Cancer and The Ancestral Power to Heal:  Do you think that our ancestral past could teach us anything about healing modern Cancers?  This past Sunday, I had the privilege of addressing more than 450 cancer survivors and their family members.  The Cancer patients were from Rush-Copley Hospital in Aurora Illinois and the site was a rally at Blackberry Farm. I must admit that I was a bit nervous.  I mean, these are heroes who have been braving harsh chemo treatments and other invasive procedures to aggressively address one of the greatest killers of humanity.  I reminded myself that our native ancestors dealt with serious illnesses of all sorts for thousands of years.  Although much of their teaching was destroyed, it has never been forgotten. Our ancestors believed that YOU are the most power healer you will ever encounter.  It is the power of your own belief in healing that ultimate creates the necessary conditions for healing to occur.    Native principles of healing include the concept of balance and the interconnection of humanity with all of creation. Our ancestors taught that when we are out of balance and harmony with our emotional wellbeing, our physical health deteriorates, particularly when major emotional traumas are ignored. Resent research studies conducted in England, Michigan State and Ohio State underscore Native Healing principles of visioning which today we call guided imagery.  In experiments where patients are guided to imagine their bodies destroying cancer and producing white blood cells, patients have achieved complete remission in many cases.  This research in imaging has also improved functions of Netrophils-white blood cells thus greatly improving a patient's immune system and recovery pre and post treatment .  After my talk several survivors approached me to confirm the power of self healing.  One beautiful older woman spoke of her experience with guided imagery.  She imagined her "PacMan" white blood cells eating her cancer.  Today, she is convinced that this treatment is what placed her cancer in remission.  Another ancestral principle of wellness dictates that the human body has a natural ability to fight any disease.  This teaching is evident when we consider recent advances in cancer vaccines which use the body's natural immune abilities to completely reverse and arrest many cancers.  We live in exiting times in which ancestral teachings are being incorporated to advance our physical, mental and spiritual understanding of our human condition and its interconnection to all of creation.  Our ancestors believed that we all have the potential for complete unification with the source of all truth and power.  When such unification occurs, we can direct that power for our own good.  Most often it is our own feelings of unworthiness and inferiority which separates us from this source of all healing and power.     Do you believe we all have the power to heal ourselves?  Here are five steps taken from my first book, "The Promise of the Fifth Sun" www.thepromiseofthefifthsun.com .  1.        Conduct a self analysis of your life story and themes 2.       Identify those points where you  have gotten stuck 3.       Create a plan of action to erase emotional clogs 4.       Follow through with new behaviors 5.       Develop and maintain a self care practice   I look forward to your questions and comments.   Until then, I wish you perfect health and peace.  Dr. Jorge Partida www.drjorge.net http://jpartida.blogspot.com/

