Tucson is a spiritual place. Metaphysics, astrology, and "alternative" beliefs are prevalent: in the economy (businesses), on the streets, and in conversation. Fourth avenue has it's share of ecletic stores, but I'm finding metaphysics and alternative healing shops all over the place. People here also talk about "energy" and "healing" much more than in Wisconsin. It could just be the communities I'm a part of, too. I mean, I work at a hostel and we attract alternative and hippy people. I also go to yoga regularly, so I hear Buddist beliefs, "connecting to the earth," or "sensing the energy" several times a week.
This spiritual culture begins to make sense to me as I learn more about the city. I have a theory that the spirituality is very connected to Tucson's environment. The city is surrounded by mountains, the desert, and oases, and these extremes of being both barren and plentiful seem to be holy in some ways...like people can spiritually cleanse and revitalize themselves. The people therefore connect to nature more and revere "energy." It also makes sense to me that the world's largest gem, mineral, and fossil show would be here: Tucson is full of gems and minerals from the mountains, and people believe these stones have healing powers. I met someone who spent an afternoon meditating on copper in order to get it's energy.
Religion in the Culture
I also see Catholic symbols everywhere, but they seem to act as cultural items more than holy ones, and I have mixed feelings about this. Men and women, for instance, wear rosaries around their necks, and this offended me when I first saw it. Rosaries are not jewelry and I was taught that wearing them like a necklace was one of the most demeaning ways to display it. Yet many people do it here.
I also walked into a store the other day and saw bracelets of the Virgin Mary/Our Lady of Guadelupe, rosaries, and crucifixes on display. I thought it was cool until I noticed the high volume of skeleton images around the place for Day of the Dead, as though the dead were revered as much as or more than holy figures. There were other spiritual items in there, too, but the place had a punk rock feeling to it. On one hand, it all felt so demeaning. On the other, it was cool to see Catholic items displayed so openly. I didn't see that much in Wisconsin.
Here's example of Catholicism infused with the culture:
I found a crucifix pressed into a sidewalk outside the hostel. Like much of the spiritual and religious beliefs here, I didn't know what to make of it...whether to find it cool or offensive.
(Note: After further examination, I decided that the sidewalk crucifix was actually a positive symbol for public display. Very cool.)
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