Off A Cliff

4/30/10

As I approached Mt. Gilead, there was a sign that said, “Montgomery County, North Carolina: A Golden Opportunity.” So I said, “Okay Spirit, I’m looking!” I had been so hot and uncomfortable on the trip, the thought that passed through my mind was that maybe I would find an opportunity to swim and comfort my body. Then, I went right past a county park with a swimming pool! I checked it out but, alas, the pool was not yet open. Little did I suspect that the opportunity waiting for me was at the mounds themselves.

When I arrived at Town Ck. Mounds, there was a busload of school kids there, picnicking after apparently having just been on tour at the site. Some of them had bought souvenir sticks which, of course, were not really Indian in origin so much as “Made in China.” As kids are prone to do, they had turned the ceremonial wands into clubs and were proceeding to have fake fights with them, pretend-whacking one another on the noggin. It brought to mind a scene from the film Terminator — some visiting alien or visitor from the future perhaps – looking at our war-like nature and wondering how we could have survived so long. Then one of the boys got creative. He held up the end of his staff, which had a “god’s eye” type design on it, made a woooo-oooo sound, and declared, “This hypnotizes you so you can’t attack! Haha!” A budding little shaman! Haha indeed!

I ate lunch, waiting for the kids to clear out before entering the site. Watching the orientation film, I learned the residents here have been named the Pee Dee, after the nearby river by the same name, and that they were part of the Southern Appalachian Mississippian culture. I was interested in this site because it was the place where the priests lived and held the energy and rituals for all the clans thereabouts. The main mound held the ceremonial lodge, in which all their rites were performed. I was also interested in it because over sixty years of continuous excavation have been carefully performed at the site, so much so that archeologists believe they have a very good picture who these folks were and how they lived. What I didn’t expect was the fact that they had actually rebuilt replicas of some of the structures, including the ceremonial lodge! In the same shape and size as the original, on exactly the same spot as the ancient one had been, stood the newly-constructed lodge. They had also rebuilt the defensive barrier that had once been around the village.

Though this is a now a historic site, I asked permission of the ancestors for permission to enter before doing so. Feeling their consent, I worked my way nonchalantly toward the main mound, checking out the other structures as I went. To this point, I hadn’t yet climbed any mounds at a site, being little interested in all the “tourist energy” that collects atop them. This mound beckoned me, however. The energy of the priests and shamans called me. I ascended the mound, again asking humble permission to enter. Feeling that had been granted, I circled the room respectfully, taking in the feel, the architecture. Then I lay upon one of the log platforms, greeting the ancestors, asking if they had any messages or energy they wanted to share with the people at this time.

As I lay there, I began to get a headache. A bad one. Shortly I realized something was happening. The headache was centered in my third eye, which soon began to pulse like a great drum. Then my heart chakra joined, pounding far harder than it should have been while in a relaxing, reclining state. I attended to this, continuing to keep my “antenna” up to Spirit and the ancestors there. The energy began to come through the 4^th and 6^th chakras very intensely, and I felt them synchronize and come into perfect harmony. At that point, I began to perceive the “spirit” of the place, the energy of the “Busk,” which was the main ceremonial cleansing all the people, under the guidance of the priests, performed annually. During this ceremony, all fires were doused in all the villages in the region. In preparation, they forgave all who had wronged them, sought to make amends for wrongs done, and cleared all debts. Then the people, gathered from all around, fasted and purged and cleansed their hearts, minds, and bodies. Afterwards, the priests lit a new fire in the ceremonial temple, which was then carried out to re-light the fire in all the other villages. For this reason that the people were called, “The People of One Fire,” for this represented their unity in Spirit.

So, as I lay in the temple sensing the purification energy, it is no surprise the answer I finally got to my question. “What message or energy would you have me share with my people in this day and age.” The answer, “Purify yourself. Release anger and offense and walk from the heart.” Ho. May it be so.

Upon leaving this place, it was so hot I again began contemplating the “missed” swim, and what “golden opportunity” could be coming my way, when Spirit told me to pay attention, that I was missing something. To my delight, when I checked in with myself, I realized my heart and brow chakras had been activated to a new level. Interestingly, these two are also brought into entrainment together in the practices of the Incan lineage into which I was initiated. For it is taught that the head without the heart and the heart without the head are both ways of being out-of-balance and, to be a seer, you must see from both as a whole. So, a Golden Opportunity indeed! Ho! Thank the ancestors!

4/24/10

Today I visited the Eagle Rock Effigy. As I approached, I saw a stone tower built in 1936 out of leftover rock from a defunct quarry — which I thought was great — as they had recycled it and used no new stone. This 3-story tower, built to view the effigy from above, was itself a really cool structure, built from stone and giant wood beams as it would have been hundreds of years ago. I climbed to the top and looked out and viewed the effigy from all three levels, looking at it from differing perspectives. At top, I spoke with an environmental educator up there who, while waiting for a group of girl scouts, wowwed me with his tree identification skills.

Getting no hits from the tower, I left and walked back on the property for a few minutes, just connecting with the land and the area. Then I walked around the effigy itself, looking at it from ground level. The mound of stones is 8 feet deep on the breast. Then I sat and began to speak to the spirits of that place and the spirits of the ancestors there. I greeted them and apologized for what the white people have done to them (it seemed to be the week for apologies). While I was in communication, a dragonfly tapped me on the right shoulder and flitted away. The Girl Scouts went by and then I had a few moments alone there before more people came. I decided it was all I could do that day. A storm was coming in and I didn’t yet know where I was spending the night. So I told the ancestors I’d be back, either in person or spirit, to that place.

