posted March 11, 2007 02:16 PM              

Web posted at: 3/11/2007 9:14:58
Source ::: Reuters

GUATEMALA CITY • Mayan leaders will spiritually "cleanse" ancient ruins in Guatemala after a visit by US President George W Bush, unpopular here because of foreign policies going back to Central America's civil wars.

The leaders said they would hold a spiritual ceremony to restore "peace and harmony" at the Mayan ruins of Iximche after Bush tours the site tomorrow. "No, Mr. Bush, you cannot trample and degrade the memory of our ancestors," said indigenous leader Rodolfo Pocop during a press conference. "This is not your ranch in Texas."

Bush will arrive tonight in Guatemala, his second-to-last stop on a five-country tour of Latin America, where his approval ratings are low. His visit sparked violent protests in Brazil and Colombia. Social groups are organising marches against his visit to Guatemala.

On Friday, some 150 student protesters blocked off a street in Guatemala City near two US fast food outlets to burn an American flag and set off firecrackers.

"We've burned this flag for what the Yankee did all over the world. We remember the CIA's policy in our country, which promoted scorched-earth policies and the bloodshed of our people," the protest leader shouted, standing on a car.

The CIA helped overthrow a democratically elected socialist goverment in Guatemala in 1954 and US-backed troops destroyed entire Mayan villages in a counter-insurgency campaign at the peak of Guatemala's 1960-96 civil war.

US involvement in the war, which left nearly a quarter of a million people dead or missing, makes Bush's presence in Guatemala offensive to the nation's ethnic Mayan people, youth leader Jorge Morales Toj said.

posted March 11, 2007 07:48 PM            

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"This is not your ranch in Texas."

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Thats...childish at best...if the ruins are so sacred that no outsider could visit then simply do not allow him to visit. Cleaning it after is so beligerant.

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On Friday, some 150 student protesters blocked off a street in Guatemala City near two US fast food outlets to burn an American flag and set off firecrackers.

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Those people crack me up.

posted March 11, 2007 07:48 PM            

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No, Mr. Bush, you cannot trample and degrade the memory of our ancestors," said indigenous leader Rodolfo Pocop during a press conference. "This is not your ranch in Texas."

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LMAO

posted March 12, 2007 01:56 AM              

It seems to be kind of mean spirited to me to cleanse their ancient ruins just because Bush was there.

Plus it is kind of an insult to all American people as well. May cut down on their tourist trade. lol

posted March 12, 2007 07:59 PM            

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It seems to be kind of mean spirited to me to cleanse their ancient ruins just because Bush was there.

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I definately agree with you Mirandee. Whether Bush is a good leader or not he is there to represent Americans as a people and thats a disrespect to the rest. I understand some cultures wouldn't appreciate people who have not undergone certain rites to visit their holy sites. Thats perfectly alright, but they should have warned him first or not allowed him to enter rather than wash after

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I'm sorry to see the native spiritual tradition sink to the level of a media circus.

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posted March 13, 2007 12:15 AM              

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This man is indirectly responsible for 650,000+ Iraqi deaths and nearly 20,000 American deaths (in and out of combat, the second typically not included) and that is just Iraq (of course most news sites under report on both counts). He brings VERY VERY VERY bad vibes to the site, OF COURSE it needs to be clensed.

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That may very well be true. Cleanse the site and let it go. I find it very disingenuous that these so-called "elders" feel the need to drag out the propaganda machine.

I might also add that the spiritual cleanliness of the site before Bush's visit could justifiably be called into question given the Mayan propensity for human blood sacrifice.

posted March 13, 2007 11:51 AM              

They can judge Bush's actions and even protest them as in the protest in front of the American fast food restaurants. However, cleansing their ancient sites because he visited there suggests they feel he is evil or in some way his soul does not measure up to their standards. That is judging the condition of Bush's soul. Something that none of us can know. Only God can see into our souls.

That is what I object to about the cleansing of the ancient holy sites.

posted March 13, 2007 01:40 PM              

i know that people like this will leave a negative energy residue in my home after visiting. i know before they visit that i will do a cleansing with burning sage, incense and essential oils once they depart. usually i try to raise the vibration in my home before such a person's arrival.

sometimes my own energy becomes bogged down with negativity and conflict, and i do the same. it's not a matter of judging a person's character, just the impact of the vibration that occurs with a person's energy imprint.

even people i love and admire very much -- if they bring negative or toxic energy into my home -- i will cleanse it!! i still love them....but the nature of our society often is encouraging of a lot of negative thinking and emotion.

posted March 13, 2007 01:56 PM              

I don't think that you announce it to the papers or the guests in your home that you will be doing a cleansing after they leave do you, naiad? No, because that would be offensive to them.

posted March 14, 2007 12:49 AM              

another method of raising the energy in your space is that of drawing the infinity symbol in the air -- all around the dwelling. this good vibe is palpable.

i learned this from Denise Linn, in her book, Sacred Space.

posted March 14, 2007 03:39 AM              

I didn't see Pope John Paul sprinkle holy water on Bush or use incense around him either during or after his visit and yet Pope John Paul was very out spoken and adamant on his views of the Iraq war as well as some of Bush's other policies. He did wag his finger at Bush when speaking to him once. lol

posted March 14, 2007 04:04 AM              

also love the whole altar/ritual thing. i had an altar in my room as a little girl...with holy water and other sacred objects. still do....

burning charcoal with resins and herbs is my favorite method of incense burning.

though i also often have nag champa going in my house. my house is my temple. i love my sacred space.

wonder what method of spiritual cleansing the Guatemalans use....

posted March 14, 2007 09:25 AM            

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also love the whole altar/ritual thing. i had an altar in my room as a little girl...with holy water and other sacred objects.

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posted March 14, 2007 12:15 PM              

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loved how the priest would walk the aisles of the church wafting incense over the congretation. that's from whence my love of incense arises.
also love the whole altar/ritual thing.

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posted March 14, 2007 02:34 PM              

So we can't change? We can't learn from our mistakes and we can't be forgiven EVER for our mistakes? Not even the RC Church? The Church under Pope John Paul has publically apologized for all the things that happened in the history of the Church.

Some people it seems still hang onto things that occured 1000's of years ago and never let go of the past. Perhaps that is why they don't see all the changes that have taken place not only in the Church but in all the world and people around them. You can't move forward if you are continually looking backwards.

We aren't still living in the Middle Ages as people. Neither then is the RC Church or any other religion.

edited to add:

Since none of us are without sin either none of us are in the position to wag our fingers at the RC Church or anyone else for that matter.