xocoyotlx

[xocoyotlx]

This idea that one cannot "connect with nature" because nature in one's area is less than pristine fails to realize that being able to recognize when nature has been damaged and thrown out of balance is actually a crucial part of being able to connect with nature in a genuinely meaningful way. It is the first step in being able to heal nature and restore its balance.

[xocoyotlx]

Florida-Taino Spiritual Connections: Piedra de Rayo, Petaloid Axes and Splitting Hurricanes

Following research, travel, and some really good conversations, I think I may have found a cultural connection between modern Indigenous Floridian and Caribbean Indigenous cultures, both revolving around Axes and Hurricanes! My conclusion is that these coinciding beliefs stem from a mutual participation in the South-Eastern Ceremonial Complex. Further evidence for this is seen in comparing Ciboney with Calusa and Tequesta practices and artifacts, including the mounds found throughout Florida and in parts of Cuba, like Campechuela where my family is from. After reading Behike Miguel Sague’s article here about ceremonial Taino hatchets, as well as the book Seminole Legends by Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, coupled with my own experience in la Regla de Ocha, I plan to present the facts to you here. I do also have taboos to respect, so if I don’t explain the why or how of something it is most likely on purpose.

Let’s start with the Caribbean Roots:

In Cuba specifically, many African and Indigenous traditions were preserved through practices deemed “African Traditional Religions”. It is only recently that we are learning and acknowledging the extent that Indigenous Cubans influenced these practices through their herbal knowledge and connection to the Land, both of which are needed to make these practices work effectively. The example I am talking about today will be about the Piedra de Rayo or Thunder Stone. These small tear shaped stones are used throughout Cuba in Ochá, Palo Monte and Espiritismo Cruzado and Cordon for various purposes. They are said to call or repel lightning and have an effect on the weather. They are associated with strength and protection. They are included in the prendas or pots of Spirits who are often associated with thunder and lightning, as the name suggests. What is less known is that these piedras are often actually artifacts of Ceremonial Petaloid Hatchets, basically the blades of stone-age axes or grinders. They were also utilized during rituals amongst the Indigenous Cubans and also found throughout the Americas. If you read Behike Sague’s article it will explain all of this.

Now let’s examine the Seminole myth:

In many Indigenous Cultures, including both Taino and Seminole beliefs, Twins are held in a high esteem and believed to be connected to the Weather through the Divine. In Cuba, we see the twins Boinayel and Marohu representing the Rains and Clear Skies respectively. In Florida, we see the Seminole belief that twins represent Thunder and Lightning. For this reason, twins are often separated at birth for the fear of a storm harming the Chickee. There is a myth of two twins born conjoined and therefore inseparable. When the town finally couldn’t handle the constant weather problems, a Medicine Man took a blessed axe and split the twins right down the middle, separating them and ending the foul weather. We also see another belief in the Axe’s spiritual splitting power in the Seminole Folk Charm of Hurricane Splitting, which I go into detail about in a previous post.

Now let’s talk the connections:

Its worth noting that the traditions of these important stones were preserved specifically in Cuba more than the other Islands. Also, given the fact that much of Cuba was inhabited by a separate cultural group than the Classic Taino, I think its certainly possible the association of these axes in ceremonial settings and their connection to the weather must be tied to a common source. Whether this means the Ciboney and Guanahatabey of Cuba had a connection with the Calusa, Tequesta or Timucua is past my scope of knowledge but it does seem to support this theory. We also know post-contact, a village called “Abaibo” was established in Calusa territory (near present day Marco Island) by Indigenous people fleeing Columbus in Cuba. But to get back to the point, clearly both of these groups understood axes to be divinely tied to Weather. It is also worth adding Guahayona, the One Foot Hero-figure of Taino Myth was also known to hold one of these axes, and now his constellation is used to track weather cycles. Another interesting connection. These one-legged heroes are often found throughout the Americas in Indigenous oral histories. Nevertheless, these stones offer us a valuable tool and glimpse into one of the Mysteries of our ancestors.

