Return of the Ancestors - Reflections

Reflections on the Gathering

The midwest was hot green when I returned, everything is abloom. You can actually smell and feel the life-giving chlorophyll. This is such a contrast to the northern Arizona desert, yet I still love the colors of both the stark and living deserts of the American southwest. An old friend from college (Arizona State University is my alma mater) noticed that I have yet to shake the desert sand from my shoes.

Have had a little time to reflect on my journey across America. I've been seeking insight on how the indigenous cultures of the Americas may assist our healing during the end of this world age. This is a time of intense purification for us known as The Great Healing and I am personally in the thick of it like everyone else. My thoughts sometime jell into conclusions and then they fade back into process, but I'll share what I can in this moment.

Hopi Sands
In the two weeks that I travelled across Native nations, every single day brought positive interactions with Native Americans. Whether at the grocery stores, gas stops, Super8 motels (the ones we stayed in were filled with Native people), tourist attractions or in ceremony, I was treated with compassion and respect as a foreigner on their turf. Their warmth and humor was genuine and delightful. They were not afraid to poke fun at me (“you actually fell for that promise for the white people to see the Hopi tablets for the first time ever?”) I will cherish my experiences with these people for the rest of my life.

Though they are still “the forgotten people” Native Americans are gaining ground financially, educationally and artistically. The Hopi, for example, are farmers first. Secondly, they are amazing visual and performing artists and that is how many make ends meet. The Navajo, for example, have taken their Godforsaken land and turned it into an economic engine unsurpassed in the Native North American world. The Native Way is, deservedly so, one of pride.

Reading Native-friendly history en route helped me gain much needed perspective. For example, it was quite common in the French and Spanish territories to intermarry with Native people. The Puritan-based Anglos did not. Their rabid hatred for the “savages” was over-the-top by all standards, in ways that didn’t happen North or South of US borders. This is a distinction that I hadn’t realized before and one that, as an Anglo with settler's blood in my veins, is being healed.

In Due Time, the Eagle and the Condor
Though no one actually told me, I surmise that the longstanding rift between the Hopi, Navajo, other tribes and the whites was the main factor that prevented the gathering on Hopi to happen. It doesn't feel to me that the Eagle (North America) and the Condor (South America) prophecy will ever be brokered by the whites, and will come together organically, not through financial means, as was the intent with this gathering. Attaching money to this process was forcing what can not be forced. The vision of the new currency, love-based exchange, became easier to fathom as I observed the old paradigm crash into the new. It is my hope that all who participated and promoted this event learned some valuable lessons. We must be sensitive to the reality that, as attuned as the Natives are to Earth, Spirit and all of their relations, oneness consciousness has eluded them as much as the rest of humanity. We're all in this together.

People are the Key
The people I met will be as memorable as any other aspect of this journey, from both positive and disconcerting points of view. At first I was humored by the notion that just about every pilgrim I met had had ecstatic visions of White Buffalo Calf Woman and was called to do this and that, running around in attempting to manifest their visions (delivering beads, adopting buffalos, etc.) Many pilgrims fasted for the entire 10 days. In conversations, it was apparent that many in this crowd do not believe in free will and that Spirit is 100% in charge. Many believe that the 2012 thing is going to happen in the blink of an eye. In all honesty, very few of the pilgrims felt grounded to me and, towards the end of the journey, I had to wonder if anyone was taking responsibility for their decisions at any level. This flightiness was juxtaposed by the Native groundedness. Some thoughts:

1. Our destiny is determined both by the Divine Plan and personal choices. That is what karma is all about. To think that life is mutually exclusive of one or the other is naive, impractical and very likely a cop-out.
   
2. The transformation of consciousness has been going on for a very, very long time. Yes, this is the time of the quickening, but I doubt the old consciousnesses are not going to disappear anytime soon. Have any truly disappeared? New consciousness transcends and includes the others, and this has been shown to be a natural law. Cellular, familial, tribal, regional and planetary, etc. consciousness will continue to exist, though they may not dominate. There are many aspects of earlier bodies of consciousness that are valuable to our newly evolved way of being. It may take some time for enlightening humans to deal with other levels of consciousness appropriately and compassionately. We need to move away from thinking of consciousness as a "fixed state" with levels. In my mind, these represent a machismo model. Rather, streams of consciousness are constantly on the move, like energy, and we will be pulling in the meritous threads from previous levels as we co-create a new consciousness.
3. Heart opening and simple living, these are the keys. Figuring out how to outsmart, survive and protect yourself from Earth changes is irrelevant and a waste of time that may be better spent clearing your personal and ancestral negativity.

