Shamanism in South America, the Magic of the Wichis.

Shamanism in South America

the Magic of the Wichis.

South America is a sub continent crossed in its northern part by the line of the Ecuador that extends, towards the South, towards the Pole. This vast expanse surrounded by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans presents a great variety of landscapes: the Atacama desert, considered one of the most arid of the planet; The Amazon rainforest, an extensive area that houses innumerable plant species that are constantly discovered by civilization; Coniferous forests located in the southern section of the Andes mountain range; The plain of Patagonia, etc.

The wide variety of cultures, beliefs, religious traditions and customs that this diversity gives us gives way to the existence of numerous magic rituals related to magic, shamanism, and sorcery. For it is not the same conception of the universe and of himself as an individual born in the midst of the rainforest that another whose life has passed on the high mountains or in the cold and windy places of "Tierra de Fuego".

For this reason, I have decided to take advantage of these digital media of today, to share with all my dear readers and followers about the cultures that I have had the opportunity to know and study in the past. Coming from a key country in the South, as is Venezuela, full of immigrants from all South American countries, I have had the opportunity to share with many of these wonderful people from different countries, who, despite sharing the same language, handle Completely different cultures and traditions.

One of these cases is the so-called Wichis or "matacos", whose culture is a delight of folklore and magical shamanism full of color and much traditional mysticism.

Wichi, an indigenous ethnic group from Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, are known as wichi or wichis, which in the Quechua language (original language of the Andes) means "people", are also known as "matacos", In association with the armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus) coming from Argentina that bears the same name.

Southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus)

The Wichi religious tradition combines traditional animism and magical shamanism, they render a cult very complex to the spirits that inhabit the nature, being these spirits ruled by Tokuah, the king of the spirits and the forests.

The Wichi are known for their use of the seeds of Cebil (Anadenanthera colubrina), a South American tree with thorny trunk and gray that produces flowers between September and December. The seeds of cebil that are collected at the foot of this tree, are dried in the sun and ground to powder, and this powder is used by the shamans of the tribe to cure various diseases because their smoke is considered a smoke Sacred that contains the blessings of Tokuah.

The powder of the cebil seed can be inhaled or included in tobacco leaves to contact spirits, to venerate the dead, and to ask for favors from those who have ascended to live at the right hand of Tokuah. The bark of the cebil tree is used medicinally by tribe shamans. In addition, gum produced from the bark is used to treat infections of the upper respiratory tract, as an expectorant, and to calm the cough.

Another of the magical principles of the Wichi culture is the worship of the so-called "Yucan" or "Palo borracho" (drunken stick)/(Ceiba chodatii), whose pale yellow flowers and black seeds are burned to exorcise evil spirits They bring with them diseases and psychotic madness.

Wichi lunar Calendar

The Wichi believe deeply in magic, although they see it as dangerous and forbidden, that only the most ancient and trained shamans can practice, they believe in the constant struggle between good spirits and evil spirits, as well as in the cycle of The reincarnation, where men reincarnate in animals and women in plants and trees, and when fulfilling a cycle of more than a hundred lives, reach reincarnate as seers.

Seers in the Wichi culture are considered an omen of the gods and a blessing, they are taught from very young to venerate nature and contact the spirits to reach the degree of the shaman who will inherit the traditions.

In addition, the Wichi have a broad dialect, since youngsters are taught to speak Spanish and Quechua language simultaneously, but young people who are taught and trained to be shamans also learn a third language, a language much older and more traditional than Is only taught orally and is transmitted from generation to generation, because it is considered the secret language of the spirits of the forest, and is also sacred.

One of the most closed practices, but also more common in their culture, is the circle of healing, where a group of older men and women sit in a circle with the shaman of the tribe and place the patient lying in the circle. Center of the same, and making use of a rattle, made with the shell of a turtle and a series of songs, heal to the patient of any evil.

Although not historically correct, you can understand magic around Wichi culture by watching Disney's animated film "Pocahontas," where the village shaman reads the future on fire, heals people with songs and rattles, and carries with them A sack of his "magic dust" to burn at the stake as a tribute to the great spirits, which are represented in the film as small golden symbols that wander floating in the wind.

If you have an opportunity to visit at some point, the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York. You can find yourself in front of a remarkable and curious collection of artifacts from the Wichi culture, forming part of the South American Collection.

© Elhoim Leafar

Maria Lionza, Queen of Witches & Fairies.

Maria Lionza

The Queen of Witches & Fairies.

