buyirí Kati (Bat Moon)

Jamaican Fruit Bat

The Full Moon for April is the Bat Moon on April 23rd.

The Jamaican fruit bat ranges from southern Mexico southward to northwestern South America (west Colombia, west Ecuador and northwest Peru). It also lives on the islands of Trinidad, Tobago, Greater and Lesser Antilles and the Florida Keys.

This species is found in a variety of habitats. It prefers habitats that are humid and tropical but has also adapted to cloud forests and drier tropical habitats.[7] Fruit bats roost in caves, hollow trees, dense foliage, buildings and leaf tents.[8] The fruit bat may create its own "tent" to roost in by altering broad leaves.[8]These "tents" are only temporarily used.

In late March or early April, females give birth to a single pup. Following a gestation period of no more that 4 months, females give birth to another pup around late July or early August.  On rare occasions, females give birth to twins. Research suggests that this pattern of delayed development synchronizes the birth of young with the end of the dry season, which allows weaning to occur when large fruits are at peak availability.
Like all mammals, mothers provision and protect young while carrying them in the womb and continues until weaning. Prior to learning how to fly, pups are carried by their mothers while they forage for food.

Jamaican fruit-eating bats use echolocation as their primary means of orientation. Olfaction (smell) and sight are also used to detect food. Although many bats emit sound pulses orally, Artibeus jamaicensis emits sound pulses through its noseleaf while its mouth is closed (similar to humming). One researcher described the noseleaf of Jamaican fruit-eating bats as "an acoustic lens that focuses the outgoing sound into a narrow beam." Jamaican fruit-eating bats are often called "whisper bats" because they emit very low intensity sounds. These sounds provide short range information on the location of food in densely vegetated areas. Pups use rapidly repeated long and short notes (i.e., "double notes") to assist in reuniting with their mothers in densely populated caves. Jamaican Fruit-Eating bats produce warning calls when captured in mist nets, which attract conspecifics (members of same species) as well as additional species. Jamaican fruit-eating bats respond to other species' alarm calls as well. Distress calls also warn conspecifics of approaching predators.
Jamaican Fruit Bat plays an important role in the dispersal of seeds of many tropical fruits. Additionally, it disperses seeds crucial for secondary and successional growth in areas disturbed by natural disasters, which helps restore forests following disturbance and helps maintain plant species richness. It is possible that some species depend on the uneaten remains of discarded fruit. One research team described the foraging habits of Artibeus as "a continuous rain of fruit and bat excrement throughout much of the night and with sunrise came herds of aggressive local pigs to gather the night's fallout of figs." Because A. jamaicensis sometimes consumes nectar and pollen, it likely helps pollinate many Neotropical plant species.

Spiritual Significance

Our Ancestors taught, and we believe that the souls of the dead took the form of animals and moved freely among the living in the night. The bat and the owl are very important symbols in Taíno mythology and death. For us, the bat represented the opías. Fruit-eating bats such as Artibeus jamaicensis love dining on guavas, which is also the favorite food of the  spirits of the dead.

The Bat is sacred to us and we learn even more of the bat medicine here, its connection to maternal energy, to the plants and replenishing the earth, to community, to sacred sound , to high sense of perception, to the end of seasons / cycles.

With this Bat Moon we know the Rainy season is on the horizon, coming of the abundance, end of the dry times .

MEDITATION
This Full Moon is about awareness, moving through darkness, inviting the new season of abundance, connecting with your inner guidance.
I encourage practicing a simple ceremony below to help connect with this moment:

1. Create Sacred Space - Call on your ancestors, your guides, the ways your ancestors would have. Ask them to help focus your mind and heart to the task at hand, so you may be prepared to show yourself worthy for all that you seek, to attract the energy necessary to manifest your desire with the coming seasons of abundance.

2. With your eyes close while standing or sitting on a chair, with your right hand tap on your heart with your fingertips, as if mimicking your heart beat .. 

3. As you tap visualise your inner cave and allow your guides to navigate you through that darkness, step by step into the light of abundance with a wonderful fruit filled forest.

4. While in the forest ask your guides to share with you what is the lesson that is most necessary for you with this full moon that you must carry to your waking state.

5.When you feel in your heart it is time give them thanks for their guidance and the energy given to you. 

energy is present 2 days before and 2 days after the Full moon so you have time to practice.

Coney Kishibu Kati / Coney Full Moon

Coney Kati /  (Coney / Hutia Moon)

This Full Moon will be on March 25th.

The Jamaican coney (Geocapromys brownii), also known as the Jamaican hutia and the Browns hutia, is a terrestrial land mammal found in the rocky, forested areas of Jamaica, and is endemic to the Island.

It is related to the hutias and more distantly to guinea pigs. It is the only extant native land mammal on Jamaica besides bats.

Jamaican hutias are almost exclusively nocturnal mammals. As night foragers, they feed on a large variety of food sources, including fruits, exposed roots, bark, and the foliage from many different plant species.[2]They have only been seen rarely in their wild state, and this has often led to the belief that they are extremely rare.

The Jamaican Coneys are monogamous. ... they breed throughout the year, but the majority of the young are born during the time of year when fruit is most plentiful between March and July.

Observations of captive specimens note that Jamaican hutias do not build their own nests. They have strong social interactions between related individuals, which can include mutual grooming, play, and soft vocalizations when not in physical contact which each other.

Spiritual Significance

The Medicine of the Coney speaks to family, commitment , determination , support of community , Clarity (as this is a mostly nocturnal animal ) teaching us to see into the dark and not lose sight of our goals.
The coney's can reproduce anytime like other mammals but consciously chooses to align its reproduction so the young will be born in a time of plenty and abundance.

MEDITATION
This full moon is a time of awareness, clarity, determination and aligning yourself with the cycles for optimal harvest.
This moon speaks to being prepared.

1. Create Sacred Space - Call on your ancestors, your guides, the ways your ancestors would have. Ask them to help focus your mind and heart to the task at hand, so you may be prepared to show yourself worthy for all that you seek, to attract the energy necessary to manifest your desire with the coming seasons of abundance.

2. It is best to find a space outdoors for you to ground with feet on the earth. get to a low stoop position that is comfortable (you can use a chair if you have knee problems) and visualise yourself connected to that coney medicine and burrowing a hole beneath your feet, deeper and deeper down , the deeper you go the more clarity you feel and receive, until you arrive at your burrow, your space.

3. In your own time awake and make a list of all the items you want to store in your burrow, all the intentions you have and things you seek from this season.

4. Ask the medicine of this moon to help you prepare for the coming season, to receive clarity and determination required to accomplish your goals.

5.When you feel in your heart it is time give them thanks for their guidance and the energy given to you. 

energy is present 2 days before and 2 days after the Full moon so you have time to practice.

Yamaye Guidance 2024 Calendar Year

 

An ancient part of Taino traditions that was recorded in brief ,is our ceremonies in-which community members gathered before the Kasike (Chief) and through ancestral ceremony there were songs, chants in the form of call and response culminating in the community asking questions of the Kasike and receiving guidance from the Cemi (ancestral sacred spirits). 

Today we slowly try to anchor these teachings and ways for a people "dispersed not disconnected" and will be sharing the guidance received for this Gregorian calendar year of 2024 from ancestral guidance.

ANCESTRAL GUIDANCE / READING

This year is guided by three (3) R's , Remorse, Regret and Resentment.

Remorse - deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed. (What did you do ?)
Regret - a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over an occurrence or something that one has done or failed to do. (What did or didn't you do ?)
Resentment - a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury. (What was done to you ? )

The positive of this year is an opportunity
To Right wrongs, to heal those you have wronged be it plant, animal, stone, person or spirit. 
To Respond from a healed space to a scenario we had failed to do so in the past.
To Reinforce our value of self to state NO and choose self love.
To be Resilient , fight for what is worth it and Relese what no longer serves us.

The positive of this year is that alot of scenarios will be Replayed and provide opportunities to handle them differently, so be mindful of your triggers , be patient and prepared to heal old wounds.

The negative of this year is that many will be going through the 3 R's and may have a tendency to project their wounds, becoming more confrontational. The guidance speaks towards being forewarned is being forearmed so with this knowledge be mindful of those projecting and do not engage, many will come at you with their Resentment, Regret and Remorse looking externally as opposed to internally so do not take this situations personally. 

HEALING PRACTICE

A practice I recommend especially this year is that of RELEASE.
In the Taino tradition a Guanara / Wanara is a place apart, sacred space for healing, this can be an altar space, a meditation space, a quiet space , anywhere that is used for Reflection and Restoration. 
In this space spend a few minutes in a supplicatory posture with your forehead as close to the Earth as you can comfortably and from there Repeat in your mind and heart the word OPENNESS, and RELEASE, you can chant or listen to music calming and clearing for your spirit. 
With this process simply allow the emotions to come up and be released to Atabey (mother earth), we don't need to analyze them or understand them simply experience them and allow that release.

After a good purge of tears and strong emotions spend some time REFLECTING in thanksgiving for accessible healing and ancestral guidance.

Yayabo Huma (Great spirit be with you All )

Anhan Katu (And so it Is )

Abinaka Kishibu Kati (Dance Full Moon)

Abinaka  Kati (Dance Moon)

The Full Moon for February is the Dance or Yaboa Moon  on February 24th.

This has no connection to the Catholic Saint Valentine or the commercial event that takes place on February 14th.

On the Islands this moon is connected to courting, attracting mates prior to the mating season of March - May (with the coming rains of the Taino New Year marked by the heliacal rising of the Pleiades star system).

The Image above depicts two Yaboa (Yellow Crowned Night Herons) engulfed in a courting display.

Courting Yellow-crowned Night-Herons perform display flights, along with a neck-stretching display: the male slowly raises and then quickly retracts his head while fanning his long shoulder plumes. The female will sometimes reciprocate. They form socially monogamous pairs, and some maintain their bonds from year to year.

Among Taino totems the Caiman (Crocodile) also starts the courting ritual during late January into February.

Courtship takes place in January and February, when males attract females to mate. Courting can last as long as two months. During mating season American crocodiles display territoriality by males engaging each other in competition for access to females. Males roar loudly, raising their heads and opening their mouths, displaying their impressive teeth as part of the mechanism to attract mates. Females respond to male roars with roars of their own.Courtship takes place in January and February, when males attract females to mate. Courting can last as long as two months. During mating season American crocodiles display territoriality by males engaging each other in competition for access to females. Males roar loudly, raising their heads and opening their mouths, displaying their impressive teeth as part of the mechanism to attract mates. Females respond to male roars with roars of their own.

Courtship takes place in January and February, when males attract females to mate. Courting can last as long as two months. During mating season American crocodiles display territoriality by males engaging each other in competition for access to females. Males roar loudly, raising their heads and opening their mouths, displaying their impressive teeth as part of the mechanism to attract mates. Females respond to male roars with roars of their own.

Courtship takes place in January and February, when males attract females to mate. Courting can last as long as two months. During mating season American crocodiles display territoriality by males engaging each other in competition for access to females. The mating dance involves almost all the senses. Males begin by bellowing above water, while producing low-frequency infrasound, which humans cannot hear. "You can feel the vibrations traveling through the water and you can even see pressure waves," Britton told LiveScience.

Males may also slap their snouts on the water, blow water from their noses or perform certain arched postures. At closer ranges, they may release an oily musk, which floats on the surface of the water, to further entice the female. Though the male is leading the dance, the female is participating with her own set of auditory, visual and olfactory signals during this time. The pair is in constant communication, Britton said
excerpts from interview with Australian Croc specialist at https://www.livescience.com/28145-animal-sex-crocodiles.html

Spiritual Significance

For our Ancestors the records show that for courting There would be exchange of symbolic items  to signify interest in marriage and also to demonstrate that they are equipped to take care of each other .

Like the plants and animals that are preparing for the coming bounty from the rainy season we too spiritually must court and dance in thought, action and deed to attract the experiences we seek.

All forms of Dance hold aesthetic and symbolic value, they are expression of soul and as we have learned from our animal relatives are able to convey the message that we are ready, we are worthy and we are committed to live our life purpose.

MEDITATION
This Full Moon is a time of expression, a time of commitment a time of attracting what we seek.
I encourage practicing a simple ceremony below to help connect with this moment:

1. Create Sacred Space - Call on your ancestors, your guides, the ways your ancestors would have. Ask them to help focus your mind and heart to the task at hand, so you may be prepared to show yourself worthy for all that you seek, to attract the energy necessary to manifest your desire with the coming seasons of abundance.

2. Place your hands over your heart, right hand over left hand. Take 7 deep breaths and visualise with each inhale energy from Atabey (Mother Earth) going into your heart and with each exhale leaving from your being out through your feet to be grounded into the earth.

