Pablo Cohelo

Illustration by Ken Crane

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There was once a well-known scholar, who lived in a mountain in the Himalayas. Tired of living with men, he had chosen a simple life and spent most of his time meditating.

His fame, however, was so great that people were willing to walk narrow paths, climb steep hills, swim rivers – to meet the holy man who was believed to be able to resolve any trouble of the human heart.

The wise man said nothing but asked them to sit and wait. Three days passed, and more people arrived. When there was no room for anyone else, he addressed the people who were outside his door.

“Today I will give the answer that everyone wants. But you must promise that, to have your problems solved, you will not tell the new pilgrims that I moved here – so that you can continue to live in the solitude you so much crave. Tell me your problems” .

Someone began to speak, but was soon interrupted by others, as everyone knew that this was the last public hearing that the holy man was giving. The wise man let the situation be prolonged a little, until he cried, “Silence! Write your problems down and put the papers in front of me,” he said.

When everyone finished, the wise man mixed all the papers in a basket, then said, “Keep this basket moving amongst you. Each of you will take a paper, and read it. You will then choose whether to keep your problems, or take the one given to you.”

Each person took a sheet of paper, read it, and was horrified. They concluded that what they had written, however bad it was, was not as serious as what ailed his neighbor. Two hours later, they exchanged papers amongst themselves, and each one had to put their personal problems back into his or her pocket, relieved that their distress was not as hard as they once thought.

Grateful for the lesson, they went down the mountain with the certainty that they were happier than all the others, and – fulfilling the promise made – never let anyone disturb the peace of the holy man.

Pablo Cohelo

"Elders Meditation"

"Lots of people hardly ever feel real soil under their feet, see plants grow except in flower pots, or get far enough beyond the street light to catch the enchantment of a night sky studded with stars. When people live far from scenes of the Great Spirit's making, it's easy for them to forget His laws."                            Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), STONEY Nature is life's greatest teacher. The natural laws are hidden in nature. Hidden are solutions to everyday problems such as; conflict resolution, how to forgive, lessons about differences, how to manage organizations, how to think. Hidden are feelings. You can look at something and you will feel it. At night, have you ever looked at the sky when there are no clouds? As you look at all the stars, your heart will become very joyful. You will walk away feeling joyful and peaceful. We need to visit nature so we can see and feel these things. My Creator, let me learn nature's lessons.

The Mayas: Gateways to the Underworld

For the ancient Mayas, death was not the definitive end of existence, rather the soul of the deceased was transferred to the Underworld (called Xibalba by the Quichés and Metnal by the Yucatecans). In this sense, caves and water sources were considered symbolic steps between the earthly world and the underworld.

The Mayas believed that the dead could come back from time to time, to the world of the living, and intervene in their affairs. The living, too, could make the reverse trip, and navigate—temporarily--in the territory of darkness; in many cases, in dreams or through the use of hallucinogenic drugs.

Like many other cultures, the Mayas made use of drugs and alcohol (such as balché, composed of water, honey and the bark of a tree) for the celebration of religious rites, which were conducive to altered states of consciousness. In these orgies, officiated in caves or in buildings with labyrinth structure, participants felt that the soul was leaving their bodies and coming into contact with the ancestors and gods, who they came to for advice.

The fantastic mythology of the Underworld and its association with caves as gateways to the world of the dead, was captured in that great universal work known as the Popol Vuh. The journey of the twin heroes Hun-Hunahpú and Vucub-Hunahpú through Xibalba, leads us to know the realms of night and darkness, inhabited by gods that give life and death to all beings.

Among the wide range of gods, particularly the sky god Itzam Na or Itzamná, the sun king Kinich Ahaw, the moon goddess Ixchel, or the god of rain, Chac, stand apart, as well, another group of land gods, linked to the bowels of the earth and the Underworld, "the place of Fear." Indeed, this aspect of Mayan religion is one of the most exciting of this civilization: its striking interest and fascination with the Other World, which wove together the myriad rituals, beliefs and customs.

By: Yurina Fernández Noa

The Mayas: Funeral Rituals

Archaeological studies have determined that the Mayas practiced both burial and cremation. The varieties of tombs range from simple holes in the ground to rich burial chambers. There is also much variety in the positions of the dead bodies, placed a thousand different ways.

Generally, the dead were buried in their own homes or where they practiced their work. And they have identified several phases in the burials. First, an initial burial, to be finalized years later, which may be accompanied by a cleaning of the bones, removing leftover flesh and other adhesions. In some burials, various objects are often discovered that must have been part of the mortuary regalia; of course, with a symbolic meaning related to the afterlife. One of the pieces found on a recurring basis is a mask (jade, stucco or wood) that was placed on the face of the deceased. According to scholars, these masks might have referred to the change of status of the bearer (of earthly life to the “underground”), constituting one of a kind of ceremony of regeneration.

Another piece often found with the dead (sometimes in large numbers) is the mirror. And in the complex Mayan religion, these “magic” tools, capable of reflecting images, were an excellent means of contact with Xibalba, that underground world ruled by spirits of disease and death, symbolized at the same time. According to research notes from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, these mirrors are not what we know today: they were carved stone with a concave reflective surface, which, of course, distorts the image, concentrating the reflection in the center of the mirror.

Returning to the funeral rites, remains of other dead bodies have also been discovered next to the “principal” one. Apparently, these “secondary“ bodies belonged to people who were sacrificed so that the deceased enjoyed companionship on their journey to the Other World, as in the tomb of King Pacal of Palenque. In other cases, the dead were not accompanied on their trip to the hereafter by sacrificial victims, but had the help of inhabitants of the underworld, known as wayob (literally, “spirit companions”).  

By: Yurina Fernández Noa