Archaeoacoustics: The Archaeology of Sound

Archaeoacoustics, a burgeoning field within archaeology, combines the study of ancient sites and artifacts with the science of sound. By examining how sound was used and experienced in historical contexts, researchers can gain unique insights into the lives, cultures, and environments of ancient peoples. This post will delve into the principles of archaeoacoustics, its methodologies, significant findings, and the implications of these discoveries for our understanding of history.
 

What is Archaeoacoustics?
 

Archaeoacoustics is the interdisciplinary study that merges archaeology, acoustics, and sometimes anthropology, to understand the role of sound in past human activities. This field investigates how ancient peoples produced, manipulated, and perceived sound, whether in rituals, communication, or daily life. By reconstructing these soundscapes, archaeoacoustics offers a sensory dimension to historical inquiry, enriching our interpretation of archaeological sites and artifacts.
 

Methodologies in Archaeoacoustics
 

Acoustic Measurements and Simulations
 

One of the primary methods in archaeoacoustics involves acoustic measurements and simulations. Researchers use modern technology to analyze the acoustics of ancient structures such as theaters, temples, and caves. Tools like sound level meters, directional microphones, and computer simulations help in understanding how sound behaves in these environments. By measuring reverberation times, frequency responses, and sound distribution, archaeologists can infer the acoustic properties and possible uses of these spaces.
 

Sound Mapping
 

Sound mapping is another critical technique, where the distribution of sound within a particular area is documented. This involves creating detailed maps that illustrate how sound travels and is experienced at different locations within a site. These maps can reveal areas of optimal acoustics that may have been used for specific activities, such as speech, music, or ritual practices.
 

Experimental Archaeology
 

Experimental archaeology also plays a role in archaeoacoustics. By recreating ancient instruments or sound-producing devices, researchers can explore how these tools might have been used and what kind of sounds they produced. This hands-on approach provides tangible insights into the auditory experiences of ancient peoples.
 

Significant Discoveries in Archaeoacoustics
 

The Acoustics of Stonehenge
 

One of the most fascinating studies in archaeoacoustics involves Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument in England. Researchers have used acoustic modeling to understand how sound would have behaved within this stone circle. Findings suggest that the stones could have amplified speech and musical sounds, creating an immersive auditory experience. This has led to speculation that Stonehenge may have been used for rituals or gatherings where sound played a crucial role.
 

The Hypogeum of Hal-Saflieni
 

The Hypogeum of Hal-Saflieni in Malta, an underground temple complex, is another site of interest. Acoustic studies have shown that certain chambers within the Hypogeum have unique resonance frequencies that enhance the human voice. This has led researchers to believe that the temple may have been designed with acoustic properties in mind, possibly for chanting or other vocal rituals.
 

Chavin de Huantar
 

At the ancient site of Chavin de Huantar in Peru, archaeoacoustics has revealed that the temple complex was built with sophisticated sound manipulation in mind. Researchers discovered that the architecture of the site, including its network of tunnels and chambers, could have been used to create disorienting and awe-inspiring auditory effects during religious ceremonies. The use of conch shell trumpets and other sound devices would have added to these effects, enhancing the spiritual and psychological impact on participants.
 

The Maya Pyramid of Kukulkan
 

At the Maya ceremonial center of Chichen Itza in Mexico, an incredible acoustic phenomenon can be heard at the Pyramid of Kukulkan. If you clap your hands directly in front of the pyramid's main staircase, it echoes back an almost mechanical bird-like chirping sound. Recordings of the hand-clap echoes match the chirp of the nearly extinct Quetzal, the sacred bird associated with both the name of the pyramid and its plumed serpent deity Kukulkan. 

 

The Maya Ruins of Palenque

 

Archaeologists discovered that the temples and public squares in Palenque, Mexico could clearly project the sounds of a human speaker and musical instruments of the time across at least a hundred meters, or about the length of a football field. The investigation identified rooms that could have been used by musicians, speakers or priests to amplify the frequency, quality and volume of sound, allowing the music or the message to travel further and reach more people. The findings strongly suggest the design and structures at Palenque involved a great deal of knowledge about acoustics and the behavior of sound.

 

Implications and Insights
 

Understanding Rituals and Ceremonies
 

Archaeoacoustics provides valuable insights into the rituals and ceremonies of ancient cultures. By reconstructing the soundscapes of these events, researchers can better understand the sensory experiences of participants and the role of sound in these practices. This can shed light on the spiritual and cultural significance of sound in ancient societies.

Reinterpreting Archaeological Sites
 

The study of sound can lead to new interpretations of archaeological sites. Structures that were previously thought to serve purely functional purposes may be re-evaluated in light of their acoustic properties. For example, a room that was assumed to be a storage area might be reconsidered as a space for ritual chanting if it has unique acoustic characteristics. 
 

Enhancing Public Engagement
 

Archaeoacoustics also has the potential to enhance public engagement with archaeology. By recreating the sounds of the past, museums and heritage sites can offer immersive experiences that bring history to life. This sensory approach can make historical sites more accessible and engaging for visitors, fostering a deeper connection with the past.
 

Conclusion
 

Archaeoacoustics offers a fascinating and innovative approach to the study of ancient cultures. By exploring the acoustic properties of archaeological sites and artifacts, researchers can uncover new dimensions of historical experience and gain deeper insights into the lives of ancient peoples. Despite its challenges, the field holds great promise for enhancing our understanding of the past and engaging the public with history in new and exciting ways. As technology advances and interdisciplinary collaboration continues, the future of archaeoacoustics looks both promising and intriguing, inviting us to listen to the echoes of history in ever more profound ways.

Ancient Rock Art May Depict Shamanic Music

More than 2,000 years ago, the Tukano people of the Colombian Amazon may have documented the soundtracks to their hallucinogenic experiences in petroglyphs on volcanic boulders. Consisting of what appears to be dancing human figures surrounded by zigzagging lines and other geometric forms, the enigmatic art eludes concrete interpretation, although a new analysis suggests that these abstract shapes may depict the songs that transported participants to other dimensions during Ayahuasca ceremonies. The pre-Columbian designs can be found at Toro Muerto, which contains one of the richest collections of rock art in South America. A desert gorge, the site is strewn with thousands of boulders, some 2,600 of which feature ancient carvings.

 

Describing the drawings in a new study published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal, researchers explain that the artworks contain "an almost overwhelming repetition of images of dancing human figures (known as danzantes), unique in the region, and an extraordinary accumulation of geometric patterns, most often in the form of vertical zigzag, straight and sinuous lines varying in width, sometimes with accompanying dots or circles." Previous attempts to interpret these zigzags have suggested that they may represent snakes, lightning, or water, although the study authors believe they may have an alternative meaning.
 

