Marialionceros, the Tradition, Cult, and Spiritism of the goddess Maria Lionza.
The Tradition, Cult, and Spiritism of the goddess Maria Lionza.
This is the third in a series of well-curated posts that I have been working on for several months, more focused on spiritualist practice and its tradition, obviously without writing down the secrets and mysteries of an esoteric tradition of such importance to Venezuelans and for many other witches from different Latin American countries.
1st Post: Maria Lionza, The Queen of Witches & Fairies.
2nd Post: Maria Lionza, Goddes of Witches.
3rd Post: A Feminist-Indigenous Goddess Cult of Latin America.
The Tradition and Cult of the Goddess of the Mountains
The spiritual cult of the goddess Yara/Maria Lionza summarizes the mysterious and esoteric practices, as well as the indigenous beliefs that - although they suffered because of the Catholic evangelization and were later mixed with African elements brought by the slaves who arrived at the haciendas of the region - keep alive the folklore and pagan beliefs of the indigenous natives, which combine pantheism and shamanism in a ritualistic aspect, where the language, the dances, the colors, the aromatic smoke of the herbs, and the symbolism (especially the latter ) are of vital importance within the cult.
The cult of the indigenous goddess and queen María Lionza extends throughout Venezuela and enters certain cities and border locations in Brazil and Colombia. Especially in the southern and central zone of Venezuela, the cult grows and gains an impressive relevance as a cultural movement, not only because of its concept linked to feminism and the role of women in society, as priestess, mother, and warrior but also as an indigenous movement that seeks to protect oral traditions and fight against the consequences of colonization.
But it is specifically in the Sorte mountain, in Yaracuy, where the cult of the indigenous queen has its maximum expression. The believers, followers, and priests of this cult (known as Marialionceros, or as warriors of Maria Lionza) carry out the procession towards the mountain, they seek to fill all the natural places available; fountains, waterfalls, rocks, and caves, to build their portals and perform their ceremonial rites and dances, those in which white brandy, tobacco, candles of all colors and flowers cannot be missing.
"... The cult of María Lionza is the product of an entire cultural and racial miscegenation. Not in vain, the most important day in the cult that is practiced in the Sorte is precisely October 12, Hispanic Day."
~ Ferrándiz, F. "The cult of María Lionza in Venezuela: Times, spaces, bodies."
The pilgrimage to the mountain of Sorte includes a long ascent through the rivers that come down from the mountain, where the baths with ritual reasons and the ones leaning over firewood at the edge of the river, although they are not part of the esoteric tradition, are part of the movement social of his followers.
In these rivers, all kinds of esoteric baths, cleansings, "limpias", and ritual purifications with flowers, fruits, natural oils, and river water are carried out.
The portals, the space of the mountain decorated with ritual motifs, is where the spiritual possessions occur, it is where the spirits of the mountain, the fairies and the deceased descend to deal with the sorcerers and the spiritualists, take possession of the bodies of those with more experience, they drink alcohol and through the body of this medium, the spirits act under the order of the goddess of the mountains, perform all kinds of spiritual and physical healing, magical works, and predictions of the future, reveal secrets of the past and they bless the parishioners with all kinds of signs of good fortune.
Celebration days to honor Yara.
The cult of María Lionza has two very important celebration dates for her followers and believers: October 12 and November 20.
The worship and celebration extend throughout the Venezuelan territory and even internationally, in all those countries where there are Venezuelan colonies.
At the beginning of September, the organization and planning of the festivities and the pilgrimage begin, the latter usually begins between the end of September and the first weeks of October, regardless of the start date, since the groups independently carry out the pilgrimage in different days and they can stay there for several days or several weeks, the maximum day of celebration is October 12, considered today erroneously by many followers as "Maria Lionza's Birthday", this is the holiday called Day of Indigenous Resistance.
While for many of her most devoted followers and close to the tradition, November 20 is the most powerful day dedicated to the goddess, and it is the day that her spirits and all her courts descend to the physical plane to work with her followers and find new witches to bless with the gift of clairvoyance and prophecy.
The spiritual representatives of the goddess Yara are the three powers, also known as "the Three Great Spiritual Powers".
The traditional "baile de candela" (bonfire dance) in honor of Maria Lionza and her spiritual courts is celebrated on October 12 at the natural monument of Maria Lionza, in Yaracuy. Every year this celebration brings together thousands of people who come to worship their queen of spirits, the goddess of the mountains, and all spirits.
The natural monument to Maria Lionza in Yaracuy has three main entrances: Sorte, through the Bruzual municipality, and El Loro and Quibayo, through Urachiche. The Candela Dance consists of several rites performed by believers and followers in honor of the spiritual queen María Lionza, a mythical character who is part of ancestral indigenous legends of the area.
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Marialionceros, the servants of the Queen
The queen's priests, known as Marialionceros, or simply as "warriors of the goddess", exercise various roles for which they are trained, serving as sorcerers, mediums, priests, healers, and protective warriors of the cult.
"The most impressive spiritual possessions that I have seen in life occurred in the magic mountain, the Sorte mountain in Yaracuy, where the mediums of this divinity are possessed by spirits, then they change their mannerisms, their expressions, they completely change their voice, they walk over the fire and dance all night without stopping to rest, once the spiritual possession ends, and the spirits have left, the mediums fall to the ground, bathed in the natural sweat of their bodies, their feet purple and swollen from dancing Possessed all night, and their bodies begin to rapidly cool down, even causing some concern among visitors."
~ Alirio Jesus Pera Calderon, Professor of Anthropological Studies and History of Venezuelan Culture and Folklore, Central University of Venezuela.
The priests dedicated to the goddess are initiated at a very early age, as it is believed that in this way the natural clairvoyance of children will not be lost when they grow up. However, some men, women, and intermediate people are initiated into the cult at older ages, although the initiation process is more difficult and physically exhausting for them, these, once they have passed the process, are welcomed with open arms in a non-hierarchical tradition, where the only hierarchy that matters is the hierarchy of the spirits with whom one works.
Marialionceros priests are sorcerers of nature, they perform all kinds of magical works for various purposes (health, money, love, protection, family, fertility, etc...) using candles, homemade incense, fresh flowers, dried herbs, powders of various origins, aromatic essences with various colors, frost to decorate their ritual works, and above all, tobacco.
The cigars are a vital part of the cult, where it is considered that the smoke belongs to the deceased, the fire to the spirits, and the leaves to the earth, all of these being domains of the indigenous goddess and her spiritualist courts.
The priests of the goddess are trained to work performing magic alone, they work with the four elements of nature after receiving the "ritual of the four elements" and later they learn to mediate between spirits and ghosts. Except for a couple of written and short-print manuals, most of their traditions and secrets pass through oral folklore, and the sorcerers pass through various masters of the esoteric art before calling themselves Marialionceros.
(C) 2021, Elhoim Leafar, All Rights Reserved.
1st Post: Maria Lionza, The Queen of Witches & Fairies.
2nd Post: Maria Lionza, Goddes of Witches.
3rd Post: A Feminist-Indigenous Goddess Cult of Latin America.
My Next Workshops Online Here:
A different class every October Weekend, totally online, each class has a total duration of 90 minutes, followed by a 30-minute Q&A. Classes are limited to 25 participants per class and cost $12-$14 per person.
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