Saturday, January 23, 2010

THE 13 INDIGENOUS GRANDMOTHERS







I have been a massage therapist for 14 years. One of the things that I advise my clients to do is to soak in an Epsom Salt bath afterward. It draws out the lactic acid & is very detoxifying to the body. The response is almost always the same. "My grandmother always did that" or said to do that. Then they go on to say that they just didn't give it any credence. Whether it was just an old wives tale...or just simply outdated & no longer useful. As if all the pills & quick fixes & technology are.


We are a society that is bereft of what holds heart & meaning for us. We are disconnected, fragmented & shut down, as evidenced by our economic crash. We are more concerned about our economy than what is happening in our homes. We are more concerned about what is in our retirement account, than what our child just said to us 5 minutes ago. We are more concerned about what our house is worth, than what is going on inside of our homes. I believe this is what The 13 Indigenous Grandmothers speak to.


Last month, the Grandmothers held their 7th Council Gathering in Sedona. I had the privilege to go with 2 friends of mine. It was one of the most powerful experiences in my life. I have been unable to write about it until now. How do you put into words an experience that goes so far beyond words? How do you begin to convey a message that is not of the mind, but one so deeply embedded in the heart & the soul?


There were around 500 there. From all walks of life. One woman had traveled from Spain. Another woman that I met, had driven from Georgia down to Florida to pick up a friend. They then drove across country to Sedona. And I believe she was in her 70's. This is what a draw these powerful women bring.


The Grandmothers are from all across the world. They are from Africa, Tibet, Nepal, 2 from Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, 2 from South Dakota, Montana, Oregon, Alaska & Arizona. They meet twice a year in each others homeland & hold Council. They found it deeply important to travel to each homeland, to experience each woman right where they live. To experience their people & their traditions. That was mind boggling to me. Especially because they each live without much money to speak of. Yet they deemed it of utmost importance to learn about each other & their cultures. That spoke to me on such a deep level.


Each of them come from such different ways of life. Different beliefs. Different traditions. Yet their curiosity & respect reach past those differences. I watched as each woman held the Council Fire in Sedona. We watch to see if there is something that we can connect to. Dismissing something if we don't understand or get it. They sat there in reverence for each prayer uttered. Many many tears for the degradation of the sacred way of life.



They are of the Earth. They are of the Sky. There are of the Waters. Each of their traditions are based on this. All of our Relations. They spoke so much of that. Our relations to each other, & in how we walk on this Earth. How we honor the trees & the water & the creatures. 

One day was devoted to the Water. They spoke of what Phoenix is doing to the Colorado River. And we just turn on our faucets. We are robbing the Earth for our own benefit. With no regard to how it will affect the next 7 generations. We take & take & take from the Earth. We poo poo the environmentalists if we are wanting something they are fighting against. We mine the minerals. And on & on & on.


Then there are the children. To see the Grandmothers & the children in the same room just filled my heart. Observing how their eyes lit up when they spoke of the children. Their devotion to teaching them. And also learning from them. Watching them guide them in learning the rituals & sacred traditions. The deep respect for the elders & the young alike. Stopping. Taking notice. Just being with them. Nurturing. Yet in our culture, so many times our children are so far removed from their grandparents that they never get this opportunity.


Our culture is SO technology driven. Technology isn't a bad thing within itself. Yet it has gone way out of control. Oprah has even had shows where families are texting each other when they are just in the next room. She just now had a show about the dangers of texting in cars. How many people have died because of that. AND we think this is the thing that we want to take to other countries. Our technology. Our way of life. I think we have done enough of that. Can we not see what it has done to our own lives? To our families? One Native American spoke to this at the Council. He said he didn't even know his own native language until his 40's.


They speak of Honor & Deep Respect. Prophecy. And of vision. From Jyoti, who had a recurrent vision of an international circle of women elders. To the 16 letters sent out. 13 responded. Then in the 1st Council Gathering, Grandmother Rita came forth with 13 stones & 13 eagle feathers that her grandmother had given her when she was 9. Telling her that one day she would be on a council of 13 Grandmothers. And that she was to gift them with these eagle feathers & stones.


So I wonder...what part of the prophecy are you meant to bring forward??


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