That evening, at the campground not too far away, I “journeyed” there. I    lifted out of my body and, as I neared the effigy, the spirit of Eagle rose up and said, “Come with me.” She flapped her wings several times and rose into  the sky and I followed. I asked eagle what we were doing but she just said to be patient. The Eagle went higher and higher and began circling around in great circles and I followed, doing the same. I became aware my body back in the van was vibrating intensely. I didn’t know what was happening, and I didn’t really see anything, but Eagle told me, “Just watch.” Shortly thereafter, a vision emerged. I saw a large group of people – the ancient natives – gathered around the rock effigy, dancing. Outside the circle of people, was  a great circle of bonfires. Then eagle took me in for a closer look and I saw that the people were dancing and drumming around the effigy. “What are they doing?” I asked. The Eagle appeared a little impatient with me but he said, “Look with your eye!” and I knew she meant my third eye. So I began to look with my third eye and I could see that the people were accessing the spirit of eagle to journey shamanically. By their enery i could see that they were all in a very altered state, as if they had taken hallucinogens, though I know of none that the people of this area used. They appeared to have just danced themselves into such a state, and they journeyed away for visions and guidance for the people. Their third eyes were way open. On myself, I felt my first, second, third, and fourth chakras open wide, particularly my solar plexus. As the priests danced and sought visions, others just danced in joy, celebrating and praising the spirits of the region, the land, the trees, but especially eagle.

Suddenly I had an understanding. I turned to Eagle and asked if he was really an eagle at all, or if she was, perhaps, a deva of the wind in the guise of an eagle. Eagle was pleased that I noticed its ruse for she was indeed the deva of the wind carrying me up and up. The natives would ride on the deva of the wind in the guise of an eagle and fly far and high, seeking game for hunting and other important things. Mostly they reached for Great Spirit, for wisdom and understanding and answers to questions; guidance to live by. When the messages would come thorugh the shamans, there would be a shout and a great celebration.

Finally, Eagle began to circle down lower and lower and I landed in the form of a person and moved among the people. I tried to see what they were doing but they were too swept up in their trance to explain. That was when I began to detect their chakras were open and how they were drawing the energy in through all their chakras. They were fully connected to the earth, the sky. It was magical.

Then I began to feel I couldn’t learn anymore and lifted off, flew back to my body and reintegrated here. As I dictate this, my body is still extremely alive with energy. Though I am not yet fully integrated, I can tell that my body is highly altered, activated.I thank the Eagle/deva and the ancestors for allowing me this vision of times past and secret rites.

Spirits of the ancestors, I am open to messages if you wish to speak, if you wish to teach anything for our people today. Ho!

4/22/10

Today I visited the Etowah Indian Mounds, a native city-state dating from about 700 A.D. to 1500 or so A.D., reaching its peak around 1350. This was once a thriving city with as many as 2,000 people in permanent residence. The decline of the city began when Hernandez DeSoto, the Spanish invader (who history kindly calls an “explorer”), came through and, though their numbers were greater, the natives could not overcome the advanced weapons and horsed soldiers of the Spanish. The French followed the Spanish, followed by yet other Europeans, bringing diseases that decimated the natives while continuing to attack and harass them until the indigenous residents had no choice but to abandon their homes, fleeing to the swamps and other inhospitable lands in the region. Separating by agreement in order to keep competition for resources to a minimum, their way of life was forever lost as they became hunters and trappers, adapting to the “white man’s” ways by trading the skins and furs of their hunt for beads and blankets and, eventually, guns.

I didn’t need to walk around and sense the energy here. Before I had even begun, I perceived strongly the trauma that the people of this place had experienced. I walked therefore straight through the middle of what was once the main plaza to the back of the complex where it abuts the river, seeking an appropriate spot to do my work. There was a beautiful park there, with benches and a lovely swing, in which I sat for awhile, enjoying the flow of the Etowah River. It has quite a strong current and it carries you along, out of the ordinariness of your everyday cares. The spirit of the place is sweet and, if you are attuned to nature, it will usher you into an altered state. A goose visited briefly. I communicated with him, collected wildflowers, and admired the trees while listening to Spirit as to why I was there and what I was to do. I was aware of a sadness in me for the loss of this and so many other indigenous civilizations, and the guidance came to me to take responsibility for my race.

And so I found a sweet spot to lay myself upon the ground near one of the two major mounds there. I drew in energy of earth and sun, grounded myself, put up protection. I opened myself, sending out love to all the spirits of the place. When I felt I had the spirits’ attention, I began to apologize in humility to the ancestors of that place — for the ignorance, cruelty, and callousness of “my” people. I pulled in as much light as I could and sent out love to everything: all of nature there, the earth, the sky, the elemental spirits, the ancients… all the way out into space.

Having finished, I headed back across the plaza. As I did so, I could visualize the life there: adults having sporting competitions, the children playing and learning new skills, people trading with visitors from other villages and regions. Again I was overcome with a sense of grief at the destruction of their way of life. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered once again, “so sorry.” To which a voice replied, “Change happens, little sister.” And in that simple word, I felt acceptance. Not just for myself by the ancient ones, but for all the ways things come and go, begin and end. And so I left there in great gratitude and humility for forgiveness and the lesson.