Utilizing the Piedra de Rayo:

Finding a true Piedra de Rayo is one thing, buying it is another. Like all things in spirituality, the commercialization of things has stripped authenticity and made good sources scarce. Poachers often raid burial sites and mounds for these artifacts to sell. Don’t do this, it’s an easy way to ruin your own life, both legally and spiritually, by digging through someone else’s grave. This also means true piedras are rare now, and the ones in Botanicas are often productions made to resemble the artifacts. If you are meant to find one you will and it won’t be in a protected area. If you can ethically source a real one to buy, all power to you, otherwise do not feel bad about purchasing a replica from a Botanica or producing one yourself! Your ancestors will recognize the form of the tool and actions you take, and it is possible they bought their ceremonial axes from a skilled artisan at the time too so why should we feel shame for doing the same. Many say they appear every 7 years, or where lightning strikes dirt under a ceiba. Some say they wiggle out at night to return underground during the day. These stones are often treated as living beings, another nod to the ways of honoring the Cemi our ancestors passed to us. There are four main goals when working with these potent allies.

The first is obviously for weather. Our Taino ancestors’ spiritual systems placed major emphasis on agriculture, and in turn the weather. Depending on the weather, you could live a life of labor or a life of ease. This meant you needed ways to appeal to and even influence the weather day to day. The piedra de rayo offers a simple way to do just that. Whether you are in need of rain or sun, simply give an offering of tobacco and alcohol or perfumed water to the piedra. Additionally, guajiros bury them in the East corner of a new conuco or field to consecrate it, calling on the power of the rising Sun through the stone.

The second form is as a protective amulet. Piedras de Rayo are lightning medicine. They are intrinsically tied to the primordial energy of lightning, and in turn with fire, sudden violence, car crashes and other fast bursts of energy. They have a magnetic relationship with these forces, meaning they can both attract or repel them depending on their “charge”. These stones can be worn to ward off evil eye and protect yourself from hexes and witchcraft, or kept in your car or pocket to protect you from accidents or harm. They also can be useful if you know ahead of time that some extra strength or willpower will be needed, granting the carrier heightened endurance and power in physical feats.

The third way to utilize it is in healing ceremonies. This method is seen both in modern times and historically. In the chronicles of the Caribbean and Florida, we know they used ceremonial hatchets to perform a type of non-invasive surgery, basically spiritually conducting the healing rather than physically. This practice using the Piedra de Rayo is still seen today, but it is highly rare. Using the blessed and charged stone, you first identify the issue and then drag the stone and massage the problem area, usually accompanied by prayers as well as baths or other workings. Every practitioner does things in their own way, and it is said some can even produce physical objects taken from the persons body with this method, like the Behikes in the past were said to do.

And the last way to work with the Stone is as a spirit itself. These stones can be used as the home or body of a spirit, such as a Cemi or other Ancestral Entity. They can be seated within the stone by following directions given by the spirit to create a suitable vessel. This can include burying, carving, wearing, praying over or creating an altar to the stone. It can also include much more or less. This is one way they were used by our Indigenous ancestors as well that has passed directly from Ceminismo into the various traditions through the Caribbean today. Much of how the stone is used comes down to how you charge it, but that can mean two things. To charge it is for it to be consecrated and given offerings based on what you are trying to achieve (i.e. perfume and flowers when for healing vs rum dripped on it and tossing it in a flame for protection). For it to be cargada means it has had a spirit seated upon it.

To build a relationship with one of these stones is a beautiful gift. They are more than just allies or tools, and the tradition of honoring and respecting them is one that I take pride in continuing as a Guajiro. These lifeways prove continuity and are the very thing that turns the Taíno extinction myth on its head.

Ahan Katu

Sources:

Dreaming Mother Earth by Jose Barreiro and Cacique Francisco “Panchito” Ramirez

Account of the Antiquity of the Indians by Fray Ramon Pané

Legends of the Seminole by Betty Mae Tiger Jumper and James E. Billie

Taino Ceremonial Petaloid Axes by Miguel Sague

[xocoyotlx]

While I always emphasise spending time with nature in order to build that connection with spirits, this does not automatically mean that you have to hike up a mountain or head out into the middle of a forest.

You can connect to nature from your bed, from the middle of a city, in your kitchen and on a slab of pavement next to a railway.

Nature is everywhere. Nature is everything. You are nature. Rock and stone is nature. Gulls and wasps are nature.

Can't get out of bed? Watch a cool documentary or short ecology video. Read a book on local flora. Draw some cool animals. Talk to your houseplants.

Live in a city? Pray to the dandelions and nettles alongside the pavement. Ask the Spirit of Rat to help you. Look up and see the sky. Feel below and sense the earth. (Making a more detailed urban nature spirit work post, will link here too).

