She is one of the most lovely, beautiful, talented people I know, and she is a client. When she sits in my chair, I know I am in for a rich time. She is an artist, and just returned from Xuahaca, Mexico, and other small towns, like Juchitan. She loved it, walking the streets, going to local markets, and seeing how the women dressed. The land is barren, and yet the women wear the colors of a rainbow. You won't see them wearing jeans and tennis shoes, but rather, embroidered dresses, ribbons and flowers in their hair. And if they are feeling down, they will be sure to dress in the brightest colors. And, as only traveling to another country can do, she was led inward to her own soul.
Delfina offered, ""Chronicles of travels through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (which Juchitan is a part of) inevitably speak of fascination. Oddly enough, however, rather than express their wonder at the place, the architecture or the natural surroundings, chroniclers confess to having fallen irremediably under the seductive spell of the women." (La Tehuana /Artes de Mexico)
Juchitan is known for being a place where the woman are a cultural phenomenon in and of themselves, with their bodies, their clothing, their community rites and everyday activities, they create an environment, and rhythm of life that is unique to it. They are mythical in the most classical sense of the word, because their worldly existence and living rituals sustain and reproduce that myth. Thought these women are clearly Mestizas, the mythic voyage toward the Tehuana is a voyage to the roots,to the origins. An awed leap not only into the cultural wellspring constituted by the idea of Mexico, but to the buried mythic foundations of culture where matriarchy was apparently the rule.
When i asked Na Marcelina about this she said it shouldn't be misunderstood that the women 'rule' the men. It's a place where the women are equal to the men, and mostly hold the position as the primary breadwinner. When i asked Na Marcelina about this she said, 'It shouldn't be misunderstood that the women 'rule' the men. It's a place where the women are equal to the men, and mostly hold the position as the primary breadwinner.'"
The land, the color, the people, the conversation, hearing another language, eating the food, all of it stimulating the mind, the psyche, and remembering what has happened before, and seeing, for brief moments, what the future holds. Delfina is an artist, and is open to what life brings her, and is not afraid to go after what she wants. By being open, she was led to an 78 year old Shamana, a wrinkled-faced woman with eyes full of life. She gave a healing, and repeated several times, ""you are the architect of your life". She then fed her soup, and shared her own story, and gave her a healing. The "session" lasted four hours and left Delfina changed.
Delfina added, "I needed to hear this for my own healing. In shamanic tradition they teach that we co-create the universe. For women it is important to feel empowered to realize our dreams against all odds. This is my wish this for all people. In my work as an expressive arts therapist, I use many mediums to assist in healing and finding greater ease and clarity on the journey called life."
Changes can be hard, and painful, and not to be taken lightly. Delfina is brilliant at being right where she is, and feeling. By telling me her story, I feel changed and open, and was reminded, our soul takes us on a trip we can't always understand. Somehow though, I believe we are led to what we need and ultimately desire. Upon returning home, and feeling a bit blue, and getting a haircut, she said, "Maybe I will go get a flower and put it in my hair."
Thank you Delfina.
To see some of Delfina's art, check out : www.delfinapiretti.com/painting.html