The Color of Light. By Odilia Galván Rodríguez
What this book is and is not. This is a collection of poetry dedicated to some of the principal energies of the Mexica and Orishas – two nature-based spiritual/cultural traditions, and ways of life. These indigenous energies are still quite alive and well in Africa, Mexico, the diaspora, and the world. They are everywhere, depicted in all kinds of Indigenous art, music, dance, architecture, weavings, and clothing, in the vast wares available in the markets, in museums, etc.
The energies themselves function as conduits, divine messengers, helpers, and wisdom keepers. In both of these spiritual traditions, there is but one supreme Creatrix-God, and these energies play an important role in daily life which is not separate from spirituality. The descriptions of the energies contained in this book are not all-inclusive, nor are they meant to be exhaustive of the vast and rich historical and/or liturgical teachings and wisdom available to practitioners and people who live these ways.
The information provided herein is basic, for those who have little or no knowledge of these tradition’s existence or survival. They are also provided for those who may have knowledge about one of the traditions but not the other. The poems are the author's offerings in tribute to the Orisha and Mexica energies, inspired by their beauty and balance that permeates the world today.
What this book is and is not. This is a collection of poetry dedicated to some of the principal energies of the Mexica and Orishas – two nature-based spiritual/cultural traditions, and ways of life. These indigenous energies are still quite alive and well in Africa, Mexico, the diaspora, and the world. They are everywhere, depicted in all kinds of Indigenous art, music, dance, architecture, weavings, and clothing, in the vast wares available in the markets, in museums, etc.
The energies themselves function as conduits, divine messengers, helpers, and wisdom keepers. In both of these spiritual traditions, there is but one supreme Creatrix-God, and these energies play an important role in daily life which is not separate from spirituality. The descriptions of the energies contained in this book are not all-inclusive, nor are they meant to be exhaustive of the vast and rich historical and/or liturgical teachings and wisdom available to practitioners and people who live these ways.
The information provided herein is basic, for those who have little or no knowledge of these tradition’s existence or survival. They are also provided for those who may have knowledge about one of the traditions but not the other. The poems are the author's offerings in tribute to the Orisha and Mexica energies, inspired by their beauty and balance that permeates the world today.
What this book is and is not. This is a collection of poetry dedicated to some of the principal energies of the Mexica and Orishas – two nature-based spiritual/cultural traditions, and ways of life. These indigenous energies are still quite alive and well in Africa, Mexico, the diaspora, and the world. They are everywhere, depicted in all kinds of Indigenous art, music, dance, architecture, weavings, and clothing, in the vast wares available in the markets, in museums, etc.
The energies themselves function as conduits, divine messengers, helpers, and wisdom keepers. In both of these spiritual traditions, there is but one supreme Creatrix-God, and these energies play an important role in daily life which is not separate from spirituality. The descriptions of the energies contained in this book are not all-inclusive, nor are they meant to be exhaustive of the vast and rich historical and/or liturgical teachings and wisdom available to practitioners and people who live these ways.
The information provided herein is basic, for those who have little or no knowledge of these tradition’s existence or survival. They are also provided for those who may have knowledge about one of the traditions but not the other. The poems are the author's offerings in tribute to the Orisha and Mexica energies, inspired by their beauty and balance that permeates the world today.
Odilia Galván Rodríguez, poet, writer, editor, and social justice activist, is the author of six volumes of poetry, her latest, The Nature of Things, along with photographer Richard Loya. She is co-editor, along with the late Francisco X. Alarcon, of Poetry of Resistance: Voices for Social Justice, The University of Arizona Press. Odilia was the English edition editor of Tricontinental Magazine in Havana, Cuba. Currently, she facilitates creative writing workshops nationally and is a moderator of “Poets Responding to SB 1070” and “Love and Prayers for Fukushima,” both Facebook pages dedicated to bringing attention to social justice issues that affect the lives and well-being of many people.