How long ago was FISIKA created? Part 2

The ''witch’s'' apprentice  

It’s another hot summer, this time in the ’90s, and we can see Filio sitting in her porch looking at the magnificent fields of Crete. There’s an almost absolute stillness; now and then an occasional breeze moves the elegant leaves of the olive trees, revealing a spark of silver. Next to Filio stands a crib with her daughter, Maria. Maria is having a great time, smiling and moving her little hands to things invisible. In contrast, her mom seems lost in serious thoughts.

Filio in her early 20s in Crete.

Just a few months earlier, Filio started experiencing some skin issues that wouldn’t subside. She’s tried different ways to treat them since then but none seemed to work. Filio feels low and troubled. It isn’t ‘‘just’’ a skin issue for her. It feels like her whole body is asking for the care she can’t provide and she is trying to figure out why. What more can she possibly do? She’s visited several doctors, faithfully following their advice. She’s tested some of the best and most expensive creams she’s found on the market. Nothing worked. What does her body need? There is no way she will let this go unresolved. For one thing, she recognizes the importance of taking time to care for yourself: bathing slowly and joyfully, dressing nicely, according to your own taste, making your space beautiful in order to feel strong and healthy, and care daily for your skin. Our body is our only true home, she repeats in her mind, looking at little Maria. And then she thinks of her grandmother with her long, healthy, black hair and beautiful skin which she has kept to this day. Of course! Why hasn’t she turned to Paraskevi yet? Hasn’t she always been the one who knows everything? The great enchantress?

 Grandmother Paraskevi in her garden.

Filio decided to visit Paraskevi as soon as possible. A few days later, chatting with her grandmother over tea, Filio brought up that bathroom memory. She was curious to learn her grandma’s ways: how to make creams and soaps with her own hands, directly from the ingredients nature provided, right outside the window. Paraskevi laughed. ‘‘We did these things at a time where there was no other option my dear” she said to her granddaughter. “Why would you want to trouble yourself and do the same now, when you can go to the market and find so many products?” But Filio was already excited. She knew the answer was there. That same day, Paraskevi shared some of her magic with her granddaughter. Filio was introduced to the craft of natural skincare and came one step closer to the world of her grandma. All that she had seen as a kid, gradually translated into something she could relate to and understand; and while Paraskevi narrated, Filio saw her grandma under new light: she was such an exceptional person, so strong and resilient and capable! Filio could do nothing but feel overwhelmed with gratitude.

Years after the soap-riddle came up, it still sounded like magic but it also became far more possible. Filio got to try her grandma’s recipes for herself and experiment with them further during the next years. Soon enough, her kitchen turned into a small battlefield: The once tidy and organized kitchen counter was now covered by all kinds of reused jars and bottles. Maria would see her mother leaning above these ''potions'', working tirelessly in every bit of her free time. The time came when her daughter’s patience was exhausted: ‘‘When are we eating this new jam you’re making mom?’’ ‘‘No Maria.” her mum answered, “What I’m making is not for our tummies, it’s for our hair. It’s for our skin’’. The result was that Maria started calling her mom a witch right after she turned 5.  

Filio in what could be a witch's kitchen.

Read the final Part 3 here.

18.10.2018 / BY YOTA CELENTI