Building a Participatory Democracy

Building a Participatory Democracy Across our nation, many young people are experiencing the severe impact of our economic downturn.  A declining economy has resulted in the denial of basic health and social services to those most in need and is most evident in the increasing deterioration of our educational system that is unable to teach to the growing diversity of its student body.  It is estimated that the high trend of Latino students dropping out of school will continue to increase at least throughout the next decade, resulting in more than 50% of Latino youth dropping out of school nationally.  Violence and gang involvement are often a predictable and logical outcome of our inability to adequately respond to the needs of our diverse youth.  Gang violence and crime receive the attention of law enforcement who, in turn, acts by placing youth in detention facilities.  Sometimes youth are able to turn their lives around, but most of the time, placing youth in detention only prepares them for a career within the confines of the adult correctional system.  Currently, the percentage of Latino youth in detention is three times higher than the percentage of Latinos in the general population.  From May 13 to 15TH, I had the distinct honor of working in Skagit County, a rural community located in Washington State.  Skagit County has a high percentage of Latino residents who are drawn to the area because of migrant work and farm labor.  The natural beauty of this region is scarred by the growing presence of gangs and violent incidents which have everyone living in fear and mistrust.  Norteno and Sureno gangs fight for control of neighborhoods and for the recruitment of youth to be initiated for life.  The most vulnerable youth are the ones most in need of love and acceptance.  While a society argues over who has a right to be called an American Citizen and who has a right to claim the American dream as his/her own, young people are being trapped in the middle of failed policies.  Many young people are experiencing severe family stress, poverty and trauma and have no one and nowhere to turn.   When parents work long hours, when there is chaos, domestic violence, alcohol or drugs at home, children suffer and internalize these experiences in very damaging ways.  Even when families seek support, there is nowhere to turn and no one to help.  When poverty becomes an insurmountable reality, young people are accepting money and food from gang leaders so that they can help their families survive.  In exchange for the food and little money they receive, young people are pledging their lives to a cause they do not understand.   In these tough economic times, offers of protection and economic support from gang leaders make many young people decide to join.  Meanwhile, the violence increases, families and communities are torn apart and innocent young people lose their future and their very lives on the very streets they fight to defend.     I have worked here in Skagit County for the past three years facilitating community meetings with school administrators, teachers, parents, youth, social service and health providers, law enforcement, correctional officers and other community leaders looking to make an impact.   The purpose of these meetings has been to facilitate dialogue, to identify potential solutions and to address the concerns of growing violence that has plagued the area for years.  Recently, these acts of violence seem to have escalated dramatically, spilling into random drive-by shootings and terrorizing family gatherings.  There is no doubt that everyone wants this problem to disappear, but how?  Who is responsible and who is accountable?  At the end of my three day stay, I attended a meeting where the Healthy Schools/Safe Schools initiative was announcing the end and dismantling of their $4.5 million dollar contract.  This initiative represents many prevention and intervention services, including tutoring, mentorship, day care, nursing services for newborns and other effective and innovative "best practice" services utilized mostly by Latino families.  No one is certain what the full impact will be when these services are no longer provided to the community, but it is probably safe to bet that the rates of violence, gang initiation and school drop outs will continue to rise dramatically.  If we believe that this problem affects only the poor and immigrant communities, then we might not be alarmed by the absence of these services and funds.   If we consider that, what impacts poor, immigrant families, eventually impacts us all, then we might be more prone to see the current crisis within our health and educational systems as requiring all of our attention.  What do you think will happen to millions of youth across the nation without an education or services necessary to meet their basic needs?    I have seen many good ideas go by the wayside because critics dismiss the recommendations stating there is no money to implement.  Yet, I have also witnessed the inspiring and spirited optimism of enthusiastic community leaders requesting guidance and direction to serve as volunteers.  I am convinced that this willingness to help, this demonstration of compassion and solidarity, represents the solution of our current service gap and national crisis.  More and more, leaders are emerging demanding participation in the creation and implementation of solutions which are born from the community and are of the community.  The American Dream is not dead.  The current "crisis" is simply evidence of an archaic and irresponsive system that is falling apart, because it must.  While it is natural to be alarmed at the disappearance of funding and services to those most in need, we should use the energy invested in fear and re-channel such efforts into community action.  Our communities are comprised of good, hardworking, creative individuals of all backgrounds who want to reclaim a society in which everyone is recognized as a necessary participant.     This next July, I will return to Skagit County to facilitate a three day retreat to train and prepare Latino leaders who already serve and work tirelessly toward the betterment of life for all.  This group of leaders represents professionals in the field of health, education, social service, church and government workers.  This group of dedicated individuals holds the spirit of a community that longs for effective solutions that come from the people, are of the people and for the people.  Across our nation there are thousands of individuals waking to a consciousness of our collective and interdependent existence.  More than ever, we are called to recognize the unity of our human condition and the need for us all to participate in the creation of a democracy that is truly representative and inclusive of even the most vulnerable amongst us all.        Dr. Jorge Partida www.drjorge.net http://jpartida.blogspot.com/

