Meeting Jimmy Reyna
A Story by Linda Masterson (facebook)
Santiago (Jimmy) Reyna
Santiago (Jimmy) Reyna was War Chief* at Taos Pueblo when John Kimmey introduced us. Jimmy was the son of Telesfor Goodmorning Reyna. Teles, as he was called, was fostered from Taos up to the Oklahoma Country and experienced the sacred use of peyote in ceremony, which Teles brought back with him to New Mexico, being an early roadman (ceremonial leader) in what was to become today’s Native American Church. As a ceremonial leader with a deep and profound Calling, Teles wanted his son, Santiago, to follow him in this Way.
Santiago, as a young man, was more attracted to the ways of the American culture rising up around him and he left the pueblo and took work, married and raised a family, ultimately becoming an alcoholic. In despair and ruin, he returned to the pueblo as he had nowhere else to go. Teles put up a healing meeting for his son and Santiago began to follow the Peyote Way, ultimately as an elder to become a roadman himself.
Jesus, a man for all seasons
Along the way Jimmy began to have visions. One of these visions had to do with Jesus. Many healings occurred in Jimmy’s meetings, often with Jesus telling Jimmy that as long as Jimmy would pray for others and ask nothing for himself, the healings would continue.
A young man from New York City attended a meeting. When he returned to NYC, the young man wrote to Jimmy, asking Jimmy to pray for his mother to be healed from her cancer, which Jimmy did; and the mother’s illness was healed. Jimmy wrote the young man that Jesus had healed the mother. The young man was puzzled by this, as his family was Jewish: Why would Jesus do this?
Being healed, the mother was now able to visit her family in Israel. As a tourist, she took many pictures (back in the days of film). When she returned to the US, she sent the film out for processing. There was a big mystery in the photos when they were returned from the lab: the last image on the roll was of Jesus — a portrait. There was no logical reason for that image to exist. It just appeared.
The young man sent Jimmy a copy of that image of Jesus, which Jimmy had in a frame on the wall in his bedroom, at the foot of his bed.
Connections
The reason that John Kimmey, my dear boyfriend at the time, wanted me to meet Jimmy was because John met me through Jesus also. I know Jesus as Jeshua, and I had a position with a non-profit organization, SHANTI CHRISTO FOUNDATION, which exists to share the contemporary teachings of Jeshua/Jesus.
It was a privilege to meet Jimmy; and John and Jimmy and I had some adventures together after that, enjoying a deepening friendship, sharing our mutual love of the spiritual journey.
Jimmy’s trek across the bridge
In time, Jimmy developed a terminal illness.
I went to see him in his place at Taos Pueblo. He was in his bed and was surfing “between the worlds.” I took a seat by the head of the bed. We didn’t say much. He looked at Jesus’ portrait, there on the wall, and said that Jesus is telling him stories and “He’s going to walk me Home….” The room settled into the golden light of evening. I sat in that silence with my friend, Jimmy, as our friend, Jesus/Jeshua, told Jimmy stories and — a few days later — took Jimmy’s hand and led him over the Rainbow Bridge.
Welcome