Showing results by author "Luis J. Rodriguez" in All Categories

By age 12, Luis Rodriguez was a veteran of East L.A. gang warfare. Lured by a seemingly invincible gang culture, he witnessed countless shootings, beatings, and arrests, then watched with increasing fear as that culture claimed friends and family members. Before long, Rodriguez saw a way out of the barrio through education and successfully broke free from years of violence and desperation.

Luis J. Rodriguez writes about race, culture, identity, and belonging and what these all mean and should mean (but often fail to) in the volatile climate of our nation. His passion and wisdom inspire us with the message that we must come together if we are to move forward.

Al explorar los diversos y dinámicos ritos de veneración ancestral de los antiguos mesoamericanos, así como los que se practican en el curanderismo contemporáneo, Erika Buenaflor muestra cómo podemos aprovechar estas tradiciones para reconectarnos con nuestros antepasados, profundizar nuestros viajes de sanación y dar forma a nuestras vidas. Ella explica cómo los ancestros tienen energía sagrada que puede continuar en sus herederos físicos directos, renacer en el paisaje en sitios sagrados o manifestarse en otros seres que habitan las mismas tierras.

Growing up on the streets of East L.A., Luis Rodriguez narrowly escaped a serious jail term and then struggled to overcome his powerful addiction to heroin and alcohol. Eventually, Rodriguez embarked on a career as a successful journalist and a highly regarded poet. In It Calls You Back, Rodriguez describes with heartbreaking honesty his challenges as a husband and a father and his difficulty leaving his criminal past completely behind.

Exploring the diverse and dynamic ancestral veneration rites of the ancient Mesoamericans as well as those practiced in contemporary curanderismo, Erika Buenaflor shows how we can draw from these traditions to reconnect with our ancestors, deepen our healing journeys, and shape our lives. She explains how ancestors contain sacred energy that can continue in their direct physical heirs, be reborn in the landscape at sacred sites, or manifest in other beings that inhabit the same lands.