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This is my understanding of spirituality.  Perhaps I have not expressed it as eloquently, but interrelated with the acquisition of certain spiritual principles, must come the acquisition of certain political principles.  Our struggle for justice is as much a human struggle as anything else, but our real world existence is as much a spiritual reality as anything else.  Politics, not of the electoral type, but of the principled type, is our method of struggling for justice, and should never be ignored in our quest for spiritual understanding.

Ometeotl

I wanted to take some time to recap my understanding of what we discussed at our first meeting.  The subject of our meeting was the need for an idea like the Mexica Church (or whatever we will call it).  What we decided was that some of us will continue investing some time to see if this is viable for us as individuals and families.  People expressed reasons in support of the idea, and others expressed many of the concerns that I was anticipating.

Support

For some, the idea made sense for differing reasons.  One person confided that he had been interested in danza, but that some physical challenges disallowed him from participating.  For me, the promotion of a world view in a manner in which many people in our community can relate to is important.  Some of the ceremonies in which I have regularly participated before are far removed from the experiences of many in our community.  It is a far leap for many people.  When most people see a setting like a church, I believe that they will see a setting in which they could visualize themselves participating.  Additionally, some people at the meeting said that a church-style ceremony is more in line with what they are able to commit to in their own life.   I believe the three participants with small children were in agreement with this.  Some people felt that something new was necessary for their own or for the community’s development or both.

Objections

There were objections.  Some seemed concerned concerned that we would be compromising the traditions by mixing the traditions with something new.  Another objection seemed to imply that we were just not willing to commit enough to doing it the traditional way.  Another objection repeated was a concern for “mixing politics and spirituality.”  Some simply did not like the word church.

Answers to objections

If creating something new necessarily implies compromising traditions, then we are compromising traditions.  If this is true then traditions must have been compromised when people began transitioning from conchero-style dancing to Mexica-style dancing, It would also mean that Northern natives compromised their ways when they added medicina to their ceremonies.  Traditions sometimes flourish because of change. 

To the idea that those in danza might be more committed, and that we might just not be willing to put in the work, I don’t choose to deny that.  There are some very committed people in danza.  This is not a competition for me, and there are people who have put in considerably more hours.  I, and the community, appreciate and support their dedication.

To the idea that I want to “mix spirituality and politics,” I don’t think that is an accurate way to describe the vision.  I hope to include a world view that incorporates the necessary views of a nation.  Those views include healthcare, education, spirituality, history, economics, and, yes, politics.  To try to explain our history void of a political context does us little good, and does more to keep us mentally colonized.  It’s not that I want to mix these views; it’s that if we consider ourselves a nation, these views exist together.  To try to separate them is like trying to separate someone her first and last name and then to accuse them of mixing identities when they call themselves by both.  We are a political people; we are a spiritual people; we are a people in need of education, health and economic healing.  We should not isolate those aspects of ourselves.  I don’t think that there is a place for electoral politics in the church, but there is a need for a political perspective.

As far as the term church goes, I don’t mind looking at different terms.  I will continue to use the term church, just for its usefulness over the next few weeks, but I’m open to changing later.

Those of us who will continue meeting, have a great deal ahead of us in seeing if this will work.  We will invest time to see if we can build this foundation, and if our measurements for this foundation match up.  I have seen efforts like this fail because of trying to move to fast or because people (often me!) won’t compromise.  There are some things that I can’t compromise or let go of, just as I hope that there are things that you won’t.  This time, though, I hope to err on the side of creating this and of compromise rather than perfection in perspective or practice.  If we are going to invest the time in doing this, I will really want to see this project come together for ourselves, our children and our community.  I think that this will mean that many of us will have to be as flexible as we can, since many of us are very set in the way that we think and believe.

I propose that in the next meeting we focus on the basics of the beliefs.  We can talk about our understanding of the armas, the opening and closing and the creator among other things.

We can reserve the following meeting for a proposed structure for the ceremony.

After that, I believe a discussion of the historical/political social perspective of this undertaking.

Are there any ideas of dates for the next meeting?  December 11^th or 18^th might be good or maybe we should wait until next year, past the holidays.

Sincerely,

Hector A. Chavana Jr.

Over the years, it has become apparent to me that our people have remained largely affected by the Spanish colonization and the subsequent occupations of our lands. Countless people have written about the effects that colonization has had on our identity, behaviors and power.

As evidence, we are perhaps one of the only peoples in the world who continue to identify ourselves by name with a colonizer. We follow classic mal-adaptive behaviors cited by colonized people all over the world, and we are powerless in our own lands. This, though, is not a message about our problems. Rather, it is a message about how we can fix them.

The first step toward any solution is education (consciencia y conceiencia), education regarding our law, history, spirituality, political and economic situation, defense, gender relations and more. As long as we look at our different problems as separate issues, we will continue to bandage the symptoms, when we truly need to take a medicine that will treat the root of the illness.

A church can naturally offer a holistic education for all of these concerns. More than anything, it can offer a worldview that will challenge our current situation and promote possibilities of new answers. Such a message can be consistent and accessible through a weekly service.

Why a church, instead of a community group?
“Church” is an inexact word to describe this vision. Most, if not all, of the current ceremonies are rooted in pre-Cuahtemoc traditions. This means that they were developed at a time in which colonization had not yet hit our lands. Consequently, they were not designed to deal with today’s results of colonization. They were designed to honor the Creator amongst a group of people who already have some knowledge of the beliefs. These traditions are beautiful, and they have captivated me for more than a decade. However, they do not address one of our community’s biggest problems today—that the vast majority of our community does not have the basic knowledge of their purpose, much less their deeper meaning. We do not currently have a ceremony wholly dedicated to the people and their understanding of themselves. The Church service’s primary mission is just that, to reach more people with our message and to create a method of delivery for this message, as we offer our prayers in a newly designed service.

