Daniel Stange de Acatl
Posted March 5, 2026
Give and take. When push comes to shove. The power of the universe is constantly balanced through the dual actions of subtle forces. The weather is a great example of what is occurring due to the action of industrialization. As human technology and innovation imposes a strain to the natural environment, then the winds, clouds and heat patterns are responding in an effort to balance the equilibrium of atmospheric phenomenon.
TLALOC – and the Tlaloques of Mexican ancestral wisdom were named for these forces of nature. Tlalli is Earth and Octli is a beverage we drink. So, Tlaloc could be simply understood as the Drink of the Earth – which we call rain. But Octli, is also a specific fermented drink that helps the body to reconstitute and promotes balance within human physiology. Not only the physical, but even mental, emotional, and spiritual balance.
“Meoctli” was fermented from Metl cactus that we call Maguey and mixed with a root Pahtli that generated a distinct mixture known today as Pulque. Used by many people still as a form of intoxication, it can be analyzed to prove the medicinal benefits and has been falsely characterized by church and academic leaders to reduce our access to it. Similarly, the majority of our Native herbs and medicines like Peyote, hongos and Ayahuasca are also demonized.
Even today many people discuss the use of these medicines as if there is some mystical and superstitious taboo. The reality is that they help us distinguish the authentic response to our choices. Too often we are not able to see the immediate or direct influence of our knowledge, attitudes, or beliefs. Much of this is due to our sense of judgement between good and bad, which does not always align from what our minds tell us and what our body feels. We all can relate to that experience of knowing what is right but feeling like it’s wrong.
So, the weather is helping the Mother Earth to respond to our human activity. Just like ancestral medicines helps our body mind and spiritual balance; so, does the natural order of energy require us to reciprocate. We can give energy a variety of names; labor, heat, money, electricity, information. These all can be expressed in their capacity to exchange but without cause, there is no effect. If you believe in cause and effect, you probably also point out karma due to the popularity of its term from India and Chinese ancestral concepts.
TLALOC was personified by showing the profile of two serpents face to face in this exchange. It becomes the symbol for all material, physical entities that we conceive in this shared reality. The other half of truth is the ethereal, unperceived intangible reality that we symbolize in the personification of Quetzalcoatl. That’s why the symbol of Quetzalcoatl is a snake with feathers, a mythical image. What can’t be seen but is there in the exchange, like the intention.
I prefer the word intention over prayer. It has a feeling of self-direction over that of “whatever God wants”. Prayer can sometimes be more of a petition so that relieves the devotee from any responsibility. If you don’t get what you pray for you can say, “well it wasn’t God’s will”. However, when you announce that you have intention, and that you are vocalizing what you want to see manifest, then the responsibility is also for you to engage and ensure that your intention is realized. This subtle difference is apparent when you recognize where you focus.
Humans are social creatures and so we extend beyond our immediate family into a chosen community. When we call ourselves Chicanas and Chicanos, we are making our identity reflect something collective. But when we blindly follow the options that capitalist society offers, we fall back into the individual desires, and immediate gratification becomes the only evidence of our efforts.
What we are seeing today more often is the need for that collective power. Especially, if we do not want an authoritarian style government. Some of us might think that it has always been a brutal authoritarian regime and from that Indigenous perspective of our Elders that is partly true. Still the percentage of Native American participation with regard to enrollment for the military and fighting to defend American Democracy is unmatched. Code Talkers helped win World War II, more than fire power until they dropped the atomic bomb.
Our collective power is at what the Trump Administration is truly afraid of. They believe that our addiction to social media will continue to divide us. This is why independent voice in media, is so important and why it has been under attack. We have to do better at sharing these stories and making the intention to keep our community voices strong and relevant.
The change in media today has eliminated the profitability for printed newspapers, but the content perspectives and the storytelling that is the hallmark of our culture is not something that big media and global markets can express.
We will not allow people that are not members of our community to direct us about what is reported, because we maintain the integrity of reporting truth and ensuring that our facts are verified. This becomes increasingly difficult with the ability for AI and other platforms to create false content that contradicts what we know. Another reason that we, as a Chicano community, should be more conscious about where we get information and what is the intent behind its distribution.
Danny Stange de Acatl is a Denver Native and Cultural activist that serves his community on various levels.
- The Power of Unity: 25th Annual Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship - April 24, 2026
- New Mexico Primary 2026: Democratic Governor Candidate Deb Haaland - April 24, 2026
- Hell’s Kitchen: Love and Music in Manhattan - April 24, 2026