Examples of "danzantes" at Toro Muerto. Image credit: Tracings: Polish-Peruvian research team, 

compiled by J.Z. Wołoszyn/Cambridge Archaeological Journal/2024 (CC BY 4.0)

 

To build their hypothesis, the researchers point out the striking similarities between the drawings at Toro Muerto and the traditional artwork of the Tukano culture in the Colombian Amazon. In the case of the latter, geometric designs have been linked to the visions induced by the hallucinogenic brew Ayahuasca, which has been ritually ingested by Indigenous Amazonian communities for millennia. According to the Tukano these drawings were 'yajé images', meaning that they showed patterns they had seen while in an altered state of consciousness induced by consuming entheogens. Concentric circles, dots, wavy lines, zigzags and crenellation motifs dominated among them.

Anthropological analyses of these rituals have repeatedly highlighted the importance of music, with songs known as icaros being sung by shamans as a means of communicating with the gods and journeying through the spiritual cosmos. Ritual in many human cultures involves music; it is a key social technology for building and sustaining community. Ritual music is a universal way to address the spirit world and provide some kind of fundamental change in an individual's consciousness or in the ambience of a gathering. Experiences of ego loss and trance are important for integrating the individual into the group and maintaining community, and music is a significant element of such ritual activity.

Intriguingly, studies into the significance of zigzags in Tukano artwork have revealed that "the Tukano saw in them the representations of songs which were an integral part of the ritual, having also agentive power, and constituting a medium for transfer to the mythical time of the beginning." In other words, within a Tukano context, these shapes depict the shamanic music that mesmerizes ritual participants under the effects of Ayahuasca, delivering them to an alternate reality in which they are able to reconnect to their ancestral mythology.

Admitting that their theory is somewhat speculative, the researchers nonetheless conclude that these pre-Hispanic drawings "illustrated a graphically elusive sphere of culture: singing and songs. The interpretation we propose is of course hypothetical, but the conclusions it leads to constitute a logically coherent counter-proposal to previous interpretations of some of the Toro Muerto petroglyphs. We suggest that zigzag lines could be representations of songs, which seems particularly intriguing given the repeated juxtaposition of these patterns with the figures of dancers at Toro Muerto."

The Mysterious Peterborough Petroglyphs

The Peterborough Petroglyphs are the largest collection of ancient rock carvings in all of North America, made up of over 900 images carved into crystalline limestone located near Peterborough in Ontario, Canada.

Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1976, local indigenous people believe that this is an entrance into the spirit world and that the Spirits actually speak to them from this location. They call it Kinoomaagewaapkong, which translates to "the rocks that teach."

The petroglyphs are carved into a single slab of crystalline limestone which is 55 metres long and 30 metres wide. About 300 of the images are decipherable shapes, including animals, humans, shamans, solar symbols, geometric shapes and boats.

It is generally believed that the indigenous Algonkian people carved the petroglyphs between 900 and 1400 AD. But rock art is usually impossible to date accurately for lack of any carbon material and dating artefacts or relics found in proximity to the site only reveals information about the last people to be there. They could be thousands of years older than experts allow, if only because the extensive weathering of some of the glyphs implies more than 1,000 years of exposure.

There are some other mysteries surrounding these remarkable petroglyphs. The boat carvings bear little resemblance to the traditional boat of the Native Americans. One solar boat -- a stylized shaman vessel with a long mast surmounted by the sun -- is typical of petroglyphs found in northern Russia and Scandanavia. A Harvard professor believes the petroglyphs are inscriptions (and maybe even a form of written language) left by a Norse king named Woden-lithi, who was believed to have sailed from Norway down the St. Lawrence River in about 1700 B.C., long before the Greenland Viking explorations.

Another vessel depicted in the petroglyphs is a large ship with banks of oars and figure-heads at bow and stern. There is a large steering oar at the stern, a necessary feature only for vessels that are 100 feet or more in length. However, the Algonkian people who inhabited the region never built anything more seaworthy than a birch-bark canoe or a dugout. Even reluctant archaeologists admit that the ships "do not look like real Algonkian canoes" but steer away from any controversial conclusions about pre-Columbian visitors by speculating that the vessels are simply a shaman's idea of magical canoes that travel the universe.

Another peculiarity is the figure-heads at bow and stern which resemble birds. The same design can be seen in Etruscan repousse gold work of the 9th century BC. The bird-headed ships were portrayed 200 years earlier, when Egyptian artists carved their images into the walls of Pharaoh Ramses IIIs "Victory Temple" in the Valley of the Kings.

Yet another mystery is the presence in the petroglyphs of a tall figure or 'god' which stands with arms akimbo and with a halo radiating rays, presumably from the sun. Cowering before him are two minute humble humans in attitudes of supplication. Scientists think the figure may represent a sun god but there doesn't exist any known cases of sun worship among the indigenous people of the region.

Some historians and researchers believe there is more to the petroglyphs than meets the eye. Some maintain that they are in fact a sky map of the heavens based on European tradition from 3100 BC. Evidence includes four signs which are the same as those found for the identical astronomical position at Lewes, England, leading to a possible speculative connection between the Peterborough petroglyphs and the megalithic people of Ancient Britain.

So the petroglyphs of Peterborough remain an intriguing riddle, a sort of code to which the key is still missing.

168 New Nazca Geoglyphs Discovered

More than 100 new designs discovered in and around Peru's Nazca plain and surrounding areas could bring new information to light about the ancient artworks that have intrigued scientists and visitors for decades. Following two years of field surveys with aerial photos and drones, Peruvian and Japanese researches from Yamagata University reported the discovery of 168 new designs at the Unesco World Heritage site on Peru's southern Pacific coast.
 

The geoglyphs, huge figures carved into the South American desert, date back more than 2,000 years and depict living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometres long. Jorge Olano, head archaeologist for the Nazca Lines research program, said the newly discovered figures averaged between 2 and 6 meters (6.56 to 19.7ft) in length.
 

The purpose of the Nazca Lines, which could only be seen from the air, remains a mystery. These new findings, however, are smaller and can be seen from the ground. The figures, iconic vestiges of Peru's rich history, are about a three-hour drive from the capital, Lima. Researchers had already discovered 190 figures in the area since 2004. But the vastness of the terrain they cover has complicated efforts to study and conserve the heritage site.
 

