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Welcome students and colleagues, friends and family, if you have made it this far, I encourage you to stay a bit longer and read about some of my work. The writings reflect many of the thoughts that I carry with me throughout the course of a day, evening, and often times, the dreams that take hold of me while I sleep. The verses represent the inner voice in me that speaks of the past, the present, and the future. Writing is my ultimate form of expression that allows me to reflect, inspire, get well, and grow. The energy that feeds my work, I pull from themes that correspond to Mesoamerica, my ancestral place of birth, and the area I study. References to symbols of the past, deities, and natural phenomenon, dominate certain pieces, and blend with current verses of life, love, and death. I have never taken a writing class... the only "style" that exhibits my work is the one that I create from my imagination, heart, and dreams.

I’m an avid builder and horticulturalist, and so I spend a lot of my time building things and growing different types of herbs and plant food. I do not identify as an artist nor do I make art for aesthetic purposes; my work solely materializes a ritual-ceremonial or utilitarian function. The craft of working with wood I learned from my father, by watching him design and build homes throughout much of my adolescent youth. I also learned how to work with stone by watching my uncles construct brick and rock landscapes, in the wealthy neighborhoods were they labored during much of the 1980s, when construction was booming. My paternal grandpa Juan was also a craftsman, hence why all his sons became builders of some sort, and so building has always been an integral part of my family’s trade history. I learned about plant cultivation from my abuelita Mercedes on my paternal side and my abuelito Severo on my maternal side. Much of the landscaping strategies that I learned from my grandparents came with them from Mexico when they migrated to Alta California, in the early 1960s, along with my parents. A lot of the building and planting strategies that my family has implored have been in use for over 3,000 years. It is my purpose to revitalize and sustain these ancestral practices through ceremony, household building, and plant cultivation.

My fascination with building and growing food is not only familial, but also physical-skeletal (see my Physical Anthropology 101 blog), and because so, I have an admiration for the morphology of the human hand. The hand is unlike any part of the body, and because we use our hands every day, we literally take them for granted, sometimes failing to notice their full potential use. Our hands are our first weapons of choice in an attack, yet they are the first part of the body that we extend when helping or consoling someone. With our hands, we build shelter, writer letters, prepare food, and unknowingly, make love. Our hand-digit coordination is unique because it is precise, well adapted for creating, and for using and making tools. Hand-digit use coordination has been a part of our human evolutionary past since we inhabited arboreal environments, way before we developed bipedalism. When combined with tool use, the creative use of the hands has the capability of decolonizing our minds and bodies.

My inquiry into the relationship between hand-bone morphology usage and social behavior remains in the early stages. Nonetheless, some preliminary findings I modeled in a recent paper where I discuss the role of the hands, and early human tool making, in the creation of spatial wellness. The paper is published in Vol. 3 No. 4 of the International Journal of Development and Sustainability.


Sabila (Aloe Vera)

Salvaged Sabila (Aloe Vera) succulent
Sabila garden
The other day I salvaged a few Sabila (Aloe Vera) succulents from a neighbors yard.  Sabila is often marketed as medicine, yet despite the claim few scientific inquires support its medicinal purpose.  One work however that does support its health use, concludes:  “Existing evidence demonstrates that aloe vera used in a variety of dosage forms might be effective in speeding up the wound healing process and tend to increase the rate of success of healing, and the rate of epithelialization in first and second burns when compared with conventional treatments”.  On the other hand, Sabila is well documented in the early texts of history throughout the world.  The Spanish conquistadores identified the succulent in the Aztec healing kit; King Solomon of Israel was said to have cultivated it, and in the Bible it’s written that Jesus was wrapped in Sabila after his death (John 19:39).  In my home Sabila has recently become an alternative to the common household grass, it’s a drought tolerant plant (like most succulents), and brings a unique sustainable character to the current landscape.  In the past I have used the internal flesh of the Sabila to soothe the skin of my arms after a long day of yard work, and with good results!  It does soothe and the pores of the skin do absorb the gel well.  In the future I hope to explore its medicinal uses in greater dept.

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Libra in 2013

2013 brings you nothing short of a total rebirth, Libra. You can finally bid farewell to the heavy and austere presence of Saturn in your stars since late 2009. You have had enough lessons in love and commitment to last you a lifetime. Now you're ready to put those lessons to the test by pursuing your true calling and passion. No longer will you be satisfied with simply scratching the surface of life. You're prepared to go as deep as necessary to create something of lasting value. You want nothing less than the truth, and nothing short of profound meaning.

You'll be putting more attention and importance on finances than you have in a long time now that Saturn has moved on to your money zone. This is the year to finally work on a budget and devise sound economic strategies for increasing your income without working yourself to the bone. This is an excellent time to get out of debt as much as you possibly can so that you can save your pennies for the whirlwind of change on deck in 2013. The eclipses will rock your money sectors, so be prepared for sweeping gains and losses, and plan accordingly.

You'll continue to break out of any codependent relationship ruts with the ongoing influence of Pluto and Uranus sparring in the cosmos. You've certainly learned how important it is to value your authenticity and independence in all of your dealings with others. No longer will you fall prey to being too nice. You see how crucial it is to set your limits, draw your lines in the sand and commit without wavering. Saturn taught you to get off the fence and take a firm stand. This is how you gain respect. Your diplomacy and charm will always serve you well, but you realize now that they must be backed by the iron fist in the velvet glove.

From Yahoooooo

Saturn

Saturno
Our newest member of the family is Saturn.  She is 7 weeks old, half Husky, and half German shepherd.  She’s very smart, we can tell she is mindful of her surroundings, and is beginning to follow simple commands.  Very strong for her age, pulls like a bull.  I now know why they say the canine is a man’s best friend, a woman’s as well.  She’s very loyal and refuses to leave our side.  She has an undying spirit and I know Julia choose well.  She’s the one given charge to protect our space when we are not home.  And the one set to charge first if we are ever threatened.