Chingona Guide to Self-Determination in Healing 7 simple practices for everyday spiritual wellbeing Honoring Labor, Clearing and Blessing Our Food Healthy Boundaries and Cutting Energetic Cords Gettin Down: Energetic Clearing After Sex Sleep Remedios: White Chestnut and Mota Que Rico mi Cama: Rituals Before Bed Keepin it Juicy with Sacred Waters Rock Wisdom: Stones and Crystal People
Jessica Aranda @ChingonaHealing
Albuquerque, New Mexico 2016
A special shout out to my Vajra medicine, providing the clarity and decisiveness for continued struggle toward liberation, the gentle strength and fluidity for healing, and the momentary juiciness of joy and pleasure. Agua que no has de beber, dĂŠjala correr. And to my sister, Tauz Tamu-Povi, for your intelligence, beauty, and chingonalidad. You radiate Medicine and I am blessed to walk with you.
Intro As workers, organizers, artists, activists, teachers, healers and members of communities experiencing oppression, taking care of our spirits is core to our health and happiness. When we notice and care for our spiritual energies and our emotions, we are more conscious, accountable and content. This allows Spirit to flow, impacting our bodies, our relationships, our work, and our sense of self and belonging. To care for ourselves in this way, many of us have been taught that we need the help of a healer, therapist or doctor. And while these experts DEFINITELY have a lot to offer, we know that self-determination and leadership by the ones who are most impacted by a problem is at the core of any positive change, including healing. This is why the most talented and effective healers give us the tools and motivation we need to lead OUR OWN healing paths. All effective healing practices are part of whole systems of study, ceremony and philosophy that deserve reverence and gratitude. It is with profound respect and hope that I make this offering, a prayer that learning simple ways to heal our spirits leads us toward a world that relies more heavily on the Medicine found in our traditional ways of knowing and our natural world. This booklet includes a description of 7 practices that ALL OF US can do to take care of our spirits. They include wisdom from people and communities from many different cultural traditions, passed on by Ancestors, Guides and teachers who I humbly thank. These practices belong to all of us so please use them, adapt them, and pass them along as you are called to do.
Honoring Labor, Clearing and Blessing Our Food A lot of effort and energy goes into producing our food. There is also exploitation that happens at all levels of our food systems. The first step to clean and healthful eating is recognizing all of the people whose labor made our meals possible and the flora, fauna and minerals that are feeding us physically and energetically. This is both an acknowledgment of sacrifice and a celebration of love shared. This is the prayer I like to say to clear and bless my food: Bendiga esta comida y las manos que la sembraron, la cultivaron, la cosecharon, la criaron, la mataron, la elaboraron, la transportaron, la lavaron, la vendieron, la compraron, la cocinaron, y la trajeron a esta mesa. Thank you to all of the plants, mushrooms, animals and minerals that gave of themselves to create this meal. Please clear it of any heavy energy and help it to nourish my mind, body and soul. May I be at one with the Universe as I enjoy this meal. What is YOUR prayer? What resonates and feels good to you? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
Healthy Boundaries and Cutting Energetic Cords In any type of work or interaction that involves people, we engage our hearts, exchanging a piece of our essence in that interaction. Through our mental, emotional or spiritual labor, we form energetic cords, linking us to people and situations in our families, communities and in our work. In order to prevent these connections from sapping our energy, it is important to maintain healthy energetic boundaries by cutting cords. This DOESN’T mean we are cutting our connections or communication with a person or situation. It DOES mean that after we are finished engaging with someone or something we will be able to give it some space, move on with our day, and be more present in the next thing we want to do. Cutting energetic cords allows us to keep from engaging with a person or situation in an unconscious way. It helps us to feel stronger and happier because we aren’t constantly leaking energy. This is helpful to do after every interaction as a way to cleanse and transition and at night before going to sleep. Hold your hand above your head in form of a knife blade. Swiftly swipe down in front of your face and body, cutting the energetic cords extending from your chakras. Do this three times as you say: I cut my cords with (person/situation) with absolute love. I cut my cords with (person/situation) with absolute compassion. I cut my cords with (person/situation) with absolute forgiveness. What is YOUR cord cutting ritual? What resonates and feels good to you? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________