Yamagata University said the research will be used in artificial intelligence-based surveys to help inform the lines' preservation. Studies from the university in collaboration with Peru's government have helped delineate and protect the area, which is facing threats from urban and economic developments. Some geoglyphs are in danger of being destroyed due to the recent expansion of mining-related workshops in the archaeological park. 

 

Anthropologists, ethnologists, and archaeologists have studied the ancient Nazca culture to try to determine the purpose of the lines and figures. One hypothesis is that the Nazca people created them to be seen by deities in the sky. Another theory is related to astronomy and cosmology, as has been common in monuments of other ancient cultures: the lines were intended to act as a kind of observatory, to point to the places on the distant horizon where the sun and other celestial bodies rose or set at the solstices.

Other theories were that the geometric lines could indicate water flow or irrigation schemes, or be a part of rituals to "summon" water. The spiders, birds, and plants may be fertility symbols. It also has been theorized that the lines could act as an astronomical calendar, as proved by the presence of radial centers aligned along the directions of winter solstice and equinox sunset. Researchers believe that the geoglyphs were the venues of events linked to the agriculture calendar. These also served to strengthen social cohesion among various groups of pilgrims, sharing common ancestors and religious beliefs.

The Crestone End of Life Project

At 8,000 feet in elevation, Crestone is a small, unique community nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of south central Colorado. Both beautiful and isolated, Crestone is a spiritual center that includes an astonishing array of sacred sites. Within walking distance of this international village are ashrams, monasteries, zendos, temples, chapels, retreat centers, stupas, shrines, medicine wheels, labyrinths, a ziggurat, and an outdoor cremation pyre.
 

The Crestone End of Life Project (CEOLP) operates one of the only legal, open-air cremation sites in the state of Colorado. Steeped in Hindu, Sikh, and Christian tradition, open-air cremations are rare ceremonies that bring an ancient tradition of disposition to western culture. This ancient and inspirational end-of-life choice returns the body to its original fire and air elements. The process involves a pyre, a half-cord of wood, a wooden stretcher and a shroud. The family or friends of the deceased work together with CEOLP staff to plan the ceremony, and various teams from the organization are trained to produce a deeply meaningful context for marking the passage of a loved one into death.
 

CEOLP offers a non-sectarian, community-driven ceremony where your body can be cremated outdoors in a fiery pyre. Conducting an open-air disposition begins with wrapping the body in a natural fabric shroud, which is placed on a wooden stretcher on a steel grate atop an outdoor hearth. Each member of the procession places a juniper branch on the body.
 

The fire reaches temperatures of over 1,500 degrees, consuming the body. What remains is about three gallons of ashes. The process of dissolution takes three hours, but more than 18 hours for the ashes to be cool enough to collect. Unfortunately for out-of-towners who want to have an open-air cremation, CEOLP's services are only available to local residents of Saguache County. Despite having a population of just 6,000 county residents, CEOLP still performs multiple open-air cremations every year for those who want a disposition ceremony performed by family, friends and community.

The Pyramid of the Magician

I first visited the Maya ruins of Uxmal in March of 1995. It was a transformational journey of self-discovery -- the culmination of a lifelong dream. The archaeological site is located about 50 miles south of Merida, the vibrant capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan. Uxmal was the greatest metropolitan and ceremonial center in the Yucatan during the Late Classic Period, flourishing between the seventh and tenth centuries. It was a seat of power in the southern Puuc region, the low range of hills in the otherwise flat lowland forests of the Yucatan. The city is home to two large pyramids and various temples, plazas and a ball court. Ancient raised roads called sacbes connect the structures, and also were built to other cities in the area such as Chichen Itza. The majestic temples of Uxmal are unique in their type because they were built on various levels and their facades are notable for the intricate stone latticework. The city's limestone structures have ornate carvings, friezes and sculptures embedded in the architecture.
 

The Pyramid of the Magician is the first building a visitor encounters when entering the ceremonial area of Uxmal. The pyramid stands out from other Maya structures because of its rounded corners, considerable height (115 ft), steep slopes and unusual elliptical base. I walked to the base of the pyramid and made a tobacco offering to the temple guardians, seeking permission to enter the shrine. I climbed the steep steps of the east staircase to the temple at the summit, known as the House of the Soothsayer. The elongated temple has an entrance on each side of the wide stairway. Each door of the temple represents the mouth of a cave leading into the heart of the sacred creation mountain. Inside the sanctum of the cave sits the portal that leads to the spirit world.
 

I entered the carved stone temple to find three ornate vision chambers. I sat cross-legged on the floor of the central chamber to meditate. I closed my eyes and stilled my mind by focusing on my breath as I inhaled and exhaled. I invoked the Vision Serpent, the Maya deity who serves as a gateway to the spirit realm. I asked for insight into the origins of Uxmal. This is what happened:
 

In my mind's eye, I could see into the distant past. I saw Plumed Serpent (the Maya creator deity) and three lightning deities, known as Chaac, K'awiil and Yaluk, create the Earth out of the primordial sea and populate it with animals. They wanted to create human beings with hearts and minds who could keep the days of the calendar, but their first attempts failed. When these creator deities finally formed humans out of yellow and white corn who could talk, they were satisfied. They used lightning to open up the Maize Mountain, making the maize seeds available to mankind. The three lightning deities then instructed the first people in the ways of language, culture and the spiritual sciences.
 

The core beliefs and principles of all spiritual cultural traditions originate from the thunder, lightning and rain deities. They are the source of all religious transmission, both ancient and new. As with many Mesoamerican cultures that based their living on rain-dependent agriculture, the ancient Maya held a special devotion for the deities controlling rain. The lightning deities had a particularly strong relationship with shaman-kings because kings were considered to be rainmakers and were able to communicate with the gods of rain, lightning and storms. Kings were initiated by the rain deities, thus becoming their human counterpart.
 

I could clearly see that Uxmal had an ancient and ongoing use as a mystery school dedicated to preserving, protecting and perpetuating the original wisdom teachings transmitted by the lightning deities. The so-called Nunnery Quadrangle of four palatial structures to the west and behind the Pyramid of the Magician was actually used as a school for the training of shamans, priests, calendar daykeepers, astronomers and mathematicians. The Nunnery Quadrangle was a school where teachings were not only transmitted orally, but were transmitted through didactic architecture -- or architecture as a teaching tool. The Maya intentionally used geometric forms to encode their cosmology in the architecture to educate initiates about natural laws and principles. The Nunnery Quadrangle is an enduring example of the sacred science and the high wisdom of the ancient Maya.

