Maria Sabina: Her Life and Chants (New Wilderness Poetics ; V. 1)

Rating:
Summary: I knew her
Review: I spent time with her in the early 70's. Before I was introduced to her, I had no idea who she was. Fancy that. I went to Huautla de Jimenez because a beautiful young woman, in Tampico, had told me to go there if I wanted to "see God". I was in the ministry of tourism, looking at a big map of Mexico. She saw me and commented, I can see that you are looking for a "very special" map. I said, yes, I am. She said, I can tell you where to go. I followed her advice, met someone who was well acquainted with Maria Sabina, and spent some time with her, including sharing her Velada. Maria was in possession of a very special map. She followed this map when she sang. At that time, I felt as if my entirely life had been designed by Cosmic forces to prepare me for that encounter in that moment. In the Christian tradition, which Maria was part of, there is this concept of a specific moment in time when history is swallowed up by eternity. This book is important to someone who wants a little more background information about her and wants a good translation of one of her veladas. The woman was an existential Saint. The significance of this is hard for Westerners to entirely grasp. She was an extremely developed and individuated master of spiritual healing processes. This book provides a little insight into her personal history, but if you are unfamiliar with her culural context, you will not be able to read between the lines, which is essential for understanding.