Maria Yracébûrû - Native Spiritualist
by Lincoln Moves by Night Yracébûrû
The tlish diyan (Snake Clan) tradition of the Apache is an unbroken contract made with the Ancestors. For centuries the Yraceburu Family has been living and practicing a spiritual life philosophy spanning energetic paradyms. The legends and prophecies of evolution have been born of the landscape, the animals, plants, and Spirit.
The culture and belief system are colored by the philosophic concepts handed down for generations. The landscape we co-habitate with playing a vast role; it is so powerful that our wise ones have spent many generations in communion with its spiritual dimension. All activity is co-created with the land, its earth-centered power (diyi) and the mythology surrounding it.
The tlish diyan (Snake Clan) tradition of the Apache is an unbroken contract made with the Ancestors. For centuries the Yraceburu Family has been living and practicing a spiritual life philosophy spanning energetic paradyms. The legends and prophecies of evolution have been born of the landscape, the animals, plants, and Spirit.
The culture and belief system are colored by the philosophic concepts handed down for generations. The landscape we co-habitate with playing a vast role; it is so powerful that our wise ones have spent many generations in communion with its spiritual dimension. All activity is co-created with the land, its earth-centered power (diyi) and the mythology surrounding it.
Central to the tlish diyan belief system is Connection. Connection means “joining with the Ancestors.” It is a primordial condition that transcends time and represents a body of spiritual knowledge pertaining to the evolution of the world. The principle manifestation is governed by Spiritual Guides, those beings who lovingly watch over the landscape, who pass on the custom and Sacred Laws to the tlish diyan, and who live on as visible icons in the stars and sacred grounds, which themselves embody a meta- physical or Connecting presence.
Maria Yracébûrû’s relationship with Connection is the center of her life. No other reality holds so much significance. Her spiritual essence - her sense of ancestry - is derived from the Connection, her kinship ties find their origins there, and her ultimate destination at death is her return to it as her primordial source. She does not worship one presence so much as acknowledges her inseparability from it as the basis of her spiritual essence.
Maria Yracébûrû’s relationship with Connection is the center of her life. No other reality holds so much significance. Her spiritual essence - her sense of ancestry - is derived from the Connection, her kinship ties find their origins there, and her ultimate destination at death is her return to it as her primordial source. She does not worship one presence so much as acknowledges her inseparability from it as the basis of her spiritual essence.
Much of Maria’s ritual life revolves around connecting in times of Silence and communing with Spirit. Although a deeply spiritual being, she acknowledges the demands of this world. Indeed, she is struck by the relationship between all the elements in this cosmic space of time: humans, animals, birds, insects, plants, and the wide land which both holds and is held by human perception. Maria acknowledges that she “belongs” to the land because of her connection: her grandfather was anchored in the land, her children were born of the land. Her spiritual origin also binds her to her path in such a way that she has become the hereditary guardian (akicita) of evolution until the time when she will pass this duty over to one of her grandchildren. This woman, and others like her, are responsible for retaining the sacred knowledge, the dance and prayers that align us with the land, as well as the mythic prophecies being born of the land in this time. Maria’s connection can be evoked by many different elements. It follows that if one sensual center is stimulated, others will follow in the web weaving connection of essence. As a result the knowledge of the world of human and spirit becomes a physical sensation of remembrance, a personal sacred landscape of identity.
The core belief of tlish diyan spirituality is that one can connect to the essence of anyone or thing through ritual action. Life affirming celebration is therefore of great importance in the life of individuals and the circle, and the central figure in this activity is the diiyin. The diiyin is one who is set apart from their contemporaries by the nature of their special connection and insights. As a young girl, Maria Yracébûrû was physically different and was recognized “by the light radiating from her eyes,” as one commentator observed. By and large, her charge was inherited from Grandfather Juan Ten Bears Yracébûrû, a great holyman himself. While Ten Bears had the authority to initiate Maria into the secrets of the tradition, this was done with the understanding that Maria had already been made aware of her destiny by way of visionary con- tact with her Guides and Ancestors.
The core belief of tlish diyan spirituality is that one can connect to the essence of anyone or thing through ritual action. Life affirming celebration is therefore of great importance in the life of individuals and the circle, and the central figure in this activity is the diiyin. The diiyin is one who is set apart from their contemporaries by the nature of their special connection and insights. As a young girl, Maria Yracébûrû was physically different and was recognized “by the light radiating from her eyes,” as one commentator observed. By and large, her charge was inherited from Grandfather Juan Ten Bears Yracébûrû, a great holyman himself. While Ten Bears had the authority to initiate Maria into the secrets of the tradition, this was done with the understanding that Maria had already been made aware of her destiny by way of visionary con- tact with her Guides and Ancestors.
I personally witnessed Maria undergoing a form of initiation that consisted of a near death experience at the hands of Nakia, the Rainbow Snake Guardian of Fifth World Prophecy, accompanied by prolonged training in the wilderness, which as second oldest cousin, I was more than happy to help facilitate.
The initiation continued under our grandfather’s guidance. Finer details in the arts of storytelling, stalking power, energy tracking, healing techniques, ceremony and star charting, were all taught to her. These were, and are, the more practical aspects of Maria’s craft and underlie the important social contribution the woman makes to her community in the role of diiyin. They do not, however, convey fully the spiritual metamorphosis she has undergone in her pursuit of the sacredness associated with the Path of Beauty she walks.
