Mud, Glorious Mud

Mud, Glorious Mud

by Mambo Rinmin La Via Bél

LePeristyle Haitian Sanctuary II

(215) 715-2176 mamborinmin@hotmail.com

What makes mud so glorious? It is wet, soft earth or earthly matter that could be molded, or painted as a “slip” for insulation against air leaks in early structures. Mud and straw were primary elements used to create bricks. Mud is a silky mixture of earth, minerals and water, providing the strength to support a facade and shelter, hardening to the strength of concrete. Mud or clay is also used to make vessels used for consumption, again a function discovered by the ancients, but also used in modern life. The use of pottery was ecologically and environmentally safe, and it is of the earth.

It is common knowledge that plastics do not return to the earth, they do not break down, and, they are environmentally hazardous to produce. We live in a world that produces thousands of chemicals, including everyday cleaners that are chemicals used in our homes. We soak up all of these chemicals by breathing polluted air, and polluting our internal systems. We are killing ourselves.

Today's society has taken gifts from the land and created and unbalanced environment. We recognize the abuse; we are examining our behavior and consumer habits, and realize that we must return to the source to restore that balance.

What can we do? As countries, we are shaping and changing the way we are look at our world. But that is not fast enough for individuals affected by the existing pollutants. There is another ancient use of mud, that of ritual cleansings performed by many cultures, including African religions. Mud was recognized as a healing tool, by drawing the pollutants or disease from our systems. We have already discovered that waters bond and heal the spirit on very deep levels. It is widely known that mud (earth dirt/clay), placed on bee stings and snake bits, will draw the venom out.

Combine water with the earth, two of the four primary elements, you have mud. The water bonds and heals the spirits, while the earth penetrates and draws out impurities, planting the seeds of health. We look to the earth to sustain us. Water is necessary to life; earth produces for life through nourishment, providing healing minerals, shelter and implements or tools, necessary for survival. Let’s examine or isolate one of the elements provided by “earth”; the use of water mixed with earth, mud, and the use of mud as a treatment for healing.

In today’s society, mud baths are recognized for their therapeutic value; mud bath treatments have been used for centuries in Eastern and Western European spas as a way to relieve arthritis. This method of treatment can be traced back to the time of the ancients from every corner of the earth. The combination of clay, mud, minerals, herbs, medicines and other ingredients relaxes muscles, joint, and detoxifies leaving the individual renewed. In alternative medicines there are numerous citings of healings by mud treatments, used for rheumatism, muscle fatigue, nervous diseases, joints and calcification diseases, kidney and urethra treatments.

The skin is the most viable detoxification pathway in the body, resulting in a powerful healing both inside and out. Now, this is the interesting part, mud can draw out toxic chemicals through the pores of the skin, while exchanging and placing the minerals and medicines directly into the system for deep healings.

Raymond Dextreit, the French naturopath who popularized the clay cure in his own country, believes Bentonite's (clay) powers transcend its purely physical properties. Most of the poisons in the body, Dextreit notes,"are positively charged, whereas clay has a negative electrical attraction." He states that, "These toxins cannot resist being drawn toward the clay."

According to the World Health Organization, "it is estimated that up to 85% of all cancer cases are the direct result of exposure to environmental factors." When we begin to think of the bio-chemical and toxic waste produced, how can we not absorb these poisons into our systems?

Urban dwellers have a higher level of exposure to these carcinogens, with cancer rates hitting unprecedented highs. No one is without some type of accelerated exposure and risk of cancer. How many in our families can we identify as being diagnosed with one of these diseases? Could we list and put a percentage of risk and diagnosis within our immediate circles?

Lay people have re-discovered what the priests, shamans, monks, etc. have known since the beginnings of community and familial living, knowledge of the healing qualities of mud. Just imagine the power of prayer and spiritual medicines combined with the medicinal qualities of the clay/earth. We have even more reason to return to ancient religious practices, which included the administration of periodic spiritual bath cleansing and mud baths. Practitioners of religions that still hold the secrets to these works need to re-introduce the healing attributes of the mud.

This year, at the National African Religion Congress’s 10^th Annual Conference, on August  24^th, a mud bath or cleansing is being offered. The ceremony will be conducted outdoors. The mud will be mixed with the nutrients of rich dirt, herbs, medicines and other spiritual ingredients, with prayer being offered by powerful priests and priestesses of African-based religions. Priests and priestesses who administer the mud bath call the Holy Forces (the Loa, Orisa, Santos, Saints, Angels, Messengers, Holy Spirit, etc) through prayers for health, peace of mind and spirit, realigning the physical to the spiritual, elevating us to higher levels of spirituality.

Understand the versatility of mud; it can be used for shelter, as vessels for consumption and to build and restore our health. It is of the earth and the earth provides. It is time to be thankful for the earth, a gift from Almighty God, who commands these Forces who then in turn govern the earth; we must respect the earth, bring back the harmony, praise and receive the blessings through gifts of healing.