Thank you, Angels

Though you will find reference to these characters in previous posts, I’d like to give honorable mention to those who touched my heart and taught me just what I needed when I needed it. Many thanks and blessings to:

Larry Running Turtle who did a healing for me on the first day of the event. Combined with the sweat that evening, it freed me of some physical pain so that I could stay energized and enjoy this journey.

Kathy Marshall and Mary Dwyer from Chicago who encouraged me to sweat. Whenever in Sedona contact Mary for healing walks.

Sulee, Don Alejandro's daughter and successor, who is sure to do well with her duties. She is an amazing speaker and has a smile that exudes wisdom and caring.

Esmeralda, (mentioned in previous post) s/him photographer from San Francisco who meditated with me on the rim of the Grand Canyon, the heart of the Earth.

The Brit and Bosnian who live in Amsterdam and challenged my ideas about Obama for two hours at the Taco Bell in Tuba. While I defended the anti-conspiracy political position, they showed me what chem-trails look like and posited brand new ideas for my feeble American mind. Best of luck with your newly adopted white buffalo.

Marlinda Kooyaquaptewa, tour guide extradordinaire. You can find her at the Hopi Cultural Center or http://www.blogger.com/mar_cornmaiden@yahoo.com She will take you sacred places and tell you all she can without snuffing you out later.

The crystal skull carriers Marza and Shara, though they wouldn’t take the skulls out of the trunk for fear of contamination at the gathering, shared their knowledge and wit with me as we explored the magic of the Hopi. Shara dubbed the Hopi gathering drama as "The Shit of the Ages." You're both awesome.

Teresa Rousseau of Earth Dance Circle in Sonoma, CA, celebrated her birthday at Hopi. What a gift! She is a trusted vision quest guide, soul retrieval specialist, hearty travel companion and conscientious pot shard picker-upper.

David Odell and friend Lee who shared his work in integrative astrology. A fervent student of all schools of astrology, Mayan, Vedic, Egyptian, he is weaving them together so that we can notice the patterns. Keep checking his site http://www.artstrology.com/ for amazing content.

Miriam Delicado author of Blue Star, an autobiographical tale of her experiences as an alien abductee. She was actively involved in the negotiations between the Elder's Gathering producers and the Hopi and offered insight on the disconnect. She also talked to the cops who appeared at Prophecy Rock while we were in an impromptu circle ceremony. Thank you for smoothing ruffled energies and opening your heart to me.

Ideal, Harmony of http://www.divineharmony.org, Eric, Chad of http://www.evolvethe.com/ and the especially the Discovery Channel photographer (name escapes me) from LA for breaking bread, reminding me to stay in my heart and forget about figuring stuff out.

Alph Secakuku, owner of Hopi Fine Arts in Second Mesa, chanteur of music from the Fourth World and author of Hopi Kachina Tradition, Following the Sun and Moon for educating us on the Hopi creation story, ceremonial cycle, kachinas and the making of silver overlay jewelry. The first question he asked us was "What do you think of the Hopi not welcoming the Gathering?" He made it quite clear that, even though he is a long-standing member of the Hopi council, the leadership there now is corrupt (giving land rights to Peabody Coal, etc.). He was personally embarrassed with their decision not to let us gather en masse on their land.

Two of the 60 Basque pilgrims, Irene and Arantza, who, together with their two children, made the trip down from Hopi to Sedona an easy, fun ride. They invite us to join them at Amalurra, their hotel/restaurant/spiritual community in norther Spain.

Matty, Ian Lungold’s partner, for embodying how to be, open, not contracting, and being present to love in every moment, regardless of the cost or the loss.

Steve Copeland and David for sharing the scenes from “The Shift of the Ages” film in the making. This film will be a block and system buster that will finally reveal to the world the essence of the Maya and their calendars. The rough footage we watched in Matty's kitchen brought tears to our eyes, bumps to our skin and shivvers up our spines. Steve et al are capturng what no one else has on film. Stay tuned for its release, it's bound to boost the shift like no other body of work.

In Lak'ech,

bjs

Return of the Ancestors and the Hopi Drama

Is this Burning Man?