Gettin Down: Energetic Clearing After Sex It’s not a mistake that sex feels so good. In addition to physical pleasure, it’s also a source of healing in which our bodies and spirits are connected in an expression of desire and appreciation. As our energy centers align during sex we become spiritually linked with our partners, creating a connection that persists beyond the physical interaction. Women in particular carry very POWERFUL medicine in our bodies and the ability to transmute the heavy energy our partners are carrying. This releases them from pain and trauma, sending heavy emotions to the Universe where they are neutralized and cleared. With more direct access to the medicine held in the Sacred Feminine and the Sacred Masculine, GLBTQ folks also hold exceptionally strong sexual medicine. This is reflected in the special and revered energetic place they hold in our communities, consciously seen or not. In recognizing the sacredness of sexual medicine, it’s important not to confuse this with some of the shame-based, patriarchal or heteronormative judgments that we often hold about sexuality. Knowing that there is energetic exchange during sex does not mean that we need to be monogamous in order to be energetically healthy. Whether we have one or one hundred partners, sexual energy is exchanged in the same way and can either be healthy or unhealthy, depending on our ability to care for ourselves energetically. In fact, some of the most challenging exchanges often happen between monogamous married couples that neglect to honor and fully release the energy they are sharing during sex. With this in mind, there are a few simple ways to care for ourselves energetically after sex. This keeps us from dragging around energetic baggage, making sure the heaviness we are transmuting doesn’t become stuck in our own energy bodies. Failure to do so can cause fatigue, emotional turmoil, and attachment to unhealthy patterns and relationships. It can also accelerate the aging process as unreleased heaviness is expressed through our skin and internal organs.
What is YOUR sexual medicine? How do you think your gender or sexual identity relates to this?
Gratitude and Purification with Water: In order to cleanse and cut energetic cords after sex, it’s good to urinate then take a shower, bath or squat over the sink where water can flow or be splashed over our genitals and anus. In this process, it is important to offer gratitude to our partner, recognizing a gift/lesson we have received as a result of our interactions, sexual or otherwise. After this, we release them from transmuting our energy and cut energetic cords. Then we repeat this, recognizing a gift/lesson we have brought to them, releasing ourselves and cutting cords once more. Water Purification Step-by-Step 1. Urinate. This is good for our urinary tract and to begin the energetic clearing process. 2. Using mild soap, gently wash our genitals and anus, feeling gratitude for our sexual experience. 3. Run or splash water over our genitals and anus, saying: I thank (partner’s name) for bringing me (gift/lesson). I release (partner’s name) from transmuting my energy. 4. As we swipe our blade-shaped hand over our chakras 3 times, say: I cut my cords with (partner’s name) with absolute love. I cut my cords with (partner’s name) with absolute compassion. I cut my cords with (partner’s name) with absolute forgiveness. 5. Run or splash water over our genitals and anus again and say: I have brought (gift/lesson) to (partner’s name). I am released from transmuting (partner’s name)’s energy. 6. As we swipe our blade-shaped hand over our chakras 3 times, say: I cut my cords with (partner’s name) with absolute love. I cut my cords with (partner’s name) with absolute compassion. I cut my cords with (partner’s name) with absolute forgiveness. 7. Honor and thank the water for her help in our healing. Note: This practice IS NOT advisable if we are trying to get pregnant. Otherwise, it is a maintenance practice that should be done every time we have sex, even if we plan to have sex with this partner again.
