Page 53 - 10th Annual International Charles Town Maroon Conference and Festival Magazine

Charles Town Maroon International Conference Magazine June 2018

tobacco without much preamble, this tobacco is not to
Tobacco is a primordial plant for natives in the be used all the time, but rather kept away and used
Americas. The Yawanawa in Brazil as well as some non-habitually.
tribes in Colombia are known for their Rapé / Hapé air
medicine. They grind the tobacco leaves, ash from However, there are misguided individuals who believe
particular trees and sometimes other medicines, herbs they are on the right path by practicing the following:
in order to commune with themselves and higher • Singing a tobacco song learnt in ceremony (or
realms in a meditative state. The Lakota people (US) most likely YouTube) in order to smoke your
and Wixarika people (Mexico) use tobacco at the cigarette with your coffee - this is not praying!;
beginning of ceremonies, offering prayer to the fire • Lighting up a cigarette or using rapé in your car on
with tobacco wrapped in corn husks. Tobacco and corn your way to work each morning is not praying. No
are complementary; together they represent breath, matter how many gratitude prayers you attach to it;
memory and life. Tobacco is food for the soul and corn • Praying earnestly with a commercial cigarette is
is food for the body. considered disrespectful;
• Offering commercial packs of cigarettes as gifts to
PRAYING WITH TOBACCO honor people is also not appropriate;
• Providing baskets of cigarettes to guests of a
Tobacco is an ally of many gifts. In my experience, modern ceremony to smoke after – not appro-
teachings show up in formal and informal settings. It priate;
has been those that are the most simple, that have had • Using tobacco habitually and believing that
a profound effect on my relationship with the medicine praying with it will exempt you from health
road. problems is not going to bring the desired results;
• Using pre-rolled tobacco with filters is not appro-
OMETEOTL: In the Nahuatl language of central priate for ceremony;
Mexico, OME means two, balance , reality, reflection, • Holding the tobacco away from the body is not
movement; TEOTL means creative energy, spirit. The appropriate;
medicine of tobacco helps us integrate aspects of • Putting out tobacco with one’s foot is disrespectful.
ourselves that are disconnected by choice or by a lack
of awareness. Praying with tobacco consciously can A good way!
help bring forward the light and shadow aspects of • A pinch of tobacco in a medicine bag carried as
ourselves in order to work with them. Ometeotl can be protection;
analysed as present in the tobacco medicine/ vice • A pouch or a bundle to honor / greet guests;
paradox. It is represented in the commercial duality vs. • To pray with tobacco for both gratitude and need
the spiritual reality of the plant as medicine. In this, and offer our hearts to great spirit;
the following questions are relevant and it is important • To smoke tobacco in order to bless an agreement
to consider: How do I use tobacco in my life?/ What between people;
is my relationship with the plant?/ That is, is my use • To smoke tobacco when discussing important
of tobacco habitual or ceremonial? matters.

Thinking about appropriate behavior HOW TO BE PRESENT WITH YOUR PRAYER
around Tobacco
There are those who encounter the “Red road” who • Begin by taking a couple of deep breaths with your
will sadly misuse tobacco in a habitual manner and eyes open, if you are able, turn clockwise to face
justify their addiction by saying that they are praying. each direction and whether you know more or not,
In modern times, a person might benefit from the simply invoke the spirits of each direction to come
centering and grounding tobacco offers by rolling a and be present in this time. Thank tobacco for this

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