The initiation continued under our grandfather’s guidance. Finer details in the arts of storytelling, stalking power, energy tracking, healing techniques, ceremony and star charting, were all taught to her. These were, and are, the more practical aspects of Maria’s craft and underlie the important social contribution the woman makes to her community in the role of diiyin. They do not, however, convey fully the spiritual metamorphosis she has undergone in her pursuit of the sacredness associated with the Path of Beauty she walks.
Maria is often called upon for lich’i’ odaach’idii - voluntary cooperation - by Spirit Guides and Ancestors alike, the result being a discernment of images by way of an interior presence that produces words of extreme power in their capacity of love. Maria has developed this connection. Her vividly descriptive account of her encounters with visionary experience, leads us into the dimensional realm where spiritual connection can occur.
The contact Maria makes with the Spiritual realm, her Connection, is carefully choreographed. She cannot converse with her Spirit Guide except by way of ritual activity. She is not free to engage in exclusive dialogue with the spirits, since they belong to all and in themselves are exceptions from any form of dysfunction. The in’ich indíí - silent communication - she learned to converse with Nakia is more of a priestly language quite distinct from the one she uses on an everyday basis. Intent is a vital part of invocation, of connection, and Maria has reached an advanced initiatory phase in her life, entitling her to teach others. Individuals come to her in these matters, knowing that she has attained a “knowing,” the gift of Nakia. Maria is known as diiyin - holyone - a spirit woman partaking of a special quality which we might associate with transdimensional.
The contact Maria makes with the Spiritual realm, her Connection, is carefully choreographed. She cannot converse with her Spirit Guide except by way of ritual activity. She is not free to engage in exclusive dialogue with the spirits, since they belong to all and in themselves are exceptions from any form of dysfunction. The in’ich indíí - silent communication - she learned to converse with Nakia is more of a priestly language quite distinct from the one she uses on an everyday basis. Intent is a vital part of invocation, of connection, and Maria has reached an advanced initiatory phase in her life, entitling her to teach others. Individuals come to her in these matters, knowing that she has attained a “knowing,” the gift of Nakia. Maria is known as diiyin - holyone - a spirit woman partaking of a special quality which we might associate with transdimensional.
Since Maria believes we influence the future with our actions today, she will read what you can do today to make like whole, but never an outline telling of the future, because she believes we can change our destiny with the simple choice of including Earth in our decision making. We are co-creating destiny as a collective activity participated in by all of Humanity, involving responsible life affirming actions. The mythic life surrounding the landscape is so important that Maria appears to be constantly engaged in a connecting dialogue with Nakia. The ceremonies, healings, and teachings, all are made from a part of this symbolic essence of sacred expression. Each event Maria participates in becomes a collective act of all gathered who desire to ensure that the cosmic flow of evolution is maintained.
The co-creative act for Maria is therefore much more than an isolated event. Maria’s whole life is an act of co-creation since she rarely acknowledges any separation between herself and All Our Relations. Although Maria is a woman of visionary experience extraordinaire, it does not mean that she allows her talents to obscure the role played by others gathered for any rite of passage. Each body of knowledge complements the others. Structure of energetic play may be in the hands of this diiyin, but the manifestation of Spirit in each gathering, is the combined effort of every person gathered, who is able to enact their essence during ceremony, projecting a combined existence of love and peace. It is this complementary relationship between individuals and the whole that makes Maria’s teachings such an all-embracing affair. All have the right to experience spiritual essence and connection as an act of family, a demonstration of unconditional love among All Our Relations
The co-creative act for Maria is therefore much more than an isolated event. Maria’s whole life is an act of co-creation since she rarely acknowledges any separation between herself and All Our Relations. Although Maria is a woman of visionary experience extraordinaire, it does not mean that she allows her talents to obscure the role played by others gathered for any rite of passage. Each body of knowledge complements the others. Structure of energetic play may be in the hands of this diiyin, but the manifestation of Spirit in each gathering, is the combined effort of every person gathered, who is able to enact their essence during ceremony, projecting a combined existence of love and peace. It is this complementary relationship between individuals and the whole that makes Maria’s teachings such an all-embracing affair. All have the right to experience spiritual essence and connection as an act of family, a demonstration of unconditional love among All Our Relations
Maria is - to a certain extent - loathe to see herself as special in her relationship with Spirit. Although she mirrors messages of monumental importance and veneration, her activity does not cease at the time of ritual; her role as a conscious co-creator of reality continues throughout all her daily activities. Maria sees herself as a participant in this primordial event, and so has the power to initiate change through ritual action. It is this form of connection that Maria adheres to: to augment a bountiful land, as the principle manifestation of cosmic interaction, delineates her importance as both a child of the earth and the universe, for she knows that it is our combined concerns that create our reality here on earth. It is life affirming celebration that contributes to the land’s spiritual power. As one elder remarked, “When Maria prays the ancient words, the animals listen and are happy.”
Maria has developed this connection during the ritual action that makes a difference between a world of a chaotic fear - and a world that is continually revitalized.
Maria has developed this connection during the ritual action that makes a difference between a world of a chaotic fear - and a world that is continually revitalized.