun for a day while in the glass and then tossing it into a dry area of land. If you’d like to get rid of the water immediately, flush it down the toilet. If the closure or decrease is not necessarily dense, place the water on a succulent or bathe with it. Baños and Bucket Cleansing Baños are baths that cleanse and revitalize the mind, body, and spirit and can also aid in soul retrieval. For a bath, make sure the water is hot; not scalding, of
course, but hot enough to produce a sweat. To further detoxify the body, add a cup of Epsom salts to the water. Here are some recipes for these types of limpias: All-purpose herbal cleanse and renewal. Use any or all of the following herbs: rue, rosemary, basil, parsley, mint, chamomile, sage, or vervain. It is very important to communicate with the soul essence of the herbs prior to using them, and to thank them for the cleanse and renewal. This will strengthen the effectiveness of the limpia. Place the herbs directly in the tub, or steep herbs in water and then pour the water into the tub. An easy and effective way to steep them is by using a coffee or tea maker. Typically, a twelve-cup coffee or tea maker and a handful of herbs will yield five to seven pots of steeped water. To improve fortune. For seven straight days take a bath with dew water, river water, well water, holy water from a church, coconut water, or goat’s milk. The dew water can be gathered from plants in the early morning. For calmness and removing negative energies. Carry out the same process as in the all-purpose herbal cleanse and renewal described above, making sure to use all of the following herbs: basil, rosemary, chamomile, and rue. They are great for ridding yourself of negative energies and for calming the nerves. To resolve money issues. Boil seven heads of garlic, and take a bath with this water. Repeat this process for three straight days. After the third day, write a petition on a piece of parchment paper with a number-two pencil to clear any money issues and welcome in financial abundance. Light a seven-day candle, and place the petition between a glass of water and the candle. For alleviating depression. Boil basil, rosemary, peppermint, cinnamon sticks, coffee grounds, and sugar together. Bathe with this water. Repeat this process for three straight days. As an alternative to using a tub, use a five-gallon bucket, and repeat the above steps by mixing regular hot water and the prepared water into it. Spread out the prepared water so that you can pour five to six bucketfuls over yourself, letting the water drench first the head and then the rest of the body. After a water limpia, wash off with cold water, the colder the better. Both hot- and cold-water hydrotherapy have great benefits for the body, boosting circulation, reducing stress, and stimulating the removal of toxins from the organs. The first time I experienced this water hydrotherapy, it was after a temazcal ceremony. I had several buckets of ice-cold water poured over me, which I was not expecting. Every part of me wanted to run away, but I was in
shock and unable to move. I began to become more accepting of this practice after I experienced the amazing clarity and focus I had after this water limpia. Now, after every baño, I take a shower with cold water. My ancestors knew that this practice cleansed and revitalized the body, mind, and spirit, and I too have embraced it. How a Water Limpia Helped Me Approximately in September 2005, when I finally came home after my catastrophic injury, I was hospitalized for a couple of months and was at my mother’s house for another month. Both of my ankles had fractures, but my right heel had been injured especially seriously: all of my bones from the knee down had come out through it. Unfortunately, the doctors did not do a culture when they placed the bones back inside my foot, and six weeks later they determined that I had severe osteomyelitis, which caused me to lose many of the bones in the heel. They had been contemplating what kind of surgery they would do to close the hole up, but after they discovered the osteomyelitis, they delayed surgery because they wanted to wait and make sure the infection was completely gone first. In the meantime, they placed a wound vac on the heel to keep the open wound clean and help it to heal. When I came home, I was alternating between a wheelchair and a walker while I was awaiting surgery. Until then, I was told, I could not place pressure on my right foot. I had also been taken off the wound vac, leaving me still with an open wound. After a shamanic journey, I knew I had to charge some water, place my feet in it, and let the water heal my feet, so I’d be able to walk normally again. I placed a bucket of water outside in the sun for one hour and put into it pyrite, rose quartz, amethyst, black tourmaline, and a spikenard-based oil blend I had made. Spikenard releases fear and doubt, and I was ready to let go of any residual fear and doubt that I had about being able to walk again or being in constant pain, which I had been told would be highly likely. After the hour, I wheeled in my bucket into my sacred room and placed it on my lap. I opened the ceremony with a New Fire and lit a charcoal in my brazier and placed copal on it. I placed my hands over the water and said a prayer of gratitude. I thanked the water and all of the accompanying elements to help me to release fear and doubt and to help heal my feet. I placed my feet in the water. Immediately I began feeling electrical surges coming up from my feet and running up and down my body. The surges were not painful in any way; rather, they felt as if they were stimulating the muscles that had not been used for months. I continued to perform weekly water limpia ceremonies. In two weeks, the wound finally closed. The pain had also subsided, and I was able to get off the pain medications. After the surgery on my heel, I was walking with a completely normal gait in less than two weeks. I am grateful for both my spirit guides and human mentors who taught me about the amazing healing properties of water. My healing was realized because of their help and guidance.
