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Luz / Illumination

In this issue, we honor the South direction and celebrate all forms of light, awareness, illumination, growth, joy, and radiant energy.

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Editor’s Introduction

Welcoming la Luz

Summer sets our attention on warmth, the sun, and joy. In this issue, we feature the themes of the summer: brightness, awareness, all forms of light—including the sun and moon—and the energy of the South direction. Through works like Natalie Solis’s essay on “Guadalupe the Sex Goddess,” we celebrate the boldness of embodiment; in articles like Cuauhtli Cihuatl’s “La Luz of Your Inner Child,” we learn specific ways to nurture ourselves with the help of the sun and water. Through Erika Buenaflor’s teaching, we learn ways to connect with the energy of the sun at high noon. And our featured interview with José González shines a light on his leadership at the juncture of education, ecology, and diversity.

I encourage you to listen to the authors read their works as well. (Look for the headphones icon.) There is something especially powerful about words when expressed through their authors’ original voices.

As you read through the issue, you’ll notice that many of the pieces shine a light on motherhood. This wasn’t an editorial plan for this issue, but as the submissions came in, I started to notice the synchronicity. My interpretation is that mother energy must be strong right now—perhaps because of Mother’s Day in the U.S., or perhaps because we’re being called to dwell upon this energy in our relationship to each other and to the Earth. So we celebrate those of you who are mothers and grandmothers, and we also invite you to express your gratitude to Madre Tierra and Madre Mar during this season of joy.

May the warmth and brightness of the luminaries in the sky energize you.

Marcy Carbajal, Editor in Chief

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Editor’s Introduction

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Luz / Illumination
SOLD OUT

Luz / Illumination

In this issue, we honor the South direction and celebrate all forms of light, awareness, illumination, growth, joy, and radiant energy.

Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Web-exclusive articles featuring writers and artists from our community.

La Llorona
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

La Llorona

“What is the name for a grief that creeps in after losing something, mixed with the back-dated guilt and shame of not really noticing? What is the nickname for a person who no longer embodies their name? What happens to a person who has become unrecognizable to some? What do we call a tree that’s been severed from its roots? A person who has been robbed of their identity?”

Emilly Prado
Q & A with Emilly Prado
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Q & A with Emilly Prado

Author Emilly Prado shares insights about her writing process and her new book of autobiographical essays.

Emilly Prado
Harnessing Moonlight
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Harnessing Moonlight

A ceremony and meditation for working with the energy of the full moon.

Suhaly Bautista-Carolina
Decolonize, Ecologize, and Indigenize
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Decolonize, Ecologize, and Indigenize

How might ecology inform the practice and models of DEI? José González, educator and founder of Latino Outdoors, shares his ideas, art, and metaphors.

José G. González
Verano: A Meditation on Motherhood
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Verano: A Meditation on Motherhood

New Mexico writer Leeanna T. Torres shares a beautiful essay about connecting with her mother over RuPaul’s Drag Race—and the interconnections among us all.

Leeanna T. Torres
La Luz of Your Inner Child
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

La Luz of Your Inner Child

Curandera Maestra CC teaches us to nurture our inner child with the help of sunlight, moonlight, and spiritual bathing.

Cuauhtli Cihuatl
Sunkissed: Seed, Root, Stem, Leaf
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Sunkissed: Seed, Root, Stem, Leaf

Patricia Chicueyi Coatl weaves memories, teachings from the Nahua cosmovision, and wisdom for our bodies in this reflective essay.

Words by Patricia Chicueyi Coatl
Working with the Energies of High Noon
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Working with the Energies of High Noon

Curandera Erika Buenaflor shares rituals for empowerment from her book Sacred Energies of the Sun and Moon.

Erika Buenaflor
A Summer Tale of Yerba Mansa
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

A Summer Tale of Yerba Mansa

Curandero and herbalist Charles Garcia shares memories of collecting yerba mansa with his curandera mother.

Charles R. Garcia
Earth/Side: for Gabriel
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Earth/Side: for Gabriel

Dar a luz—to give birth: A poet shares her experience and ceremony through verse.

Carmen Margarita Malis King
Amanece
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Amanece

A meditative poem celebrating the blessing of dawn.

Words by Lemuel Isai Torres

Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Get a sneak peek at articles that will be published in forthcoming issues. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified about upcoming issue releases.

La Llorona
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

La Llorona

“What is the name for a grief that creeps in after losing something, mixed with the back-dated guilt and shame of not really noticing? What is the nickname for a person who no longer embodies their name? What happens to a person who has become unrecognizable to some? What do we call a tree that’s been severed from its roots? A person who has been robbed of their identity?”