If you are someone who wants to work with nature spirits in your practice, please do not anything (or anyone) make you feel like you can't.

[xocoyotlx]

not to quote rent at you like the millennial queer i am, but the opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation.

make art. make music. make literature. make poetry. make clothing. make a birdhouse. make a meal. make a little guy. make a journey. make friendships. make community. make connections. make someone smile. make someone laugh. make someone burn bright with the assurance that they are loved. make a home.

your job on this earth is to care for yourself and be a blessing to those around you. we create a better world right here, where we stand, starting with us.

[xocoyotlx]

Hopi Kachina Dancers

[xocoyotlx]

Be the reason someone believes in goodness a little more.

[xocoyotlx]

[xocoyotlx]

Came across this fallen Chaffinch nest, fortunately fallen before any eggs laid it seems. Absolutely gorgeous nests

[xocoyotlx]

Turkey tails

[xocoyotlx]

“what radicalized you” bro EMPATHY

[xocoyotlx]

Still working on taking care of myself and getting my energy back~

[xocoyotlx]

𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞

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What is Beltane?

Beltane is a fire festival celebrated on the night of April 30th into May 1st in the Northern Hemisphere, and around October 31st into November 1st in the Southern Hemisphere. It marks the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, honoring fertility, passion, and the sacred union between the divine feminine and masculine. Traditionally, it signals the beginning of the light half of the year, a time of growth, abundance, warmth, and blooming life. Beltane celebrates freedom, love, lust, creativity, and the return of life to the natural world, bringing with it new, flourishing beginnings. May 1st is a day of joy and play. After a harsh winter, it becomes a celebration of renewal, of aliveness, and of nature’s wild rebirth.

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The History of Beltane

The name Beltane comes from Old Irish Beltene, meaning "bright fire" or "The fires of Bel". Some people link it to the Celtic god Belenus, a solar and healing deity, while others have drawn comparisons to Baal, a fertility god, though that idea is debated and not widely accepted.

Historically, Beltane was celebrated in Celtic regions, most notably Ireland and Scotland, as a pastoral festival. Bonfires were lit on hilltops, and cattle were driven between two of them to protect them from disease and ensure fertility. People would jump over the flames, not just for luck, but as a way to connect with sacred fire and invoke fertility, health, and courage for the coming summer season.

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Beltane and the Fairy Realm

Beltane is a liminal time, one of the two key points in the year (along with Samhain) when the veil between our world and the Otherworld grows thin. While Samhain leans into the realm of spirits and ancestors, Beltane belongs to the fae.

It is said that on the eve of Beltane, the Fair Folk wander freely, drawn to laughter, music, and offerings left with care. In many old traditions, people avoided disturbing fairy mounds or sacred groves during this time, choosing instead to leave gifts like milk, honey, or sweet bread beneath hawthorn trees. These offerings were meant to honor the fae, invite blessings, and protect against mischief.

Wearing a crown of bluebells on Beltane Eve is said to help one see the faeries, as bluebells are sacred to them. A ring of blooming bluebells is also believed to be a favorite gathering spot for garden faeries.

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Beltane and the Hawthorn Tree

Few trees are more sacred to Beltane than the hawthorn. Often called the “fairy tree” in Irish and Scottish folklore, it is said to guard the entrances to the Otherworld. Blooming right around May 1st, its soft white-pink blossoms carry the energy of protection, love, and the unseen.

In Celtic tradition, hawthorn trees were deeply respected as portals to the realm of the fae. During Beltane, it was common to tie ribbons or small offerings to the branches while making heartfelt wishes, not demands, but gentle hopes whispered like prayers. Damaging or cutting a hawthorn tree, especially during this sacred time, was believed to bring terrible luck or stir the wrath of the Fair Folk.

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The Sacred Fire

Fire is the central symbol of Beltane. The festival’s original name literally refers to Bel’s fires, honoring the sun and invoking purification and fertility.

Traditionally, two large bonfires were lit at Beltane, and people, along with their animals, would walk, dance, or even leap between them for blessings, healing, and protection. In some regions, ashes from the sacred fire were scattered over fields to encourage fertility. Couples, especially newlyweds, often passed hand-in-hand through the smoke as a symbol of unity and renewal.

The fire wasn’t just a ritual, it was a living spirit. Lighting it the old way, through friction rather than matches or lighters, was seen as a sacred act, calling upon the raw elemental force of nature itself.