I 7 Sweeping The Way to Purification and Revitalization n curanderismo, sweeping purifies and prepares an individual for a renewal, removing dense energies in order to open up pathways and invite supernatural beings to intervene on one’s behalf. Sweeping rites also serve as offerings to the divine and to the soul essences of the spaces where the limpias are being performed. As my mentors taught me, feed your space by keeping it clean and orderly, and it will feed you by rejuvenating you while you sleep and provide a peaceful living space. This understanding of sweeping can be traced back to the ancient Mexica and Yucatec Maya. Physically, sweeping was a way to remove filth and dirt, which were associated with vice, wrongdoings, and disgrace. Spiritually, it was necessary for paving the way for the coming of deities, newborns, and auspicious seasonal transitions. Sweeping prepared spaces for ceremonies; it also helped to procure a favorable shift to different calendrical periods and ages. As an offering, sweeping could help ensure the success of husbands and fathers on the battlefield, as well as staving off unwanted interludes with particular deities. This ritual act cleansed, fed, and sustained the soul essence of ritual spaces, whether they were temples, houses, or roads. THE SWEEPING LIMPIA RITES OF THE MEXICA It required the daily efforts of a thousand people to keep Tenochtitlan clean. According to Torquemada and Benevente o Motolinía, the Mexica swept and washed the public thoroughfares with such diligence that one could walk about without any fear for one’s feet. 1 The importance of sweeping, however, involved more than a desire to be clean and orderly. Sweeping purified, rejuvenated, and
secured the balance between chaos and order. Although sweeping was probably performed principally by the macehualtin (commoners), women, and shamans of all classes, the ethnohistorical records suggest that sweeping was revered by all. All men and women were required to aid in securing the delicate balance between order and disorder by engaging in ritual sweeping. When being installed as supreme ruler, the huey tlatoani, pledged to maintain the balance between tlazolli (filth in the physical and moral sense) and cleanliness within Tenochtitlan. 2 Ritually sweeping the way, or purifying the person, path, and building were also necessary to procure the aid of regenerative forces. The broom was a weapon against dirt and disorder as well as an object of power—although an ambivalent one, because it purified but was also a carrier of filth. Sweeping represented the power to be an anchor of balance, an arbiter, between the two opposite poles of order and disorder. 3 Too much tlazolli threatened the balance, order, centered-ness, and very existence of individuals, homes, temples, and communities. The Fifth Sun, the era that the Mexica lived in, required ongoing and diligent cleansing and purification. *21 Brooms were a principal weapon against the destructive forces of tlazolli. The act of sweeping maintained a balance against tlazolli and could transform it into something creative, regenerative, and life-giving. 4 Sweeping, for example, was also associated with the power of female fertility. Certain deities had been conceived during the act of sweeping tlazolli, transforming it into a life-giving force from the maternal earth. 5 Huitzilopochtli, the Mexica tutelary deity, was conceived when Coatlique, an aspect of Mother Earth, tucked a bit of tlazolli into her skirt while sweeping. 6 Chimalman, wife of Mixcoatl, god of hunting, found a piece of jade while sweeping and swallowed it. As a result, Quetzalcoatl, the god of wind, was conceived. 7 Many deities, such as Tlazolteotl, Toci, and Quetzalcoatl, were depicted with a broom in their hands and were associated with sweeping and with its purifying and regenerative force. Tlazolteotl, the Great Spinner and Weaver, or Filth Deity, also known as Tlaelquani—she who eats filth and gives absolution—was associated with platicas, sweeping rites, the sweat bath, fertility and childbirth, the moon, menses, purification, weaving, sexuality, witchcraft, and healing. 8 She served as an energetic function that buttressed all healing and regeneration, from plant to human life. 9 Toci, also known as known as Teteo innan, *22 was often portrayed with a
broom in her hand and a shield in the other—the ideal Mexica warrior. 10 Durán’s Book of the Gods, plate 24, depicts Toci sweeping the road for the coming of the gods. 11 Toci was associated with spinning, weaving, sweeping, healing, midwifery, divination, and acting as a protector and warrior. 12 Quetzalcoatl, also known as Ehecatl or Ehacatl-Quetzalcoatl, god of wind, was known to sweep the roads in preparation for the rain gods. 13 As a master of the wind, Ehacatl-Quetzalcoatl cleansed and purified the earth’s surface of tlazolli, preparing the path for rain to come, and energizing and sustaining the earth’s vegetative regeneration. Although Ehacatl-Quetzalcoatl is depicted with a broom in his hand (see plate 10), it was said that he swept the way for the rain with his breath. 14 Noble fathers advised their sons to sweep as an offering to their gods, but also because this rite was performed by respected members of the community. The Huehuetlatolli (Testimonies of the ancient word) record fathers advising their noble sons to rise promptly, seize the broom, and sweep at the break of dawn. The tecutlato, one holding rank and attributes of a judge, and the tlacatecutli, an assisting dignitary to the supreme ruler, whose duties were related to military affairs, swept at the rise of dawn, and, the text said, their sons should strive to be like these respected members of the community. 