In my native Venezuela, we have a folklore full of spirits and witches so complex that it does not even fit in the books, but it is also so popular that it has been studied in different universities of USA, Germany, and England by the level of devotion and ritual practice of Their respective followers.

One of these cults, perhaps the most notable is the cult of Maria Lionza. Maria Lionza (Yara) or "Maria de la Onza & Yara" is one of the most iconic characters in Venezuelan folklore, her cult dates back to a little more than 500 years and began to be commented on in the history books from 1515, Almost two decades after the discovery of America, although it was in the early 1900s that the cult came to light and began to be documented by anthropologists and historians.

The cult of Queen Maria Lionza began in the vicinity of the mountains of Sorte in Chivacoa (Yaracuy), where the indigenous people of the region met to worship at that time to their ancestors, a cult that still prevails in Venezuela, Becoming more and more popular.

The American anthropologist Wade Glenn of Tulane University has studied and confirmed that more than half of the Venezuelan population has voluntarily participated in at least one ritual in honor of Queen Maria Lionza, being she the central figure of Venezuelan spiritualism, Cult similar to that of Maria Laveau in New Orleans, USA.

The cult of Maria Lionza is of Indian origin, but in spite of it, with the passage of the years its figure has been modified to adapt it to the figure of a white woman with a gold crown on its head, a white or red rose In a hand (symbol of peace or love respectively) and a banner in the right hand, just where he has written his mission as divinity as "Protector of the waters and Goddess of the crops."

Maria Lionza is the goddess who lives in the leafiest forests of Venezuela, between the caves enchanted by fairies and the flocks of wild animals, always surrounded by subordinate and obedient spirits. As divinity symbolizes femininity, love as a universal principle and the force of life and rebirth. For many modern pagans, the Queen Mary Lionza is an incarnation of Venus or Gea, as goddess of peace, love and nature. Among its attributes are mainly magic and divination linked to the element of water, thunder, natural perfumes based oils, forests, fairy courts and mountains.

The cult of Maria Lionza has spread outside of Venezuela, leading her to be venerated in Chile, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Guatemala. And it has also been mixed with elements of Santeria, Spiritism, magic with fairies and traditional witchcraft to lead him to develop his own form of witchcraft, which has led him to know him in different countries like "The Queen of fairies", "Matriarch of the Witches" and "the Patroness of the 21 Courts".

All these honorific titles have been awarded to the blessed Queen Maria Lionza, not only for her thousands of miracles granted but also for her different attributes as an autochthonous deity of the Latin American region.

The Queen of Fairies

The cult around Queen Maria Lionza has always been linked in Venezuela and Colombia to the worship of the fairies, due in great measure to the indigenous belief because the aboriginal Indians of Venezuela believed in the magic presence of spiritual beings of enormous power that They lived in the forests and could change their shape. Aboriginal peoples originating in Venezuela, such as the Wayuu, the Añu, the Wanikua, the Pemones, the Yukpa, the Timoto-cuicas and the Yanomami (just to mention a few) shared the belief in life after the Death, the presence of spirits and fairies in nature, although their belief in fairies (even today throughout South America) prevails untouchable in the face of the European belief in fairies and their concept of the "good fairies" of diminutive stature And character wise or in some cases childish.

In Venezuelan native folklore, the fairies are spirits that inhabit and care for the forest, the lagoons and the rivers, they take human form and they can become all kinds of animals, they live mainly in the night and after the Sunset, they are extremely intelligent and they know All the secrets of witchcraft, attend sorcerers and witches in their rituals and usually do not wear clothes. In the native folklore of Venezuela, sirens are another form that fairies take to mobilize by the rivers, make deals with the sorcerers of the night in exchange for all sorts of favors and kidnap to babies that are not baptized.

According to the myth, Queen Maria Lionza, at that time a virgin maiden, daughter of a powerful Cacique, pact with the fairies in exchange for knowing the secrets of the night, the fairies, who at that time had mourned the ascent of his Reigned in the world of spirits, saw the young maiden in the incarnation of her queen, bestowed beauty on her and all the secrets were revealed to her, upon her death she became the queen of the forests of the Amazon, queen of the fairies and All the spirits of the forest.

Since then, both myths have been intimately linked, in fact, it is very common to say in Venezuela that "to make deals with the fairies", you must first request the permission of your queen patron Maria Lionza. It is also popularly believed that the practice of the South American shamans to place the children a bracelet of red thread with a hanging jet to "ward off the Evil Eye" was a teaching of the fairies by order of their Indian queen.

