Goddess Xochi-Quetzal
I sometimes wonder: how different would our lives have been if, after committing the original sin, only Adam would have been punished? What if Eve would have been allowed to stay and party in paradise, having sex with whomever she pleased? Would women have been freer, more sexually liberated? Would we have had more fun?
The Aztecs, a fierce warrior civilization that ruled Central Mexico for over 200 years, worshipped a glorious goddess called Xochiquetzal (pronounced ‘Sho–chi–ket–zal’), aka Quetzal Flower. Appearing in an explosion of rainbow–colored feathers and flowers, grinding her hips and clicking her tongue, Quetzal Flower incarnated youth, love, sex and beauty. With her earthshattering sexual life force, she created both gods and humans. And guess what? She was also the first woman to commit a sin! Quetzal Flower broke the rules by seducing a celibate priest, but in a juicy reversal of our bible story, she went unpunished while the priest was turned into a scorpion (I’m sure it was worth it for him, though).
A patroness of lovers and prostitutes, it is no coincidence that one of Quetzal Flower’s symbols is the voluptuous flower. After all, the Aztecs drew strong parallels between flowers and the clitoris or vulva. But her influence has a gender–bending quality as well. During an annual festival in Quetzal Flower’s honor for example, a male priest would dress as a girl and weave, an act associated with the goddess – she loves beautiful handcrafted products – and strictly reserved for women. Craftspeople, both male and female, would dance before the cross–dressing priest, shaking their tools in extasy.
The arrival of the Spanish in 1519 meant the downfall of the Aztec empire. But watch out, Quetzal Flower is still stamping her feet and shaking her fiery feathers! Awakened by the revolutionary spirit of these times, the goddess knows that we need her shameless, transformative sexual energy more than ever. So, close your eyes and imagine Quetzal Flower in all her sensual splendor. Offer her a flower, a feather or a small, self–made treasure. Let her spirit guide you in your sexual liberation and dismantling of gender norms. Who knows? Perhaps with enough ‘Quetzal Flower Power’we can one day lift the curse of the original sin and live colorful, guilt–free lives in our own paradise on earth.
*A strikingly colored bird
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