15 The Florentine Codex also notes that noble fathers told their sons to sweep, clean, and offer incense to their gods as the first thing they did when they woke up. The sons that were vigilant about sweeping, offering incense, and keeping things orderly were the ones who proved to be worthy and devout and gave themselves wholeheartedly to their gods; they were ideal men. 16 Pregnant women were told to “be diligent in the sweeping, the cleaning, the arranging of things, the cutting [of wood], the fanning [of the fire], and the offering of incense.” 17 By doing so, they secured the aid of the deities for a favorable birth and ensured that their child would be born into a world of order and cleanliness, in both a physical and a moral sense. At birth, midwives swept the way for the coming of a life. When an expecting mother was in labor, the midwife washed her and swept the house in which she was to give birth. 18 Sweeping ensured that the baby came into a space of balance and order. At home sweeping was a magical shamanic tool. Women always kept their tlazoltectli (brooms) outside of their homes to repel discord. Women also forbade their children to play with the broom, because it carried the energy
signature of its owner. It was said that if a man wished to seduce a woman, he would gather twenty straws from her broom. Then he could turn the broom’s power against its owner and force her to comply with his wishes. 19 Durán describes a war against the Huaxtecs, whose success was partly attributed to the wives’ ritual sweeping at noon, sunset, and midnight to honor the four corners of the sun’s path. Sweeping as an offering to the sun was believed to give their warrior husbands an advantage on the battlefield. 20 For Mexica shamans, male and female, sweeping was an essential service of ritual purification. 21 Ichpana (sweeping) was an offering that was performed by the shamans of all the temples at the crack of dawn. 22 The Codex Mendoza notes that the shamans of high order were responsible for sweeping, or for seeing that others performed the task. 23 The cihuaquacuitlin (an older, higher-status female shaman) watched over the younger female shamans at Atenchicalcan, the temple of Toci, and taught them how to do sweeping limpias as offerings to the goddess, purifiying her temple and thereby welcoming her presence. 24 The cihuaquacuitlin also taught the younger shamans the directions in which sweeping should be performed. The catalog of eighteen offerings to the gods in Sahagún’s Primeros Memoriales (First Memoranda) depicts women performing the following rites: the laying of offerings (tlamanaliztli), the offering of incense in an incense burner (tlenamaliztli), the casting of copal incense into a brazier (copaltemaliztli), the ritual eating of earth (tlalqualiztli), bloodletting from the earlobes (necoliztli), and of course, sweeping. 25 Sweeping the way was also often used as a metaphor for clearing and preparing spaces for a favorable transition. The Florentine Codex uses this metaphor for describing the settlement of Tenochtitlan by the Mexicas’ ancestors: According to tradition, the name of the priest who led the Mexica was Meçitli. . . . And since he led his subjects, therefore they were given the name Mexica. These Mexica, according to the account, came from the land of the chichimeca, from the desert lands. . . . In the distant past, which no one came here to disperse [their descendants] the grandfathers, the grandmothers, those who arrived [first], the ones who came [first], those who came sweeping the way, . . . those who came to rule this land. 26
There were also calendrical rites that involved sweeping rituals. The Ochpaniztli (sweeping of the way) rite played a critical role in ensuring the purification of the Mexicas’ world, favorable outcomes on the battlefield, an abundant growth of corn for the next harvest, and a favorable seasonal transition from summer to fall. Ochpaniztli took place on the eleventh month of the xiuhpohualli calendar. *23 According to Durán, the major rite or feast of Ochpaniztli was celebrated on the first day of the month, which corresponded to September 17 in the Western calendar. 27 That would place this celebration sometime on or around the autumn equinox, the transitional period from summer to fall. On the first day of Ochpaniztli, all of the streets of the town were swept before dawn. Everybody also cleaned and swept their possessions and every corner of their house. The temāzcaltin were also swept and washed. 28 There was fervent sweeping of all buildings and roads by both men and women, which helped to procure the purification of the towns and remove all evils. 29 That day, a woman about forty or forty-five years of age was purified and washed. After her purification, she was dressed like Toci and was understood as becoming the actual embodiment of the deity. 30 Seven days before the feast, she was taken to midwives. The old midwives entertained her with stories and mock battles with brooms and kept her from weeping, because if the Toci impersonator wept, this would be a bad omen. At a certain hour, the midwives took Toci to the front of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan and had her weave a woman’s skirt and blouse. On the eve of the feast, Toci was led to the marketplace, so that she might sell the items she had spun and woven; she would also scatter cornmeal to ensure fertility. At midnight, the midwives took her to the huey tlatoani to engage in sexual intercourse with the ruler as the embodiment of the deity. She was then killed and decapitated, and her skin was flayed. 31 Next, a teccizquacuilli (very strong man), donning the flayed skin, of Toci’s feminine aspect, made an appearance at the top of the Temple of Tenochtitlan, the heart of the city’s religious precinct. He also wore the shirt and skirt that the Toci impersonator had spun, as well as Toci’s ritual accoutrements: a cotton garland, with her spindle whorls and carded cotton as a headdress, and a shield in the left hand and a broom in the right hand. The strong man, then believed to embody Toci, made his grand appearance at the top of the Great Temple. He proceeded swiftly down the temple’s magnificent steps before a crowd of thousands of onlookers, who trembled with fear. When Toci reached the foot of the temple, “she” began to sweep, ensuring the transformation and purification