3. With your eyes close while standing or sitting on a chair, start stomping your left foot, activating the left side of your body which is connected to the right hemisphere of your brain (deals with creativity). 

4. As you stomp visualise your spiritual guides around you and with each step hands still on heart see them stepping around you in a clockwise circle.  Allow your stomps to get stronger and in your heart ask them what can you do to strengthen your connection with them.

5.When you feel in your heart it is time to give them thanks for their guidance and the energy given to you. Note the guidance they give may simply be telling you some other physical movement to ad  to your dance.

energy is present 2 days before and 2 days after the Full moon so you have time to practice.

Wahil / Guajil Kati (Grouper Moon)

Wahil/Guajil Kishibu KATI (Grouper Full Moon)

Full moon January 25th 

The Nassau Grouper is a predatory fish that lives on the coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea and adjacent waters. Its name comes from its historically large populations in the Bahamas.

The Nassau Grouper was originally considered to be a Monandric Protogynous Hermaphrodite, like most other Groupers, with all males deriving from the sex change of adult females (Smith 1971, Claro et al. 1990, Carter et al. 1994). Other characteristics were found to be inconsistent other Groupers such as the strong male/female size overlap, the presence of males that develop directly from the juvenile phase, and the mating system (Colin 1992, Sadovy and Colin).

Caribbean reefs with large numbers of predators, like Nassau groupers, are known to be healthier than reefs with no predators, so this species may represent an important part of the reef food web.  During the majority of the year, Nassau Groupers are reddish brown in coloration, with vertical light bars along the head and body.  During mating, however, males become black on top and white below and females become almost solid black.  Nassau groupers feed by swallowing their prey whole; they do not chew.  They use their very large mouths to create enough negative pressure to suck in whole fishes or lobsters, and they swallow them quickly and efficiently.

Nassau Grouper reproduce in only a few places and during only a few months each year.  These fish always spawn immediately after the full moon during the winter months, when they form very large groups called spawning aggregations.  Throughout its entire geographic range, there are less than 100 known spawning aggregation sites where Nassau Grouper reproduce year after year, and historically these aggregations included hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals reproducing together for a few days before returning to their home reefs.  Individual Nassau Groupers are known to travel several dozen miles and further to form part of a spawning aggregation.  At the aggregation sites, these fish reproduce by a method known as broadcast spawning, where females release eggs and several males release sperm into the water column above deep reefs all at the same time.  This method increases the likelihood that eggs will become successfully fertilized and that fertilized eggs will not be eaten by egg predators on the reef surface.



Spiritual Significance

Our Wahil (Yellowtail Grouper) will have started their journey to spawning grounds and will be reproducing between the Full Moons of December and  January. The Wahil teaches us that we have all the gifts and abilities we need to take on life's journeys, and reminds us to think of the next generation, Imagine you carry the masculine energy of the Sun and the feminine energy of the Earth within you at all times and a balance must be struck for the development and nurturing of your spirit and future generations.
This reminds us of  fertility, feelings, creativity, rebirth, good luck, transformation, health, abundance, serenity, intelligence, happiness, strength, and endurance. Connecting us with the water element, it represents the deeper awareness of the unconsciousness or higher self.

CEREMONY
This Full Moon is a time for clearing, for preparing for the birth that is to come connecting the medicine of the Wahil , it is a time to protect yourself and pray for that safe delivery and transformation during these times.
I encourage practicing a simple ceremony below to help connect with this moment:

1. Create Sacred Space - Call on your ancestors, your guides, the ways your ancestors would have asking them to help focus your mind and heart to the task at hand, so you may be prepared for the pain, work and joy that comes with new birth.

2. Place your hands over your navel and sit in a chair or on a stool with legs apart as in a birthing posture, from here breathe deeply and with each inhale connecting with the moon during this time grounding taking in positive intentions for the future, and with your exhale release to the earth beneath you all that does not serve (Breathe into your stomach feel your hands lifting with each inhale).

3. After 7 Breaths place your hand on the earth beneath you and visualise all the pain and negative energy from your being going deep into the earth and being consumed like compost nourishing a seed that will sprout with the coming days.



4. Give thanks to your guides and teachers.

energy is present 2 days before and 2 days after the Full moon so you have time to practice.