Celesté Martinez
Owner/ Jefita
I am una hija de Aztlan- born in Santa Cruz, California, raised in San Antonio, Texas and now calling Denver, Colorado home for over 12 years. I am a Queer Chicana Woman of Color. I identify as Chicana because I embrace the complexity of being Mestiza, both indigenous of Cherokee and Nahua lineages and of Spanish descent, while being politically active in my community.
I originally came to Colorado because I had a powerful dream where I saw myself here and felt at peace. As someone who struggles with depression and anxiety, ever since I was a young child, this dream inspired me to completely release other plans I had for my life to come study at Regis University. I knew in following this path that something greater would be revealed to me. I didn’t know what it was but I knew if I continued to trust in Spirit my path would unfold. And it did.
I believe a major part of why I came to live in Colorado is because it is considered to be the Heart of Turtle Island. Throughout my life, I have struggled to really embrace the depth of my emotions, because of my anxiety. I would find myself being overwhelmed by my emotions. The intensity of how my emotions would make me feel scared me. I truly believe that Madre Tierra called me to this land so she could teach me how to truly honor the sacredness of my emotional self and embrace the support I needed from people in my life to do so. I believe she was inviting me to transform the pain I experienced from my anxiety and depression, so I could learn to lead my life with joy.
When I lived in Santa Cruz, I was very blessed to be surrounded by a vibrant community of people who constantly surrounded me with care and love. As a young child, I was truly raised by a village. So when I became more involved in social justice movements here in Denver, I began to remember the medicine of relationship. The medicine of relationship teaches us many invaluable lessons and fulfills our inherent desire to love and be cared for, and it is what my heart and spirit were constantly looking for to heal. Being a part of the community called me to have a deeper relationship with myself. It required for me to be with the darkest parts of myself and learn to offer myself compassion. It continues to invite me to sit with the pain of my lived experiences and learn how to tend to my brokenness so I can become more whole. It calls me to make peace with who I have been and where I have been in life, so I can fully embrace my light, joy and calling.
I must honestly say that who I am today is an evolution. Every day I feel myself becoming more and more of who I have longed to be. I can greatly attribute who I am today to the persistence of others holding up a mirror to me that has allowed me to notice myself, to look into my own eyes and see my depth, to truly gaze upon my own sacredness and live into my power.
This is why I created Celestial Alegria. This is my joyful purpose, because I am called to use my gifts to ignite joy through transformation as part of our collective healing.
I believe we all are here for a sacred purpose and our joy often reveals what that is to us. The path to uncover our joy inherently moves us to transform. The process of transformation is never simple. This is why I am dedicating my work to focus on coaching, facilitation and racial equity consulting.
Education
Incarnate Word High School Class of 2011
Dual Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy and Peace & Justice Studies Regis University 2015
Publications
“Otherness and the Nature of the Multifaceted Self,” International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities: Vol. 7: Issue 2, Article 19. (2015)
“Al fin soy yo” in Struggling Queerness Published by Brown & Proud Press (2019)
“Grief” in The Sad Heaux Infinite Playlist: Volume One Published by Zulie Tiburcio (2019)