of the Mexicas’ world. 32 During this ritual, the broom and the act of sweeping were particularly significant because of their associations with purification, transformation, and acting as weapons against invading dirt and disorder. 33 Sweeping purified, and maintained equilibrium during a seasonal transition. In the New Fire Ceremony, Xiuhmolpilli, “binding of the years,” the time for world renewal, sweeping played a critical role. All homes and temples were diligently swept, and people would dispose of rubbish, old idols, and household items. 34 Sweeping away the tlazolli, and disposing of items that no longer belonged in the new epoch, ensured the success of the New Fire and the continuation of the world. 35 THE SWEEPING LIMPIA RITES OF THE YUCATEC MAYA For the Yucatec Maya, ritual sweeping of the dirt or trash also purified, maintained equilibrium, and facilitated the coming of a new age. It opened pathways for new occupational and life ventures, seasonal transitions, and the coming of the gods or their elements (see plate 11). De Landa’s description of the annual Maya Pop’ New Year describes how ritual sweeping played a fundamental role in these rites. The New Year sweeping and cleansing ritual began on the first day of the wayeb’ period of the 365-day ha’b calendar. The wayeb’ was a period of five nameless unlucky days at the end of the year that were added to the eighteen periods of twenty days to make a total of 365. These five days were believed to be a liminal time, when the veils between worlds were thin. During these five nameless days, ill-intentioned deities had greater access to the earthly planes and could cause many disasters. 36 According to de Landa, cleaning and sweeping ensured the ceremonial rebirth of the world at the end of the wayeb’ period. Houses, buildings, and roads, particularly the roads leading into the city, were assiduously swept. The people also swept all four corners of their house. They got rid of and renewed many worn and used items, such as plates, vases, benches, mats, old garments, and the mantles around their deities. The frequent use of these items marked them with the energy signature of a year that was passing away. The people threw these items out, and swept up dirt outside the city on a heap of trash that no one dared touch, regardless of their need. 37 Sweeping was also essential for clearing the way for the adolescent coming-
of-age rites of the caput-sihil. At the beginning of the ceremony, the children were cleansed on a clean patio that had been scattered with fresh sihom leaves. *24 The boys were then placed in a line by an aged man, and the girls were placed in a line by an aged woman. Although it is not clear from de Landa’s description whether these aged men and women performed a barrida, sweeping the children with sihom leaves, as is done in many modern limpia sweeps, these leaves were clearly intended to complement the cleanliness of the patio. After this, the adolescents went inside a house to continue their cosmic rebirthing. They offered maize and incense to the center, the bridge between the profane and the cosmic realms. This performance purified them, according to de Landa. 38 To make way for the next performance, the patio was swept and the sihom leaves removed. The patio was then blessed with copó leaves, and the leaves were scattered everywhere, while the ah-kin changed for the next performance. 39 From de Landa’s description, it is not clear who swept, but it is clear that sweeping in the middle of the ceremony was crucial for paving the way for the subsequent rebirthing rites. The importance of sweeping is also noted in the precontact Madrid Codex, whose final pages, 111a and 112b, show pictures of gods with brooms in their hands. The accompanying text, next to the gods, begins with the mi sign, which can be identified as the Madrid version of the syllable si. In Yucatec Mayan, the mi and si signs together spell the word mis, which means broom, trash, and the verb to clean. 40 These images probably relate to apiculture, especially beehive cleaning, signifying the importance of maintaining the natural world in balance, with sweeping as a purifying force. Beehive cleaning likely correlates to present-day rituals in the Yucatán called santiguar. Santiguars are the most commonly performed healing ceremonies in the Yucatán and are used to heal a multitude of ailments, including stomachaches, headaches, sore throats, and earaches. In the santiguar, the ajmeen (shaman or curandero) cleanses people of dangerous and harmful winds while praying over them and sweeping them with sacred anointed leaves. Another kind of santiguar is performed in order to protect the bees from dangerous epidemics and the attack of xulab ants. In these ceremonies the hmén (shaman or curandero) use brooms made of anointed leaves. As the hmén cleans the beehives, he recites prayers in which the verb mis describes the ritual performed. 41 The K’iché’ Popol Vuh also describes the importance of sweeping and of keeping spaces and homes clean and pure. The Popol Vuh speaks of two
