Growing up alternatively spiritual (Part 5)

Memories and notes from the family. Thanks you guys!

Dec 15, 2023

This is a continuation of an ongoing serial about what it was like growing up with a curandera for an Abuelita. Today, I will share about all the wonderful notes I received from family members who are graciously reading the newsletter!

My last few posts have really generated quite a discussion amongst the family — which is awesome to see and hear!

I thought, dear reader, you would find it interesting to hear some of the feedback and notes from la familia.

Today, you’re part of the family, too.

From Mom

First and foremost, I feel incredibly fortunate to have a parent so supportive of my newsletter — thanks Mom!!

Secondly, boy oh boy, did Mom have a ton of stories to share with me after reading all the parts of this serial. Again, I feel very lucky to have her spiritually attuned eyes watch over this project of mine. I hope one day she will agree to an interview for this newsletter!

For now, a few details:

Mom reminded me of the complete sentence in Abuelita’s oración: “Espiritu de [insert name], ven a tu carne” (a.k.a., “The spirit of [insert name], come back to your body.”). And at the end of the limpieza, Abuelita would take the saint or votive candle from the client and wave the candle in front of them to form the shape of a cross in the air.
Mom remembers visiting el templo (a.k.a., the temple) when she was a kid living in Baja Califonia!! Memories started flooding back to her after reading my last post in this serial. So, turns out when Mom was little, too young to start elementary school just yet, Abuelita would take Mom along with her to el templo. Hand in hand, they would walk the dirt roads from their small home to el templo at the top of a hill. Once there, Mom remembers entering el templo, patiently sitting close by, and watching their ceremonies. Mom was very young but vividly remembers Abuelita joining a group of her peers, likely other curanderos/as, for worship and maybe some socializing. They would get together about twice a month. Mom was even able to visualize a rough overview of their ceremonies. In her mind she can see all of the members donning white robes, sitting in chairs arranged in a circle, and then they would start praying in unison. They would read from their special small books and sing religious music. There were no instruments. (Mom’s eyes got really big at this point.) Hung on the wall, she remembers there was a tapestry with a giant “ojo de la providencia” (a.k.a., The Eye of Providence) on it. And the entire templo was basically the size of a small living room. A man named Don Romero and his wife were considered the leaders of the group, maybe even of el templo. And all the members would call each other “hermano” (a.k.a., brother) or “hermana” (a.k.a., sister). The whole ceremony would take about an hour or so. And then afterwards, Abuelita and Mom would get a bite to eat on their way home. Mom clarified that Abuelita would attend the ceremonies when she could, not necessarily every month. Mom was very agreeable considering her age and happily went to el templo time and time again. She didn’t mind going, unlike her older sister. Let’s call her my “Crafty Tía.” Crafty Tía went a few times with Abuelita — but she strongly disliked it! Mom not surprisingly, ever the princess of darkness, had no issue with it.

gold statue of a man — The Eye of Providence nestled in a triangle with light beams shooting in all directions.

Mom remembered the perfumed oil Abuelita would use in her limpiezas was called “Siete Machos” (a.k.a., 7 Males) which is said to “bring good luck, attract wealth, as well as to stop and return curses, hexes, and jinxes. It can also help focus your spiritual awareness and aid in receiving spiritual guidance.”1 Get yourself a bottle today — because that stuff worked!
Mom also somewhat recalled Abuelita would also purchase “agua de rosa” (a.k.a., rose water) for a variety of uses.

Isn’t that wild how much Mom was able to remember?! I’ll stop here for now because there was a lot that came to the front of her mind! Be sure to stay tuned for future posts about my Mom, her memories, and her relationship with Abuelita.

2. From Crafty Tía

I have the immense honor of having several family members as subscribers. Thank you, all of you!! It means so much to me.

So, Crafty Tía wanted to point out to me, very appropriately, that what I have been referring to as “limpiezas” were actually called “limpias” by Abuelita. Thanks, Tía! These terms might be interchangeable but from now on, I will refer to this ritual as a limpia.

3. From Piscean Tía

Piscean Tía continues to give me tons of great advice, I just had to share.

I should consider looking into courses at nearby universities or community colleges on cultural anthropology, anthropology of religion, etc. Doing so might give me some insights into the historical context for the spiritual traditions that evolved in Mesoamerica.
The instructors or professors of these courses might have connections in the community around the Greater Boston Area who could direct me to practitioners of curanderismo. Possibly, practitioners of folk healing accessible to me in my own backyard!

Incredible. Thank you, Tía!

This post was more of a stroll down memory lane so thanks for going with the flow! Join me next time for Part 6 when I will be sure to share more memories and some findings of my most recent research.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hope everyone is enjoying their winter.

With cariño,

Maribel

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This is another installment in a series focused on the retelling of my childhood experiences, specifically recounting how I grew up in an alternatively spiritual family. You can read the previous parts here: