In many ceremonies we are given a small taste of these Four Flavors of Life as the Tlamakazke (or the one guiding the ritual) explains their symbolism as well as their meaning & importance in life.
One time, during one of these rituals, a child was given the flavors to taste during a ceremony. Starting with the sour, then the bitter, then the salty & finally he would be given the sweet. The Tlamakazke explained that in life our experiences are usually one of these flavors, each holding a different lesson with it, & we should embrace each one & what it brings with it, we should be present & grateful for it, because it will soon be gone & thr cycles of life will bring us the next flavor. This child however, was so overwhelmed by the salty & bitter that he would not stop crying & refused to continue, & the poor thing never got to the sweet flavor of agave nectar that was waiting for him.
This, our teacher & tlamakazke Akaxe explained, was a perfect lesson for us all, an opportunity to see the symbolism and our inner child reflected in this little mirror... Sometimes life brings us tough lessons, or sad & difficult moments that challenge us in many ways. And sometimes, instead of using the healthy coping
One time, during one of these rituals, a child was given the flavors to taste during a ceremony. Starting with the sour, then the bitter, then the salty & finally he would be given the sweet. The Tlamakazke explained that in life our experiences are usually one of these flavors, each holding a different lesson with it, & we should embrace each one & what it brings with it, we should be present & grateful for it, because it will soon be gone & thr cycles of life will bring us the next flavor. This child however, was so overwhelmed by the salty & bitter that he would not stop crying & refused to continue, & the poor thing never got to the sweet flavor of agave nectar that was waiting for him.
This, our teacher & tlamakazke Akaxe explained, was a perfect lesson for us all, an opportunity to see the symbolism and our inner child reflected in this little mirror... Sometimes life brings us tough lessons, or sad & difficult moments that challenge us in many ways. And sometimes, instead of using the healthy coping
tools at our disposal, or instead of embracing the lessons & moment, we become overwhelmed by the amount of personal work or willpower or centrality these moments in life are asking of us. Sometimes we think we should only have sweet moments in life. Sometimes we then protest these salty or bitter flavors of life, we throw our own tantrums, asking why us or why now or say its not fair. Sometimes we focus entirely too much or too long on that flavor, becoming resentful or depressed or vengeful.
But by rejecting or overly focusing on that flavor, we dont realize that we actually get stuck in that flavor, we never release it. We dont embrace it & let the cycle flow through & past us.
And by not embracing it & adapting & learning & growing with the challenges life sets forth for us, by focusing on the salty or bitter that we may not have liked, we actually prevent ourselves from being open to receive the sweet flavors that inevitably follow. The sweet flavors that come with understanding & love & growth. The sweet that comes with the spring after the winter, or the rising sun after the darkest hours of night.
But by rejecting or overly focusing on that flavor, we dont realize that we actually get stuck in that flavor, we never release it. We dont embrace it & let the cycle flow through & past us.
And by not embracing it & adapting & learning & growing with the challenges life sets forth for us, by focusing on the salty or bitter that we may not have liked, we actually prevent ourselves from being open to receive the sweet flavors that inevitably follow. The sweet flavors that come with understanding & love & growth. The sweet that comes with the spring after the winter, or the rising sun after the darkest hours of night.
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