Egalitarianism
It has become more popular to support a perspective of egalitarianism and consensus-based models. A church, or any ideology, which seeks to provide answers does not seem to fit this model. Nevertheless, there are people in our city who have developed a great deal of knowledge of the Red Road over the past ten to fifteen years. They know far more about Mexicaoytl than 99% of the population in Houston. This is simply a fact. I understand that there may be a hesitation to promote the idea that a group of people may have more knowledge than others, but again, it is simply a fact. There are people in Houston who are looking for guidance, looking for answers, looking for leadership. They are not looking to be asked for their opinion. They are looking and asking for your knowledge. Imagine going to a mechanic for help and being sat down in a circle and hearing, “what do you think our first step should be in fixing your car.” Sometimes, people want guidance, and we hope to provide some. This notion does not mean that we do not have anything to learn or that we should not listen or that we hope to simply pour ideas into people’s heads. What it does mean is that there is a place for leadership and a flow of knowledge from those who know to those who need.

Isn’t Church A European Concept?
Yes. Church is not the most appropriate word for this vision, but for now, it is the quickest way for me to express my idea. I think it is useful at this stage because it speaks in a language that our people understand. If we promote the idea as a “Mitote Teokalli,” I don’t think most people would understand the concept enough to take a second look. And, since this concept is for the people above all else, we hope to speak a language that our people understand.

Who is welcome?
People of all colors who come with an open heart are welcome to come. One of the primary purposes of the proposed church is floricanto, to spread the beauty of our true culture/spirituality. Even so, all human nations, including our own, have adopted people from elsewhere. With the understanding that the goal is to be adopted by or to understand our culture/spirituality, we welcome all.

I’m not sure if this is right or if it’s for me/other commitments.
I fully expect that some will come down this road with us, to find that it is not for them, for whatever reason. Keep in mind, that we are still exploring this idea. Nobody has committed to starting this church, only to begin some prayers and talking circles about it. If you find that it is not for you, either because of the leadership style, time commitments, beliefs or whatever, you can stop coming, no hard feelings. For now, I invite you to hear some of these ideas and to share yours.

Isn’t Religion Oppressive?
It has been used by oppressors, but it has also been a thorn in the side of oppressors.

Invitation
I would like to invite you this Sunday, November 13th at 3PM to a prayer discussion about this idea. If you may be able to help in anyway, either as atl-cihuatl, malintzin or by opening prayer or by offering cantos, please let me know. We are hoping for this help and your experience. Please bring your spiritual armas and anything for the altar. If you can come, please let me know, just for a basic head count. I am expecting a very small crowd, perhaps five people, but I hope that you may be among them.

-Hector

We, as a people, are yet children in Our Restoration. What do children do if not copy those who came before them?

This thought dawned on me today. Mostly, we think negatively about our situation today. We look at ourselves as colonized, mentally poisoned and lost. “Sad” as you say. This is how I have seen ourselves. But today I was filled with hope at the realization that there still exists the revolutionary decolonization within us, plus an emergence of lo cultural, La Mexicanidad. We are living not at the end of colonization, but at the begining of our rebirth, even though we are at a childish or infantile stage in this rebirth. We are babies, maybe one or two generations into this new era. When we look at babies, we smile, and wonder who/and what they may become. We don’t look at them and feel sad that they cannot yet walk. It gave me an inverse way of looking at things. Though we might not see where this child may go, we are living in blessed and historical times that we have witnessed his/her birth. Ometeotl.

Leaving danza left me with a spiritual hole, which I often suffer from today. I saw my participation more in a “movimiento” kind of way in that I believe that our people would benefit immensely from many of the concepts around danza. I have tried to plug some of that hole with the practical organizing and events, mostly focused around immigration reform. I see the answer, Our Restoration, as a holistic process, with little difference in importance between the political and spiritual side of things. Even though, the political organizing has been, and will continue to be, satisfying, I was still left with a thirst for spiritual fulfillment.

The change in my career left me both anxious and with little time…with a family to support. I was anxious because at first, it was challenging to pay the bills. But I managed and pulled through, changing my business offerings in the process. I remained anxious later, because as I came out of it, I remained fearful that something else might happen, and that I had to make every effort to prepare for the worst. I was out of time, because I was busy working hard and preparing for the worst.

In fact, many people who have come to know me lately might not know that one of my true passions has been creative writing. That too was put to the side as I navigated the past few years. It has all come to a head, and I can no longer neglect my spiritual and creative sides.

My own personality has been one of extreme commitment and focus over the years. Typically, I am very, very involved in something, or I am completely out of it. In part, this is why my participation in danza has been almost 0. It’s usually all or nothing for me.

In fact, as I started to have this realization, my first tendency was to think to myself that my creativity was busting out, and that I had to do something to dedicate all of my days to re-finding this side of myself. I realized, also, that this black and white all-or-nothing tendency of mine has also been an obstacle.

Instead, I realized what most removed observers might have suggested long ago…I’m going to take….wait for it….a few days off…regularly. There I said it, and I didn’t even feel guilty or cringe. Today, I was in silence most of the day, working on my spiritual work, which I hope one day to share.

Anyway, today is my new leaf. My day guided by Xipe Totec and Ehecatl. Out with the old, in with the new. Ometeotl.