World spiritual pathways have a home in Taos
This edition of the Blessing
Way column is dedicated in appreciation of the Taos area Interfaith Community, of which some members gathered at Taos Plaza on December 21 to welcome the renewal of light from the winter solstice and to pray for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and for the commendation of the souls of all who have succumbed to it.
The Great and Holy Spirit, although essentially timeless, is yet always ever new.
A very ancient tradition recounts that somewhere in our northern country a primordial spirit fire continues to burn on a hidden sacred altar as a ceaseless ardent prayer covenant between the people and the one known as the Most High, “since time immemorial.”
That prayer fire is said to be part of a faithway that goes back many thousands of years here and in the Western Hemisphere of the world as part of the religion of the original peoples and predating the coming of the European peoples from the Eastern Hemisphere centuries ago.
Spanish Europeans arrived here in the 15th and 16th centuries AD, bringing the faith of Christian Catholicism; and after very turbulent and contentious initial relations the two religions accommodated a parallel coexistence. Many of the original peoples also became adherents of Catholicism, while the Christians gained an appreciation and respect for the native religions here.
Now some 500 years or so later, we look back over the course of many mighty events in the political affairs and upheavals of nations that have transpired, including the transitions from Spanish Royal sovereignty to Mexican independence from Spain in the 19th Century to the American U.S. annexation of this region in 1847, and the transition of the New Mexico and Taos territory to American Statehood in 1912, and even more sweeping changes for the region including social, economic, and religious change.
While the ancient pueblos and peoples kept the old ways, the Spanish-speaking peoples here experienced the huge political changes more directly, having been subsumed into the American system and requirements and demands: A new type of economy, the need to adapt to other ways including the English language, and more.
Spiritual changes also became inevitable. The new State of New Mexico was viewed as an opportunity for other religious denominations, including the powerful Board of Home Missions that included Baptists; Presbyterian; Evangelical Lutheran; Methodist Episcopal; Reformed Church of America; United Presbyterian; and others. This Board of Home Missions was joined with the Interdenominational Council of Women for Home Missions.
The board’s goal was to missionize the new Territory and State of New Mexico. While that grand goal was not entirely achieved, the Women’s Missionary Movement did succeed in establishing a network of schools and boarding homes for students, many still operating in Northern New Mexico.
While predominantly Catholic, the Taos region hosts the world’s religious diversity, including: Roman Catholic; Ancient Eastern Orthodox Church; Southern Baptist Convention;
Church of Latter Day Saints; Presbyterian USA; Assemblies of God; Pentecostal; Church of Christ; Episcopalian; Four Square Gospel; Seventh Day Adventist; Quakers; United Methodist; Baha’i; Lutheran; Calvary Fellowship; First Indian Baptist Church; Spanish Baptist Church; The Church at Llano Quemado; Puerta de Refugio; Iglesia Lluvias de Gracia…
Taos Jewish Center, B’nai Shalom Havurah, and Chabad of Taos; Tibetan Buddhist; Vietnamese Zen Buddhist; Vipassana Buddhist and Zen Buddhist; Hindu, Hanuman Temple; Islam, Taos Mosque; Native American Gadohi Usquanigodi Spiritual Center; Native American Church; Christian Science Center of Taos; Unitarian Congregation of Taos; Unity of Taos; and many more.
And the ancient silent prayer fire always rises from that sacred center in our special land, mysterious and ever-new as a constant healing and renewal for the world, and as an affirmation of the Blessing Way.