Gratitude and Release Over Fire: Energetic cords between sexual partners can last up to 7 years. Heavy attachments may also exist with partners with whom sacred fluids like menstrual blood and semen have been exchanged. For these instances, a fire ceremony may be helpful. You will need a fire in an outside pit or fireplace, a stick, some string made from organic material, small strips of paper and a pen. Fire Release Step-by-Step 1. Start the fire. 2. Write the names of our partner(s) on the paper strips. 3. One by one, hold each paper in our hands, honoring the partner holding them with tenderness. Thank and release them, saying: I thank (partner’s name) for bringing me (gift/lesson). I release (partner’s name) from transmuting my energy. Then recognize and release yourself, saying: I have brought (gift/lesson) to (partner’s name). I am released from transmuting (partner’s name)’s energy. 4. Tie the paper to the stick by wrapping the string around it, keeping the sacred image of a healing spiral in your mind. 5. Repeat for each past partner, honoring, thanking, and wrapping the paper that represents them to the stick. 6. Hold the stick to our heart and place in the fire, feeling the gratitude and release 7. Make sure all the papers, string, and stick are reduced to ashes, thanking and honoring the fire for her help in our healing. Note: This practice IS NOT advisable if we are trying to get pregnant. Otherwise, it is a more in-depth practice that should be done with past connections that still carry heavy energy or with partners with which we have had very intense spiritual-emotional exchanges.
Dancing: Connecting heaven and earth with our bodies through dancing can purify the energetic channel that can become blocked by heaviness that we pick up through sex. Any type of dancing works for this and it is helpful if we spend at least some of the time not worrying about who is watching and just move our bodies in honor of Spirit and our Ancestors, dancing for them.
Sleep Remedios: White Chestnut and Mota White Chestnut Bach Remedy for a Restless Mind: If you’re having a hard time sleeping because your mind won’t stop, put a few drops of the White Chestnut Bach Remedy under your tongue before bed. It won’t make you drowsy like melatonin or valerian because Bach remedies work more on the energetic and spiritual level than on the physical. This remedy brings calm and clarity to your mind, allowing it to rest. Don’t forget that whenever you are working with a plant medicine to thank the plant and state your intention. Note: Bach remedies use alcohol as a preservative and are not recommended for folks in recovery. Myrcene-Rich Mota for Sedation and Relaxation: Cannabis can also be helpful as a sleep aid, if we do our homework and find the right variety, noting that there are so many types with a wide range of medicinal properties and effects. Varieties that contain myrcene, a terpene with a sedating and relaxing effect help with sleeplessness. Some myrcene-rich varieties include Grape Kush, El Niño, and White Widow. The THC to CBD ratio is another indicator of a cannabis variety’s medicinal and psychoactive properties. In general, a 1:1 ratio is ideal. The higher the CBD level, the better, in terms of healing and sleep. The way you ingest cannabis is also a factor in its effect. Consuming it in edibles destroys terpenes in the digestive process, eliminating the sleep-supporting compounds of myrcene. As a sleep aid, smoking just a little bit before bed is your best bet. As you do with your food, be sure to clear and bless your mota, honoring the process of cultivation, and setting an intention for how you would like it to work in your body, mind and spirit. Note: Cannabis is not recommended for people with blood disorders, diabetes, low blood pressure or who are at risk for schizophrenia.
Que Rico mi Cama: Rituals Before Bed Restful and sufficient sleep is one of the MOST IMPORTANT selfcare practices we can have. A self-proclaimed dormilona, I have found that any problem is made exponentially worse by sleep deprivation and that putting myself down for adult naps is necessary for my brain and spirit to process all of my interactions with people. Sleep time is powerful because it is the space where much of our healing and integrating work happens. Setting Intentions: During sleep time we are vulnerable and open to energies in our environment, making our intentions for this time so important. To transition from our busy lives to sleep, a prayer is helpful in saying explicitly what we want our sleep time to be. This could include calling in our Guides and Ancestors for protection, asking to dream or NOT to dream, to remain asleep the entire night, for healing, rest, and/or integration of all the lessons from the day. Especially during times of stress, cutting energetic cords to people and situations may make the difference between fitful, interrupted sleep and satisfying, renewing rest. Don’t be afraid to cut cords more than once if you find your ego-mind invading your sleep time to complain or strategize! 90 Minute Sleep Cycles: Did you know you are likely to feel more rested if you sleep for 6 hours than if you sleep for 7? Natural sleep patterns happen in 90-minute cycles and we feel more rested if we wake up at the end of a cycle rather than in the middle of it. This is why we wake up exhausted after hitting the snooze button. With this in mind, set your alarm to wake you up in increments of 90 minutes. For example: if you’ll be asleep by 10:30 pm, set your alarm for either or 6 or 7:30 am. At 6, you will have had 7.5 hours of sleep (5 cycles) and at 7:30 you will have slept 9 hours (6 cycles). If you can get up when the alarm goes off instead of snoozing, this will help you feel more awake as your day starts.