Emilly Prado
Q & A with Emilly Prado
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Q & A with Emilly Prado

Author Emilly Prado shares insights about her writing process and her new book of autobiographical essays.

Emilly Prado
Harnessing Moonlight
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Harnessing Moonlight

A ceremony and meditation for working with the energy of the full moon.

Suhaly Bautista-Carolina
Decolonize, Ecologize, and Indigenize
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Decolonize, Ecologize, and Indigenize

How might ecology inform the practice and models of DEI? José González, educator and founder of Latino Outdoors, shares his ideas, art, and metaphors.

José G. González
Verano: A Meditation on Motherhood
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Verano: A Meditation on Motherhood

New Mexico writer Leeanna T. Torres shares a beautiful essay about connecting with her mother over RuPaul’s Drag Race—and the interconnections among us all.

Leeanna T. Torres
La Luz of Your Inner Child
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

La Luz of Your Inner Child

Curandera Maestra CC teaches us to nurture our inner child with the help of sunlight, moonlight, and spiritual bathing.

Cuauhtli Cihuatl
Sunkissed: Seed, Root, Stem, Leaf
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Sunkissed: Seed, Root, Stem, Leaf

Patricia Chicueyi Coatl weaves memories, teachings from the Nahua cosmovision, and wisdom for our bodies in this reflective essay.

Words by Patricia Chicueyi Coatl
Working with the Energies of High Noon
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Working with the Energies of High Noon

Curandera Erika Buenaflor shares rituals for empowerment from her book Sacred Energies of the Sun and Moon.

Erika Buenaflor
A Summer Tale of Yerba Mansa
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

A Summer Tale of Yerba Mansa

Curandero and herbalist Charles Garcia shares memories of collecting yerba mansa with his curandera mother.

Charles R. Garcia
Earth/Side: for Gabriel
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Earth/Side: for Gabriel

Dar a luz—to give birth: A poet shares her experience and ceremony through verse.

Carmen Margarita Malis King
Amanece
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Amanece

A meditative poem celebrating the blessing of dawn.

Words by Lemuel Isai Torres

Explore Articles from this Collection

La Llorona
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

La Llorona

“What is the name for a grief that creeps in after losing something, mixed with the back-dated guilt and shame of not really noticing? What is the nickname for a person who no longer embodies their name? What happens to a person who has become unrecognizable to some? What do we call a tree that’s been severed from its roots? A person who has been robbed of their identity?”

Emilly Prado
Q & A with Emilly Prado
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Q & A with Emilly Prado

Author Emilly Prado shares insights about her writing process and her new book of autobiographical essays.

Emilly Prado
Harnessing Moonlight
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Harnessing Moonlight

A ceremony and meditation for working with the energy of the full moon.

Suhaly Bautista-Carolina
Decolonize, Ecologize, and Indigenize
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Decolonize, Ecologize, and Indigenize

How might ecology inform the practice and models of DEI? José González, educator and founder of Latino Outdoors, shares his ideas, art, and metaphors.

José G. González
Verano: A Meditation on Motherhood
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Verano: A Meditation on Motherhood

New Mexico writer Leeanna T. Torres shares a beautiful essay about connecting with her mother over RuPaul’s Drag Race—and the interconnections among us all.

Leeanna T. Torres
La Luz of Your Inner Child
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

La Luz of Your Inner Child

Curandera Maestra CC teaches us to nurture our inner child with the help of sunlight, moonlight, and spiritual bathing.

Cuauhtli Cihuatl
Sunkissed: Seed, Root, Stem, Leaf
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Sunkissed: Seed, Root, Stem, Leaf

Patricia Chicueyi Coatl weaves memories, teachings from the Nahua cosmovision, and wisdom for our bodies in this reflective essay.

Words by Patricia Chicueyi Coatl
Working with the Energies of High Noon
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Working with the Energies of High Noon

Curandera Erika Buenaflor shares rituals for empowerment from her book Sacred Energies of the Sun and Moon.

Erika Buenaflor
A Summer Tale of Yerba Mansa
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

A Summer Tale of Yerba Mansa

Curandero and herbalist Charles Garcia shares memories of collecting yerba mansa with his curandera mother.

Charles R. Garcia
Earth/Side: for Gabriel
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Earth/Side: for Gabriel

Dar a luz—to give birth: A poet shares her experience and ceremony through verse.

Carmen Margarita Malis King
Amanece
Issue 03: Luz/Illumination

Amanece

A meditative poem celebrating the blessing of dawn.

Words by Lemuel Isai Torres