The Matriarch of All Witches

"To understand Santeria you must first understand spiritualism".

The above is a common phrase of every home practitioner in Venezuela, because in magic and witchcraft, as in everything else, there are no fast roads or short roads, and this motto comes from the order of witches, an order ( A Coven) of many others that are maintained under the devotion of the Venezuelan people.

In traditional Venezuelan witchcraft it is common to work with one of the 21 magic courts to ask favors, being Maria Lionza the main character of the main of these (not all) but of the largest, for which has been considered the Queen Of witches.

A common practice is to bring white flowers, tobaccos, and aguardiente to the river to be left there in the name of Maria Lionza, who in return would grant favors to her devout servants.

The Legend of the Queen of Witches

"Maria Lionza (Yara) was a maiden Nívar, delighted daughter of a powerful cacique of Nirgua. The Shaman of the village had predicted that when a strange-eyed, water-green-eyed girl was born, she had to be sacrificed and offered as a sacrifice to the Waterman, the "Great Anaconda," and if not, Extinction of the Nívar. But his father was unable to do so. And he had the girl in a mountain cave, with 22 warriors guarding her and preventing her from leaving. She was forbidden to see herself in the mirrors of water. But one day a mysterious force numbed the guardians and the beautiful girl came out of the cave and walked to the lake, discovering her own reflection in the water.

She was delighted with her vision. Thus he awakened the Water Master to the Great Anaconda, who emerged from the depths, falling in love with her and drawing her to herself. On Lake Maria Lionza and the mighty serpent, they celebrated a spiritual and mystical communion. When his father discovered the union, he tried to separate them. Then the Anaconda grew, became huge and exploded causing a great flood that devastated the village and its people.

From that day Maria Lionza became the protective Goddess and owner of the lagoons, rivers and waterfalls, protector mother of nature, wild animals and queen of love. The myth of Yara survived the Spanish conquest, although it underwent some modifications. In this sense, Yara was covered by the Catholic religion with the mantle of the Christian virgin and took the name of Our Lady Mary of the Ounce of the Meadow of Talavera de Nivar. However, with the passage of time, would be known as Maria de la Onza, or Maria Lionza.

The Mother Goddess

Since it was published in her 1939 essay "The Spiritualist Service to the Queen" by Gilberto Antolínez, there have been more than 25 different accounts of the cult of Maria Lionza in Venezuela, all of them very popular in the circles of witches and Venezuelan spiritualists.

All these different accounts tell the same story of the myth of the Queen of fairies from different points of view, all concluding in the rise of the young maiden as queen of the Indians and protector of their devout witches.

The Venezuelan Trinity

As in most of the religions that have emerged from the Indo-European period, a trinity patron of the pantheon is often found, the case of Venezuela would not be the exception.

Maria Lionza is the central character of the Venezuelan trinity that represents the Latin culture of that time, known as "Las Tres Potencias" (The Three Powers) made up of blacks, Indians, and white Spaniards. In this case, the trinity is conformed by the Queen Maria Lionza, the famous "Cacique Guaicaipuro", a Cacique of the Caracas and other tribes that strongly opposed to the invasion of the Spaniards, and "El Negro Felipe", a soldier during the wars of Independence from Venezuela.

The courts

In the Venezuelan esoteric cult, the so-called "Three Powers" form a spiritual council of great power that governs a magical universe full of spirits and fairies divided in a total of 21 courts that assist the witches in the accomplishment of their magical works.

The main courts of Maria Lionza are:

• The Celestial Court: Led by Jesus of Nazareth and represented by the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is conformed by all Catholic saints.

• The Venezuelan Indigenous Court: This order is presided over by Queen Maria Lionza, the Cacique Guaicaipuro and his sister India Cari Cara, is made up of: caciques, cacicas, and Indians.

• The Black Court: Directed by El Negro Felipe and la Negra Matea, is conformed by the souls of black slaves, witches, and sorcerers with colored skin.

• The Liberating Court: Presided by Simón Bolívar and General Francisco de Miranda, conformed by those who led the revolt against the Spanish crown.

• The Court of the Juanes: Conformed by various figures of Venezuelan folklore: Don Juan del Tabaco, Don Juan del Dinero, Don Juan de los Caminos, Don Juan de los Suspiros, etc ...

• The Medical Court: Led by Dr. José Gregorio Hernández (El Venerable) and conformed by the souls of doctors and nurses. It is a very popular order that is invoked to aid in healing processes.

