Story | themayarimoon.com

My ancestors were oral storytellers. I believe everyone has their own unique journey, and I honor yours. This is mine:

Mabuhay!

I'm happy you found me.

My name is Imee (she/her), and I am the owner and creator of The Mayari Moon. My offerings are inspired by Mayari - Philippine (Tagalog + Pampangan) goddess of the moon, combat + revolution - as she battled her brother with Kali sticks, for equal rule of the sky. I take a decolonized, spiritual approach to Kali, with a focus on balancing out the solar energy of combat with the lunar energy of intuition and ritual.

I am a Kali practitioner and spiritual practitioner, with maternal + paternal roots in the Visayan region of the Philippines. I am a mother of two, and with my significant other, I currently reside on the lands of the Shawnee, Miami, Wyandotte, Delaware, and the mound builders that are the Hopewell and the Adena currently known as Ohio. I am also ½ of the Babaylan Bruha Bookclub Podcast, where our mission is to continue the work of Pilipino/a/x collective indigenous remembrance with reverence and humor.

I started training Kali back in 2017, and my Kali learnings have been influenced by the Villabrille-Largusa system, the Cacoy Doce Pares system, as well as the philosophy of Jeet Kune Do. While not being an official instructor in any one particular martial arts style, I am a dedicated and ongoing student of Filipino Martial Arts and Jeet Kune Do.

The very first time I picked up Kali sticks felt like a bodily activation for me. It woke up something inside me that I didn’t even realize was sleeping. I felt connected on a different level to the movement of the strikes. That was the catalyst that inspired me to start researching the pre-colonial history of the Philippines, and I realized there was history that was deeper than the history that was written for us. That was the catalyst that had me searching to discover who my ancestors were, before they were told who they were. That was the catalyst that set me on a journey of ancestral remembrance and healing.

The beginning of my Filipino Martial Arts journey in 2017, not only activated a passion for Kali, but also activated a deep remembrance of my Philippine ancestors and of my truest, most empowered self. In my former life, I was a dedicated worship minister for over a decade, leading a congregation of almost a thousand. While no longer associated with any organized religion, I use my skills learned from that time to guide others and hold space in my Sacred Kali containers. I have always been connected with Spirit and am dedicated to deepening that connection through my own personal, spiritual practices, which include Sacred Kali.

My Sacred Kali journey was cultivated separate from my formal training in my martial arts gym - in quiet spaces by myself, in front of altars, and in the woods, training with the trees. While it started out as a solo journey, in 2021 I offered the first virtual 5 week Sacred Kali container. Over the years, many people have sat in community in these virtual containers, some returning multiple times. I’ve loved walking beside each person as they discover Kali as a spiritual practice, and it has been an honor to witness folks as they continue to remember who they are.

My mission is to help as many as I can experience the same embodied remembrance and healing that I was gifted through the medicine of Kali.

MAYARI

Goddess of the moon, combat + revolution

...from Lane Wilcken, Philippine cultural practitioner and author of "Filipino Tattoos: Ancient to Modern" and "The Forgotten Children of Maui: Filipino Myths, Tattoos, and Rituals of a Demigod.":

"Mayari, Malyari, Mallari, these are some of the names of the personification of the moon from Southern Luzon in the Philippines. According to Tagalog tradition, she was the youngest daughter of the supreme being Bathala Maykapal & a mortal woman. When Bathala died without announcing an heir, Mayari's brother, the sun god Apo Laki & the moon goddess, both being of equal light, fought over who would rule the world. Apo Laki wanted absolute power, while Mayari wanted a shared sovereignty between them. The two battled with bamboo clubs until Mayari lost her eye. Afterwards, Apo Laki repented & agreed to share dominion with her, but during different times. It is said that Mayari’s light is dimmer because of her lost eye.

…These stories (found in various forms around the Philippines) remind me of the conflict between the gender bias of patriarchy versus the egalitarianism of matriarchy."