I walk in Beauty
Before me, Beauty, behind me,
Above me, beneath my feet.
Navajo prayer
In her book Female Shamans: Initiatory Encounters, journalist Audrey Fella explores female shamanism to discover its specific characteristics. She meets six Western women, initiated by shamans from different traditions, who accompany her in discovering a new way of being in the world, of connecting with others and with the Earth.
Hozho, the spiritual path of the Navajo people
In 2017, Audrey Fella crossed paths with director and singer Lorenza Garcia, who was introduced to Navajo spirituality in the 1990s. Known as “Hozho“, this spiritual path is based on the worship of nature and the harmony it embodies. It combines beauty, joy, health, love, consciousness, humour, compassion, harmony, success and peace into a single concept. These values must be worked on and integrated within oneself in order to be reflected in the outside world, between the Earth and the sky.
The principle of “non-separation”
For the Navajo, who call themselves Diné, or “people of the Earth”, nothing is separate: the human, animal, plant and mineral kingdoms are interdependent, and everything that happens in one has repercussions on the others. Singing and painting are considered secret practices used in sacred ceremonies to restore beauty.
Living Hozho
The Hozho Way is at once a way of life, a medicine, and a tool for perception and connection. It allows us to “understand our true nature, deconstruct our obsolete ways of thinking and acting, align our words and actions with what the visible world inspires in us, and become the creators of our own lives”.
Singing and painting, sacred practices
During the artistic workshops she offers to introduce participants to Native American-inspired singing and sand painting, Lorenza Garcia emphasises the importance of a return to one’s roots and humility. She explains that to walk consciously on Earth, only the present moment matters.
Her workshops combine creativity and modernity, as well as collective thinking in the service of beauty, nature and living together. Once the group has clearly established its intention, namely to collectively create a sand painting inspired by symbols from Diné culture in order to regenerate the connection to the Earth, the participants intuitively choose the colours and shapes.
In terms of shapes, the square represents solidarity, the wave represents unification, and the circle represents intuition. In terms of colours, yellow symbolises wisdom, red symbolises fire and the flesh of the Earth, blue symbolises the strength of Man that allows everything to grow, white symbolises renewal and hope, while black represents night and death. Everyone then finds their place to work together, despite possible friction, misunderstandings, or impatience. The ephemeral work that emerged at the end of the day is destroyed and the sand returned to the Earth.
Restoring Hozho within oneself
Apart from specific practices, it is not easy to practise Hozho on a daily basis. For the Diné, however, it is essential and this primarily involves a more respectful relationship with the Earth and nature.
Hozho can take the form of a sun, each ray representing a quality. Restoring Hozho within ourselves means letting each ray shine through our words and actions. It means realigning our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies, in a renewed relationship with nature and Mother Earth.
- To learn more about Lorenza Garcia’s work, visit her association’s website, France Navajo (in French).
- You can also find Audrey Fella’s works on women and the sacred on her official website.
Reconnect with nature
Does the Hozho Way inspire you? Do you want to restore your connection with nature?
I will accompany you on your journey to reconnect with nature through Tree of Life workshop, forest bathing or Magnolia Tribe circles. Contact me to find the activity that resonates the most with your needs, I would be delighted to chat with you.