• The Shaman's Court : Led by the Great Nicanor Ochoa Pinto Morillo (the sorcerer who cures and kills in 24 hours).

• The Court of Souls: Led by the Anima Sola (Maria de la Luz) and made up of the souls without rest of the popular belief of each country.

The other Courts

• The African Court.
• The Viking Court.
• The Cale Court.
• The Court of Students.
• The Court of Charms.
• The Court of the Witches (READ HERE)
• The Asian Court or Chinese Court.
• The Indian Apache Court.
• The Gypsy Court or court of the fortune tellers.
• The Red Court.
• The Barbara Court.
• The Egyptian Court.
• The English Court.

Amazing Symbol

The sculptor Alejandro Colina immortalized her for the world as a naked athletic musculature woman, an Indian Caribbean Goddess on a tapir (male tapir, worshiped by indigenous tribes), and with outstretched hands holding a female pelvis bone (Symbol of fertility) on her feet the tapeworm crushes snakes, symbols of envy and selfishness.

Brief Astrological Guide / Saturn

Astrological Guide for Witches and Wizards. Part VII

Saturn, the wise old man

Saturn is the ancient deity of the harvest and agriculture, symbolizes the passage of time as well as the cycle of life, death, and renewal of all things, which is why he was venerated and even confused with a God of time. In honor of Saturn was named the sixth planet of the solar system and in turn, the sixth day of the week.

Saturn or Saturnus was one of the oldest gods of the European pantheon, venerated and respected by men as the god of harvests and agriculture, who also taught men the art and work of being farmers during the first eras of the humanity. After the rebellion of his sons against him (the gods of Olympus), Saturn was reduced to the condition of wandering around the world as a mere mortal, then he took refuge in Lazio (Rome) where he imposed order among men and gave them The first laws, was later honored and received by Janus, the two-headed god and guardian of the roads who created the Saturnales, the annual feasts commemorating the reign of Saturn during the golden age.

Later the sixth planet of the solar system receives its name of Saturn, its characteristic color ivory and its gigantic golden rings allude to the reign of the God during the golden age of the man. Saturn is the ruling planet of the astrological sign of Capricorn, is the planet of discipline, tranquility, silence and calm after the storm. He is also the planet of renewal and reincarnation. Saturn influences those born under the sign of Capricorn, giving them the patience, prudence, and perseverance to reach their goals in slow but steady steps.

Saturn, whose domains include discretion, diplomacy, well-defined structures, our understanding and use of time as well as the passion for all that is unknown, is who helps us to better understand the world around us.
Saturn is well known as the planet of discipline, perseverance, perseverance, order, and silence, as such, demands calm behavior, the seriousness of intentions (zero double intentions) and practical actions that lead us to the goal without deviating Of the road. When Saturn is retrograde, it forces us to understand and remember what our limitations are, this period is a blessing among retrogradations, because it forces us to grow as human beings and entrepreneurs, usually brings us additional responsibilities and forces us (understand, against our Desires) to accept duties and all kinds of obligations with a lot of patience, tranquility and above all dedication, retrograde Saturn leads to much frustration, but not for that we must surrender, this period strengthens us and helps us to grow in the personal and professional aspect.
During the retrogradation of Saturn, it is common to feel frustrated, angry or more stubborn than normal because all projects seem to be delayed and there are thousands of "issues" that we had forgotten to attend. Retrograde Saturn is a true specialist in developing personal growth, testing people and separating the strong, the truly strong (not those who pretend to be) from the weak. It is an annual period of improvement, so good luck.

Saturn's mission in Astrology and sorcery

Saturn is the planet that channels the power to renew and remake everything that exists in the universe, its power is infinite, because it is linked to the principle of existence itself, and as long as there is some element in the cosmos that can be renewed, Saturn will remain there, it is the planet/deity that we channel to receive wise advice and the power to start from scratch, to cut with all kinds of vices and addictions and to remove negative people from our environment.

Tip: Saturdays are dedicated and ruled by Saturn, the incense that burns this day in honor of it, and especially incense created at home based on herbs and flowers, honoring Saturn allows us to receive his blessing and he will take care of inspiring Right decisions in us and remove the concerns in the economic field.

Saturn Keywords: Order and discipline.

Day: Saturn

Metals: Lead.

Colors: Black, brown and ivory.

Herbs and flowers: all yellow flowers and those that bloom at night.