ferocious demons, known as the sweeping and stabbing demons from Xilbalbá, who abhor trash and stab people to death if they fail to sweep their homes or if they leave trash around. Hence the best way to ward off the demons of Xilbalbá was to keep one’s house swept clean and not allow trash to accumulate. 42 The books of Chilam Balam and contemporary Tzotzil creation narratives often use sweeping the path as a metaphor for ritual purification. It is understood as opening fortunate pathways for ventures, such as a marriage or a new occupation or living space. 43 In a small contemporary community called Canquixaja, near Momostenango, Guatemala, at the close of the 260-day ritual calendar, each household ritually smashes its principal cooking vessel for boiling maize. The family carries the larger fragments of the pot to an ancestral shrine in the mountains and places them on top of a great mound of other shards that have accumulated over the years. An ajq’ij (shaman or curandero) blesses each member of the family and cleanses them from any corruption that might have accumulated during the previous year. He calls upon various deities, saints, and the family’s own sacred ancestors to give them a healthy and abundant new year. Family members then thoroughly wash themselves in a river to remove any taint from the bad influences of the final days of the year. Immediately thereafter, they sweep, clean their home, and prepare a new cooking vessel to confirm the birth of a New Year. 44 Part of a modern Chamula poem, “The Sweeper of the Path,” translated in English from Itza, an almost extinct Yucatec Mayan language, also indicates the symbolic supernatural role of sweeping. “I am the sweeper of the path. I sweep Our Lord’s path so that when Our Lord passes by he finds the path already swept. . . . I am the sweeper of the house. I walk when it grows light. When night falls, I sweep beneath the world. When dawn comes, I appear and sweep again, because that is my work. That’s why I am a star. Venus appears early in the dawn, say the people, but it’s me. I sweep Our Lord’s path. It isn’t just anyone’s path.” 45 This poem tells of the cosmic significance of sweeping the path of the sun. By sweeping, the Chamulan girl cleanses the path, thereby facilitating the rebirth
of a new day. In the Ch’ol language, misuntel is described as part of a limpia ceremony. When a person goes to be cured by a curandero, the first thing the healer does is to lay hands on them to know the reason for the disease. This tells the curandero if the sick person has fallen in the road, which means that their spirit has been left there. The curandero goes to the site where the person fell in order to call to their spirit. The curandero goes by the road, sweeping with branches to bring back the spirit of the person that fell. 46 INTEGRATING MESOAMERICAN WISDOM When my mentors taught me how to conduct sweeping limpias, they focused principally on the methods and on how to read the tools that were used. We discussed how the sweeps removed unwanted energies, but never how the sweeps paved the way for something else, including new beginnings and restored balance. Learning the multifaceted aspects of ancient Mesoamerican sweeping rites brought more dimensions to my practice and made it more effective. Inspired by the ancient shamans, I always perform limpia sweepings at a transitory point in the session; that is, when the client has declared that they are ready to let go of the stories and issues that brought them to me, and to make way for a new story. Before I perform a sweep, I make sure the client is ready for balance and for moving toward a more favorable path. We have a platica and begin the releasing process. After we discuss their stories and issues, I ask them if they are ready for positive change. They usually affirm that they are. Once they do, I perform the sweep. If I am working with the client remotely, I perform the sweep with breathwork, like Ehacatl-Quetzalcoatl, who was said to sweep with his breath (see plate 10). 47 I scan the person’s body, blow away dense energies, and also have the person engage in breathwork with me to complement the release on a physical level. (In chapter 4, see here, I recommend some breathwork exercises that can be done to facilitate limpias.) The sweeping limpia further purifies the person to clear and make way for a positive renewal, transformation, and rebirth. In the following section, I discuss how to perform ritual sweeping limpias with bundles of herbs, feathers, flowers, and eggs. Some curanderas/os perform sweeping rites with actual brooms. My mentors, however, did not do so, so I will
review the tools I was taught to use when performing these rites. Sweeping Limpias with Herbs When my mentors did limpias with herbs, they often called them barridas, from a verb that means to sweep or wash away. There are many kinds of plants to do barridas with. I principally work with those in my garden because these are the ones I know intimately and have a close relationship with. I mainly use rue, mint, rosemary, lavender, parsley, oregano, and basil. Going into depth about all of the medicinal, cleansing, and magical properties of these herbs is outside the scope of this book. I will simply highlight a few predominant gifts of each of these herbs and make some recommendations about using them for barridas. Before deciding on the plant, be sure to stop to listen to it. When students say they are not sure how to listen to plants, I encourage them to begin by working intuitively. Go to the plant that calls out to them, let the plant know of their intention, and ask if it would like to work on this intention with them. If they get a yes, that is the plant they should choose. After the plant and person have chosen each other, the student should do some research on the plant’s uses and gifts. Knowledge gained in this manner seems to have a lot more resonance with the person, particularly because they usually find out that they were guided to the ideal plant for the situation. If possible, grow the herbs that are going to be used for the barridas. The love, respect, and attention given to them will be repaid in their healing, cleansing, and magic. Pinterest has many innovative ideas for growing an herb garden on the walls of small kitchens. All of these herbs are excellent at clearing dense energies, and here are a few of their additional gifts: Rue: fortifies energy fields and repels negativity. *25 Mint: lifts the spirits and improves clarity and focus. Rosemary: fortifies energy fields and grounds. Lavender: induces a sense of peace and relaxation. Parsley: fortifies energy fields and repels negativity. Oregano: changes misfortunes to great fortune. Basil: clears away anguish and sadness, and opens up pathways.