Time To Retool America

Time To Retool America Hearing on the Edward Kennedy Serve America Act and Retooling of America; Civic Engagement of Older Adults. This past May 11th I was in Springfield Illinois to hear a presentation of a bill just signed by President Obama, called The Edward Kennedy-Serve America Act. Later in the day, I presented as part of a panel focusing on the Civic Engagement of Older Adults, or retooling of America for new careers or retirement. A major emphasis, both of the Kennedy Act and the hearings involves the push to encourage people to volunteer during this time of crisis. As a means of achieving a significant workforce, the Kennedy Act expands AmeriCorps to 250,000 positions by 2017. People volunteering would receive education scholarships which can be transferred to other family relatives. Other components of the Act include increasing Pell grants and access to higher education for all. Volunteering is a strong means by which we might gain useful job training and experience which will be invaluable in the future. Volunteering also is generative. It produces successful outcomes which are beneficial to others and it allows us to forget about our own troubles for a while and care for someone less fortunate. Before being able to volunteer, many Americans might need to deal with underlying depression which has become a significant part of daily reality. This depression might come from the disillusionment many people express as they witness the apparent deterioration of the American dream. So many of us have dedicated significant portions of our lives in loyalty to companies and corporations which promised stability and the means by which we might care for our families and ourselves. Yet, many people are finding that after twenty or thirty years of service and dedication, their jobs are eliminated or dismissed. As I speak to many stressed individuals who fear for their families and children, I find myself wondering what next? Where are we to place our trust in these uncertain times? People today are looking for work that is personally meaningful and rewarding and are more mistrustful of corporations that tend to use people to the point of exhaustion only to discard them when no longer useful. My own mother worked in a factory for close to thirty years and was "let go" before her pension plan matured. Where do we place our faith when we see that large banks participated in the sale of lies and scams? Who do we trust when all around it seems that greed is the only law that those in power obey? This time of change and transition has been foretold by our native ancestors. This is a central theme in my book, "The Promise of the Fifth Sun". While some have interpreted these calculations as some apocalyptic end the world I believe that the true prediction speaks of an end of reality as we have known it, but the beginning of an awareness that is greater than what we previously imagined. Where do we place our faith in these trying times? Our ancestors teach us that, within our own mind and center of being is the source of the Creator's power and that we can all have access to this power if we can learn to be still and tap into that endless fountain of strength found within. Many unemployed professionals and laborers fear for their future. While many were unhappy, even miserable in their old jobs, they fear that this economy will not be able to give them another opportunity doing the same job in a similar setting. Why would we want to go backwards? Why not dare to think that something much greater than what we previously had awaits our claim? This is a time when we are all called to think outside of the box. As the age of corporate greed and monopolies over our political process come to an end, we must be prepared to welcome a new age, an age of creative and fulfilling work that is aligned with our true intention and potential. I have read many times that the Chinese symbol for "Crisis" is danger AND opportunity. While few would argue that we are in a state of crisis, no one can deny to that, as Americans we have become addicted to fear and seem to focus on the danger side of the equation while de-emphasizing the aspect of opportunity. Many people 50 plus are frightened, thinking of themselves as too old to return to what they were doing before and too young to retire. Let us remember that we are a nation of creative and resourceful individuals who continue to learn and evolve with every challenge that has ever been presented. Perhaps this economic crisis has been orchestrated by our ancestors and our Creator as an opportunity for us all to evaluate our true intention or purpose in life. Let us remember that we all have a unique talent and ability, a gift that seeks constant expression and that must be expressed in order for us to fully realize our potential. Let us not be dominated by the "I must or I have to" in our lives. We have falsely learned that we have to be miserable working in a job that is repetitive and unrewarding. Let us volunteer, enroll in a new course, support a friend, and seek expression of our creative side. This too shall pass and we shall emerge triumphant and more content and successful than we previously thought possible. Dr. Jorge Partida http://www.drjorge.net/ http://jpartida.blogspot.com/

Latino-Bashing? Who Cares?