Winds of up to 70 mph kicked up the Navajo red sand, shading and shaping the Return of the Ancestors gathering into something akin to the annual Burning Man fest in Nevada, except that none of us were equipped with goggles, etc. As we drove from the Grand Canyon to Tuba City (home of Native public radio station KGHR with the most awesome playlists, ever), the sand swirled across the highway and quickly created dunes next to anything vertical, fence posts, road signs, big rocks or your legs. These winds didn’t let up, but did not dampen our spirits.

After finding the Tuba City venue, the sacred site of “The Forgotten People” we were informed that the Natives regard the winds as a positive force because they bring rain and clear away the garbage, literally and figuratively.

If you read the previous post, you’ll note my mention of events in the Gathering program not happening as planned. Most of us stayed in the flow as there was plenty of other stuff to do, but when I learned that the visit to Hopi was at risk I realized I needed to reconsider my options. The Elders were spending increasing amounts of time in council as they sorted through the drama of the Hopi not allowing the gathering to take place on Hopi land, time that they were ostensibly to spend with the pilgrims.

The Hopi Drama
The prophetic meeting of the Maya with the Hopi was, for many, the main attraction and the key reason why they travelled so far and spent so much money to attend the gathering. Rumors about how and why this was not happening flew like wildfire and caused significant distraction away from the purpose of the gathering. Whether it was finger pointing, disappointment, anger or ambivalence, all of these reactions probably sent the Ancestors running. After all, who would want to return and hang around for this sort of egotistic nonsense?
(Just kidding. I spoke to several people that had connected to ancestors for the first time ever, so that’s a good sign that the intention did make it through.)

As it turned out, the Hopi did not host the gathering as the Institute for Cultural Awareness advertised. The list of reasons for this non-event is much more complicated than worthy of further discussion. Suffice it to say that we have these gatherings for a reason: they shine the light on what needs purification and healing.

Instead, the Navajo hosted for two days as the winds blew dust that caused the Elders and pilgrims to grit their teeth. Some of us went to Hopi anyway.

Prophecy Rock
The wind was blowing wildly up at Hopi as well, but the sand is a different color, beige. Several of us hooked up at the Hopi cultural center and went on a tour with Marlinda, a delightful Tewa woman of the Corn Clan, mother and grandmother who was quick to tell us how matriarchal their culture is. She has lived her whole life in the Tewa section of Second Mesa, which towers above the desert below and feels like the rooftop of the world. Our first stop was Prophecy Rock, which she explained to us as follows:

The human figure at the bottom is Maza, the original Hopi who created this prophecy and provided the values for living a good life that the Hopi live by today. The Hopi way is to live simply and on the land. Survival, religion and culture all intermingle.

The two parallel lines show the two different paths humans can take. The upper line is the materialistic path, which is eventually demised, and the lower line is the spiritual. On the rock you can see four circles on the lower line, which represent the four world ages, the last of which we are living in now. The prophecy is clear, etched in stone.
No photography is allowed anywhere at Hopi. They believe that photographing disperses the sacred energy of the object and I honored that, but obviously someone on the internet did not.

About 20 feet away is a glyph on another stone that looks like a machine or space ship. We were thinking it was a location marker for an ET pick-up when the end of the fourth age occurs. So, be aware, when the time comes, come hither for ascension! The challenge is that Westerners can’t get to this glyph without a guide.

Hopi Petroglyphs
Marlinda took us to an expansive walls of glyphs that stretched the length for at least two city blocks. These rocks were loaded with clear, deeply carved glyphs, many of which you’ve probably seen in Hopi silver jewelry and other objects of art. People were saying that this collection of glyphs was bigger and more detailed than anything seen at other Hopi sites such as Canyon de Chelly or Chaco Canyon. Watch this youtube video of the Hopi petroglyphs for an excellent detailed view of the glyphs. For a detailed analysis, see The Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters.

Return of the Ancestors-Sunrise Ceremony at the Grand Canyon, the Heart of the Earth

Grand Canyon Speaks
The Natives consider the Grand Canyon the heart of the Earth and, as such, her energy is deep, vast and magnetizing when you sit on the rim to meditate with her. She draws you in to her core and stays with you for days, forever.

She is also recognized as the place of the Hopi emergence from the underworld at the beginning of the fourth (current) world age. The way the light plays on the stratified rock, which delves deeper into the Earth than any other place in the world, makes the experience of sunset and sunrise a must for one’s “life list.” Many of the peaks, points and canyons are appropriately named after the world's spiritual traditions: there's the Hindu and Ottoman ampitheaters, Zorastian canyon, temples of Ram, Shiva, Brahma, Isis, Orisis, Thor, Confucius, Buddha, Sheba, Solomon, Apollo, and the Krishna shrine.

Sunrise Ceremony
We arrived about 5 AM, but the Elder’s had been there for hours preparing for the revelry that would ramp up for a 5:47 AM debut of Father Sun. Don Alejandro led the preparation prayers for the energy of 6/Night (Akblal). Below are some videos of various ways the indigenous celebrated the coming of that day. Many tribes represented and yes, the Tibetan llamas were there too.

Let the Dawn Come


Navajo Elders

Roseanne, Hopi

Yavapi Mother and Son, in morning ritual, sprinkling corn meal four directionally, praying for all of her relations, face painting her boy

After the sunrise ceremony, adopted Hopi Roy Littlesun suggested to some that we go to a peaceful spot for pipe ceremony. He lit the pipe, ground and then sprinkeled white corn into the deep canyon while the Spanish contingent (19 Agentianians, 60 Spaniards, and who knows how many others) sang many songs, acapella with soft percussion, while the sun rose higher in the sky.

Roy Littlesun

I had been noticing the strength of the voice of the gentleman sitting in front of me. After several group songs, he could no longer contain himself. He burst into solo and inspired us at even deeper levels. Tears flowed, hearts opened with the help of song and the heart of the Earth.

Remembering Our Ancestors

One of the wonderful people I met is Esmeralda, an absolute darling photographer from San Francisco, who donned a blonde wig and tourquoise blue skirt. S/he was one of many who fasted the entire 10 days. We were able to meditate together on the rim later in the morning. S/he explained to me that s/he meditates daily with her ancestors. S/he told me that all you have to do is bring either your mother or father into consciousness and ask who else is with them. The whole lineage may show up, showering you with love and affection, as you are their only expression on the Earth plane. For those of us who never never experienced this type of unconditional love, the experience is a great healing and reminder of the importance of connection with all of our relations.

Caravan to Tuba City

Though the announcement went out to hundreds of people, there were two cars ready to leave the designated spot at the designated time, so I followed two men from Amsterdam, a Brit and a Bosnian. We stopped at Desert View and shared the Grand Canyon watchtower which, even though commissioned by Fred Harvey, was a beautiful rendition of high Hopi art.

Drunvalo waves hello!

Return of the Ancestors Gathering-the Kumbh Mela of the Indigenous

Return of the Ancestors

The Kumbh Mela of the Indigenous

My first day at the Return of the Ancestor’s gathering in beautiful, vortextual Sedona,AZ, was beyond expectations and filled with healing for the Earth and all who attended. The only issue I had was that photographing the ceremony was allowed for the indigenous but not for us white folk. How's that for old paradigm? Words will have to do. Actually, it was kind of nice not having cameras popping every milli-second.
The day began with music from many traditions, all impromptu. Spiritual reggae, hula sung and danced by the Japanese contingent, and a raconteur from El Salvador warmed up the crowd until the Master of Ceremonies, Mayan Elder Don Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj from Guatemala, arrived. I’ve nick named him the "Barack Obama of the indigenous" because he catalyzes change and much needed healing among the very badly wounded Native peoples across the world. Dressed in white pants, traditional Mayan woven shirt and white Panama hat, he quickly brought out his hand-carved staff from an ornately embroidered cloth case. Cradling it in his arm and he spoke as eloquently as ever. Standing about 4 1/2 feet tall, he and his wife Elizabeth, are both larger than life characters.

Setting the Tone
The first issue that Mayan daykeepers always address is what day it is on the sacred calendar, which sets the tone for the consciousness of the day. It was:

4/ imox (crocodile), the day of the hypnotist, therapist, the midwife, the scientist, the doctors, and all men and women who can see and feel a connection beyond the stars. He says that everyone gathered this day has this connection, otherwise they wouldn’t be here. Because of this, we are united, nourished by one sun which shines on us equally. Then, he offers one of his (and mine) favorite prophecies, “We are the ones of yesterday, the ones of today and the ones of tomorrow” which speaks to the eternal nature of our souls.

Seguing to the Long Count calendar, he reminds us that we are living in the last of the 13 katuns on the Mayan era-based calendar. We are finalizing this 5,2000 year cycle of the 5th sun. He says we must pray to nourish the authorities so that they have the heart and strength to think of their children and grandchildren as they make their decisions.

Mayan Fire Ceremony Spontaneously Shifts to Multi-cultural
I was flabbergasted when Mayan shaman Don Juan, who led a sunrise ceremony and divination for us at our Yogadventure in Guatemala last year (photo left), stepped into the sacred circle. Dressed in the traditional garb of the men of Santiago Atitlan, he orchestrated the many Maya who were fixing the ingredients for the ceremonial recipe. Candles of all shapes and sizes and incense from every continent were neatly taken out of the sacred bundles and arranged for strategic and efficient use.

Meanwhile, Don Alejandro had stepped away from the microphone so that he could make eye contact with the Elders seated in the front rows. They were from many nations and decked-out in full regalia according to their traditional styles. The 500+ onlookers, also from all four corners of the Earth were spellbound (and pretty colorful characters also).

Don Alejandro asked specific Elders to step into the four cardinal direction of the circle as follows:
white spiritual leader, North
red Apache from Texas, East
yellow Shinto priest from Japan, South
black man and woman from Ghana, West
Note that these colors are also the colors of corn. One of the indigenous prophecies is that when all these colors blend together, a new world age will come to pass.

Each person offers prayers and a few words about their culture, the common threads being duly noted by the audience. The African contingent asked us to remember those who died in slavery, the trail of tears and the great wars. You could have heard a pin drop when the white man of the North says there is a change in the atmosphere from the previous commission. He said that white people have not done a good job and with help from the ancestors, we can do a better job in the future. We need to find our way back to our ancestors, our roots, and remember them so we can all heal. Someone in the back of the crowd interrupted him, saying that we whites should ask, here and now, for forgiveness. Don Alejandro responded by stating that all people make mistakes and it is a part of our cultural programming. We moved on and the point was well-taken.

Soaring Eagles
At the peak of the ceremony, lots of whooping and hollering was going on as we were all invited to be nourished by the fire, walk around it and make our offerings. We looked up to see three bald eagles soaring above, which, you may imagine, is very good feedback from the animal kingdom and the deities. Don Alejandro emphasized the eagle's importance, as there is one day on the Tzolkin of this energy.

Ancestral Healing

I have not been dry-eyed for days now as I confront the atrocities of my own ancestry and know that this is a huge piece that I need to heal. (see en route to AZ posts) My Mother's people were settlers, and I've read letters about their land deals, fights with the Natives and, even though they were ignorant victims of their version of cultural programming, their collective self-righteous energy still needs to be healed. Aluna Joy calls this the great healing. I just know that I have had such difficulty choking down these white supremist attitudes lately and they need to clear. Learn more about ancestral healing...

In the middle of the afternoon, Larry Running Turtle, the Apache from Texas, came over to me for a chat. I told him about my journey across the US and how hard it has been to acknowledge and make peace with the wrath we whites have wrought, especially in my own family. I teared up again and he pulled out his rattle, a precious tool adorned with feathers and a turtle shell at the end. He touched me with it on my shoulders, arms, knees and head. He took a tear from my eye and kissed it. He said that this is what these gatherings are all about and it is good that we do them. What grace, power and forgiveness he offered me.

The ceremony lasted at least three hours, with no dull moments.

Mixed Marriage
A wedding between a Native woman and white man took place after siesta. Don Alejandro presided, taking 30 minutes to list out all the possible challenges that a married couple could (and would) face. His humor is so low-key, yet entirely infectious. Grandmother Margarita Numez Garcia offered the couple a sacred pipe, explaining it as an instrument of merged duality.
And then, the dance. Inca flutes, Zapoteca guitars and African love song carried us until sun down.

Sweating It Out
By the end of the day, there were two sweat lodges going, one for men and one for women, but things were operating pretty loosely that day, and we ended up with a full lodge with mostly women and several men. The white woman that poured for us had learned the Lakota Sioux tradition, spending time sun dancing and sweating at Pine Ridge, SD. A young Lakota also from Pine Ridge (they didn’t know eachother) assisted her and adorned her work with Lakota language mixed with English.
After three rounds, she asked that we go around the circle and each say what we are thankful for, which, of course, turned into full-blown life-story stuff. Many had been on the "red road" for years with 200-300 sweats under their belt. For me (pita dosha, you know), it was getting ferociously hot (is it cheating to use yogic sitali breath to cool down in a sweat?) and the last person speaker was very pressured to get it over and out. It felt great when the flap opened, we crawled out and met the cool air and a sky full of stars.We sealed the experience outside the lodge with a smoke. Ahau. And how!

