You and me, we are mostly made out of water and energy. With water that runs through our bodies like rivers. Shapes and curves like valleys and mountains. Roots spreading inside of us. Roots moving. The ability to create life. Sustain life. The need for relationships. Tell me how we are different from Nag Mapu, […]

It’s six years ago, during an early morning rush hour of people dropping off their kids at school, going to work, or just going places. The result is the kind of traffic that moves forward an inch per minute. It doesn’t bother me, every day is the same in LA. So instead of testing how […]

As a young child, I didn’t need to watch the news to learn about the weather. My mom was my weather channel. “I feel pressure,” she would say, placing a hand on her head and legs to show where she felt it. That meant a thunderstorm was coming. On Wallmapu, our territory, storms can turn bad […]

What happens to all your energy? And why does it feel like death?   Someone commented this on a video I posted on Tiktok: “Before and during I am fine but after it feels like death.” This person was referring to how they feel after their menstrual cycle, but most people living in survival (aka […]

That look, I had seen it before: a startled deer, trying to decide whether to stay still or run. Body tense and big wide eyes asking; Is this dangerous? Am I safe? I zigzagged my way through rows of students on their backs. Even under the dim lights, I could tell they were all relaxed, all […]

I’m just going to throw you right into this. Imagine for a moment that you’re hanging off a cliff. Your feet, dangling in the air, rocks crumbling under your fingertips, your grip so tight your knuckles are turning white. Looking down, all you can see is darkness. Then, you turn your head and see that […]

An analogy to help you see how this society misunderstands our instincts. And how it affects you. In my yard, there are a lot of lizards. Every morning I sit with my coffee and watch them jump from one rock to another. Then they stop and do these little push-ups. Don’t ask me why but […]

From not fitting in, hiding identity, and domestic violence; to new beginnings. Last week I turned 33. Do you ever look at older pictures of yourself and wish you could talk to your younger self? When I look at pictures of myself as a child, she feels like a daughter. I want to crouch down […]

Whenever I think of my abuelita, I think of her soft healing hands. Her whispers to the plants like she was sharing secrets with them. Her knowledge and cure to everything from a stomach ache to a heartache. My relationship with our plant relatives started early. And as much as I wish I could say […]