Latino -Bashing?  Who Cares?  There are many apparent tragedies associated with these times of change and transition.  Large banks and corporations are disappearing daily, huge companies are facing historic lay-offs and many families and individuals are struggling to get by.   Arguably, the most tragic losses occur in rural and urban areas with large Latino and immigrant communities.  , The Mexican flu has transformed into the swine-flu while countless families continue to be deported and parents are continuously separated from their children.  In Pennsylvania a young Mexican immigrant man is beaten to death while the teens who killed him yell racial slurs demanding that Luis Ramirez, "go back to Mexico".  Despite eye witness accounts of the beatings and the racial attacks, the death is ruled not to have been a hate-crime.  Violent deaths caused by gang violence are on the rise and families victimized feel unheard and unsupported.  There are seemingly sincere attempts by many to address the crisis.  The interest to help makes many youth and families feel hope, at least temporarily, but after many meetings with broad ranges of community representatives and leaders, nothing is ever implemented.  Families and communities that once felt hope, now feel betrayed and disillusioned.  Heath, education and criminal justice administrators tell the most affected families and individuals that we simply do not have the economic, programmatic or human resources to implement any recommendations.  In the meantime, the death toll continues to increase.  It is difficult to ignore the growing anti-Mexican rhetoric amidst all this fear.  Today, there are repeated warnings not to set foot in Mexico, either because of the drug cartel related deaths or because of the swine flu, or kidnappings, or ….   We want to make sure that our citizens are safe when they travel to Mexico, yet here at home, violent deaths of Latino, Mexican and Mexican-American youth are fast reaching epidemic proportions.  This year, there have been more than thirty five deaths related to gangs and violence of Latino youth in Chicago public schools.  Where is all of this taking us as a nation?    As our collective fear of lack and limitation becomes generalized into a mass- media fed frenzy it is easy to forget that we are also living in a time when we can just as easily decide to turn our attention away from the hateful, fearful rhetoric and rise to the higher call for unity as ONE people and one nation.   As poor families are divided and devastated with grief and loss, we must all ask ourselves if these are truly acceptable losses to our collective consciousness and awareness as a nation.   Is fear the cause or effect of our selective attention?  What do we do when we are afraid?  Thinking that the period of wealth and abundance is over and the great decline of the American empire is in full swing, we can feel robbed and unjustly afraid that our country is being divided and redistributed among those less deserving.    In this fear based scenario, we begin to look at our immigrants as the problem and feel justified in our anger.   We begin to see lack everywhere and doubt the true nature of creation.  The true spirit of this great nation is the consistent expression of unity, generosity, strength and abundance.  The single minded focus on what we don't have can easily multiply wherever we look and soon the entire world can feel like a frightening place of uncertainty, anger, fear and grief.   In these times of change and transition, we are called to unite and creatively look for greater opportunities in new places and through new relationships and partnerships.  We must challenge our addiction to fear and trust in the force of creation which guides our natural tendency to generate new life.    Racism, homophobia, heterosexism; hate can hide behind many labels and behind many disguises, but we must always maintain and affirm that hatred in any form is always a false teaching.  We must protect our children from internalizing false lessons which can leave deep scars in their identity.  The only true teaching IS, ALWAYS WAS and ALWAYS WILL BE, LOVE.   Yet, many of our children are often denied this most basic need of nurturance and belonging and are instead guided down very darkened corridors of hate and resentment.  Children are often neglected by over worked parents, by the educational system that is overburdened and underfunded, by social service organizations that have no money for programs, by law enforcement that cannot provide corrective experiences, by community leaders that fall into the trap of divide and conquer.  On May 12, I will be traveling to Skagit County Washington near the Canada border to facilitate a series of meetings with community representatives, youth, families, educators, law enforcement and teachers interested in finding solutions aimed at reducing the rising levels of gang related deaths and violence.  This rural Washington County, like many others across the nation, has had a dramatic increase of Mexican immigrants in the past ten years.  In the past, Skagit County and other communities across America have historically welcomed and actively recruited migrant workers to tend to the many surrounding farms and fields.   With a struggling economy, these jobs are not as readily available and with enforcement of stricter borders and construction of walls, many families find it easier to establish roots in these communities already struggling.  The result is predictable and often witnessed as increased violence and crime.  Immigrant children struggle with identity issues and want desperately to be included and accepted but instead they are poorly treated in the schools, health and social service agencies in their community.  Our policies on immigration became hateful and very hurtful under the previous administration.  Large sums of government dollars came through many communities like Skagit County, labeled High Intensity Drug Areas.    The labeling of these "HOT" zones allowed for resources to build correctional institutions at record numbers.  Criminal Justice and law enforcement have proven to be an expensive and ineffective means of changing behavior.  Despite evidence that incarceration is expensive and ineffective, young people continue to be locked away in alarmingly disproportionate numbers.  With the lack of basic and necessary services to keep them on track, young men and women are being recruited for gang membership with offers of money and immediate help and support; other youth are victims of drive-by shootings and many more of death threats and fights in schools.   Grade school children are reporting being afraid to come to school because they fear they will be jumped or killed.  Is it any wonder that young children would wrongfully seek to become members of gangs?   Children are choosing protection, power and money offered from the gangs and they are willing to risk incarceration.   Locking youth in correctional facilities has only served as a training ground where children lear  to survive in increasingly more hostile and violent institutionalized environments.  We cannot continue to pretend that we don't know what causes our youth to become attracted to the "gang" mentality.   We blame immigrant parents for not teaching their children the right "values" and for not being "involved" because they are overworked.  We blame teachers for being culturally incompetent and unaware of the "cultural" needs of their student population.  We blame community organizers, who argue and compete with each other and fall into the divisive traps set by enemies of inclusion.  In the end, children continue to die in growing numbers and families' morn while communities remain divided and in pain.  I admire the efforts of Criminal Justice, Health, Education and Social Service experts and providers.  I believe there is a sincere desire in the part of many, to want to do what is descent and right.  Yet desire is not enough.   Libraries, social service organizations, recreation centers, tutoring programs and other places of refuge continue to shut their doors daily while many attempt to ignore or downright attack the presence of our immigrant and citizen Latino children and families.  Often, the most aggressive attack against Latino youth is from other Latinos who split our communities and who have internalized a deep sense of self hatred.   We must come together and speak as one voice for the betterment of our children.  Our neglected children are falling victims to gang leaders who know the desperate needs of our children and families.  With manipulative offers of help and support, our children are being initiated at alarming numbers.  Trapped, our children are ending up dead or in prison for much of their lives.  Let us not fall so easily into the traps that keep us divided.  Let us connect to each other with the full depth of our soul, beyond hatred and differences.     This is important work ahead and we are all called to help.  No one person can do this alone.  There is a great deal of work which will challenge our previously limited notion of community and nation.  We are finally recognizing that what impacts the most vulnerable in our society, impacts us all eventually.  The work is challenging and the stakes are high. We must demand that youth receive a fair chance by demanding educational reform.  We must organize families and assure that their voices and concerns are heard.  We must work with educators and social service providers to assure they are being responsive to the needs of those they serve.  Most of all, we must communicate and share our experiences and opinions by creating a forum for all to participate.   I need your help, your good wishes and your insights.  Please weigh in and give me the benefit of your thoughts and opinions.  What can we do to support our youth and families who are struggling to survive?  How do we care for our most cherished treasure, our youth?  Let us remember that our ancestors have foretold of this, our new age of awakening and of our power to transform any limited reality in exchange for the promise of unlimited potential.          Dr. Jorge Partida www.drjorge.net http://jpartida.blogspot.com/