Words Are Monuments

A national reckoning with American history and racial injustice has been playing out on the terrain of monuments, museums, school curricula, and increasingly -- maps. While the Department of the Interior plans to rename 660 place-names with the derogatory term "sq**w," a new study published in the journal People and Nature shows that misogynist and racist slurs are the tip of the iceberg. Violence in place-names can take many forms, including the erasure of Indigenous knowledge and languages.
 

Titled "Words Are Monuments," the study reveals a system-scale pattern of place-names that perpetuate settler colonial mythologies, including white supremacy. Through a quantitative analysis of 2,200 place-names in 16 National Parks, researchers identified:

• 10 racial slurs

• 52 places named for settlers who committed acts of violence against Indigenous peoples. For example, Mt. Doane, in Yellowstone, and Harney River, in the Everglades, commemorate individuals who led massacres of Indigenous peoples, including women and children.

• 107 natural features that retained traditional Indigenous names, compared with 205 names given by settlers that replaced traditional names found on record.

While the Department of the Interior has established a task force to address derogatory place-names, the agency has faced some criticism for what Washington State officials and area tribes are calling a rushed process, with proposed replacement names that are largely colonial.

Calls to re-Indigenize place-names in national parks and monuments have been gathering steam, from the Blackfeet Nation's recent petition to return traditional names to mountains in Glacier National Park, to the Puyallup Tribe's campaign to rename Mount Rainier to Təqʷuʔməʔ, or Mount Tahoma.
 

A new website and national campaign inspired by these efforts and the place-names study launches today at WordsAreMonuments.org. Created by the pop-up social justice museum The Natural History Museum, the site features an interactive map with stories from problematic place-names cited in the study; a step-by-step guide from the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers on how to officially change place-names; video interviews with cultural geographers and Tribal leaders; and ways to take action to support renaming campaigns.
 

The Natural History Museum will also host a free series of online events featuring Indigenous leaders, artists, activists and scholars that explores:

• Why place names matter and how the movement to 'undo the colonial map' relates to other movements that reckon with American history -- to topple Confederate and colonial monuments, decolonize museums, and overhaul school curricula;

• The relationship between language and ideology, and the power of place names in encoding a way of seeing, understanding, and relating to the land;

• How campaigns to re-Indigenize place names on federal lands are not just about making public lands more inclusive, but are stepping stones on the path to Indigenous co-governance and land rematriation;

• The global reckoning with colonial and imperialist history, including successful and ongoing efforts to replace colonial place-names in New Zealand, India, Palestine, South Africa, and beyond.

Chief Arvol Looking Horse Calls for Unity

All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer: Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, calls on people from around the globe to gather at sacred places on June 21 and join in prayer for the healing and protection of Grandmother Earth.
 

June 21, 2022
 

We warned that one day you would not be able to control what you have created, that day is here. Now we must unite once again to create an energy shift upon Grandmother Earth. She cannot take any more impact from all the selfish decisions being made.
 

We have come to that place in this time upon Earth, to now make a stand together. To unite -- each in our own sacred life-ways we have chosen to walk, whatever religion or belief, go to your sacred spaces and join us in these special prayers for the Earth on June 21st. It has been proven we can create miracles when we unite spiritually.
 

Many white animals have shown their sacred color throughout the world now, and they continue to communicate that we are at the crossroads. We have walked through two years of losing many relatives through a terrible disease, and so have the animals and plant life also continue to suffer. The imbalance of Mni wic'oni (water of life) causing droughts and fires to severe flooding is everywhere, and I feel more suffering is to come from all these poor choices that are being made.
 

I humbly request a time from each of the two legged in this world to send a prayer to heal our precious Earth and the balance of Mni wic'oni to be restored. Begin to prepare in your homelands to unite -- All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer -- for the sake of Grandmother Earth, our source of life not a resource.
 

In a sacred hoop of life where there is no ending in no beginning.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse
19th Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

 

Source: Last Real Indians

"Riding Spirit Horse" Book Release

Happy vernal equinox! I hope you're safe and remaining hopeful despite the horrific world events taking place. It's a head-spinning, anxiety-inducing time. The past two years of the coronavirus pandemic have been filled with unprecedented challenges and uncertainty. Immersing myself in a writing project was my way to cope with a global pandemic that has affected everything and everyone. The isolation and prodigious amount of free time provided fertile ground for writing my life story. So it is with great pleasure that I announce the release of my autobiography, Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey into Shamanism. 

 

In this spiritual memoir, I recount my journey into shamanic practice. It has been a lifelong process--a path that continues to unfold. I am sharing my journey and learnings because many people in today's world are being called by Spirit to become shamans or shamanic practitioners. A yearning exists deep within many of us to reconnect to the natural world. It is a call to a life lived in balance with awareness of Nature, of Spirit and of Self. We live in a culture that has severed itself from Nature and Spirit. Humans have lost touch with the spirit world and the wisdom of inner knowing. The spirits, however, have not forgotten us. They are calling us to a path of environmental sanity, to rejoining the miraculous cycle of Nature.
 

The narrative of my story moves from my first ecstatic experience as a youth at a church revival to my mystical shamanic awakening in the wilderness, transformational pilgrimages to sacred places, working with indigenous wisdom keepers, to the experiences that prompted my writing, particularly my trance experiences "riding the drum" or Spirit Horse. Studying with Native elders and shamans, I discovered my shamanic gifts as a drummer, storyteller and ceremonialist.
 
A journey into shamanism is a pilgrimage of the soul. My journey has taken me down many spiritual paths. As a youth growing up, I embraced the teachings of Christ; I later studied and practiced the teachings of Taoism and Buddhism, all of which have their roots in shamanic practices from the earliest tribal communities. Shared core principles and truths weave a common thread through all spiritual traditions. This golden thread runs through the lives and the teachings of all the great prophets, seers and sages in the world's history.
 
Ultimately, all contemplative spiritual practice leads to the evolution of conscious awareness and union with the divine in the present moment. The perennial wisdom traditions teach us that the "here and now" is eternal, unchanging and omnipresent; it should be the primary focus of our life. When we are not present in the moment, we become a victim of time. Our mind is pulled into the past or the future or both. The present moment is all we ever have. The eternal now is the fundamental ceremony of life. When we bring ourselves fully into the present moment, our life becomes a spiritual practice and an opportunity to ride in beauty on the windhorse of authentic presence! I invite you to look inside Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey into Shamanism and to view the official book trailer.