Even today, many Beltane celebrations honor this ancient custom through bonfires, candle magic, and fire rituals. You don’t need a blaze on a hilltop, even a single flame, lit with intention, can carry the sacred spark of Beltane into your home and heart. :D

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The Maypole

The maypole is one of the most central symbols of modern Beltane celebrations. Though it has roots in English May Day traditions, it’s been beautifully woven into Beltane for its rich symbolism of life, fertility, and union.

The tall, phallic pole rising from the earth represents the God, masculine energy, vitality, and the spark of creation. The colorful ribbons and flowers spiraling around it, often held by dancers weaving in circles, represent the Goddess, the womb, fertility, and abundant life. Together, they form a sacred spiral: a dance of harmony between the masculine and feminine, of earth and sky, movement and stillness.

As dancers move around the maypole, their steps create a living mandala, a spell in motion, tied with laughter and bright ribbons.

The dance itself is a celebration of harmony between forces, of weaving ourselves back into the rhythm of the land.

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Beltane x Handfasting

Beltane is also a favored time for handfasting, a traditional pagan betrothal or wedding ritual where a couple’s hands are bound together with ribbons, cords, or braided threads to symbolize their union. In ancient times, a handfasting ceremony could last for a year and a day, after which the couple had the choice to stay together or part ways. Today, many modern pagans choose Beltane as a powerful and romantic time to make such commitments, drawn to the fertile energy of the season. Handfastings are often held outdoors, in nature, near fire, under blooming trees, or surrounded by loved ones in sacred space. The vows exchanged during these rituals can be traditional or deeply personal, as the magic of the ceremony lies in the heart connection and the intention to walk beside each other, bound by love and commitment.

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Magic Correspondences

Planets: Venus

Season: Midpoint between spring and summer

Element: Fire

Time of the Day: Noon

Tarot Cards: The Strength, The Lovers, The Sun, Three of Cups

Colors: Green, Red, Pink, Yellow, Purple, White, Sky Blue, All Pastel Colors

Herbs: Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Ivy, Nettle, Sage, Basil, Juniper, Clover, Mugwort

Fruits: Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Bananas, Lemon, Cherries

Vegetables: Cucumbers, Carrots, Garlic, Lettuce, New Potatoes

Crystals: Emerald, Bloodstone, Rose Quartz, Carnelian, Red Jasper, Green Aventurine, Moonstone, Fire Agate

Runes: Kenaz, Wunjo, Ingwaz

Trees: Hawthorn, Elder, Willow, Birch

Goddesses: Artemis, Diana, Brigid, Aphrodite, Flora, Gaia, Hera, Astarte, Venus, Juno, Freyja, Epona, Bastet

Gods: Pan, Cernunnos, Belenus, Dionysus, The Green Man, Bacchus, Priapus, Faunus, Eros, Ra

Dragons: Sairys, Fafnir

Flowers: Lilac, Bluebells, Daisy, Lilies, Foxglove, Lily of the Valley, Marigold, Tulips, Violets, Primrose, Peony, Poppy, Honeysuckle

Animals: Frogs, Swans, Cows, Deer, Squirrels, Sheep, Ducks, Cats, Bees, Rabbits, Swallows, Leopards, Lynx, Hares

Magical Powers: Love, Sex, Fertility, Protection, Cleansing, Transformation

Symbols: Maypole, Ribbons, Phallus, Bonfire, Flowers, Faeries, Sex, Floral Crowns, Frogs, Celtic Knots

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Activities to do:

🌸 Make flower-shaped biscuits

🌸 Do candle magick

🌸 Find a local hawthorn tree and make a wish to the faeries

🌸 Wear flowers in your clothes, hair, or as bracelets

🌸 Leave offerings for faeries, as this is the season when they’re most present, you can leave them honey, milk, or biscuits

🌸 Go out for a walk in nature and feel the arrival of summer

🌸 Make a fire in the yard and dance around it (only in safe circumstances, of course); if you don’t have resources, you can light candles in your room (again, be careful)

🌸 Eat anything with oats, as it’s associated with Beltane, such as oatmeal, oatcakes, or other oat-based foods

🌸 Do a tarot or rune reading in the morning of Beltane

🌸 Take care of the trees in your yard or nearby by watering them

🌸 Honor all deities associated with fertility

🌸 Practice faerie magick

🌸 On the morning of Beltane, open your windows or door to warmly welcome the energy of the sabbat.