When picking an herb for a barrida, make a conscious effort to connect with its soul essence. If possible, consider leaving a gift for the herb, such as maize, tobacco, a crystal, a shiny object, Epsom salts, or even a kiss, and always project love and gratitude to it. Cut a good-size bundle for the barrida. Thank the herb for cleansing the person and for any other specific intentions. What will be needed for a barrida with herbs: Water that has been charged or blessed. (An explanation of how to charge water is provided in chapter 6, see here.) A bundle of herbs (either of the same or different types). An oil that has been blessed by the practitioner (or continue using the charged or blessed water instead). Dip or spray the herbs with the water. Share an invocation or prayer with the herbs and the client, and say it throughout the barrida. (As discussed in chapter 5, see here, an invocation or prayer is part of the cleanse and is an offering to the guides, angels, and masters working with the person.) Use your dominant hand to sweep the person with the herbs. Begin at the head and proceed down the entire body, front and back. End the barrida by anointing the person with the oil or the water, placing it on their forehead, throat, and heart chakra. The anointing fortifies the bodies—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—and seals their revitalization. After the barrida, thank the herbs, and have the person burn them, or place them back into the earth—somewhere away from the client’s house and from where the barrida took place. Barridas with Flowers Limpias with flowers are ideal for opening pathways, changing a streak of recurring misfortunes to great fortune, and positively influencing new ventures. Many flowers have phenomenal healing and magical qualities related to happiness, balance, peace, love, and abundance. I particularly like to work with flowers in the springtime for a renewal, and in the fall to sow seeds of manifestation for clients. The ancient Yucatec Maya and Mexica adored flowers. Karl Taube has brought attention to what has been termed the Flower World, a Mesoamerican art style that conveyed complex, overlapping spiritual concepts, such as those of an
Edenic solar realm and afterlife, flower-related portals into this realm, and flowers as the sweet and pleasant aromas that both invoke and make up the beings in this realm. Flower World was closely linked to the east, the place of the dawning sun. It was also associated with fertility, ancestors, warriors, the rebirth of maize, the feathered serpent, birds, butterflies, music, and the human soul. It was a mythical place of emergence for gods, and a paradisal solar afterlife that housed those that had been brave, virtuous, and ethical. 48 To do sweeps with flowers, follow the instructions above for herbs. These are some of the flowers that are in my garden and that I love to work with. Along with cleansing and purification properties, here are some of their additional gifts: Chamomile: changes misfortunes to great fortune and enhances our energy fields. Calendula (marigold): clears energetic toxins from thoughts and feelings. Lantana: dissolves harmful patterns that may be stored in our consciousness, energy field, home, or workspace. Lavender: helps to clear monkey-mind chatter, stress, confusion, and disharmony and promotes peace and love. Rose: a very powerful source of purification. Enhances our energy fields and self-love. Barridas with Feathers Like herbs and flowers, birds’ feathers have their own particular gifts to offer a barrida. Throughout the years, I have been given different kinds of feathers, particularly after making connections with certain birds. After I have been given a feather and before I use it to conduct a barrida, I connect with the bird who wore it, or sometimes I use the feather as a gateway to another bird by simply thanking the bird who donned the feather and setting the intention of working with another bird. After making the connection, I lovingly and gently blow on the feather with my breath. This is a powerful way to activate its healing energy. This kind of barrida can be done with one very special feather, more than two feathers that are the same, or an assortment of different kinds of feathers. I have made beautiful fans with different kinds of feathers that have been given to me by birds and my human friends. Doing a feather barrida can be particularly helpful when a person needs bird
medicine and gifts. I also invoke the help of my bird animal coessence by using my feather fan, particularly if I am preparing the person for a shamanic journey or a soul retrieval. *26 Birds are phenomenal guides to other realms. My mentor Don Fernando told me that the ancient Yucatec Maya believed that one who listened to birds could divine the future. The Yucatec Mayan word mut means both bird and augury. Don Fernando believed that birds were bridges between heaven and earth and were ideal allies for vision quests and shamanic journeying. To do a barrida with a feather, the following will be needed: Water that has been charged or blessed. An activated feather (activation is done by connecting with a bird and breathing on the feather). An oil that has been blessed by the practitioner, or charged or blessed water. I follow pretty much the same process as when doing a barrida with herbs, except that I place the feathers on an altar I have for my feather fans. I keep them on my altar to cleanse them after use and to charge them. I always have them ready for a barrida. Sweeps with Eggs Don Fernando explained to me that some limpias, particularly those dealing with supernatural illnesses, demand that a sacrificial object be used. An egg, as an animal cell, qualifies as a sacrificial object. While “supernatural” illnesses have as much power as we give them, sometimes we unintentionally allow these unwanted energies to creep in, particularly in situations when we give our power away. When we have allowed these energies to creep in, it is important to cleanse and clear them. Because everyone has a right to their own reality, we all have the choice to permanently seal any of these gaps. Egg limpias have the power to absorb negative influences or harm. Egg limpias strengthen the body’s energetic fields and absorb energies that do not belong to us. They are also an excellent way to read people and determine what else may be needed. It is in a sense a reading and a cleansing in one. Typically, when I do an egg limpia, I also like to follow it with a barrida with herbs. The egg limpia absorbs unwanted energies; the herbs further clear away residues and
