00:00:26.940If it helps, know that she has a PhD, degrees in psychology and anthropology, has lectured at the American Museum of Natural History, Columbia University, NYU, Princeton, was a science editor for the American Institute of Physics, worked for the United Nations, has written dozens of books, and, if it helps, know that she said this.
00:00:50.880I don't believe in the supernatural. I believe in nature and all things natural. Everything that
00:00:58.640happens in this world always happens through natural channels and in accordance with the
00:01:03.340immutable cosmic laws. All things, both real and surreal, are part of the cosmos where everything
00:01:11.380has a place and a reason for being. Woo-woo is a relative term, right? I mean, I'm sure a lot of
00:01:19.300people I know personally would classify this podcast or any discussion of magic or even just
00:01:24.680the word spirituality as new age baloney. And honestly, that's okay. Whether you feel cold,
00:01:32.500comforted, or cringey when the subject of, say, angels comes up, there is a place for you here.
00:01:39.500For me, as always, I find myself somewhere in the middle. I'll be honest, I'm hardwired for
00:01:45.660cynicism, and a lot of contemporary mysticism sets off my bullshit detector, which drowns out0.96
00:01:51.620anything even potentially useful that the guru has to say. I've been told my eye roll is audibly0.98
00:01:58.280dismissive and judgmental. The vestigial tale of my former life as a teenage know-it-all.
00:02:04.820As I've matured, I've come to think it's a slippery slope from skepticism into arrogance.
00:02:11.220So, dear witches, as we move through Mai-Jean's teachings, her claims that we can survive death
00:02:17.080or create a universe with a magic word, let's unfurrow our brows. Keep our bullshit detectors0.99
00:02:23.480on as an act of critical thinking and self-preservation always, but let's keep them set to low.0.97
00:02:31.360Just for today, let's suspend our disbelief and believe. Because Mai-Jean wrote a book called
00:02:37.760what happens after death. And I like her conclusions, and I want them to be true.
00:02:42.860And because her approach to magic is so logical and matter-of-fact, she makes me believe her.
00:02:49.300In a condescending world, Majin Gonzalez-Wipler helps me believe in magic.0.98
00:02:56.520You aren't being a proper woman, therefore you must be a witch.1.00
00:02:59.660Be a witch. Be a witch. Be a witch. Be a witch. Be a witch. Be a witch. You must be a witch.1.00
00:03:04.560i picked up my jeans the complete book of spells ceremonies and magic a while ago because it was
00:03:12.240one of the few books i found that took a more global approach to magic and i was instantly
00:03:17.580charmed by her years in academia have done nothing to diminish her sense of wonder she claims that
00:03:23.800quote there's enough scientific evidence to prove the existence of creative intelligence at work in
00:03:29.240the universe, and that magic is nothing more than cosmic energies channeled by the human mind to
00:03:35.060achieve specific goals. Isn't that wonderful? Nothing more than cosmic energies. Of course,
00:03:42.820that begs the question, um, what are cosmic energies? And Mai-Jean has devoted her life
00:03:48.940to answering that question. She has written more than 20 books on religion and the occult,
00:03:53.300themes ranging from Kabbalah to Santeria, amulets and talismans to ritual magic and spellwork,
00:04:00.100dreams, and death. She wrote, I have lived a most fascinating life during which I have learned that
00:04:08.120the world we are privileged to inhabit is full of wonders and mysteries, some of which transcend
00:04:14.420our wildest imaginings. Those experiences have taught me that we live in two worlds, the world
00:04:20.680of matter and the world of spirit, which is also partly the world of mind. We have access to that
00:04:27.040other world in many ways, like dreams, flashes of intuition, meditation, illumination, and above all
00:04:34.500through our identification with nature. This planet is one sentient whole and we are all part of it.
00:04:42.760Whatever happens to it happens to us. That is why we must identify with it. You can reach out to the
00:04:49.900planet and become one with it. Keep well and stay strong. We can get through every trial if we stay
00:04:58.240strong. Picture it. Puerto Rico, 1936. Majin is born the same year that PR gives women full suffrage
00:05:08.040and I love this synchronicity. When people are born into a certain level of freedom and equality,
00:05:14.080this can set the trajectory of an entire life. That said, the right to vote is nothing compared
00:05:20.440to the freedom that the people of that land had pre-1492. Taino people inhabited the territory
00:05:27.140and called the island Borrequén, which means the great land of the valiant and noble lord.
00:05:34.040The Taino, who are said to have come from the Orinoco River in present Venezuela,
00:05:38.540lived on the island when the Spaniards arrived, and their numbers were estimated at 50,000.
00:05:44.520The Taino were a peaceful people who lived on local crops and seafood,
00:05:48.400in harmony with the land and each other. When Columbus came upon Boracan on his second voyage
00:05:54.060in 1493, the Taino greeted him warmly. He noticed the gold nuggets in the river,
00:05:59.460and the Taino, having no real need or use for such a thing, and let's be real,
00:06:04.400gold doesn't have much use outside of capitalism. So the Taino, having no use for such a thing,
00:06:09.640of course told him to take all he wanted. This was a beautiful, if naive, gesture of generosity
00:06:15.700and friendship that would change the world forever. The ambitious Juan Ponce de Leon,
00:06:21.200a lieutenant to Columbus, was made governor, and PR, once the peaceful, plentiful Taino land of
00:06:27.380Boricán, quickly became Spain's most important military outpost in the Caribbean. It's worth
00:06:34.180sitting with Ponce here for a second, because his story illustrates, one, that invader colonizers'0.99
00:06:41.080greed made them not only evil, but also ludicrously stupid, and two, that, as my jean believes,0.99
00:06:49.600magic is science. So Ponce and his colonists spent all their time gathering gold and no time0.99
00:06:56.760planting or tending crops to sustain their numbers. Ultimately, it's been said, Ponce
00:07:02.120returned to Spain because he had too much gold and not enough food. Ponce is probably most well
00:07:10.200known as the man who went searching for the fountain of youth. Historians agree that this
00:07:14.360story likely isn't exactly true. Nonetheless, theories abound as to what that fountain of
00:07:20.380youth might be. Was it Bahamian love vine, brewed as an aphrodisiac? Arnie Molander has
00:07:27.120speculated that the conquistador mistook the natives' vid, vine, for vida, life,
00:07:34.480transforming their fountain vine into an imagined fountain of life.
00:07:39.100Another theory is that the fountain was an earth-made spa,
00:07:42.820a naturally carved basin of lime in North Bimini, Bahamas, now called the Healing Hole.
00:07:48.640Organic tunnels feed fresh, mineral-rich water to the mineral-rich tub,
00:07:54.240Calcium and magnesium having now been proven by science to increase longevity.
00:09:20.880So far in our search, we have established the following facts.
00:09:25.160Number one, the first law of thermodynamics tells us that matter or electromagnetic energy can neither be created or destroyed.
00:09:34.880Two, neurology tells us that the brain emits measurable electromagnetic waves that can be used to identify activities associated with the human mind.
00:09:45.6603. Many psychologists and neurologists suspect that the electromagnetic field that is the mind
00:09:54.200and can be identified as human thought processes may well function independently of the brain.
00:10:01.0204. Jung has taught us that the unconscious part of the mind can communicate with other
00:10:06.940unconscious minds during sleep or when in an alpha state.
00:10:11.4805. The world of the mind, called by many the astral world, is a world of images and symbols
00:10:18.040where everything is possible and nothing is surprising.
00:10:21.9806. The astral world is the world of dreams where we travel whenever we sleep.
00:10:28.6407. For his part, Darwin has shown us that nature preserves all that is strong and valuable.
00:10:35.980Based on these simple and well-known data, we can theorize the following.
00:10:39.1201. The human mind is made of electromagnetic energy, and since energy cannot be destroyed,
00:10:46.000then it follows that the human mind cannot be destroyed either.
00:10:49.3602. If the mind functions independently of the body as science suspects, then when the body dies,
00:10:56.580the mind will continue to exist independently of the body.
00:11:00.8003. The mind and the awareness of the personality will then exist in the astral world that we know
00:11:08.280as the world of our dreams. This is the world of symbols and images that is the culmination
00:11:13.560of our experiences and the experiences of our ancestors.
00:11:18.180Four. If nature has seen fit to preserve millions of species for millions of years,
00:11:23.520it is logical to assume that it should also seek to preserve the human mind and its great
00:11:28.740creative potential. This is supported by the fact that nature preserves that which is strong
00:11:34.200and valuable, and the most valuable thing that has ever evolved on this planet is the human
00:11:39.280mind. I'm going to cut my gene off here for a second. I'm not so sure about that last one.
00:11:44.780The most valuable thing is the human mind? I'll leave it to you. Back to my gene.
00:11:50.940According to all of this, after we die, the physical body decomposes into its basic elements,
00:11:56.380which are then recycled by nature to create other life forms. The mind, which is pure
00:12:01.940electromagnetic energy, once disembodied, has no physical substance and continues to exist in the
00:12:07.800astral world where it becomes part of the collective memories and experiences of that world.
00:12:13.240This is what's called the human spirit, the personality of an individual, and it's how we
00:12:18.080identify ourselves in the world. While the world of matter passes after we die, the world of mind,
00:12:24.380our true essence, where we rest each and every night, is the final resting place where our
00:12:30.740awareness continues to exist after the end of physical life. In other words, based on what
00:12:37.680science has to tell us, we can postulate that our personality does survive the trauma of physical
00:12:43.280death and continues to live in another world or on another spiritual or astral plane. Much of what
00:12:49.980will be presented here has nothing to do with science. It may be labeled speculation, fantasy,
00:12:54.940imagination, or spiritual insight. It is the human spirit's answer to science's unanswerable
00:13:01.320questions. Nothing we can imagine, no matter how fantastic, can come close to the spectacular
00:13:07.160designs of the universe. Also, in the last few years, astrophysicists have discovered a dark
00:13:12.880matter they believe forms about 90% of the universe. Nobody knows what it is made of,
00:13:18.700but scientists suspect that only about 10% of the universe is visible,
00:13:23.600the remaining 90% being composed of invisible dark matter.
00:13:28.160It has been speculated that these invisible particles are passing through our bodies all the time,
00:17:17.280If you wish to contact any of these forces,0.98
00:17:19.540all you need to do is contact those things in nature that they represent.
00:17:23.980When you go to the ocean, see it as a mother force which can empower you and cleanse you
00:17:30.460from negative influences. That is Yamaya. Majin wrote a partial memoir about her own
00:17:38.340experience of called Santeria called The Santeria Experience, where we learn that Majin had a nanny
00:17:44.440whom she loved dearly and deeply. This was the person she trusted most in the world and the
00:17:50.920person who introduced little Majin to Santeria. She wrote, of all the teachers I have ever had,
00:17:57.280the most influential was Maria. When I was a child, she taught me that there was an open channel
00:18:03.280between myself and natural forces, a channel that made it possible to communicate and identify with
00:18:09.560nature. Such a teaching received from a woman who did not know how to read or write. My humbling and1.00
00:18:17.000enriching experiences in Santeria have taught me how great are my limitations, and also how
00:18:24.220infinite my possibilities. All possible through the Ashe, the power of the saints.
00:18:32.440Mai-Jean tells of her first initiation, her first meeting with Yamaya. Little Mai-Jean is having her
00:18:37.720fifth birthday and will be starting school for the first time tomorrow. First thing in the morning,
00:18:42.700Maria takes her on a bus to a beach Majin had never been to before. Majin wrote,
00:18:48.120she took my hand and gently guided me to the water. Come, let me show you how to salute you, Maya.
