Holy Synchronicity!
On the seventh day of February Favorites, I AM called to share one of my greatest loves… dolphin dancing… leaping in resonance with beloved community to co-create a world of abunDANCE…
we gather together in mystery
diving deeply into our sparkling sea
realizing this communion is sacred ceremony
purifying the waters so all our relations live in harmony
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To honor the sun sign of Aquarius,let’s listen to this teaching tale about the water bearer…
A water bearer in India had two large pots, which hung on each end of a pole that he carried across his neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and one half pots of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor, cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.
“I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”
“Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”
“I have been able, for these past 2 years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wildflowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”
may we all be compassionate with all that is realizing we are all beautiful cracked pots…
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surrendering to love,
moving into the center of the sea…
one with the tides of life
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i’ll meet you there
in a field of heart consciousness
to create a world of love
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love sharing this journey, this pilgrimage of the heart with you…
drawing down the energy of this full moon in leo, i re-member my first horse, flying carpet and the magical carpet rides we would take as the drumming of her hooves deepened us into a trance where we flew through the clouds as one freespirit painting the skies in iridescent colors of love… breathing deeply through our one heart, may we all realize we are freedom as vast as the skies co-creating a multiverse filled with surprise… happy trails along the rainbow trail…
on this pilgrimage day, the almost full moon in Leo is streaming in lighting up creative expression and energizing the envisioning of deeply held dreams, calling us to share our dreams and to collaborate, to co-create harmony and balance in ourselves, in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our towns, in our countries, in our world…
may we all dream our deep songs into the world…
This moon of February, the pilgrimage is dedicated to a few of my favorite things and this poem, For A New Beginning, tops the list. It is “el canto hondo”, the deep song singing me… Sound and resound this beautiful melody listening for the echos reverberating through the canyon of our one heart…
May we all embrace this new beginning singing over the seeds of heart consciousness planted in the field where we are one.
One last January Jewel to share about a group of young pilgrims who embarked on a 200 mile trek in tribute to the 150th anniversary of the Long Walk. Above is a vision painted on Canyon De Chelly depicting the people thriving again. Take courage, pilgrims, as you walk this spirit path…
Lyla Johnston of Idle No More reports:
At dawn on January 6, 2015, a group of young Diné (Navajo) women and their supporters gathered at sunrise near the fire department at the base of Dził Na’oodiłii (Huerfano Mountain). From there the group embarked on a 200-mile trek through eastern New Mexico—a tribute to the 150th anniversary of the tragic “Long Walk.” Throughout this journey they have been raising awareness about the historical and present day challenges faced by Diné people and inspiring hopeful solutions to address these issues.
“We are walking to honor the resiliency of our ancestors who 150 years ago were forced to march hundreds of miles in the dead of winter on a genocidal death march,” says Dana Eldridge, one of several female organizers of the walk. “They sacrificed and suffered so much so that we could live within these four sacred mountains. So we’re walking to honor them.”
According to the organizers, the walk is not simply a re-enactment of The Long Walk, but their return to a traditional lifestyle.
“Our ancestors walked so that we could be here on our homeland singing, dancing and praying the songs they did. But now everyone is chasing the American Dream and neglecting our homeland, our language and way of life,” says Kimberly Smith of St. Michaels, Arizona.
Several Diné elders, including Larry W. Emerson, think present day problems might be due to an abandonment of self: “One purpose of the walk might be for us to come back into ourselves via our traditional knowledge—into our homes, families, relations, communities and earth-sky knowing. Ké and k’é hwiindzin—to be conscious of our interdependent relationships based on compassion, love, and nurturing—are vital to our survival and we cannot come home to ourselves without these vital teachings. [We] offered several teachings [to the walkers] that might address the practice of coming home to ourselves, including some prayer songs.”
According to organizers, land-based prayer is an important part of their journey. “Everything we do is a prayer to return to our original selves,” says Laura Red Elk of Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico. “The mountains were our original naat’áanii [leaders] before IRA governments or the tribal council. Since our government is failing to protect us, we are returning to our original leadership by letting the mountains determine how we walk on the land.”
“We give life and we nurture life just like the land does. Our traditional leadership structure is matrilineal because we are the spinal chord of society, the first teachers of the children. We are journeying back to our original selves including our responsibility as women to protect the land and take care of it,” says Red Elk.
“It’s all the more reason for this walk to be led by majority women. As traditional caretakers of the land, their physical presence is in and of itself a resistance to resource extraction,” comments Konsmo.
Smith encapsulates the spirit of the walk by saying, “We have to go back to where the wisdom is embedded. We have to reintroduce ourselves to those places. It is our inherent right and responsibility. The uplifting that our people need is there. We want to bring it back for our people, we want to honor our elders, our children and most importantly, we want to honor the earth.”