provide additional gifts for my client’s healing and new path. Don Fernando, who had access to fresh hen’s eggs, recommended using these when possible. But for an urban curandera, fresh eggs are not that accessible. Instead I place the egg in charged or blessed water before using it. The length of time I keep it there depends on the intention that was set for the water. To do an egg limpia, the following is needed: Two glasses of water. One glass will have charged or blessed water, and the other will have purified water. The glasses should be big enough so that you can easily place your hand in them to get the egg. (Again, please do not use these glasses to drink from after this or any other limpia.) An egg. A bundle of herbs. Anointing oil, or water that has been charged or blessed. Start by placing the egg in the glass with charged or blessed water. Then take the egg from the glass, place it inside both hands, and breathe a prayer into it. Then continue to repeat the prayer out loud while you perform the limpia. Use your dominant hand to rub the egg over the client’s body. Begin at the head, and proceed down the entire body, with a particular focus on eyes, ears, lips, hands, belly button, and the bottom of the feet. Trace a perimeter around the person with the egg, as if you were drawing a pattern. If you intuitively feel that it is needed, rub the egg along the person’s spine, the back of the legs and sides. Then create a cross with the egg, starting with the head, go to the shoulders (right and then left), and finally the heart. Have the client blow three times on the egg. Crack the egg, and pour the contents into the glass of purified water. Thereafter follow the same pattern given for the barrida with herbs, and end with anointing the person with oil or charged or blessed water. When the limpia is completed, the egg can be read or simply flushed down the toilet. Sometimes I will instruct the person to place the egg under their bed overnight directly below the head to further absorb the energies of any habitual negative thought patterns. Reading the Egg: Common Scenarios
Let the egg sit in the water for five to ten minutes before trying to read it. Here are some common scenarios of egg limpias and their associated meanings: Murky water: unwanted energies have been released. An oval over the yolk: a shadow of depression or confusion has been looming and is beginning to be released. Positive mantras identifying favorable characteristics about the person should be uttered repeatedly, along with repeated cycles of limpias, done at the same time of the day, day after day, until the person feels good. When the person feels good, limpias can be done less frequently. Specks of red or black in the yolk: jealousy, which may have been directed at the person and stifling them, has been released. Specks of white around the yolk: the person has not been honoring themselves. Something attached to the yolk that has a dark appearance: Sometimes when you crack a raw egg there are strands of egg white attached to the yolk. This is normal. But when there is a dark appearance on the strands, parasitic astral activity has been released. Shape of the yolk: the platica makes it possible to understand more about the shape. One common example is when the yolk has taken the shape of a fetus. Typically, this occurs when we have just begun to do soul retrieval work from a time when the client was a baby or in the womb. This is common for people whose birth was unexpected and were told or treated as if they were not wanted. Clearing the Dense Energy of Three Friends Robert, one of my clients, periodically comes in to see me for cleansing from the work he does as a santero. During one of our platicas, I was strongly guided to do an egg limpia for him. Afterward the water was murky and showed three outlines of bodies with bubble heads that were detaching themselves from the yolk. I had a sense that I should ask about three people in his life with whom he was currently having issues. A story came out about two friends, whom he had known since his adolescence and who were still involved in shady activities. He was currently considering whether he should part ways with them. He had already parted ways with one of them but was planning to see the other gentleman later that week. There was also another lady, who, according to him, kept sending him mixed messages about their relationship. He was confused about these three people. He indicated that ultimately he felt a relationship with them was no longer beneficial for him, but he still cared greatly for
them. I guided the platica toward a further release, and for him to have a path of clarity and focus about what honored him in regard to his relationship with these people. He decided to stop associating with these people. He felt his relationship with them no longer honored his current path. Perla’s Fibromyalgia Is Resolved Perla had been suffering from fibromyalgia for almost two years. The symptoms were cyclical and seemed to be exacerbated by stress. She would feel pains and weakness throughout her body, coupled with intense lethargy, which was adversely affecting her work and personal life. The first time she came to see me, Perla broke down and cried as she shared her frustration with this inexplicable illness that did not seem to be getting better. After our platica, I did an egg sweep, followed by an herbal barrida. After our journeying to clear residual energies of this illness, I read the egg. It looked as if it had something dark attached to it, and the water was incredibly murky. I sensed that what had been draining Perla was something astral and parasitic in nature. Perla came to see me two weeks later. Her fibromyalgia symptoms had not surfaced in the meantime. But she admitted that she was still incredibly frightened that they would return. I knew we had to begin to do soul retrieval work regarding the trauma she experienced from her diagnosis and from having her life disrupted by something Western medicine could not treat. It took a few months to discover, heal, and release allowances that permitted the thing that had been released from the egg limpia from coming back. It has been fourteen months since she first came to me, and her symptoms have not returned. CAN YOU DO LIMPIAS ON YOURSELF? Sometimes I am asked whether you can do a barrida or an egg limpia on yourself. I don’t recommend it. Rather I recommend fire limpias, such as sahumerios or white fire limpias with spoken prayers, velaciónes, or baños. But if a barrida or an egg limpia strongly resonates with you and you really want to do one on yourself, place a red yarn over the hand chakra (in the center of the palm) of your dominant hand, and follow the steps above. The red yarn stops energy from coming back into you.