Dr. Jorge Partida www.drjorge.net http://jpartida.blogspot.com/

Breaking the Cycle of Addiction-Presentation at Hesed House-Aurora, Illinois

Breaking the Cycle of Addiction: Last  Thursday, April 16th I was invited to present at Hased House, a shelter in Aurora, Illinois for homeless men and women many who are suffering from chronic addiction problems.  A heartfelt thanks to Maria Chazaro for her invitation.  The title of my presentation was, "Breaking the Chain of Addiction".  It is difficult to break the cycle of addiction because we as a society don't typically practice what we've come to know as "best practices". As a society, we are very confused about our thoughts regarding the addict and addiction.  Much of the addiction literature speaks of managing a chronic illness, yet funding sources, providers of service and other professionals are often conflicted and unsupportive of the addict and of embracing addiction as an illness.  This is in part, because of lack of adequate funding sources.  While addiction may be considered a chronic illness, it is not funded like other illnesses.  Insurance and government organizations are reluctant to pay for services for an "illness" which is considered entirely self inflicted and controllable.  Addiction hits poor people of color in greatly disproportionate manner.  It is not that addiction is more common in poor people of color, but it is true that poor people of color have less access to adequate medical care and so addiction becomes a means to self medicate more serious trauma, physical and mental health issues which typically remain untreated.  When struggling with addiction, the rich or middle class addict is often quietly and safely tucked away in a private clinic while poor people must use the services of a reluctant public "safety net".    Because society is conflicted about addiction and the addict, services provided are barely adequate and so the addict forever cycles in and out of treatment becoming increasingly disheartened with each treatment episode.    Society does not want to pay for treatment of those that are considered a burden and so cycles of treatment are too brief (less than 28 days) to adequately treat the underlying complex mental health issues which lead to addiction in the first place.  The central question when dealing with addiction seems to be the question of choice or "agency".  Is the addict powerless or is the addict engaged is self punitive behaviors because of unresolved feelings of guilt, pain and unworthiness?  There is no doubt that 12 step traditions have done wonders for thousands and AA groups remain the most effective and economic means of dealing with addiction.  Yet we must understand that turning addiction or any problem over to our "higher power" will always be an effective means of dealing with any confusion or problem we might have.  People turn to a "higher power" as if turning to something external to them.   Yet a "higher power" is not foreign to your true self, quite the contrary.  Within your deepest and truest self is the essence of the divine.  The Creator sits at the center of your truest self and is always patiently waiting for you to tap into the infinite power that is always present.  This is the ancestral power that continually evolves into a deeper, more loving and more awakened sense of itself.   This is the ancestral promise that is outlined in my book, "The Promise of the Fifth Sun".  The promise remains the availability of that infinite power and source of all healing which has been placed at your core by the collective mind comprised of all the ancestral guides that came before you.  Tap into this source and break free of addiction or any other mental illness that might disturb your peace. Dr. Jorge Partida www.drjorge.net http://jpartida.blogspot.com/

Why It Pays to Volunteer

A keynote speaking engagement on Celebrating Volunteers at Waubonsee Community College, IL
(April 4, 2009)