Joseph Rael's Sound Peace Chambers

Joseph Rael, whose Tiwa name, Tsluu teh koy ay, given to him as a child at Picuris Pueblo, means "Beautiful Painted Arrow," is widely regarded as one of the great Native American holy men of our time. He was born in 1935 on the Southern Ute reservation to a chief's granddaughter and a Tiwa-speaking Picuris native. At about age 7, shortly before his mother's death, he went to live in Picuris near Taos, NM, where his visionary powers were developed until, at about age 12, he began to assist the village holy man in curing practices.
 

He was educated both at Santa Fe Indian school and public high school before getting a BA in political science from the University of New Mexico and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For a number of years he worked in various capacities in Indian health and social services in both New Mexico and Colorado.
 

At age 45 he quit his social services job to devote full time to teaching and following his visions wherever they might lead. In 1983 Joseph had the vision to build a Sound Peace chamber, a kiva-like structure where people of all races might gather to chant and sing for world peace and to purify the earth and oceans. He built the first such chamber at his then-home, a trailer park in Bernalillo, NM, and shortly like-minded people began to build Sound Peace chambers in other locations.
 

At present, Sound Peace chambers have been built around the globe. Writes Joseph, "My vision is that through sound we will bring about peace and other important vibrations. Sound can teach us a way to create without destruction." Meanwhile, Joseph began leading ceremonial dances, based on his visions, with participants from all races and nationalities. "When you dance you are expanding the vibrations of insight and manifestation," he writes. "I created three dances -- the long dance, the sun-moon dances and the drum dance -- for these spiritual gifts."
 

Joseph teaches that "Every dance, every ceremony, is both for you and for the cosmos." In 1999, Joseph retired from active leadership of the dances he had begun, turning them over to a new generation of his students. Joseph Rael is the author of a number of books, including Being and Vibration, Sound: Native Teachings and Visionary Art and his autobiography, House of Shattering Light. He is also an artist. His paintings, like his ceremonies and teachings, are based on his visions. They have been called "portal" art, because they open a doorway into alternate dimensions of reality. As a Native American elder, Joseph Rael has spoken before the United Nations and addressed a conference of military officers at the Pentagon on the role of the warrior in the modern world.

Vagabonding as a Spiritual Path

The natural world is my muse and sanctuary -- a place for refuge and discovery. My most memorable moments have been in the outdoors. I have hiked thousands of miles of trails through forests, deserts and mountains. Having spent much of my life traveling and trekking, I still crave adventure and new experiences. Vagabonding or nomadic wandering is a unique way of living, a spiritual path to authenticity, self-awareness and solitude. Solitude allows time for self-examination, relaxation away from urban stress, and a chance to meditate, contemplate, or just zone out for hours at a time. Many of my most memorable experiences took place during solo journeys into Nature. The longer the solo immersion, the more transformational the experience.

In October 2011, I felt Spirit calling me. I felt compelled to travel to the sacred sites and power places that beckoned me. I followed my intuition and deepest instincts. I traveled with my drum and medicine bundle to shamanize the meridian system of Mother Earth's numinous web, which is the planetary counterpart to the acupuncture meridian system of the human body. At the intersection points of the planet's energy web exist holy places, power spots, or acupuncture points. Like acupuncture needles, humans are capable of maintaining the harmonious flow of the planetary energy meridians by making an Earth connection at power places.

Many magical things happened during my two month pilgrimage. I camped at Panther Meadows on Mount Shasta. I hiked among the oldest living things on the Earth in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. I soaked in the healing waters of Umpqua, Buckeye, Travertine, Whitmore, and Keough Hot Springs. Indigenous people worldwide believe that where fire and water mix at a hot spring is a sacred place. A water deity, usually a goddess, resides in each spring. People make pilgrimages to thermal springs to connect with the goddess and to supplicate the benefits of her healing graces. The sacred ambience of the place, its geothermal energy and the pilgrim's relationship to it, is sufficient to fulfill the pilgrim's aspirations.

I ventured south through California and explored the Owens Valley area on the east side of the Sierra Nevada crest. Before returning home in early December, I planned a four day desert exploration. On day one, I visited the Sleeping Lizard, which is an ancient vision quest site located in the Volcanic Tablelands north of Bishop. This site is sacred to the Owens Valley Paiute people, who use alcoves in the rock for vision quests. I took a journey back in time to visit the ancient ones who etched petroglyphs in the volcanic rock.

Next, I drove up the Whitney Portal Road towards the trailhead that hikers climb up to Mount Whitney. Unfortunately the road to the trailhead was closed for the winter. I backtracked down the road and camped in the Alabama Hills, located in the shadow of Mount Whitney just west of Lone Pine. The rounded weathered contours of the reddish-orange foothills contrast with the sharp ridges of the Sierra Nevada to the west. Throughout the last century, the Alabama Hills have appeared in hundreds of films and commercials. During my visit, a Quintin Tarantino project (Django Unchained) was being shot there.

In one day I drove from Mount Whitney (the sacred masculine), the tallest mountain in the continuous 48 states, into Death Valley (the sacred feminine), the lowest elevation in North America. Shortly after entering Death Valley National Park, I took an eight-mile detour north along the Saline Valley Road to visit a Joshua Tree forest at Lee Flat. The Saline Valley Road is very rough and progress was slow, but I eventually reached the magical forest. A cold wind buffeted me each time I left the confines of my truck to hike and photograph the forest. I would have camped here for the night if not for the high elevation and bitter cold wind. I camped instead at Panamint Springs Resort, 22 miles inside the western border of Death Valley National Park.

The following day, I explored Darwin Falls and the remote Panamint Valley adjacent to Death Valley. I camped for the next few days at the far northeast end of the South Panamint Dry Lake, a small wetland, grassland, dune system and mesquite bosque. The warm sulfur springs of this desert oasis provide habitat for frogs, shore birds, marsh hawks, and wild burros. A short-eared owl visited my campsite each evening at dusk. The stars bathed the cold desert in a warm glow. Few things are more serene than the deep stillness of the desert on a starry night. In that stillness, I am reborn, forever changed.

Oh, how I love vagabonding. Shamanism is deeply rooted in Nature and a nomadic lifestyle. The emphasis is on the individual, of breaking free and discovering one's own uniqueness in order to bring something new back to the group. Like drumming, nomadic wandering alters your ordinary everyday awareness. It is another means of habitual pattern disruption for reimprinting on alternate realties. When you leave home, meet new people, experience new stimuli, and process new information, you're soon intoxicated on a natural high. As Ed Buryn, the godfather of modern vagabonding puts it, "Vagabonding is nothing less than reality transformation, and its power is not to be underestimated."