T 8 Sacred Spaces Creating, Vivifying, and Renewing he spaces that are chosen to perform limpia rites are a critical consideration in assessing how effective the rites will be. Spaces have the potential in their own right to aid in healing, purification, and renewal. Spaces, especially living spaces, are not simply inanimate objects; they have a soul essence and can take care of us in many ways. If they are cleansed and fed regularly, they are more apt to provide a supportive energetic environment for sleeping, having company, or simply relaxing. Cleansing living spaces feeds their soul essence. THE SPACE LIMPIAS OF THE MEXICA The Mexica understood their sacred spaces, natural and constructed, as having an essence that had to be nourished and sustained. They performed limpias to periodically cleanse spaces; feed them (the limpia rite itself served as an offering); cyclically renew them; take possession of them; and prepare them for additional ceremonies. A space limpia ignited the soul essence of the house and connected it with its owners. The Mexica believed that naturally occurring spaces, including mountains, caves, and various bodies of water, were sacred—spaces where the veils of realities were thin and other realms could be accessed. Mountains were entry points to a paradisal flower mountain; they were also the dwelling place of the solar deity, Tonatiuh. A sixteenth-century song from highland Central Mexico reflects this understanding: “There our lord’s flowering mountain lies visible, lies giving off warmth, lies dawning. Its fragrance, its emanation, its scent lies far reaching, lies spreading over the land.” 1 The Mexica also set up elaborate altars in mountain caves for offerings to the altars and to the mountains. 2
As mentioned in chapter 6, limpia rites often took place in or near bodies of water. They were typically adorned with sacred images, providing a space where deities could be accessed. The Mexica offered copal, paper, roses, and tobacco to these bodies of water and to the sacred images that now resided there. 3 Constructed sacred spaces were also often designed in concert with constellations and planets and reflected principles of the Mexicas’ astronomical cosmology. They used the quincunx as a building design and adorned their buildings with it. They performed limpia ceremonies to honor the shape. The quincunx was also reflected in their patios, principal roads, houses, and temples. They adorned these spaces with their images and made offerings of copal, flowers, food, and incense to them. Ethnohistorical records suggest that the Mexica quincunx depicts the primary solar movements as well as representing the four sectors of the cosmos corresponding to the cardinal spaces—east, west, north and south. We have already seen how during a war against the Huaxtecs the Mexica warriors’ wives swept their houses at midnight, noon, sunset, and midnight to honor the four corners of the sun’s path. Sweeping to honor the four corners of the sun’s paths was done as an offering to the sun god, Tonatiuh, as well as the spirits and wisdom of the cardinal spaces. 4 The Mexica also performed house limpias to activate and vivify its essence so that they could take ownership of the home. The Huexotzinco and Tlaxcala peoples continued a house-limpia rite known as calmamalihua well into the late sixteenth century, whereby they consecrated a new home prior to taking ownership of it, or after a renovation. They would eat, drink, and pour pulque in all four corners of the rooms. They shared their meal and pulque with the essence of the house, honoring and feeding it and marking it with their own essence. The owner would then take a newly lit firebrand and point it at all four respective cardinal spaces. Lighting a New Fire signifying a new beginning in all cardinal spaces, centering the owners in their new home. 5
Figure 8.1. Basic outline of a quincunx with four corners and a center. For the first day of Toxcatl (Dry thing), a feast honoring Tezcatlipoca, the shaman performed a sahumerio for every home, even the most humble. Early in the morning the shaman went from home to home with a brazier and would spread the smoke throughout every corner of the home, all the way from the threshold to the last corner. After smoking out the corners of the house, the shaman would smudge the furnishings, the hearth, the grinding stone, the tortilla griddle, pots, small vessels and jugs, plates, bowls, weaving instruments, agricultural implements, storage bins, and artisan’s tools. This would be done to cleanse and bless the home and its belongings. 6 SPACE LIMPIAS OF THE YUCATEC MAYA For the Yucatec Maya, limpia rites were always performed in spaces that were understood as being sacred, whether they were naturally occurring or constructed landscapes. Conversely, limpias could cleanse, activate, and vivify a
space with its own designated essence and could imprint the space with the essence of the cosmic rebirth of a deity through a ruler or a deceased person. Sacred spaces, natural or constructed, required periodic and ongoing care so that they could impeccably serve as portals to the divine and as ideal spaces for rituals. Here one could seek guidance from or embody an ancestor, deity, or way (animal coessence); facilitate the death or resurrection of someone or something; secure a change, such as a prosperous season; reach into the cosmos to welcome a new life into this world; see into the purposes of a sickness and heal; or facilitate a personal cleansing. Maya buildings and civic centers were laid out as microcosms, symbolically equating the architectural center of civic power with the center of the universe. 7 The ancient Maya recognized many naturally occurring spaces as sacred— spaces where the veils of realities were thin, or where other realities could be accessed. Such spaces included mountains, caves, cenotes, water springs, and many others. Mountains, particularly the caves within them, for example, were believed to be places of birth and rebirth and were sources of fertility, riches, and portals to other worlds. 8 The Maya oriented architecture toward these sacred landmarks, reflecting a larger landscape, in order to sanctify and legitimize the city and by extension its leaders, as well as to situate primordial powers more firmly in the realm of human action and control. 9 In the Late Classic site at Dos Pilas in Guatemala, for example, architecture and caves at Dos Pilas were strongly linked at multiple levels of architectural elaboration, including royal courts and commoner compounds. The Dos Pilas rulers placed two of three largest public architectural complexes in direct relation to caves and springs. Just below the palace platform lies the Cueva de Murciélagos, identifying the palace with this dramatic water source and proclaiming the ruler’s control over water and presumably over rainmaking and fertility. 10 The ancient Yucatec Maya designed spaces and constructed buildings that mirrored natural spaces and were understood as sacred in their own right. These constructed spaces were more than a metaphorical representation of sacred natural phenomena; once activated, vivified, and cared for, they were an embodiment of sacrality itself. As David Stuart points out, “Nearly all Maya architecture was, at one time or another, ritual space. This was true not only for conspicuous elite constructions but also probably for humble dwellings as well.” 11 The illustrious Maya temples were symbols of sacred mountains, both dwelling places of the gods and models of the cosmos. Great masks with gaping