I am a cactus Brahmin. Welcome to my Substack. Stay for a while and enjoy my frenetic epistemological discharge.
Cactus (κάκτος)
There are many different types of cacti. They all have different shapes and sizes, which makes them an endlessly good subject for study. When you are raised alongside these creatures, you learn many interesting secrets about them.
Here are some things that most cacti have in common:
A wide root system that is optimized for capturing large quantities of rainfall that occurs sporadically, and sometimes violently (e.g., monsoons);
A growth cycle – characterized by a rare carbon fixation adaption – that withstands long periods of drought, especially in the absence of proper nourishment;
A spine system that is optimized to reduce evaporation, minimize airflow interference, and keep predators away from their succulent interior;
A set of ribs and limbs that affords embodied flexibility by conforming to the universal fractal geometry of the Fibonacci sequence.
One of my favorite cactus species produces a pink fruit that is as vibrant as it is nutritious. The prickly pear fruit can be brewed to make a delicious Tepache.
Another cactus, native to my hometown, can reach heights of up to 40 feet on average. These saguaros tower over Sonora, gracing the land with their fibrous majesty.
The cactus plant is the yogi of the desert.
Brahmin (ब्राह्मण)
In my ancestral culture, we have a name for ‘supreme existence’ or ‘absolute reality’: Brahman. This is the immaterial, efficient, formal, and final cause of all that exists. When we refer to this Creator Being in the form of a body, we call Him: Brahma.
Brahmins, by design and vocation, are to be the ones who are faithful purveyors of this Cosmic Source to the rest of creation.
You will find that many Brahmins share many values and aspirations in common:
Education
Curiosity
Insight
Wisdom
Clarity
Service
Harmony
In other words, Brahmins are big-ol’-nerds! A great inheritance, indeed!
More than anyone else, they take up the responsibility to realize the full truth of their nature on this Earth; to express this nature in alignment with their individuality; and to provide this gift of realization to all other beings in this world.
This intersection of the universal and individual path is called dharma (धर्म), often understood as ‘right order’ and ‘right relationship’. By this, what is meant is that there exists a ‘right order of operations’ to unlock the secrets of the universe; and a ‘right relationship’ to this order of operations.
The Brahminic man often endeavors to become a cosmic cactus.
