by Christopher Casillas, CSEE Board Member
Last year, you learned how The Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange, CSEE is Supporting Traditional Maya Medicine and Spirituality through a partnership with New Mexico-based, nonprofit, Saq’ Be. Your generous support helped fund a garden project in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, where Mayan elders Juan and Miguel León Cortez are overseeing the growing and harvesting of food and healing plants for their community. Using their calendars and traditional ceremonies, Juan and Miguel approach the whole project in a sacred way. Now their community is coming together around the ceremonial processes of growing and harvesting. Denise Barrios, our on-the-ground contact for the project, shares with us a way these shamanic elders use some of what’s growing in ceremony.
Propiedades Mágicas y Energéticas | Magic and Energetic Properties – Siete Montes
Siete Montes are seven different medicinal plants that when united and working together possess a great power to purify, this is why they are used in ceremonies of energetic cleansing. These seven plants are tied in a bundle and cuxa (aguardiente) or florida water is poured on it. It is then passed over the body, especially in the thirteen main joints (taking into account the Ch’umil of the person), while making a whistling sound. The herbs of the Siete Montes are chilca (baccharis latifolia), ruda (ruda graveolens), rosemary, basil, mugwort, myrtle, and apacin (petiveria). When tied together rose petals are also added to bring harmony.
Los siete montes son un conjunto de plantas que al unirse tienen el poder de purificar, por lo que son utilizadas en ceremonias de saturación energética. Los siete montes se amarran en un manojo y se les aplica cuxa (aguardiente) o agua florida. Luego pasan por el cuerpo, especialmente en las trece articulaciones, tomando en cuenta el Ch’umil de nacimiento de la persona, mientras se hace un chiflido. Al finalizar la saturación se ofrendan al fuego o se colocan bajo un árbol. Los siete montes también son utilizadas en el temazcal (baño de vapor Maya) para calentar el cuerpo y para purificar. Estos “montes” son chicla, ruda, romero, albahaca, artemisa, mirto y apasin, al amarrar el manojo se agregan pétalos de rosa.
(baccharis latifolia)
Chilca (baccharis latifolia)
It removes bad energies, frees us from any envy, and cleanses the body energetically from any negative energy. In children it helps to remove the evil eye.
Retira las malas energías, nos libera de las envidias y limpia el cuerpo energéticamente de lo negativo, En los niños ayuda a retirar el mal de ojo.
(ruda graveolens)
Ruda | Rue (ruda graveolens)
This sacred plant has the ability to absorb and transmute negative energies and bad vibrations, it drives away bad intentions and is a powerful protector. It also attracts good energy and prosperity, as it removes the energies that block our development.
Esta planta sagrada tiene la capacidad de absorber y transmutar energías negativas y malas vibraciones, aleja las malas intenciones y es una poderosa protectora. También atrae buena energía y prosperidad, pues retira las energías que bloquean nuestro desarrollo.
Romero | Rosemary
En la Geo-Cosmovisión Maya el romero es utilizado para la limpieza del hogar, las energías y las personas. Esta sagrada planta forma parte de los rituales de purificación y es ofrendada en las Ceremonias de Fuego.
In the Mayan Geo-Cosmovision, rosemary is used to cleanse the home, energies, and people. This sacred plant is a part of purification rituals and it is offered in the Fire Ceremonies.
Albahaca | Basil
This plant brings calmness and purifies the sacred space that is our being. Its power can transform negative energy into positive, bring stability to our mind, remove bad vibrations and toxic people, and attract abundance and happiness.
Esta planta trae calma y purifica el espacio sagrado que es nuestro ser. El poder de la albahaca puede transformar la energía negativa en positiva, trae estabilidad a nuestra mente, retira las malas vibraciones y las personas tóxicas. Su magia atrae la abundancia y felicidad.
Artemisa | Mugwort
This is a plant of great power which removes unwanted energies, frees us from negative vibrations, and protects us from difficulties in our path.
Esta es una planta de gran poder que remueve las energías indeseables, nos libera de las malas vibraciones y nos protege de las dificultades en el camino.
Mirto | Myrtle
This plant is widely used in energy cleansing rituals, its great power purifies our being in each of its manifestations, opens paths even when situations seem extremely complicated, protects us, brings harmony, and attracts positive energy.
Esta es una planta muy utilizada en los rituales de limpieza energética, su gran poder purifica nuestro ser en cada una de sus manifestaciones, abre caminos incluso cuando las situaciones parecen sumamente complicadas, nos protege, trae armonía y atrae la energía positiva.
(petiveria alliacea)
Apacín | Anamu (petiveria alliacea)
This plant is used by the Mayan people in the temazcal (sweat lodge) and in energetic purifications to remove all kinds of negative energies.
Esta planta es utilizada por el pueblo Maya en baños de temazcal y en saturaciones para retirar toda clase de energías negativas.
At the end of the ceremony the sacred plants of Siete Montes are offered to the fire or placed under a tree. Siete Montes are also used in the temazcal (Mayan sweat lodge) to warm and purify the body.
We’re grateful for the wisdom shared by Denise Barrios, the León Cortez elders, our relationship with Saq Be’ and for your generous support. Here is to a deepening relationship and greater collaboration with Saq Be’ and the Maya!