Keepin it Juicy with Sacred Waters Water is one of the most important healing elements that we have. It’s not a mistake that washing our faces, taking a shower and even brushing our teeth all make us feel better. Water is the source of life that provides the “juiciness” for movement of illness, grief and heavy energy. It refreshes and clarifies, bringing insight and deepened understanding in our interactions with others and with ourselves. Baños: There’s nothing like soaking in a tub of warm water to clear our energy and bring warmth and freshness to our lives. Adding plant medicine to this mix can be very powerful in clearing heaviness and negativity from our spirit-bodies. Any common herbs or flowers are useful in baños and I like to use basil, sage, rosemary, and/or spearmint. 1. Boil 1-3 gallons of water in a large pot 2. Place the herbs in the pot and simmer into a strong tea 3. Say a prayer, being clear about our intention for this baño. It could be to clear heavy energy, find clarity on a certain situation, release attachments, to get better sleep, or love ourselves more. 4. Let the tea cool, leaving the plant medicine in the water. 5. Divide the tea into 3 or 7 portions, using part of the tea and the herbs in a bath every day for 3 or 7 days. 6. Draw a bath and pour that day’s worth of tea and herbs into the water and soak for at least 20 minutes. If we don’t have a bathtub, no problem! We can just pour the tea and herbs over our heads in the shower. Soaking just our hands, feet, or hips and buttock (sitz bath style) works well too. 7. Gather the used herbs and set them aside to allow them to dry and burn later. What type of baños work for YOU? Which herbs or flowers call on you? _________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Rock Wisdom: Stones and Crystal People The science and art of stones and crystals can get VERY complex. Creator made so many varieties of stones and crystals with different shapes, colors, and textures for a reason. The amount of time and geological and cosmic energy that went into shaping and combining minerals, to create each stone or crystal with its own appearance, spirit and personality is truly AMAZING. There are many crystal and stone guides that can help explain the physical, emotional and energetic properties of the thousands of varieties produced in the Universe. But being in relationship with the stone and crystal people, paying attention to the colors they bring into our lives also gives clues to their medicinal properties. Even the most common and simple stones have so much experience on this earth, with vast wisdom and beauty to share. Emotional First Aid: Stone medicine is also amazing because it’s so accessible. In moments of despair or trauma, it is helpful to sit or lay on the ground, knowing that Tonantzin/Pachamama/Mother Earth and all the stone people on her crust will hold and cradle us. It is also helpful to find a stone and hold it, first in our right hand to give it the heaviness we are feeling and then our left hand to receive its medicine and wisdom. Keep in mind that all stones and crystals absorb the knowledge and energy of the processes around them. Because of this, I recommend finding a rock in nature that hasn’t been touched, mined or processed by humans. Smoky Quartz Energetic Vacuum: This crystal is very common and can be found in many crystal, metaphysical, or lapidary shops. It is an excellent absorber of heavy energy and negative thoughts. Some people call it an energetic vacuum. I keep a large cluster of smoky quartz crystals near my bed. Note: Mined stones and crystals carry the energetic imprint of all the people that processed and touched them. To avoid bringing more heaviness into our energy-bodies, it’s good to place newly acquired stones in a clear glass or jar and allow it to sit where the sun is hitting it for 2-3 days before using it.
Honoring Labor, Clearing and Blessing Our Food Healthy Boundaries and Cutting Energetic Cords Gettin Down: Energetic Clearing After Sex Sleep Remedios: White Chestnut and Mota Que Rico mi Cama: Rituals Before Bed Keepin it Juicy with Sacred Waters Rock Wisdom: Stones and Crystal People
Jessica Aranda @ChingonaHealing