Eclipse of the Sun + Second New Moon (Both in Leo)

This August 21, 2017

We celebrate the life and course of the days with a Total Solar Eclipse followed by the New Moon in Leo.

Solar Eclipse of August

For ancient magicians, Eclipses have always represented a period of energetic advancement, an omen of favorable changes, and a rapid but striking passage between cosmic phases of great power. Eclipses function as a form of concealment of one energy because of another in perfect balance, whereas in the political aspect this represents great changes that move discreetly underneath the table, in the esoteric aspect, the eclipses mark a period of transition Where solar and lunar magic find equilibrium and make peace momentarily, on the other hand, in the most common aspect, that of astrology, eclipses seal a complex change or the beginning of an inner transformation that in the short term will eventually be exteriorized .

This total Sun Eclipse positioned in Leo's Astrological Sign always manifests itself in expected political changes in the first three to six months after the eclipse. This event occurs with a Mercury that has just begun its Retrograde phase, ensuring that communication in the field of leadership is greatly affected over the coming weeks. But this equation is not complete until adding the position of the Great King 'Saturn' who a few days later leaves his retrogradation to positively redirect his energies from the constellation of Sagittarius.

Eclipses usually come in pairs, one lunar and one solar, with two weeks apart and indicate that we are entering a period of surprises and expositions.

The effect of eclipses can last up to three months. This can be a bleak time, but clean and healing, or a joyous time of childbirth. If we have stubbornly resisted growth, then we might experience them as a really volcanic, violent energy that desperately needs to be purged, but that really should not be feared.

The changing energy of eclipses usually affects us for a period of three to six weeks after the eclipse, in this case we will be able to perceive a notorious change in our surroundings that involves the influence of the total Solar Eclipse in Leo, a Mercury that begins to retrograde slowly, Affecting communications, agendas, meetings and exchanges of information, and a Saturn (the harvester) who would give us the strength to persist even in the most turbulent periods.

New Moon August

The new moon has always been one of my favorite topics, on the Blog and in real life, is a period of renewal, renewal, reincarnation and individual awakening. During the new moon, we have the opportunity to renew ourselves and start from scratch, to reflect in detail on our projects and to immerse ourselves completely in a new process that is about to begin.

The new moon is a symbol of cold darkness and fear, but it is also a symbol of inner strength and hope, for no matter how dark these moonless nights are, the silver mother is only struggling to renew herself and return to Shine in a few days. The darker the period of the new moon, the more vibrant and bright the next full moon.

This particular moon will have the particularity of being a second new moon in oil, second, because the moon begins its dark process centered on the sign of oil, and while it remains dark, it will move to the sign of Virgo, something unusual but not rare. We are definitely faced with a strong period of omens of change and transformation, the same day we will have the solar eclipse in the sign of the king of the Zodiac and hours later we will have a new moon in the same sign that will move from the lion to the Virgin In the middle of darkness (while no one can see it). You do not have to be very knowledgeable about astrology to realize that heaven is shouting 'Period of change' for both the good and the bad.

The new moon is usually a period of thinking and reflecting on new processes, fine-tuning strategies, and plans linked to new projects, and initiating all kinds of internal and external transformations and changes. In this case, the moon will incite us to be more creative, more enterprising and more direct in communications, it will also move us away from the superficial and indirect people around us, not to mention a change in the energy vibration that surrounds us, but It is about positive changes that we must embrace, not refuse.

New Trails

Next day, August 22, will be one of those moments to embark again on a new project, a new academic course, a new hobby, a new romance, a new life project, a new job or develop a new friendship , And even to initiate changes in our interior that we see necessary and require time.

On August 22, the Virgo Sign begins so the Sun will carry all that energy vibration of the Eclipse to the lands of prudence, order, and discretion, together with a particular new moon that begins to grow in the sign of (Guess...!) Virgo.

Therefore, we will begin a new process of transformation with the Sun and the Moon in the Sign of the Virgin, if you wish to remove from you some vice, some mania, some negative memory or some regret, this is the moment to say "goodbye... And renewal."

Do not be afraid to renew yourself from your darkest phase to shine and vibrate higher, after all, the moon does it in front of your eyes every 21 days.

Invitation: If you wish to receive the rituals corresponding to each of these phases, do not forget that you can subscribe to the mailing list of the Blog by entering www.elhoimleafar.com, as well as you can join our Private Group on Facebook HERE where topics are discussed Of Astrology, Magic, and Spirituality.

Blessings

Elhoim Leafar