24/12/2023
The patron god of Mexico was named Huitzilopochtli or “Hummingbird on the Left.” People today often think this god’s legacy is simply as a fierce warrior. The truth is that Huitzilopochtli would more easily be classified as a messenger god (like Hermes from the Greek tradition), and in particular his mastery was in his hummingbird-like quality to move with agility in the darkness and back into the light, symbolically also weaving together the masculine and feminine.
In Mesoamerican traditions, it was said that the gods created hummingbirds after humans and other and then they realized that of all the animals they created, none could quickly traverse between the earth, sky, and underworld realms. They realized the cosmos would fall apart if their interconnection broke down, so the hummingbird was made and tasked with the job of keeping the worlds connected.
This time of year, as Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, traditional Aztecs celebrate the birth of Huitzilopochtli with feasts and rituals that celebrate his hummingbird-like ability to descend deep into darkness, acquire the critical messages, and return them to the light, hoping to reintegrate the two into each other in a way that reminds the sun it is his turn to perform for awhile.
Individually, these rituals are meant to foster mental and emotional health by collectively reminding participants that this is the time to flitter into your own deep darkness without fear and with less dwelling, finding the gems of information that have been revealed by our unconscious and shadow (inner darkness), and bring them back into foster their growth in the coming light.