The Maya Ruins of Tulum

I made my first pilgrimage to the Maya ruins of Tulum in 1995. The archaeological site is located about 40 miles south of Playa del Carmen on Mexico's Caribbean coast. Though modest and architecturally simple compared to Classic Maya sites, such as Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, Tulum has one of the most beautiful idyllic settings of any city built by the Maya. The tranquil and well-preserved ruins are perched on a rocky cliff above a secluded swimming beach along the Caribbean Sea. Tulum's spectacular photogenic coastline has powdered sugar sands, cobalt water and balmy breezes, making it a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

Tulum was one of the last great ritual centers built by the Post-Classic Period Maya (900–1500 AD). The site might have originally been called Zama, meaning City of Dawn, because it faces the sunrise. The city had access to both land and sea trade routes, making it an important trade hub for honey, jade, turquoise and cacao beans. Tulum is a Mayan word that means wall or fence. Tulum was protected on one side by steep sea cliffs and on the landward side by a broad stone wall that averaged 10 to 16 feet in height. It is this impressive wall that makes Tulum one of the most well known fortified sites of the Maya.
 

The ancient stone structures of Tulum are surrounded by palm trees, magenta-colored bougainvillea, steep rocky cliffs and a population of large iguanas. El Castillo (the Castle) is Tulum's main pyramid and was used as an ancient lighthouse for navigating the shallow, reef-laden waters off the bay. Among the more spectacular buildings here is the Temple of the Frescoes that included a lower gallery and a smaller second story gallery of wall paintings. The Temple of the Frescoes was used as an observatory for tracking the movements of the sun.
 

Pilgrims have been coming here for centuries. Recent research has indicated that Tulum was a pilgrimage site for Maya women on their way to the sanctuary of Ixchel on the island of Cozumel. Ixchel was the jaguar goddess of fertility, medicine and birth in ancient Maya culture, and her shrine at Cozumel was visited by large numbers of women from throughout the Maya territories. Ixchel figures prominently in the Tulum temple murals. Many of the coastal towns in the Tulum region have the feminine "Ix" prefix in their names.

Tulum is a tropical nirvana built, according to Maya myth, at the boundary between this world and the next where the created world ends and the infinite Otherworld ocean begins. Here the Maya soul found release into a realm of eternal light and danced forever on the surface of the infinite Otherworldly sea. It is one of my favorite places in the world. The energy is peaceful and transcendent. The world seems more vibrant and alive here. If there is an earthly paradise, it is here!

The Red Queen of Palenque

I made my first pilgrimage to the Maya ruins of Palenque in 1995. It is one of the most powerful and remarkable places I have ever been. Like a golden luminous jewel, the ancient city of Palenque perches above the lush tropical rainforest in the foothills of the Chiapas Highlands of southern Mexico. Shrouded in morning jungle mists and echoing to a dawn chorus of howler monkeys and parrots, this temple city has a serene, mystical atmosphere. Tranquil spring-fed streams meander through the city and the temple summits offer spectacular views of the ruins and surrounding jungle. Flourishing in the seventh century, Palenque is an architectural masterpiece of unsurpassed beauty and spiritual force.
 

In 1994, archaeologists discovered a hidden tomb in one of Palenque's small temple pyramids. The skeletal remains of a woman, identified as Lady Tz'akbu Ajaw, were still lying in her limestone sarcophagus. Her skeleton was covered and surrounded by a large collection of jade and pearl objects, bone needles and shells, which were originally pieces of necklaces, earspools and wristlets. The funeral assemblage of Lady Tz'akbu Ajaw, nicknamed the Red Queen because she was found covered in red cinnabar, is one of the richest known burials of a female Maya ruler. Embellished with jewels, gold, turquoise and jade, the tomb dates from about 600 A.D.
 

The Red Queen's ornate tomb was discovered in Temple XIII, next to the imposing Temple of the Inscriptions, where her husband and king, K'inich Janahb' Pakal, was entombed wearing a mosaic jade death mask and elaborate jade jewelry. Her malachite funerary mask echoes his jade version. She also wore a headdress ornamented with shell eyes and fangs, probably representing a deity, and a collar of multicolored stone and shell beads. Some archaeologists believe that the cinnabar covering her body and accompanying ornaments symbolizes blood, and thus life, and may have been instrumental in helping the Red Queen travel to the afterworld.

Drumming at Sacred Sites

Earth, human and solar processes are interwoven through a vibrational resonant network around the planet. The lines and intersection points of this energy grid match most of the Earth’s seismic fracture zones and ocean ridges as well as worldwide atmospheric highs and lows, paths of migratory birds, gravitational anomalies, and the sites of ancient temples and megalithic structures. The early geomancers (Earth diviners) discovered that this numinous web is the planetary counterpart to the acupuncture meridian system of the human body. Humans, they realized, were created in the image of Mother Earth. The acupuncture and node points of the human body correspond to those of the Earth Mother.

At the intersection points of the planet’s energy web exist holy places, power spots, or acupuncture points. According to the Hopi, the world would fall apart without these nodes of concentrated vitality. These sacred places are like nerve centers that distribute vital energy throughout the surrounding natural systems. When a human being goes to a power place, the attention of the Earth Mother is drawn to that area and energy begins to flow to that spot because our bodies, like hers, are electromagnetic. Like acupuncture needles, humans are capable of maintaining the harmonious flow of the planetary energy meridians by making an Earth connection at power places.

Great healing can be accomplished by drumming at sacred sites. Earth and humans exist in a reciprocal, bioresonant relationship. Through the planet’s resonant web, we affect our environment; our environment, in turn, affects us. By interacting with sacred places, we are capable of generating a world of peace and harmony. Power sites are places that call out to the soul; they can have a collective calling or be unique to an individual. Seek out power places. Your power spots can be identified by your desire to go to them. Their significance to you is always revealed by your planned or accidental presence at them. And when you are there, your vibration feels higher, stronger, more joyous and free. Every square inch of the Earth Mother is sacred and a potential connecting place for someone.

Mountains, rivers, and waterfalls are powerful places to drum. Indigenous people believe that mountains are inhabited by powerful spirits that watch over the people. Each mountain has its own spirit, its own name and its own domain which they protect. Mountain spirits are called upon for assistance, blessings, and protection. Mountainous regions charge you with energy and counteract imbalances or negativity. Mountains are generally electrical (yang) and projective in nature, emanating great spiritual power. Mountains are places of spiritual renewal where Heaven and Earth meet and from which all directions emanate. They are good places to drum for planetary healing.     
 