🌸 Make a Beltane magick jar

🌸 Water your flowers

🌸 Listen to music and dance :D

🌸 Celebrate life, fertility, love, and union

🌸 Take care of your garden, plant seeds, clean dried leaves, and prepare for summer

🌸 Make special Beltane treats

🌸 Casting your circles with oats around this time of year is also a good idea, as oats are a traditional Beltane grain for good luck

🌸 Have a picnic with your loved ones, or organize a gathering with food and grilling

🌸 Honor your ancestors

🌸 Place decorations in your garden

🌸 Plant a tree with any intention you want and take care of it

🌸 Draw runes and specific symbols on paper and burn them

🌸 Do self-love activities

🌸 Practice sex or love magick

🌸 Look for hawthorns in your area and honor them with water and offerings for faeries

🌸 Make a maypole

🌸 Collect flowers

🌸 On the morning of May 1st, wash your face with May Dew or natural spring water

🌸 Connect with the fire element

🌸 Read about the fair folk

🌸 Have a bonfire with your loved ones

🌸 Place ribbons or colored thread in trees with intentions for each, you can use color magick to attract what you need in your life right now (pink for love,

🌸 Meditate

🌸 Make flower crowns and wreaths

🌸 Perform spells for fertility, purification, and love

🌸 As this is a day of love, if you are of an appropriate age, comfortable, being sexually active is part of the celebration

🌸 Buy seeds and plant them in your garden, welcoming the growth of new life

🌸 Create a Beltane altar

🌸 If you don't have a maypole you can dance around your favorite tree <3

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Food and Drinks:

Oats in all forms (oatmeal, oat cookies, oat bread, oatcakes, bannock), strawberries, blueberries, honey, whipped cream with oats, strawberry biscuits, oat and honey bread, blackberry pie, lavender cake, cheese (including Swiss), seasonal potato dishes, fresh fruit salads, tomato and cucumber salads, dairy or plant-based milks, vanilla-flavoured foods, ice cream, grilled food, BBQ, spicy dishes to honor the fire element, May Day wine, white wine, regular wine (with a strawberry placed at the bottom of the glass if you wish), tarts with cheese, mayonnaise.

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[xocoyotlx]

Often the idea of divine feminine in spiritual contexts is based entirely on reducing AFAB people to their reproductive organs.

The mother, maiden crone archetype or the “life cycle” of a female revolves around reproduction and whether or not it is being done. Ones “divine feminine” and spiritual wellness is judged on reproductive factors being “in sync with your cycle” and the like.

I think it is time we move on from this. We are not defined by our ability to reproduce, witchcraft and paganism claims to be a freedom for women free from the misogyny that plagues all other faiths. Yet just like these other religions spirituality, paganism and witchcraft reduces AFAB people to breeders.

People with children are first and foremost people. Their spiritual purpose is not just child bearing and should not be forced into a lifestyle where they are treated as nothing but a mother.

A person who chooses to not have children is not “out of touch with the divine feminine” one does not need to have children to “spiritually level up”.

People who do not have sex or are perhaps on the asexual spectrum are still divine. Getting your tubes typed or going on birth control doesn’t make you of less value. Those who can have children are not any more divinely feminine then those who cannot

AFAB people who have periods and female anatomy but do not associate them with femininity should be respected. Reproductive organs do not define a person.

Trans women who cannot have periods are not any less divinely feminine. A trans woman who never got to be a maiden in the outdated, traditional sense should not be considered any less.

If the language you’re using to describe AFAB people is the same way that a dog breeder describes a breeding dog, you’re doing something wrong.

[xocoyotlx]

I figure it's a good time to remind people that perpetuating racism doesn't require racist intentions. Just because your heart is full of love and light and all kinds of beautiful positivity, doesn't mean you aren't promoting harmful beliefs somehow (like for example, the ancient astronaut hypothesis or some form of blood libel).

Always remember, "the path to hell is paved with good intentions" is a warning that exist for a reason.

[xocoyotlx]

People will say "how to connect to the *insert element* as a witch" and do anything but use that element 🫨

Like... I get the need to be fancy but i feel like a good way to connect with the water element is just... Take a bath??? Use the intention to cleanse your energy

I also get that this is a non-issue, i just find it funny 🤙🥹

[xocoyotlx]

Response to a certain creator who insists on using AI in regards to Nawat.

[xocoyotlx]

it could help