I thank you for your vision, and the small part our group
was happy to share. I honour you for your efforts, and all
that it has inspired in me.
Am still quite overwhelmed by the magic of the event. Still
digesting things. Saw much, felt much, learned much. Sang
and talked a lot too. Still blissing from all the yummy
hugs I got and gave.
So here it is: Your call was for 24 hours of drumming and
prayer. We began our group warmups at 6pm on Friday evening.
Our hostess and family were firm that a fire was to be built
before sundown and maintained throughout the weekend. They
provided a HUGE pile of split dry wood, bless them. Fire
burned. With the setting of the sun, 4 generations of the
...... family, made ceremony. We were all smudged, and the
......... proceded to introduce us to their people, their
land, their ways. Many more people came the next day, but
about 25 of us were honoured with this welcoming ceremony
and a fine evening of ritual and introductions and prayers
and sharing. A fine energy was growing. ............ led
the ceremony and continued to host the ceremonies throughout
the weekend. He did so with honour and dignity and grace.
Birds sang that he was doing his ancestors and his people
proud and the bird people that were present now chirp it
too. The whole family did their ancestors proud, participating
and guiding us from beginning to end. They were my backbone.
I cherish all of the encounters we shared.
Honoured with the presence of three medicine men, several
elders, a traditional dancer, a Druid priest, a Wiccan high
priestess and assorted other emissaries of light, our gathering
was proudly represented and honoured by members of all four
nations, the Black, White, Yellow and Red. Within our hoop,
within our sacred circle, stories of many lands were shared,
many tribes represented. Many different accents. All equal.
We are One.
The morning began with a drum call just before the sun.
We were 21 at the sunrise, greeting it with a Hopi morning
song warmly played upon a sweet and somber cedar flute.
We sang and drummed. How sweetly my drum sounded, despite
my awkward hand. More introductions, more sharing. Beautiful.
Our somewhat faltering rendition of Morning has Broken (Cat
Stevens) brought a smile to our morning faces. Some new
faces this time. We made a simple medicine wheel around
our sacred fire. The spirit of Red Cloud joined us at the
fire, and I knew that his original wheel, built 20 years
ago continued to do its job while ours was being anchored
in the morning light. I shared greetings and hugs with all
and ducked into the tent for some rest. Two hours later
I was up again, lots more pilgrims to meet and greet, details
to work out as this tiny point on the spoke of a much larger
medicine wheel assembled itself for the activation ceremony.
My thoughts reached out to those with whom I had spoken
at the other points on the wheel, in anticipation of the
activation of the energies. And of course I flew to the
center in my heart.
The elders and spiritual leaders gathered for necessary
conversation on a blanket in the field. When it was time,
they joined us at the fire, and led our ceremonies late
into the day. We danced, we laughed and we sang. Prayers
potent with intent. We shared, we cried. Many of us began
to heal. For others, healing would come later. Ahh, like
the earth, we two-leggeds are fragile and have details to
work out and it made me proud how we progressed with some
of them.
As I crossed the campground to join the fire for the noontime
ceremony, I briefly wished that the Black nation were represented,
and then came a vision: Walking down the hill into our lovely
little valley were several groups of people. A bunch of
young women, a mother pregant with her fourth child and
due within the next ten days, and Lo! a man and woman to
represent the Black nation too! All nations present! A coming
generation! Little children. At the last medicine wheel
on this land, one of our hosts today was "still under
the heart of her mother". It gladdened my heart that
she was here again...still.
Pipes were smoked, prayers were spoken, rattles shaken,
and drums...little drums, the Big Drum, drums of other nations
got beaten. But not beating loudly and wildly. Rather, beating
gently, a gentle heartbeat to soothe a child with a flaming
fever. We prayed, gave thanks to the chilling rain that
cooled a troubled earth. We gave equal thank to father sun's
smile from the western sky as his warmth helped dry our
wet bodies and conclude the afternoon. The two dancers present
led us in dance.
We took a break, but not really, and then began the sundown
ceremony, energized, having stirred with dance in the afternoon.
One particular band of travellers arrived just in time to
take part in the Saturday evening ceremony, having the started
the day at their own Bowen Island medicine wheel. Through
the valley, they made their way to the Mission medicine
wheel (there were wheels springing up all over the place!)
then came to us at Okanagan Lake bearing the Unity Flag...Their
leader had a tearful and happy reunion with the ...... clan
after a three year absence when on a different occasion
an earlier Unity Flag had been painted. Like the last time,
they arrived with prayers and blessings and linen and pots
of paints and flashlights and paintbrushes. Another Unity
flag was created this night, by about 7 loving souls who
kept me company, kept me warm and protected me from the
cold winds that spilled through our valley from the south.
They painted by the light of the moon and the fire and a
utility lamp that was plugged into a very long extension
cord. They inspired me, and I could only give thanks, even
as I lightly dozed, huddled up in a ball in one of those
collapsing event chairs that look comfortable but never
are. I was sure happy to have it to rest my weary bones
on.
4am drumcall...again. We were a little harder to rouse on
Sunday, but lots of hot coffee, the winds easing up and
the growing light soon vived our somewhat saggy energy.
