Hello. My name is Eliseo "Cheo" Torres. I'm an administrator and professor at the University of New Mexico. This is part of a series of films to explain what traditional medicine of Mexico and the southwest is about. Today's program is very unique and exciting. It's about the temazcal or the mexika Mexican sweat lodge of the Aztecs and the Mayans. This topic is making a revival not only in Mexico, but also in the southwest. Here in Albuquerque, this is one of the newest temazcals in the North Valley of Albuquerque. The temazcal was built by Tonita Gonzales whom you'll hear from in just a few minutes. We have today a person whom you've seen already on film Rita Navarrete who is temascalera, a person who specializes in temazcals. She also will be explaining a ceremony first before we enter the temazcal or the sweat lodge. Our ceremony to the four directions, a ceremony to the altar that you will see in just a few minutes, and what it all means. Everything is significant and everything will be explained. I know you'll enjoy today's program. Thank you. Good morning. I'm here with you to share our traditional medicine. It's an honor for me to be here explaining the importance of this for us. To start with the presentation of an altar, this circle represents for us the Mother Earth, but also what is really important here are the seeds. It explains how our heritage has transcended, but it also represents the bread of everyday. The water that we cannot be without in our life. We also talk about our father Fire that gives us the warmth so that we can warm our body. The conch that represents for us the wind. That the work that we've come to start since the beginning until the end. The sounds that helps us to reflect, but also the sound of the heart. The importance that you find here, part of the representations of our culture, the copal, the incense that represents the smoke that goes to the heavens, but there go our thoughts as well. But how we ask from each direction when we're smudging. The representation of the flowers, our mother nature, but also the different offerings like we can see here. That in every culture and every tradition, what our friends use to smudge with when they do not have copal. But also this rock that comes which represents our own mirror. That our own mirror is when we come her. We come to see our inner self, our reflection. That's why it's important that we also put our whistles that represent the animals and the birds, the water. We could continue explaining of the practice of the ceremony. The importance it is all of these elements have for us. So that we can organize and then ask permission to the four directions, the heavens and the earth, but also to our own hearts. We're going to in this moment to start to explain why we asked permission from the four directions. Also, the importance is what we deal within the temazcal, the sweat lodge. The temazcal represents the womb of mother, but it also represents the earth, our own Mother Earth. It's a sacred corner where we've come to sing, to reflect, to harmonize our bodies. To liberate not just of those emotions, but also of toxins. In the way in which we develop this practice, we have considered that the temazcal is very important in our life. It constructs a mixture of feelings so that we can come to transform our thoughts and our emotions. So we're going to start the practice. We're going to share in this moment as we ask permission. If everybody will please get an instrument. We're going to ask permission to the direction of the east. We're going to make a circle. We'll turn to the direction where the sun comes out. We'll raise our hands to salute the sun. We ask permission from the direction of the east, the direction where the sun comes out, that it helps us to get consciousness of our new day that starts today. We ask permission, and it gives us our strength and our will to strengthen our spirits. We offer in this moment, the smoke of copal, the sound of the conch, and all of our instruments. We'll turn to the left. We'll go to the direction of the West, the direction of the darkness, the direction that has us reflect in the nights, but also the women who have given their life rest in this direction. We ask permission to you the direction where there's darkness that you give us the strength and the tranquility so that we can thank this day, our work. We'll turn to the left and we'll face the direction of the north. To you the direction of the north, we ask permission. We give thanks because today we're going to share our sacred medicine which is the heritage of our grandparents. Our grandparents that have left us their traditions. Today we ask that you send us light, the strength, and the will so that this medicine continue to strengthen our spirit. Turn to the left. We'll face the direction of the south. To you the direction of the South, the direction of the mountains, of the rivers, of the birds, of the flowers, we ask permission. We give thanks because you've united the medicine. Give us the strength and the will so that we can continue this path, respecting all of Mother Nature. We'll turn a complete turn to the center and we'll take our hands to the heavens. To you, the hickories sky, sacred sky, we ask your permission that we can continue sharing the sacred medicine so that every day, you continue sharing this medicine for all of those who want to open their hearts. Give us the strength, give us the will so that brothers, we can continue this path. [inaudible]. Will turn a complete circle and we'll go to the Earth. To you, Mother Earth, we give you thanks and we honor life and death. Thank you for allowing us to come here, Mother Earth. You've opened the paths and the borders so that we continue to share this medicine with our brothers and sisters of tradition, and our brothers of life. Thank you Mother Earth for the bread of every day. [inaudible] We'll take our hands to our hearts and we're going to a do a song, and we will pass you to smudge you. But at the same time, we'll talk to our own hearts. We'll say, [inaudible]. Inhale deeply. Inhale and exhale. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. That this Mother Nature, today, that you will help us feel that we are in contact with our brothers and sisters, with our humanity and hope, within our hearts, and that we remember that in every moment that we're going to think and reflect from the respect of the same mother nature. We also think, in this sacred circle, that this moment, that is filling us with peace and harmony. That's why we welcome these colors to our lives, and we're going to everybody now, to give to the welcome. If you guys could please leave your instruments back to the floor, extend your arms with the baby please. Let her get the pass up there. We're going to, in this moment, to give the welcoming to the sacred body. In this [inaudible]. We say, "Welcome to this tradition. We wrap you in this smoke and in this sacred circle. We honor your life of your mother, of your father, of mother nature because it's allowed you to feel that life, and love, and hope. We're going to raise her to the heavens, and we thank the heavens, and the Earth." Everybody together, we give her the welcome. We inhale and we protect you with white flowers so that that purity, which you come to this earth, that always wraps you and protects you. Welcome to this mother that gave you life, that you always cover these sacred bodies with tenderness and with love and the hope that you always treat these bodies tenderly. That's the way it is and that's the way it would be. [inaudible] [inaudible] Take her to your heart- [inaudible] -and turn towards her. [inaudible] In the name of the heavens and the earths- [inaudible] -that were north to south- [inaudible] -and from the four directions,. [inaudible] We give you welcome- [inaudible] -to this tradition. [inaudible] That is only to strengthen your great spirit- [inaudible] -so that you can enjoy life- [inaudible] -and that's the way it is, and that's the way it'll be. [inaudible] We're going to get ready now to go into the temazcal. [inaudible] So, we'll start walking- [inaudible] -and you can go start walking that way. [inaudible] Just to decide Antoinette, not- I'm sorry. Are you going to go in? Yes. No, you can carry on. Hold the door. Open for people. [inaudible]. Before we go in, I want to explain to you guys a couple of things. [inaudible] It's an honor for you guys to be here today and go into the sacred womb. One of the things that we want to remember that this temazcal represents the womb of Mother Earth but it also can have that symbolism for the womb of your mother where we go into, to be reborn and for those things that we need to leave here, we leave here. With the strength of temazcal, the reason why we say this representation is when you go inside, you're going see the belly button on the top that represents the belly button that which you were born and inside the temazcal, you're going see that the [inaudible] , the rocks, that represents the ovaries of the womb and then as when we have the fire, the fire represents the sperm so that we can call together in that circle and in that darkness represents symbolically the womb of where we go to heal, so we be reborn. But as we're inside, as we remember that not only is it about healing or spirit and our soul, and finding that tranquility but it's also a place to detox to cleanse our body, to cleanse our lymphatic system. Our lymphatic system which was absorbs all of our toxins in our bodies. So as you go in, we're going to ask that you're going take in this bucket and everybody, it's important that when you have your bucket that you rinse after you exfoliated your skin really well and all of your lymph that you rinse in your own bucket because everybody releases toxins and it's so helpful for own health that we continue to do that. So as you need to keep rinsing your body with the water and your own towels, so that's going to help you when you're in there. But also we're going give you fresh plants because these plants, today, we're going be using beautiful albahaca and the albahaca on your body, she's going to show you how you need to, we say [inaudible] to hit your body, to stimulate your lymphatic system for cleansing and this is what you'll do inside as often as you can. The properties of albahaca is they're actually relaxing. They help you change your state. We say of anima, their state of feeling. They're also an aphrodisiac. We also use these for women who are in postpartum depression. We use these for women when they need to change, when they've been depressed. So these are plants that we use as medicine. So often, we'll change the types of plants that we use. But today, we're honored that Mother Earth has given us this beautiful albahaca to share. So she's going to hand you your plants to take with you inside temazcal. Normally, when we go into the temazcal, we say the word Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl is the duality. It's the duality that talks about that we are all half male, half female. We are all good and bad and we're all equal but also in Mesoamerican times, when they would greet each other, they would say Ōmeteōtl. It says I see the divine in you and the divine is in me. We are all equal. So as we go in, we usually greet the temazcal. We usually give reverence on our knees if it's possible and we say Ōmeteōtl. We also when we go into the temazcal, we go in left to right and wherever your spirit tells you to sit is where you'll sit. So I welcome you to the temazcal and to your journey as we go inside. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. [inaudible] We're going to in this moment. [inaudible] Gives you the welcoming- [inaudible] -to the bodies to go into the temazcal. [inaudible] Every time that we go into the temazcal- [inaudible] If you can open the space please. [inaudible]. Antoinette, can you come in? Take off your shoes. [inaudible]. Go in first to receive your sister. Ōmeteōtl. So you can help her in? Go ahead, sweetie. Go onto your knees- [inaudible] -and ask permission. Welcome. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. Ōmeteōtl. Antoinette, will you come out and pass the buckets please inside. [inaudible] We're going to pass our instrument to the temazcal. [inaudible] So that we can continue with our songs. [inaudible] Can we go in? Do you want to see and photograph? [inaudible] We are not going to use the what? You guys are clearing there but just stick this camera mic. Okay. [inaudible] Let me just put it back here. Wait, I'm going to pull this to the side. In that way it will stay open. [inaudible] Give me one second. Manny? [inaudible] Manny? There we go. Stop. How much time do you have? What? How much time do you want? Maybe three minutes, four minutes. [inaudible] Right guys? Hold on, let me get it in there, then I can see you and I can hear you, so everything's good. [inaudible] It feels good in there. [inaudible] Okay. Anytime. [inaudible] We're going to ask permission in this moment. [inaudible] From the rocks. [inaudible] That are the grandparents. [inaudible] That give us our medicine. [inaudible] And to father fire, grandfather fire. [inaudible] That waters the rocks. [inaudible] To give us our medicine. [inaudible] But we also ask permission and give gratitude. [inaudible] To these plants. [inaudible] That today give life. [inaudible] To leave us their essence. [inaudible] Breathe lightly and deeply. [inaudible] Inhale. [inaudible] Breathe in deeply. [inaudible] We'll inhale. [inaudible] And we'll exhale. [inaudible] We are going to do this real simple. [inaudible] But we're going to use our mind. [inaudible] So we can ask permission from our bodies. [inaudible] But also giving gratitude. [inaudible] For everything that we've come to leave here, say goodbye to. [inaudible] I ask that you please. [inaudible] Everybody at the same time. [inaudible] Do a petition. [inaudible] Or explain. [inaudible] Why they come here to the temazcal. [inaudible] It's the idea. [inaudible] That everybody talk. [inaudible] And will respect. [inaudible] The thoughts and the words of each one of us. [inaudible] So that in this the moment, please. [inaudible] Breathe in deeply. [inaudible] Bring all of those words to the mind. [inaudible] And everybody talk at the same time. [inaudible] Why are you here? On the count of three just start talking and offering. [inaudible] Today I'm here. [inaudible] Please talk at the same time, and everybody talk what they ask for, with lots of strength. [inaudible] When the universe hears what we needs, then they answers. [inaudible] Once that we do our petitions. [inaudible] For asking for permissions. [inaudible] And to do our offerings here. [inaudible] We'll lower the temperatures. [inaudible] Breathe in, please. [inaudible] And if everybody would please. [inaudible] Take your stem of plants, [inaudible] And to stand, [inaudible] And start to hit your body. [inaudible] Inhaling and exhaling. Inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. [inaudible] Inhaling. [inaudible] And exhaling. [inaudible] With strength, please so that you can release that which concerns you. [inaudible] Trying to cleanse all of your body. [inaudible] Not only of toxins but of fear. [inaudible] Inhaling deeply. [inaudible] And exhaling with strength. [inaudible] Release those emotions. [inaudible] We're going to breathe in deep again. [inaudible] Releasing the fear. [inaudible] Releasing pain. [inaudible] With strength. [inaudible] Like warriors. [inaudible] Your fears and your insecurities, release it with your sound. [inaudible] Anger. [inaudible] All those fears that you've left within your body. [inaudible] That people have passed in our lives. [inaudible] That they've left, the things that are [inaudible] with all the strength. [inaudible] [inaudible] Sit down and she'll sing and we'll sing after her. [inaudible] Breath in deeply and in this moment, we'll let go in this first store, bowed that we release, all of that that we don't want anymore in our body. All of that that disturbs the piece of our body. We thank this store because we prepare our bodies to honor them. To honor who has given us life which was the presence of our grandparents and our grandparents. So, preparing with your breath, and we're going to yell with all of your strength. Thank you grandparents. Thank you parents. For this life that you've given us. Everybody deeply inhale. Everybody together at the same time is going to say. Thank you grandparents, and thank you parents. Thank you grandparents, and thank you parents. We give thanks now in our lives. We honor our lives. We honor our bodies, and we are thankful that we are here today. Now, we're going to say words of love. Everybody at the same time please. I love myself. I love myself. I love my self. I love myself. Breath deeply and exhale. Cleanse your face with your towels please. Just cleanse your face with your washcloth. Wiping your arms and your body. Purifying your body. We give you thanks for another time to this store that today we've opened, but also that we've closed. For all of that which doesn't serve our bodies anymore. Breath in deeply and exhale. Breath in. Feeling the strength of your heart because it helps us to have good life. [inaudible] because it needs us to honor our bodies and to reflect. That we need to have love and respect for this life that we can have at themselves today. Please stand. Move your bodies up and to feel that you're grown, that you're strong, that you're intelligent, and you deserve the best. Feel that we have nothing, nothing is left. We are the only ones. We are special. Inhale life and exhale love. Inhale strength and exhale love and peace. As if you were in your womb how you would hug yourself. Put yourself in that position in the womb of your mother. You could sit on the floor if you can, or if you want to get to better position. You can sit on the floor. Everybody will talk to your own body [inaudible] [FOREIGN] [FOREIGN]
