Cultural astronomer and ethnoecologist, Geraldine Patrick Encina, offers a rediscovery of Mesoamerican cosmic calendars and discusses how we can realign with the cosmos and the earth.
In this episode, Anita and Geraldine explore:
- Geraldine’s past life memories and receiving sacred spirit names from ceremonies and elders
- Mesoamerican use of sacred songs and alchemy to invoke rain and connect with natural elements
- The role and personification of the planet Venus for Mesoamerican people
- Recovering the original ancestral calendars to reconnect with cosmic time cycles
- The impact of modern mechanistic society in creating fear, scarcity, hyper-competitiveness, and a perpetual sense of being rushed
- The transformative practice of letting go and detaching from habits, beliefs, and energies that no longer serve us
- Reconnecting with the nurturing embrace of Mother Earth and the expansive wisdom of Father Sky to savor the present moment
- Embracing our interconnection and interdependence with others, nature, and the planet as a whole
- Cultivating personal and collective responsibility for our role within the greater natural ecosystem
- Sacred sites in Mexico and how holding ceremonies there reconnects us with the moment of creation
- Looking to the sky, namely Venus and the moon, for environmental answers and cosmic alignment
About Geraldine Patrick Encina, PhD:
Geraldine lives in the Highlands of Mexico in the sacred landscape of the Otomi Peoples, originally called Zanbatha, the Valley of the Moon. As an Ethnoecologist and a Cultural Astronomer, Geraldine has generated extensive knowledge about the astronomical, ecological, agricultural and spiritual underpinnings of ancient Mesoamerican cosmos and timekeeping systems in the form of calendars and monuments within urban layouts that are aligned to Sun, Moon and Venus appearing in the horizon on dates that are highlighted in the original calendars that she has recovered. Her Mesoamerican timekeeping theory and practices are helping indigenous peoples revitalize long-forgotten calendars and astronomical almanacs. It is also helping people from traditional communities to re-signify the holistic approach to life of their elders by way of honoring and understanding their ancestors’ scientific legacy. Read more about Geraldine on Oneearth.org or check out her blog HERE. You learn more about Geraldin’s work and get in touch with her at Earthtimekeepers.org
“We’re breathing in oxygen that (among other elements) is coming right from that tree and the plants I am looking at. I can start connecting on a deeper level and be thankful that it exists, that it is thriving, and that it is able to give us this oxygen. Not just me, but also the birds that are enjoying the presence of the tree and all the little insects.” – Geraldine Patrick Encina