As did the chirpy morning folk that took a good night's
sleep. About 23 or 24 people, and new faces again! Sheer
magic! One of our morning guests was an artist visiting
Kelowna as a lecturing artist at a national Girl Guides
conference. She had been invited to join us on Friday night
while we were in KFC picking up a chicken order. She came
Saturday afternoon, and returned to us the next morning
carrying a wonderful sample of her artwork: A giant cutout
snowflake (36") ringed with pine trees and Haida inspired
images. We propped the round frame up against a bench, below
the hanging Unity Flag. During our prayer, the wind gusted
up and there was a large bang as the picture, protected
beneath a layer of plexiglass, flipped forward. It was the
sound of a fallen snowflake! They had snow in Alberta. Lots
of it.
Then there was a ceremony as I was honoured for my part
in this great weekend. The flag was draped on me, and I
have undertaken to present this flag to you someday soon.
A Unity Flag, a rainbow world - to honour your vision. How
I am to achieve this remains to be seen, but that's what
Faith is all about, right? Thank you Bennie, for this challenge
to my faith. For this affirmation.
On all three days, eagles visited, many birds sang. My heart
sang. I sang. (Mostly Sandy Scofield songs, I got most of
the hey!s and ho!s right, but had to la-di-da my way through
those Cree lyrics (sorry Sandy) The sun shone. Clouds came.
Rain fell. We cleansed. Winds blew. We changed. The sun
shone. We dried. Truly, good spirits graced the sacred fire
around which we prayed and danced. We joined hands in a
round dance. I got to play a Big Drum among my brothers
and sisters! How we shared! And what we shared! I stand
naked before Creation! Many of us received wisdom. In different
ways, most of us became more empowered. We all had a role
to play in this gathering and we played well.
On this Sunday morning, we concluded with ceremony to honour
the Staves that were carried in. We circled the fire, lead
by a carrier of the Okanagan Staff whom we followed out
of the sacred circle. 'Course, we immediately regathered
for some more sharing before reluctantly and joyfully heading
off to start packing up for Mother's Day. It was still early
in the day, and we feasted with frybread and cake and watermelon.
Our final guests for the weekend arrived shortly before
before the last of the guests left and this small group
made their way up the hill for a final visit to Red Cloud's
original site. This gave me the needed time to begin collecting
repacking the entire contents of my car, most of which had
mysteriously emptied itself over the course of the weekend.
Lots of people helped with the clean up while I was gadding
about (bless them all) and then suddenly, I was all packed
up and it was time to go. As I drove by the remaining Lindley's
who were largely packed up and were just cleansing the fire
pit and the circle, I couldn't resist jumping out for one
last hug.
On Okanagan Lake, we honoured the ancestors of our hosts,
and our hosts themselves, four generations of the Lindley
family. We gathered to honour the vision you have shared,
meaningful to all of us in a myriad of different ways. Expressed
in many ways. We awoke, along the with the energies of the
land. With this solid anchor, reached into the wheel, connected
by land, by water, by thought, by love. Crystals glowing
and growing around our wheel. A final connection to Red
Cloud's wheel. I sent prayers out to the orginal crystal
that we planted at Ellison Provincial Park, an energy connection
for some of the other, more northern medicine wheels connecting
with ours. And yours.
This sacred spoke hosted a fine assortment of humanity,
and I was proud to be nestled among them. Most of the crystal
bearers removed their crystals from the circle upon leaving.
A few left their crystals with me, to be planted at my discretion.
And so they shall be. I left one crystal and one wooden
pendent with the family matriarch, Mrs. Elizabeth Lindley-Charters,
a protector of the land and teacher to her multigenerational
brood of strong and beautiful people. She knows exactly
where they belong. Another crystal arrived in the mail today.
It was detained in customs and very carefully inspected.
It was sent by express post on 3 May, so I guess it was
just not meant to join the circle. All that was meant to
makes its way to us, did.
I thank you for the honour of participating in the creation
of your dream and I have been asked to convey similar sentiments
by many of the people present. With the exception of introducing
Elizabeth and Chad Lindley as our hosts, I have avoided
naming names in the telling of this story, mostly because
there are so many names to speak and each name inspires
yet another story. I collected autographs from many of the
guests, but many were also missed because I forgot to pull
the book out until after the Saturday ceremony and some
slipped away. They went away happy and satisfied. Most of
us did. Maybe even all of us. The Lindley family has your
video. I offered it to them when I knocked on their door
only 10 days ago seeking a place to hold a ceremony. What
a happy day that was! A day following a night in which I
peacefully slept by green field peppered with the showy
yellow balsa root blooms. Awakened by four horses rocking
my car, flanked side by side, front and back, demanding
that I join them in sunrise, that I beat my borrowed drum.
This was in Vernon. I was led there by four eagles on Saturday
afternoon, awakened by four horses on Sunday morning. It
was a good day. It made a path to a good weekend one week
later. I learned that "moose" is how you say the
number 4 in the Okanagan language. That all lessons should
be so easy!
We shall speak again soon, and I look forward to that time.
I wanted to share our day with you and give thanks. Although
this letter is addressed to you, I have also sent blind
carbon copies to the guests of the wheel and a few friends
whose spirits carried me to this adventure. To each of them,
I give huge thanks. On Sunday, my heart was so full I could
bearly speak. But I managed. And now I shall stop.
