The Introductions round revealed Indigenous Medicine, Christianity, Eastern traditions, Curiosity, and pleas for the Dead, which seems appropriate a week before el Dia de los Muertos, no?  We refined the definition of “Western thinking” to contrast Western European thinking from Western Hemisphere thinking, and then put it all under the same heading, gifts from the Creator.  Some of us shared stories around those gifts, and several gifts were opened, I believe. Some offered help, some accepted it, and everyone contributed energy to understanding.  An especially comforting thought emerged, especially from a Native point of view, that whether one participated in Native Ceremony or not, they, no matter their color or their station in life, were in the ceremony and recipients of its gifts.

          Then I brought up the issue of protection, which, among the traditional indigenous Circles of which I am a part, is considered a basic, daily necessity: like putting your seat belt on, or brushing your teeth, basic needs, sabes?   The Circle, however, opened up the thought that if protection is needed, then there must be fear, which then raised a question about the existence of evil. We talked about healthy animal-type fear and we talked about contrived, manipulative and chronic fear. The dialog about the existence and non-existence of evil contained reports of rampant witchcraft followed an Einstein anecdote where evil doesn’t stand a chance. As you can see, the subjects of protection, fear and the existence of evil remain wide open.

          As we think toward the next Circle, we find it difficult to move off this topic, but also think it needs to have a more narrow focus.  We’d love to hear what you think before we decide. Many thanks to the participants of this Circle, the visible ones and the invisible ones.

          Since we spoke of magic under the auspices of a Ceremony, we did of course, invoke the Spirits and other Beings. I think they were happy to us hear us talking the way we did and it feels as if all us took home a deeper understanding. I certainly did. That had to be one of the best ceremonies I’ve had the opportunity to ba part of for a good while=: sincere and consistent, its own Circle within the Circle.

          I forgot to tell one story when we were in session. A Friend’s Daughter was giving birth. The Baby was facing the wrong way for a smooth entry to the world and there was a great deal of concern. My friend sang four songs and kept in his mind the image of the Baby turning around the way she should. The Baby obliged and was facing the right way in less than 10 minutes when the doctor came back to check. Go figure.

          We are planning the next Workshop Ceremony in mid to late October. We’re letting the topic come of its own accord, but it could as easily come to you as to us. So please, if something comes to mind, share it with us.

May the grass be soft under your feet… 

Mike

I have sat in Circles many times for many years. Be it forming a Circle with a strong Altar, or sitting in a tepee with 50 others, the Circle is always perfect. Ceremony 2 was for the three of us. As for me, I have many, many needs within the realms of time, and how I live my time. My Sister and Brother received the feather and gave me some, pardon the pun, timely answers. Maybe a few more more of you will be able to join us for Circle #3.  The Circle is.

Workshop Ceremony 3: Native Magic opens Pandora’s personal Box of Worms and it is quite likely some discordance and some discomfort will visit us as we make a run at the Truth surrounding the world of magic, an issue that affects us more than we know.  Alongside that dis-ease we find the beauty and balance of the Circle and if we can step back just a bit we may perceive the  Duality of the Godhead, Ometecuhtli, Granddfather and Grandmother Chief, Yin/Yang and we might see that we can handle it, too, that we can learn from it, that we can evolve in it. Thus, we live one of  the many purposes of Ceremony, the opportuniy to express the fountains within without hurting each other. 

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        In the Lakota language, they say Aho. Mitakuyasin. It means All My Relations and speaks respect to the interconnectedness of all life. The Circle allowed us to experience an up close look at that connectedness, a good thing, since we live in such a disconnected place. We are grateful to the Sacred Beings who heard us and accompanied us, and grateful to each human being who sat and observed the ways of this ceremony and shared their heart and mind.
       

        As I thought about the information I was going to send to participants, a thank you note, a follow-up, and an invitation to the next Circle, I fell into a conundrum regarding the subject of Time. Conventional western business  practices call for prompt, courteous, professional, and efficient communication as in,  ”a stitch in time saves nine, strike while the iron is hot,” and the ever famous, “time is money.”  Loyalty to traditional practices, however, necesitates reading time in more than one dimension.  For instance,watches and calendars interpret time mechanically, but seasons and weather set their calendar from another set of rules.  Mentally, time can fit into an infinite number of conceptual structures, and spiritual time brings in the necesities of the heart.  In physics, the only Western science that may one day discover the “secrets” of Native medicine, we are made of matter, energy, space and time. In Mexica/Tolteca/Mayan ways we find that Time is ruled by Nine Lords. An Uncle once told me to think about why Time gets nine lords when the Wind gets one, Quetzalcoatl, and the Fire gets one, Xiuhtecuhtli. Indeed, all the elements of Earth and Sky have one God each who oversees, measures, and moves each element. Time has Nine.

        My conundrum with time is not new, nor is it rare. It does, however, take up a large space in our lives. In attempting to give the Circle its full due, I hope I have ”heard” correctly and that I have communicated promptly enough for our purposes. Above all I hope I have “heard” you  and that we are dancing in the rhythm of the times when I chose the topic for Workshop Ceremony 2: Time, Timing, the Times, and Indian Time, to be scheduled in early July.

It seems we share the knowledge of a need larger than we are: a need for the Magic to return. What do you think?

Bienvenidos, readers of fantasy and science fiction, lovers of the magical landscape, and seekers of power. Literary definition might call my work fantasy, science fiction, experimental, ethnic, biographical, inspirational, or educational. I don’t want to commit to any of those - an editor can do that much better than I can.  I want to focus on the telling the story in the best way that I can, a way that advances thought. 

If you read this far, maybe you’ll consider sending me a comment. Truly, that is the blog’s purpose. I want a bonafide, card-carrying audience and I will not act like my art stands above that. On the contrary, I want a genuine gesture with a group of readers – for suggestions, questions, instruction even – over a wide range of topics and an extended time. I am grateful for whatever time and thought you are motivated to offer: a simple rating of 1 to 10, or a deep edit of content and form.

Hope you like it. Tlazohcamati, thank you.

Michael Parra Callas