00:18:56.580Lifting her voluminous skirts so that the waves would not wet them, she turned her body to the0.98
00:19:01.820left and forced me to do the same. We both stood ankle deep in the water, our bodies at right angles
00:19:07.680to the sea. Si, Floracita, you never entered the ocean-facing front. To do so is a challenge to
00:19:14.400Yamaya. It's like saying, I'm here, come get me. So then maybe she does. Always, always enter on
00:19:21.320your side. Better the right side. Then you say, Hakua, Yamaya, Hakua. Say it, little flower. I
00:19:27.600looked dubiously at the water, then at Maria. Like most Puerto Rican children, I had been raised a
00:19:33.040very strict Catholic, and I had the vague feeling that our parish priest would not approve of what
00:19:39.240Maria was saying. But my trust in her had been firmly established, and I did not want to offend
00:19:44.360her. Hakua, Yamiya, Hakua, I repeated. As soon as I repeated these words, I felt relieved and relaxed,
00:19:52.140as if an unseen link had been established between the sea and myself. My soul was overwhelmed by a
00:19:59.360great love for the sea that has never stopped growing within me. I have never bathed in the
00:20:04.260sea again without remembering that incredible feeling of love illuminating my entire being.
00:20:10.460Si floresita, Maria said joyously, Yamaya blesses you. She accepts you. She will always protect you.
00:20:17.620When I am not with you at school, you will be safe. Hakua, Yamaya, Hakua.
00:20:23.700Out of our first mother, the sea, Majin was reborn and would follow the Santeria path laid for her even long after Maria's death.
00:20:34.740The Santeria experience covers divination with coconut and cowrie shells, the process of throwing and reading patterns, rituals and ceremonies, education, and so much more.
00:20:46.020All told sweetly by Majin and pulled from her own journey.
00:20:49.900Those of you who have been with us since season one know that I have a deep and personal gratitude
00:20:55.280and connection to Cuban Santeria. I didn't expect or plan my experience, but I believe it changed my
00:21:01.480life. Scratch believe I know it changed my life, maybe saved my life. I can't explain this.
00:21:10.520Does that make it any less real, though, if all I can say is something happened to me?
00:21:17.760Well, my jean to the rescue once more with her special brand of validation.
00:22:54.920Edward Pastoriza, an initiate of Shango for over 40 years,0.99
00:22:59.480works on a regular basis with a psychiatrist from Bellevue Hospital.0.94
00:23:04.020Each time a Hispanic person with a severe mental problem comes to her attention,
00:23:08.480the psychiatrist asks her patient if he or she would like to be referred to a Santero for help.
00:23:14.580The patient is invariably relieved at the suggestion and agrees rapidly to the doctor's
00:23:19.180suggestion. The psychiatrist then calls Eduardo Pastoriza for an appointment and refers the patient
00:23:25.220to him. This unusual alliance has proven very successful and there are dozens of cases where
00:23:31.120the combined efforts of the psychiatrist and the Santero have been able to help a severely
00:23:36.300disturbed person find his or way back to society. Eduardo Pastoriza's case is only one of many
00:23:43.180unusual partnerships between Santeros and psychotherapists. In New York, some psychotherapists
00:23:49.240at both the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and Lincoln Hospital are actively engaged in
00:23:54.600mental therapies involving the cooperation of Santeros. In spite of the obvious social value
00:24:00.740of Santeria, it is still largely unaccepted by most American communities. The secrecy with which
00:24:07.020Santeros surround their practices is largely to blame for the antagonism facing the religion.
00:24:12.920People tend to fear what they do not know. It is not so much the animal sacrifices, the tambours,
00:24:18.900and magical practices that trouble Anglo-Americans. What is most disturbing to them is the fact that0.82
00:24:23.860Santeria is shrouded in deep mystery, that is heavily cloaked in impenetrable silence.
00:24:30.420So much secrecy is bound to be regarded as suspicion.
00:24:34.040It is difficult for the average American person to understand the 400-year-old tradition that binds the Santero to secrecy.
00:24:40.480The rigorous oaths of silence created by the Yoruba slaves to ensure the survival of their faith are now haunting the Santero in his own bid for survival in a hostile environment.
00:24:51.820The Santeros are aware of the problem, and many Casa de Santo are trying to dispel some of the negative publicity surrounding their practices.
00:24:59.820They understand the importance of letting the world into their mysteries, but many of the elders still cling to the ancient traditions, and since there is little union between the various houses, it is difficult for the Santeros to reach a common agreement.
