A Rich Spiritual Universe

Hundreds of botánicas populate L.A., and most of us don’t know that they are the tip of the iceberg of a rich spiritual universe. On the surface, these little shops, literally “plant stores” or dispensaries of medicinal herbs, sell items of spiritual import similar to a Catholic supply store or even a New Age bookstore with its (high-priced) candles and crystals. But when you learn the history and something of the spiritual culture, you will find them to be much, much more.

When Africans were kidnapped and forced into slavery in the New World, they were also prohibited from practicing their indigenous religion on threat of death. As had been done before to the native people, the Catholic Church required involuntary conversions to the faith. The African people were genius, however, in melding the mystical truth of Catholicism with their own sacred practices. Their religion went underground in the Latin Countries in the New World morphing into Candomblé in Brazil, and Santería in Cuba. In Central America, the Aztecs and others combined folk healing with Catholicism as Curanderismo.

These underground traditions from Latin countries blend in the melting pot of the botánica. Among the religious statuary for sale you will find Catholic saints, the Virgin Mary, Native American chiefs, African gods and goddesses, Gypsies, and animals. Lately, you will also find Buddhas and Ganeshas added for good luck. These traditions focused on the building of shrines, so you will find items that would enhance any altar.

Botánicas as an urban retail store carry all kinds of sacred objects for sale: candles, soaps, incense, perfumes, amulets, books, and specialized baths called limpias that are used for purification. You will also find rosary beads and holy water used for Roman Catholic practice.

Many Latinos who have immigrated from elsewhere cannot afford and do not trust the American healthcare system. Instead, they rely on the botánica as a place of healing and support. Here they can receive herbal remedies and curative potions, guidance in their personal and spiritual lives, and cures for overcoming evil and bad luck.

In addition to being religious supply stores, alternative healthcare clinics, and spiritual centers, botánicas function for displaced persons from Latino cultures as a connection to one’s homeland and its customs. At the botánica they can find hope, healing, support, and spiritual meaning.

The spiritual universe of the botánica is a world of mystery. Mainstream American culture wants everything explained scientifically, and instead, the botánica universe understands that not all can be tied up in a bow. There is a metaphysical appreciation that mystery is a synonym for divinity and spirit. Many of these religions utilize falling into trance states in order to commune with the gods, and some practice animal sacrifice, a practice that goes back hundreds of years to Haitian voodoo and beyond. In fact, in 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of Santería adherents to practice animal sacrifice as part of their religion.

So next time you pass that local botánica in the mini-all near you … when you’re faced with one of life’s inevitable challenges … maybe a broken heart … maybe you need protection from enemies (the two biggest requests) … maybe, just maybe … stop in and ask the curandera proprietor for help. You may find yourself walking out with not only a red candle for love, or a blue one for peace, but also with a prayer, a hope, a renewed sense that we all live together in a divine universe in which collaboration with Spirit is possible to create our lives.

This is an excerpt from Catherine Auman's book Guide to Spiritual L.A.: The Irreverent, the Awake, and the True