Rivers, lakes, and ocean beaches are magnetic (yin) and receptive in nature. Being near a body of water is soothing and relaxing. Magnetic fields influence the pituitary gland, which is related to the brow chakra (chakras are vibratory energy centers located along the center of the human body), otherwise known as the third eye or mind’s eye. Bodies of water expand and clarify inner vision, sharpen telepathic abilities, and stimulate the flow of healing energies. A close proximity to water helps cleanse the body, mind and spirit. Rivers, in particular, are good places to drum, for the healing energy generated will flow downstream. Water is a profound conductor of energy.

Waterfalls are electromagnetic in nature. The water itself in magnetic. The falling water produces electrical energy. The two forces combine to form electromagnetic energy. Such energy is of a balanced, harmonic nature. Waterfalls are places of spiritual power that can truly expand our spirits. The spirits and energies of waterfalls are especially suited for balancing and recharging your personal life force. And when the sun is right, waterfalls generate misty, iridescent rainbows.

You can create a powerful vortex of energy in your own home by setting up an altar where you can pray, meditate and drum at least once a day. An altar is any structure upon which we place offerings and sacred objects that have spiritual or cosmological significance. It represents the center and axis of your sacred space. A sacred space can be any location in your home where you can be by yourself and be fully self-expressed. A simple altar can be created with a cloth, a candle and other symbols that mean something to you. Like the ancient temples, such a sanctuary space serves as a drawing point for the healing energy needed by the planet.

Martin Gray: Sacred Sites

Martin Gray is a National Geographic photographer and anthropologist specializing in the study of pilgrimage traditions and sacred sites around the world. Over the course of three decades, he studied and photographed nearly 1000 of the world’s most sacred pilgrimage places in more than 125 countries. He has presented his multi-projector slide show at museums, universities and conferences around the world. During the show, Gray presents a fascinating discussion of the mythology, archaeology and history of pilgrimage sites and an explanation of the miraculous phenomena that occur at them. Many people, after viewing this presentation, report a resonance with particular sites and a deepening of their connection to and concern for the Earth.
 
I attended his slide show presentation years ago. It can best be described as a group shamanic event. He opens the event by creating sacred space. He lights a bundle of sage, holds it against the webbing of a single-headed frame drum, and then walks the circumference of the auditorium while drumming. Once the slide show begins, each photograph is shown for precisely 15 seconds, and then an entirely different sacred site is shown. This occurs on and on in a mantric and hypnotic repetition of four pictures per minute for sixty minutes. Certain photos resonated more with me than others. Everyone I talked to after the show was very moved and empowered by the event. His slide show is a true work of shamanic art. It’s a very rare opportunity to see, to witness, to personally experience an event of monumental power.
 
Since ancient times, sacred sites have had a mysterious allure for billions of people around the world. Legends and contemporary reports tell of extraordinary experiences people have had while visiting these places. Different sacred sites have the power to heal the body, enlighten the mind and inspire the heart. A growing body of evidence indicates that there is indeed a concentration of holiness at pilgrimage places, and that this holiness, or field of energy, contributes to a wide variety of beneficial human experiences.
 
During his travels, Gray realized the sacred places were repositories of many of the world’s greatest artistic and cultural treasures. However, because they are located out-of-doors and exposed to industrial pollution, the sacred structures do not receive the protection which paintings, sculptures and other art are given in museums. Looking into this situation, Gray realized that his research and travels had a greater purpose than merely his own education or the creation of a beautiful photography book. Public attention needed to be drawn to the deteriorated condition of these extraordinary art pieces so that they might be preserved for the benefit and education of future generations.
 
To draw attention to this education and preservation work, Gray created a multi-projector slide show that conveys both the remarkable beauty and precarious situation of the sacred sites. Hundreds of full color slides capture the essence of these great pilgrimage shrines. Prior to taking each picture, Gray offered up a prayer to the spirits of the place asking them to, “fill my photographs with such feeling and power that people may one day look upon them and be magically transported to these places.” It is more than evident that those prayers were answered. Gray says, “I personally consider these photographs to be telescopes through which you may peer across time and space into enchanted domains of sublime beauty.”
 
Gray thinks that during the coming decades there will be an enormous number of people visiting sacred sites around the world. Sacred sites function for more and more people as empowerment places, as planetary acupuncture points, as destiny activation sites, and as energy transducers for spiritual illumination. Gray postulates that, in the coming years, sacred sites will become sanctuaries and empowerment zones for the awakening and evolution of ecological, social and supranational political consciousness.
 
Martin Gray’s beautiful photographs convey the essence of the world’s great pilgrimage sites and bear direct testimony to his life’s mission and to his deep connection to Spirit. He has an extensive website at SacredSites.com, which has received more than one hundred million visitors. His photographs are widely used by UNESCO and in hundreds of websites, magazines and books around the world. His books include Geography of Religion by National Geographic, and Sacred Earth by Barnes and Noble. 

Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal, Mexico (Photograph courtesy SacredSites.com)

The Archaeoacoustics of Palenque

An excerpt from my memoir, Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey into Shamanism.

 

Like a golden, luminous jewel, Palenque perches above the lush tropical rainforest in the foothills of the Chiapas Highlands of Southern Mexico, facing the setting sun. Shrouded in morning jungle mists and echoing to a dawn chorus of howler monkeys and parrots, this archaeological site has a serene, mystical atmosphere. A tranquil stream meanders through the city center and the temple summits offer spectacular views of the ruins and surrounding jungle. Built in the eighth century, Palenque, or Nah Chan (House of the Serpent), is a Maya city of unsurpassed beauty and spiritual force. The city's ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Archaeologist Francisca Zalaquett, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, discovered that the temples and public squares in Palenque could clearly project the sounds of a human speaker and musical instruments of the time across at least a hundred meters, or about the length of a football field. The investigation identified rooms that could have been used by musicians, speakers or priests to amplify the frequency, quality and volume of sound, allowing the music or the message to travel further and reach more people. The findings strongly suggest the design and structures at Palenque involved a great deal of knowledge about acoustics and the behavior of sound.

In his book Healing Sounds, author Jonathan Goldman recounts an incredible experience he had at Palenque in 1987. He described it as one of the more dramatic episodes in his life. Late one night, a guide took Goldman and five traveling companions on a tour of Palenque. The guide said he would show them a Palenque which they would not otherwise experience and took them into one temple that had been closed to the public, leading them down a subterranean level using his flashlight. He pointed to a doorway and said to Goldman, "Make sound here." He had known about Goldman's interest in sound healing, but Goldman could not figure out why the guide wanted him to do this.

