Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Everyone is invited to join in the Azteca New Year's Celebration on Monday, March 11th at 10:30 pm at Parque Hidalgo on the North end of the Malecón in downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Ideally wear white with a red or maroon sash and bring flowers or seeds, especially if you want to dance with the magnificent dancers who blessed a cutting-edge natural health clinic opening that Alicia Partida, an Azteca, organized.

It doesn't matter how good you are at picking up some of their steps, just being a part of it, or watching it, which lasts past midnight, to me is a little heaven on earth. Learning the symbolism, of course, make it richer, similar to our Native American culture.

Their splendid feathers carry the prayers up to the heavens, along with the dances in a circle that also create a vortex of energy to bring them to God/Creator. Moving our arms upward honors the skies, the sun, the planets and stars, and the Creator. The squats symbolize an offering to Mother Earth.

They include blessing the corn in the ceremony to pray for all the foods we grow and eat, the concha shell represents prayers for the marine life, the gourd of water to bless all the waters here to purify if for ourselves and the health of our fish and beloved whales, and around the world - as proven by Dr Emoto.

The fire that brings us together is sacred and the smoke from the sage and cedar pitch (similar to what 3 wise men brought Jesus, incense and myrrh), attract the good spirits, and send the dark ones away. They bless the drums made from wise trees, which also call in the good spirits, as well as rattles to listen to our sincere prayers.

In facing the 4 directions in the beginning and end of the dances, similar to the Essenes like Jesus, we honor all life forms and spirits in each of those directions. Facing the West also honors the clouds that bring life-giving precipitation. And facing North, I call in the angels to protect the Arctic from melting to preserve all the coastal cities.

Our Organic Tree Planting school program to help end diabetes will also be presenting some papaya trees to Meshika, the shaman, for their temascal/sweat lodge for their health, in appreciation of their regular blessings for all the trees and plant life in the Banderas Bay area. Hopefully Alicia Partida, Eric Davies, and Camilla Aguirre, who also nurtured these papaya trees, will be joining me in presenting them.

Most of you may not be able to make it at that time, or don't live here, but we wanted to let you know about this beautiful chance to celebrate the amazing Mexican Indigenous Peoples here, and at least be with us in spirit.

The UN Sustainability leader has encouraged us to spread these ceremonies, which you could also call "Ocean Dances," around the world to help heal our struggling oceans. The consensus of 192 nations in 2012 was that "science combined with ancient wisdom through the Indigenous is critical to regenerate Mother Earth." In 2009 the UN officially recognized Her as a phenomenally wise, sensitive, compassionate being.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at SuzyNativeVoices(at)aol.com or call my US phone at (323) 493-3877.

Many Blessings,
Suzy Chaffee, NAOTF.org