00:25:13.600The secrecy in Santeria also makes the religion easy prey for extortionists and charlatans who take advantage of the ignorance of the public about the practices of the Santeros and charge outrageous prices for useless implements and initiations.
00:25:28.060If the public were better informed as to the beliefs and practices of santeria and the average costs of initiations and iboes, the dangers of extortion would be considerably reduced.
00:25:39.760Fear and discrimination are the two worst problems faced by the santero.
00:25:44.920In Florida, a santero who tried to build a temper in honor of St. Lazarus, Babalu Aye, met with severe opposition from the leaders of the community.
00:25:54.620It's possible that these people may be witches, said a reporter from the Halila Home News.
00:26:04.120Man, to this day, if you want to dismiss and demean someone, all you gotta do is cry witch.
00:26:11.820But my jean illustrates so beautifully that the best medicine, the best healing, the best concepts, the best world
00:26:20.000comes when magical, spiritual, creative expressionists join forces with practical,
00:26:25.900organized, logic-minded lab techs. Only, and I mean only by working together, combining perspectives
00:26:32.560and ideas, can we ever hope to solve the great mystery of being human. There's perhaps no greater
00:26:38.660vanity than to say, there is nothing I can learn from you. There is nothing you can teach me.
00:26:44.560I love facts. I love evidence. I love technology. I love knowing. But I also love wonder, mystery, and the feeling that there is something at work in this universe that I will likely never understand. I love the idea that magical powers are there, waiting to be accessed. Poet William Butler Yeats wrote,
00:27:04.560The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.0.99
00:27:11.620It's common for people to talk about astrology, crystals, spellwork, tarot, whatever, and just say bullshit.1.00
00:27:20.140And sure, that's an easy approach.1.00
00:27:22.580It's much simpler to dismiss something that exists always just out of the grasp of comprehension and control.
00:27:29.840But people who say no, no, no are missing out on the wonderful world of maybe.
00:27:36.120And the yes, yes, yesers too, to them I say, ah, but maybe not.
00:27:40.420It is a blow to the ego, but food for the soul to know that you can't know everything,
00:27:45.740but always that you don't always have to know.
00:27:49.360And for me, being proven wrong is a gift.
00:27:53.660It means I've learned something today.
00:27:56.900Babes, a rational mind can only be enhanced by a feeling heart.
00:28:00.760So do your research, listen to the experts, then listen to your gut.
00:28:06.020Like my jean said, the more knowledge you have, the less likely you are to be taken in by a charlatan.
00:28:12.080Faith is a beautiful thing, but we must keep our wits about us at all times.
00:28:16.240I personally believe that anyone, be they lover or guru or politician, who asks you to follow them blindly, obediently, and without question does not have your best interest at heart.
00:28:31.120Like the fool of the tarot, we soon learn that we must integrate wonder with foresight.
00:28:37.460Our two eyes working together with our third eye to complete every picture.0.98
00:28:42.940This is how missing witches find ourselves.
00:28:47.840Let's go back to Puerto Rico real quick, because this past summer,
00:28:51.460Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rossello, announced his resignation after days of mass street protests.
00:28:59.620Like Mai-Jean said, keep well and stay strong.
00:29:04.100We can get through every trial if we stay strong.
00:29:07.220Mai-Jean is living in New York City and counts herself among those vibrant folk known as New Eurekan, short for New York Puerto Rican.
00:29:15.200She had a short-lived YouTube channel, but the audio quality made her videos a tough slog.
00:29:22.140I think Mai-Jean somehow psychically heard me writing this paragraph back in July because on August 1st, 2019, Mai-Jean came back to her YouTube channel with a microphone in all her red-lipsticked glory.
00:29:36.320Linked in the show notes as always, but now I can definitely say check it out.
00:29:42.160In May of 2019, at 82 years old, Mai-Jean tweeted,
00:29:46.280I am looking for a literary agent. Any suggestions?
00:29:50.340So, listeners, please help a witch out and hit her up on Twitter, at MyJean.0.87