COLOR ME REd AGAIN!

  There are times when I take a path that leads to failure and with failure comes shame. You know what I mean, face flushed and sometimes, the ears are a deep red.

I have listened to them all, but by God's will, I try not to focus on my faults. Well, maybe a little pity party and then I try to move on and think about how I would have done it in another way. Learning from my mistakes is an important part of evolving towards a better self. But people can be cruel, the people around us are the ones who criticize the most. The usual comments ... Why are you doing this? ... You never finish anything ... I would never do that ... Oh! And the one I listen to most: money wasted, and time poorly spent. Why?

Negativity cultivates failure, sometimes people forget that a flower grows with water and nutrients, but humans need much more even as adults. We grow with water and nutrients, but humans from the moment of their birth need a lot of love and understanding, and no negativity, since it atrophies the mind, the very soul of a growing child. Does it stop there, of course not?

Preparing them for school and the outside world is a difficult task. Unfortunately, we cannot protect them against everything. Bullies come in all sizes, from the child Bully to the teenage Bully to the cruel adult Bully who uses his words to launch a guillotine hit.

The intimidation and laughter of people is everywhere in our society, from Trump on Twitter to possibly you. We need a cultural movement to reverse this damaging trend that is inflicted every minute of the day around the world.

COLOR ME RED AGAIN!

Marie M. Rivera aka Maguida

First Published 7/2/2019

"THE JADE CRYSTAL AND THE DRAGON GOD"

An adventure book for kids 

CHAPTER 1:  MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!

You know that dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years yet occasionally the universe causes cosmic glitches that cause unexplained changes in events.  One of these glitches has placed a baby dinosaur in the tunnels of time, like a blackhole which allowed the baby dinosaur to time-travel and communicate with animals and people in their language.

Those are extraordinary powers that started when the baby dinosaur magically found himself nose to nose with a young girl in our time.  Seconds later, the baby dinosaur named Tory was traveling through a blackhole where he landed in the future. A freak cosmic happening that changed his life forever.

Tory was lost not just in time, he discovered that his species was extinct due to an extraterrestrial impact, which many scientists believe was the impact that destroyed the dinosaurs.

Unfortunately, when he traveled back in time, with the young girl named Rellie to rescue his mother and the herd, his mom stayed behind.  She made the choice to send her baby back with Rellie to the future to make sure he would be safe and avoid the extinction of their species.

Sadly, time does not heal the heart, he missed his family and though he was grateful that he had found two great friends, they were not his family.  Love comes in many variations but love of a mom is special.

THE JADE CRYSTAL AND THE DRAGON GOD

Marie M Rivera aka Maguida

First Published 2/24/19

 

The tradition in Puerto Rico to celebrate promises to Los Reyes was born in the countryside. The Promise was initiated by the peasants who lived in the hills and is based on a deep Christian faith. Like when you go to church, and prayer help you ask the Lord for the recovery of a patient.

On January 6, the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated, and many families celebrate paying tribute in the form of a Promise, recognizing the Magi's who traveled from afar to see the newborn king, baby Jesus to honor him and present him with valuable gifts.

The celebration of "La Promesa de Los Santos Reyes" ("The Promise of The Three Kings") in Puerto Rico is by a person or family seeking in prayer the recovery of a sick person or to improve their living conditions or to help when there was not enough food to feed the whole family. Once granted they were blessed with the completion of their petition, they hold a celebration as promised with prayers and aguinaldo's (carol's) honoring the saint and Baby Jesus.

These carols are sung in a particular style not like a carol you hear in church. During the celebration which usually starts with the chanting of the rosary followed by the aguinaldo's (carol's). Then in the middle of the scheduled carol's, the host serves food and drink to the visitors and afterwards they continue with the songs of praise. Way back and I do mean, way back, the Promesa started on January 5th and ended way into the morning hours of January 6th.

This beautiful tradition that reflects Puerto Rican folklore is also a special time for the kids. Vienen Los Reyes, has the same anticipation as when they are waiting for Santa Clause to arrive. When my mother, Picola was a little girl she would put a box under her bed with straw or grass, this way the camels would stop on their journey to eat the straw and Los Reyes would leave her a gift. So sweet and no matter how poor the family was there was always something from Los Reyes. This tradition of the children receiving gifts on the Epiphany stems from the original gifts bestowed on Baby Jesus by the Three Magi Kings. Parents still keep the tradition so even in a pandemic they want to make sure their children receive a gift on the Feast of the Three Kings. And the best part is that there is no school and work on this holiday. 