Post Script: Mysteriously, I found out in passing just before I left that the program for the next day had been cancelled. Stay tuned for the next installment. I'll send it from the res. if they have wi-fi in Tuba City.

Wailing Wall at Little Big Horn

2/storm
Know the Power that is Peace -Black Elk

Native American Wailing Wall Memorial at the Little Big Horn Battleground

The microclimate of the Badlands and Black Hills became quite obvious as the wide blue sky throughout Wyoming and the great state of Montana opened before us. Black Elk's reference to "greasy grass" at the site of Custer's last stand was puzzling to me and I'm still unsure if this is the same as buffalo grass or sweet grass (as in smudge). I heard this Indian phrase used as a a colloquialism when a trucker cautioned us to drive safely on the greasy roads in SD, definitely a new term for a midwesterner.

Just north of the Wyoming/Montana state line, off I 90 to the right you can see the stretch of land that witnessed this famous battle where 221 troops of General Custer were defeated by the Sioux, the Crow, Cheyanne, even Arapahoe tribes who had banded together to stop this nonsense once and for all. Accounts say the expanse of greasy grass was darkened by all the people and horses that fought there. On the grounds now is a US military war memorial cemetary, (most of Custer's people were buried back East) and an architecturally stunning circle-shaped memorial that honors the four cardinal directions and the Native Americans who died defending their land and culture. (pictured above and below)

Evidently George H. Bush was the President who sanctified this memorial back in 1991 when officially the federal government starting softening their approach under pressure from more conscious citizens. Disturbingly, at the top of the hill, over-looking everything, is the mass horse grave, as Custer and his men circled their horses and shot them, using them as protection from the on-rush of Indians. The contrast in how the Indians and the whites each used the circle and their horses in battle speaks to their vastly different levels of consciousness and why they were destined to conflict.

Rewriting American History - Crazy Horse in the Black Hills

1/Flint

Have spent the last few days learning more about the Native Americans as I travel through the great plains on my way out to the Return of the Ancestors gathering. In my youth I spent some time with the Navajo, Hopi and Apache people on the Arizona reservations. Since that time I've been hearing that steps were being taken, even by our government, to rewrite the bloody chapters in American history with a more balanced perspective, and I've been curious to see how this has manifested. My daughter wanted company driving out to Montana, I had never taken the northern route before (I 90), so I seized this opportunity, packed Black Elk Speaks and Brad Olsen's Sacred Places of North America and hit the road just to see how things may be shifting during this auspicious time in world history.

I can always feel the energy shift to something more spiritual immediately upon crossing the Illinois-Wisconsin state line. It stayed with us as we drove through Western Wisconsin but seemed diffused as we drove across southern MN. This is pig farm central and every version of pork, including the infamous SPAM is processed in these parts (pun intended). Wind farms are everywhere, lazily rotating at uniform speed. Their rhythm is soothing, but the design of the electrical gadgetry they've constructed to pump this power to the grid was ugly, enormous and foreboding. Heaven help us energy hogs.

My overall sense of indigenous presence reappeared around Sioux City, SD, as I admired the red quartzite rock which is found all over the area. We first noticed the color on the interstate, as the pavement turns pink for several miles. While walking Beluci (the dog) we found tons of it, just lying in the weeds next to the hotel. We discovered that red quartz is the centerpiece of Sioux City's central Falls Park, as seen right. The natives knew that this stone held special energy and so blessed their land.



We took our time driving the loop through the Badlands of Western South Dakota even though it was cold and the wet wind bit right through us. The bizarre formations of rock, stone and sand must have embellished some amazing vision quests and intense spiritual experiences in their day. The colors were quite muted by the low clouds and the lack of wildlife on the land where buffalo used to roam made it feel hauntingly empty and tainted. An overlook called "The Ancient Hunters" had a description of the Indian practice of running whole heards of buffalo off the cliff in order to kill them en masse, and I've since noticed numerous signs for "buffalo jumps" all across the great plains East of the Great Divide. Its almost like we're trying to emphasize their savagery to assuage our white guilt.

