Four Corners Community Healing
The Four Corners Spirit Run is important to our community. It cultivates unity in our neighborhoods, reclamation & healing of Indigenous-self, and the awareness and honoring Sacred Sites which include our traditional neighborhood centers. This piece will reflect on the Community Healing Aspect of the Spirit Run
Community Healing
If one stops to think of our history here in our Four Corners neighborhoods we can agree there have been and continue to be many wounds, tragic conflicts, and disunity.
These tragic conflicts not only destroy the lives of our youth (most specifically our young men) but they also destroy families and communities. These tragedies perpetuate resentments which just continue the cycle of the animosity between our families and communities.
If one refers to The Four Circles Teaching, it can be seen that this cycle of resentment, animosity, and unacknowledged historical traumas have, and continue to, perpetuate the cycles of our community’s destruction.
It’s time for us to plant, cultivate, and reintroduce our “New” traditional concepts, worldview, and understandings to our youth. There is no other event in West Los Angeles (that I know of) that seeks to heal, bridge, and provide Culturally Relevant alternatives to all of our Four Neighborhoods.
Transmuting our Neighborhoods’ Pathways
When the Runners run move through the streets and pathways of the Four Corners neighborhoods of Culver City, Venice, Santa Monica, and Sotel, we are bringing messages, tools , and vibes of unity, love, empowerment, and healing. It can be agreed that it is extremely rare for one to journey from Mar Vista Gardens (CC) straight to Oakwood Park (Venice) carry such positive intentions, let alone merely traveling between these two locations.
It is understood Wisdom by all Original People that our Thoughts affect the mind which in turn affect our emotions and thus our Realities. Launching these positive Visions and vibes into movement, amplified by the sacrifice of the messengers (runners and other participants), and charged by the collective intent of the prayer run ceremony is very powerful to say the least.
Healing the Streets
When peoples’ lives are abruptly taken there is much traumatic energy lingering in those locations— Unprocessed Closure. That is why funerals and other human life closure type rites are so important to all cultures of the world.
There are many of these “spiritually trauma” locations on the Westside. There is energy there that needs to be acknowledged, transmuted, and healed. The Four Corners Spirit Run also serves this function.
A good friend of mine once told me how he made efforts to talk with local Catholic Church leaders since they hold much sway within our Chicanx/Native communities. It was in hopes of collaborating with them on efforts to facilitate healing and work to build bridges between these communities. His efforts were to no avail. The general sentiment from church leaders was that they “don’t get involved in that.” Yet these “spiritual leaders” have no problem accepting money from our communities for all the funerals they conduct for our loved ones who die from these conflicts.
Culturally and Historically Relevant
Again, there is no other event that seeks to heal, bridge, and provide Culturally Relevant alternatives to our Four Neighborhoods. While there are many good Youth programs out there they fail to acknowledge the unique historical trauma colonization has wreaked on our Brown/Native (so-called Latino) & Black Youth. Thus, they fail to address the root causes of our communities’ issues— the destruction and continued oppression of our Indigenous Identity, Worldview,and Culture.
If you thinks to a time when our people have been the healthiest and most abundant (mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally) it was when when all the original philosophies, world views, and sacred ceremonies were intact and in healthy motion— before Columbus.
It makes obvious sense to re-employ these proven ceremonies, philosophies, and traditions as solutions to restore health, balance, and abundance back to our communities. We don’t need western science or others to validate this as truth for us. We see the healing and magic happen every year at our runs and it is only getting stronger.
Join in the Vision and the Prayer at the Four Corners Spirit Run.
Tlazocamati, Gracias, Thank You
– Quimich (pilli)