Sadly, for hundreds of years the Catholic Church considered this a pagan tradition practiced by the people in the countryside and the Church did not support it publicly.

This video La Promesa is about a promise that Irizarry family began around the late 1800's. First started by José Luis Irizarry grandmother, then the promise was passed to his daughter and then Patria Irizarry, sister of Jose Luis. Patria continued the tradition for 27 years. When Patria got sick, José Luis came to the rescue and has continued the family Promise to the Kings for the past 27 years but 2020 is different.

Promise in the video was held on January 5, 2015 consisted of a string of nine aguinaldo's (carol's) thanking The Holy Three Kings and praising the Virgin Mary. They also had a chest where people deposit their requests to Los Santos Reyes and the next morning, they would burn the papers with the wishes so they would go to the heavens. 

The Promise of Los Santos Reyes 

Marie M. Rivera aka Maguida

First Published: January 9, 2015 

Updated January 2020

DNA - Taínos Still Exists

We are fortunate that there are still indigenous tribes in Puerto Rico, at least one, to my knowledge, who still practices traditions, inherited from their ancestors.

Dr. Juan Carlos Martínez-Cruzado of the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez oversaw doing the DNA tests to see if there were Taino Indians still in existence in Puerto Rico.

Dr. Martínez discovered the existence of a tribe in the mountains of Puerto Rico that keep his tribe isolated from the rest of the population, so his DNA showed a high Taino marker for everyone in that community. This tribe was hidden in hiding since the Spanish decade to avoid being annihilated or enslaved. All this is documented in publications made by the friars of the time.

Unfortunately, the Taíno Indians were massacred by the Spaniards and those who survived vanished in the general population and consequently the culture reached small fragments of the traditions. The language was lost, although there are many words of the Taino’s in the Spanish language of Puerto Rico. The Taino DNA tests discovered the secret that about 60% of the general population in Puerto Rico carries the Taino DNA marker. Now, due to the continuous investigation of Dr. Martínez with the biologist Dr. Solinsky and other researchers calculate that the percentage of the general population that has the Taino marker is at 71%.

The Taíno Council Guatú-Ma-Cú A Borikén Inc. and Martin D. Veguilla, as their Casike began the search to rediscover their Taino traditions, their Taíno language and have the flourishing of the Taíno culture again, outdoors in Puerto Rico . Cacike Caciba Opil (sacred stone of the spirit) has the Taino DNA marker but only had small fragments of the traditions and that is why he set out on a long and arduous road to search for the missing information.

I was introduced by Balana'ne to his Casike for the first time at the SuSúa Forest ceremony on April 19, 2014. Fortunately, Casike Opil allowed me to be present and film the ritual when a new member bears an indigenous name but as I was busy with The ceremony agreed to meet with me at another time to document on video the career he followed to recover his lost culture.

Almost at the same time as Martin D. Veguilla began his search, a group of Neoyorquinos who felt that their roots were of Taino origin.

They also are doing research and claiming their inheritance. Daniel Rivera of Brooklyn was one of the original members of this group and his task was to research the language. Daniel, who I met at the SuSúa Forest ceremony, has been a member of the Taíno Council for the past two years and in an interview explained how difficult it was to investigate the language. He promised to email me his little book of debits that made it happen to you, but keep in mind that Daniel had already discovered that there are changes that need to be made from what learned from Kujon.

Kujon, who I also met at the SuSúa Forest ceremony is a unique individual with a story that is impossible to invent. This humble Taino is a member of the isolated tribe that Dr. Martinez discovered. Kujon, a true monk and a true Taino Indian. He will be sharing his story with us in video interviews that he should have postulated on YouTube by the end of summer 2014.

Always keeping an open mind,

Maguida

DNA - Taínos Still Exists 

Marie M. Rivera aka Maguida

First Published 4/24/14

 EVERYONE HAS ROOTS!

Taino Indians

We all have roots and most of us know our family tree or at least we think we know where we came from. And there were those who were born on the island of Puerto Rico but never felt comfortable with the typical Puerto Rican profile. Deep down, they knew that their customs and traditions were different. The secret that helped the Taínos in Puerto Rico survive annihilation by the Spaniards, also left its future indigenous population without culture and without religion.

In my opinion, there is a similarity between the Taíno Indians and the annihilation of the Jews at different times in their history but with an important difference, even though they hid their race they never forgot their traditions and their religion, guaranteeing the survival of generations future.

