Xeminawo
Part Air
Xeminawo — spelled X-E-M-I-N-A-W-O — is
pronounced Xe-me-now.
Xè comes from Xeno: stranger, outsider, outcast — those
at the edge of society, like witches or cannibals, never truly welcomed, never
fully accepted.
Me means myself.
Now calls to the present moment.
Part Infinity
In the Ewe language of West Africa, the word Xeminawo itself
does not exist — yet its syllables breathe meaning: Bird, we give them.
Xè means bird, Mi means we, Na means
give, and Wo means them.
To me, Wo whispers womb and woman — and in West African
Voodoo, Minawo is the name for a woman spiritual leader.
Part Life
In this moment, the Spirit revealed itself in the form of a
dove, appearing above Mary’s head in the chapel of Palazzo Principe del Naselli,
in Aragona, Sicily.
The Virgin Mary’s shadow drew the figure of Baba Jaga, the old witch — keeper
of forbidden, hidden, earthly wisdom, still alive in the safe dark.
The dove is purity and innocence, for God’s Spirit is holy and blameless.
Through Mary, the Spirit acts in the world; she is the bridge between humanity
and the divine.
Her shadow never leaves her side — it guards her.