Way out on the horizon, about where the Pine Ridge reservation is and where the Ghost Dance of Wounded Knee (click this to watch a gutt wrentching video of what happened at Wounded Knee) would have been, some light appeared and dazzled up the sky (its over Ardyce's head, seen on the left). That light spot is also where Black Elk lived at the end of his life and where many potent sundances and ceremonies are held today. Black Elk said that Crazy Horse, perhaps the most pure and traditionally steadfast Native leaders of that time, may be buried near Bear Creek in the Badlands. He said that after the Wasichus (white settlers/perpretators) had tricked and killed him Crazy Horse (they were always unsuccessful at trying to kill him in battle), his parents put him in a box, loaded it on the pony drag and went away towards this holy place. Nobody followed them and no one ever told where they took his body.
The next day we made our way over to the Black Hills where we hoped to spend time at the Crazy Horse Memorial where the essence of this great warrior is gradually being etched, blasted and carved into an enormous stone monument. Another dark, rainy day had us wondering what suckers we were as we paid a $10 entrance fee to the park attendant who assured us that no one had seen Crazy Horse for the past three days due to foul weather. We ended up spending most of the day at this incredibly special attraction and were blessed to have the clouds lift and clear so that we could see this fantastic sculpture in the making.

Insensitive people gripe about how little progress has been made in over 60 years of painstaking effort, but when you realize that this is a privately funded, family project, that is four times bigger than Mt. Rushmore and larger than the largest pyramid at Giza, you realize that this is the kind of project that could only come to fruition in the new world age. The following video clip is an update, describing the $5 million in funding that has been recently infused into the project. These funds will allow two teams to work on the sculpture at the same time for the first time ever. In light of American indigenous prophecies, it is no surprise that this project is gaining momentum at this time.

Palenque Fly-over youtube

This is a must view for those who know and love the Mayan sacred site of Palenque.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtspDn6Vmb8&feature=channel_page

Daykeeper Community-May 2009 calendar

Mayan Calendar Daykeeper Activities
Saturdays in May at Anahata Center
929 S. Main St. Lombard 630.495.8988
3:00-5:00 PM $5 per person

Discussion follows each presentation

May 2 “The White Road” This film documents the 2005 meeting of the indigenous elders from both North and South America at the sacred Mayan sites in the Yucatan, Mexico . The White Road refers to the prophecy of the spiritual awakening occurring now, which culminates as the beginning of a new era of heightened awareness in the year 2012. Discussion follows. Watch the trailer of the spring equinox Mayan ceremonies at Chichen Itza

May 9 Return of the Ancestors Update with BJ Sadtler The 2009 meeting of indigenous elders is being held in northern Arizona in April. As a participant in the event, BJ will have coverage of the prophecies, ceremonies and teachings, many of which are being shared with uninitiated Westerners for the first time, by the Maya, Hopi, Navajo, Yavapi and other indigenous elders. Learn more about the Return of the Ancestors Gathering

May 16 “In Between 2 Worlds” According to the film, reintroducing the Mayan calendar is an emergency plan for the people of planet earth and a road map to salvation. The Maya understood that the order of the universe is governed by a single timing frequency that keeps everything in balance and in harmony. Their calendar system and its potential for modern world consciousness is explored and compared to the mentality that the Gregorian calendar supports. Watch the trailer of the Mayan calendar -vs- Gregorian calendar film

May 30 “The Eagle Flies North” Infamous teacher of the Mayan calendar Ian Lungold presents the Tzolkin, the Long Count and his accompanying philosophy of how to use these tools to navigate the times leading towards 2012. Discussion follows.

Scientist comes to tears with new evidence on previous World Ages

Anyone interested in fleshing out Mayan Long Count calendar theories must watch the PBS Nova program "Last Extinction". A scientist is shown actually coming to tears over a recent discovery that will touch your heart as well. It could be that this is the ET announcement that Ian Lungold predicted in the 6th day of the Galactic cycle of the Mayan Long Count calendar.


This program integrates the findings of scientists in multiple disciplines, including geologists, physicists, biologists, glaciologists, etc. to formulate a theory that a cosmic impact occurred on Earth 12,900 years ago, devastating the incredibly vast diversity of species that existed (this is a post dinosaur period, i.e., think mammoth and saber-tooth tiger). Though this program doesn't mention Jenkins' precession and galactic center of the Milky Way theory or Calleman's days and nights of the cultural cycle, it does beg the question of how our indigenous elders, Hopi, Maya and Inca, knew so much about previous world ages and how modern scientists may be catching up with their line of thinking.


This program is in six segments, each one fascinating. This will especially come alive for those who have seen the Ancient Americas exhibit at the Field Museum.