This dilemma changed in the early 1990s when the Department of Culture of the Government asked the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez to carry out DNA tests to see if there were Taínos in Puerto Rico. Professor Juan Manuel Delgado carried out the test and found in some parts of the island that the inhabitants showed a 78% - 80% Taino marker. In addition, this research showed that 61% of the general population living on the island had the Taino marker. Finally, a scientific test that shows that the Taino race had not died out.

In 1992, Martin Veguilla aka Caciba Opil together with another Taínos organized the Guatu Ma Cua Borikén tribe with the intention of rediscovering their lost heritage. They named Caciba Opil as their Cacike (Chief) to guide the public and make them aware of the difficult situation of the Indian Taino. This was only the beginning of a long road uphill.

EVERYONE HAS ROOTS!

Marie M. Rivera aka Maguida

First Published 3/28/2014  

As I was shopping yesterday in the store a woman maneuvered around my cart and to my surprise, I noticed that the stroller she was pushing had a dog. Give me a break people! A dog instead of a baby, really.

The little white long-haired dog was as cute as a button and got hyper as she knew the attention was about her. After paying the woman a sincere complement on how cute the little dog was, I couldn't hold back a smile as I thought that complements of this nature were usually reserved for human babies. Oh! And I might add sometimes the babies aren't so cute but for the sake of the parents a nice compliment always follows. You know the expression, there is no such thing as an ugly baby.

Curiosity killed the cat they say but the answers I got really didn't bring him back. Yes, the stroller was designed for dogs, that way the dog can enjoy going out too. The reality is that shopping is a people thing vs. romping in the park or the yard which is a dog thing. And too much information as she whispered why the dog was wearing a pamper.

As I bid them goodbye, I saw NorDan looking up at me with a funny ha-ha smile. When you're under three years and still wearing pampers it must have been a little confusing seeing a puppy in pampers and in a stroller. NorDan was probably thinking "What! Now I've seen everything." My sentiments precisely.

Don't beat me up. I understand the void a pet fills in people’s lives. Empty nest syndrome, now who do you pamper or companionship that is missing when you don't have a partner. A pet will give you unconditional love and ask for very little in return. No need to wine and dine and hope you get nukie nukie tonight. No need to remember anniversaries or birthdays and God forbid you forget the flowers or candy. No, you won't get into an argument about spending too much on this or that. None of the annoying parts of a human relationship apply with a pet. Nope, just a loyal friend. OK, I understand that part but what I really don't get is when pets are elevated to a status usually reserved for people.

A couple of years ago, my ex-sister-in-law refused to join us at my daughter’s house for a Christmas Day celebration unless I also brought her large pet bird along in the car. I quickly said no and so she refused to join in the festivities. Sadly, enough she also denied her 94-year-old Mom the joy of sharing in the festivities and spending time with her granddaughter. This is clearly a case of elevating a pet to human status and actually depriving another human, her Mom of companionship. 

Putting pets before people is not healthy and elevating them to human status is walking a thin line which could lead to losing touch with reality.

Love your pet, it is your friend but don't take it to an extreme. Have a healthy relationship with your pet and it may allow for some healthy human relationships to enter in your life.

Fulfilling The Void

Marie M. Rivera aka Maguida

Published 7/26/2009

Today I am nursing the mother of all colds and thinking about "What if?".
 

What if one day you woke up and one of those keen senses disappeared? Duh! It can happen. If you don't use it, you lose it or maybe you never had it.
 

I know a darling little boy named NorDan who at the age of 34 months still has not developed his speech skills. But his other senses have kicked in full gear to survive in the jungle of life. He is smart, loving with a brilliant smile that melts your heart but that is just nature not survival skills. At the age of 2 he would go and open the refrigerator to pull out the Juice or bread and take it to his mother. Universal language "I'm hungry, feed me" and so he adapted. He can talk to you with his facial expressions and his made-up hand sign language. How smart is that?
 

So how about taking one of our senses or a skill we take for granted and pausing it for 12 to 24 hours. After which you can reflect on the impact. No cheating, if you only got as far as 6 hours it should be enough to appreciate your ability to speak or walk etc.
 

Let me know how it impacted you, even if you are such a vain person that nothing impresses you. I want to understand instead of feeling sorry for you.
 

Do it and I guaranteed you'll appreciate your gifts more and respect those who have lost them who may now speak slower or are in a wheel chair or are losing ground as their world becomes smaller and smaller.
 

What if? 

Marie M. Rivera aka Maguida
First Published 7/20/2009