Las Ruedas, The Wheels, are a divinatory system made by Rica Gudiño inspired by Western and Mexikha astrology to inform 64 new archetypes. This divinatory system has six wheels representing time, fire, water, air, earth, and death. Sancta Maria embodies the energy and message of each symbol within la Rueda del Tiempo, the Wheel of Time, using two-dimensional digital collage as their medium. All aspects of concept, performance, and digital collage by Rica Gudiño.
Sancta Maria performs as the Seeker, the seventh archetype within la Rueda del Tiempo. This archetype is inspired by the western astrological sign Libra and the Nahua day sign Calli (house). She was born on the day of rest, and the noise of thunderstorms fade in the distance because she exists at the heart of the mountain. She maintains her balance at such heights by remembering the metaphysical rule “as above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul.” And so she is rooted as deeply as she stands tall. She is perfection of the present moment, despite her knowledge about grief of the past and fear of the future, because she can look back and forward at the same time while holding truth in her hands. She no longer searches for her other half because she has found it in herself, in her heart, in her emotions that run deep like the caves of a mountain, and in the breath that fills her lungs. She is fully alive with every inhale, and fully dead with every exhale.
Sancta Maria performs as The Catalyst, the tenth archetype in la Rueda del Tiempo. This archetype is inspired by the western astrological sign of Capricorn, and the Nahua day sign of Miquiztli (death). She carries the message of endings and beginnings, the space between sunset and sunrise that is total stillness of time and space. She exists at the moment of wholeness in the dark before an earth-shattering birth into light. She reminds us of the fear of the unknown and limitless possibilities, all that remains outside of our control, and that growth requires discomfort. She is part axolotl and goat, part divine cyborg, and she offers up the rabbit to the moon to provide light during this transformational time.
Sancta Maria performs as the Sensitive, or the Seer, the eleventh archetype within la Rueda del Tiempo. This archetype is inspired by the western astrological sign of Aquarius, and the Nahua day sign of Mazatl (deer). She is the utter stillness held in the moment before chaos, and she exists at the eye of the storm. She is a pattern reader, all of her senses are wide open, she absorbs her environment through osmosis, and her spirit has the ability to track roots and feel water beneath the earth. Her body is a body of water with knowledge so deep she shakes foundations. She can see everything with her many eyes closed, and she can smell rain on the wind before clouds fill the skies. It is through silence and stillness that she survives the storm, the violence of the elements, as she is painfully aware that resistance may break every bone in her body.
Sancta Maria performs as the Caregiver, the twelfth archetype within la Rueda del Tiempo. This archetype is inspired by the western astrological sign of Pisces, and the Nahua day sign of Tochtli (rabbit). She has taken great care of whatever passes through her fingers, she is a dreamer and visionary and her attention to process allows her to build towers that touch the clouds. People watch her as she works, some speak and think ill of her, and some reap the harvest that she sows. She can climb the foundation she builds to reach the stars, while rooting her feet in the earth as a conduit of energy for those around her. She is a caretaker of rabbits, giver of blood to the earth, eater of the maguey plant, and she reminds those who look at her that offerings must be made before offerings are received.
Sancta Maria performs as the Teacher, the thirteenth archetype within the la Rueda del Tiempo. This archetype is inspired by the western astrological concept of Lilith and the Nahua day sign of Atl (water). She exists in shadows where the air is still without trees and the water is thick like an oil spill. Her eyes cannot see and her mouth cannot speak, and rage is the fountain of her tears. She is yearning personified, desperately seeking for herself, not knowing where she is lost, and incapable of recognizing the light she holds in her own hand. She is haunted by the ghosts of her past, driven by an urge to exist in a heaven she has no concept of, and never present in the waking moment. She is her own greatest enemy as she drowns herself in lessons rather than learning them. She will forever be relentlessly restless, her skin itches and burns in the water despite her endlessly insatiable desire to swim in it. It is all she craves and she will slowly give herself away to the water until she no longer has a body, a willing sacrifice to escape her own fear in the face of the unknown.