Beni Beæz Guií: incense healer

Size: 60x100cm; 2x3ft

Weaver: Juan Mendoza/Juain Rubeæz (left handed Juan)

Price: $196 USD 

Materials and methods: criollo sheep wool hand dyed with colorfast aniline dyes using an exhaustive method. Handwoven on a Zapotec style loom of the 16th century adapted from European styles. Woven using a 7 threads per inch reed. 

Design, patterns and symbols. 

This rug depicts a Beniduush (shaman) offering Copal (resin from Burceraceae trees) for healing. We burn incence in a burner we call Beæs guií (the keeper of fire); beæs is the same word  we use for jaguar, chilli seeds and new born babies among other uses of the word. The realm of the spirit is made of ethereal substances therefore we offer such substances to enter it and to be able to communicate in that realm, copal is known as Yaal in Dixzaa language, it means that which gives live and rises: Yaá (high), Ya'a (green, alive). Copal is burned with sacred substances such as Yauhtli, Pine leaves and Sacred fir to be able to communicate with our ancestors. 

Copal is used for cleansing a space before a ritual or ceremony but also to cleanse and heal people's illenesses as in the limpia ritual. The copal substance is used for threating pain in the stomach, tooth, the uterus, burns, fevers and respiratory issues. My mom offered copal when I was ill with COVID 19 (Samuel) the room was filled with smoke but I could not smell it at all!  Copal is only used in the most important ceremonies and celebrations such as weddings, day of the dead, funerals, healing rituals, rain petitioning and during the new year celebrations. If you buy copal you must make sure that is coming from sustainable and ethical sources and that you use it consciously for the most sacred aspects of life and death. I was very sad to see how people used Palo Santo to cleanse the stink in their bathrooms. Healing involves being aware of all the impacts we leave on the earth with our precense so that we leave no trace for the lord and lady of death to find us. 

The rug has a strip of life cycle symbols at the top and bottom, each step in the lyfe cycle symbol represents thirteen years when our body and spirit goes through a major transformation and needs to be honored with ritual and acceptance. 

The Nahual is framed with a stylized smile pattern woven vertically, smile and laughter are the source of true healing and personal power, in order to heal our physical bodies we first need to heal our mindset and uplift our spirit.