On June 30th the Wixárika pilgrimage to the 5 cardinal points will begin for Don Aurelio and his ceremonial center. He has reached out to us for help with the pilgrim´s transportation and offerings at the sacred sites.
Rising costs of the encroaching modern world is making it almost impossible for this indigenous tribe to engage in their traditional ceremony.
The Wixárika tradition of the sacred pilgrimage dates back thousands of years. The cosmovision that they live by is directly connected to the stars, earth, and all living beings. This is a spiritual tradition that is dedicated to the well-being of all beings everywhere. The prayers of the Wirárika are directed towards balance and harmony on this planet. They are truly light bearers for México and for this earth.
The Wixárika territory covers quite a large area in México, though privatized land and modern development has quickly limited the amount of land access they have. It has also made it more difficult and expensive for them to travel throughout their territory. For them, their pilgrimages and ceremonies at the 5 cardinal points (Huaxa Manaká, Tatéi Haramara, Xapawiyemeta, Wirikuta, and Tee´kata) are absolutely essential to their tradition.
With their tradition comes art, music, culture, dance, language, wisdom, and ceremony. We believe it is essential to help them preserve their tradional ways of life so they are empowered to continue sharing their prayers and all the beauty that they bring into this world.
Don Aurelio (in the photo with his wife above) is a spiritual leader for the Wixárika. He has been compared to the Pope in the western world. Imagine, he trained to become Marakame (shaman) for 25 years and has been serving and singing in ceremony for the last 30+ years.
Don Aurelio approached us to support their ceremonial centers and the pilgrims. Together with Aurelio , we believe that supporting this upcoming pilgrimage will help keep their tradition alive in the short term. It is like a band-aid on a gushing wound.
We understand it to be the first step in helping them move from surviving to thriving.
In order to guarantee that we can support the pilgrimage for the rest of this year (2023), we calculate that we will need a minimum of $18,000. This will provide Quetzalli with the necessary resources to support the ceremonial centers with transportation, offerings, food and lodging for the pilgrims, and food for the families of the pilgrims.
We are launching a fundraiser to raise $18,000 by July 1!
That only gives us 2 weeks, though I know with your help we can do it!
Gifts of all sizes are well received. On June 20th, Tandava Retreats is hosting an event for us in Denver, Colorado. If you will be in the area, please come!
We will also be releasing a digital silent auction next week. Some of the offerings will be available digitally, while other are physical. You are welcome to bid on the items even if you are not in Colorado with us. Though if it is a physical item. we ask that you cover shipping costs.
We are absolutely excited to be in Colorado to share this project with everyone. Please come to the event if you are in the area or invite friends you know in Colorado.
Please stay in touch!
Michael