Then the guide turned out his flashlight and the group was immersed in total darkness. "Make sound," the guide urged.

"Sure," Goldman replied.

Goldman began to tone harmonics towards the area the guide had indicated before the light went out. As he did so, the room began to become illuminated, but it was not like the light from a flashlight. It was more subtle, but it was definitely lighter in the room. Goldman could see the faint outlines and figures of the people there. Everyone was aware of this and when Goldman stopped toning, the room filled with exclamations. Then the guide turned on the flashlight again and they continued their tour.

The full implications of this experience did not occur to Goldman until he returned to the United States. Somehow, he was able to use sound to create light. This was not the same phenomenon as sound turning into light, a scientific theory in which a sound wave, when speeded up, becomes light. This was different, having to do with creating light through sound, and specifically vocal harmonics or overtones.

Years later, Goldman was talking to a man who had spent years with the Lacandon Maya people of the Chiapas rainforest, who are said to be the descendants of the builders of Palenque. When Goldman told him about his experience in Palenque, he nodded his head and said: "You are very lucky to have experienced this! It is something that the Mayan shamans teach, this creation of light through harmonics. It is the higher harmonics that do this." (1)

1. Jonathan Goldman, Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics. (Element Books, 1992), p. 59.

Pipestone's Sacred Story

On Aug. 25, 1937, the U.S. established Pipestone National Monument in Southwest Minnesota. The monument covers 301 acres and includes quarry pits and the prairie landscape surrounding them. Today indigenous people from across North America come to the site to work the pipestone at 56 active pits, offering up the soft red stone so famously used for ceremonial pipes and other items. A gentle slope marks the eastern edge of a long plateau that begins in the Dakotas and runs southeast to Iowa. In Pipestone County, the slope is broken by stone outcroppings that native peoples have quarried for centuries.
 

For Native Americans, this land is sacred. For the Oceti Sakowin, the people of the Seven Council Fires, which includes Dakota and Lakota speaking tribes, it’s a place of creation. Among the Oceti Sakowin, the Yankton Sioux of South Dakota are known as the protectors of the quarry. Though pipestone exists at many locations in North America, the quarries at Pipestone National Monument became the preferred source of pipestone among tribes living on the Great Plains because of the quality of the stone.

Pipestone is a relatively soft stone that’s well-suited to hand carving. However, it’s typically found sandwiched between extremely hard layers of Sioux quartzite, and extracting the stone can be hard work. Contemporary indigenous people maintain the tradition of hand-quarrying stone using only sledgehammers, chisels, pry bars and wedges. They’re taught to use all the quarried stone, if possible, or return it to Mother Earth. Over the years, skilled artisans have created many pipe designs, including long-stemmed pipes, elbow and disk forms and a T-shaped calumet. Carvers also have made elaborate animal and human effigies.
 

Oral traditions of the Oceti Sakowin tell how pipestone was created by the red blood of the ancestors, and of how smoke carries prayers to the Great Spirit, making the pipes created from the red rock highly sacred. Pipestone pipes have been, and are still, used in ceremonies, given as gifts and traded. Native Americans store pipe bowls, stems and tobacco with other sacred objects. They also bury pipes with the dead. Sacred pipes have inspired stories that have been passed down for generations.
 

According to Lakota legend, the first pipe was brought to Earth 19 generations ago by a divine messenger known as White Buffalo Calf Woman (known in the Lakota language as Pte-san Win-yan). The pipe was given to the people who would not forget--the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations. The Buffalo Calf Woman came to the tribes when there was a great famine and instructed them about living in balance with nature. She gifted the people with a sacred bundle containing the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, which still exists to this day and is kept by Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Other members of the tribes are also pipe carriers: stewards entrusted with the care of particular ceremonial and personal pipes.
 

White Buffalo Calf Woman taught them all the things they needed to know about making, handling and caring for the pipe, and about how to use it for praying. She explained to the people that the pipe was a symbol of everything in the world. She told them that the red stone bowl of the pipe represented the Earth Mother and the feminine aspects of the world. The buffalo calf carved in the stone represented all the four-legged animals which live upon the Mother. She told them that the wooden pipe stem represented the Sky Father, the plants and the masculine aspects of the world.
 

The Buffalo Calf Woman explained that when the stem and bowl were joined, they symbolized a union and a balance between the sacred masculine and the sacred feminine. She told them that the smoking of the pipe linked the smoker to all things in the universe. The smoke from the pipe carried the prayers of the people directly to the Creator. When the pipe was used properly, the buffalo would return and the people would be able to eat well.
 

Over a period of four days, White Buffalo Calf Woman instructed the people in the Seven Sacred Rites: the seven traditional rituals that use the sacred pipe. When the teaching of the sacred rites was complete, she told the people that she must return to the spirit world. She asked them to honor the teachings of the pipe and to keep it in a sacred manner. Before leaving, the woman told them that within her were four ages, and that she would look upon the people in each age, returning at the end of the fourth age to restore harmony and balance to a troubled world. She said she would send a sign that her return was near in the form of an unusual buffalo, which would be born white.
 

The holy woman then took leave of the people. As she walked away, she stopped and rolled over four times, changing appearance each time. The first time, she turned into a black buffalo calf; the second time into a red one; the third time into a yellow buckskin one; and finally, the fourth time she rolled over, she turned into a white buffalo calf. These four colors then became associated with the powers of the four directions for the Lakota. The holy entity then disappeared over the horizon. It is said after that day the people honored their pipe, and the buffalo were plentiful.

The Huichol Mask

An excerpt from my soon-to-be released memoir, Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey into Shamanism. Copyright © 2021 by Michael Drake.
 

I made my first pilgrimage to the Maya pyramids and ceremonial centers of Mexico in March of 1995. It was an empowering, transformational journey of self-discovery--the culmination of a lifelong dream to explore the pyramidal temples found at Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque and Tulum. I spent about a week in Playa del Carmen, a coastal resort town along the Yucatan Peninsula’s Riviera Maya strip of Caribbean shoreline. The Riviera Maya is known for its palm-lined beaches and one of the largest coral reefs in the world. The beaches of Playa del Carmen are famous for their white powdery sand and crystal clear turquoise waters.
 

One afternoon, I went shopping for some gifts and souvenirs to take back home with me. While walking along Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue), a pedestrian-only walkway through downtown Playa del Carmen, I discovered a colorfully dressed street vendor selling his beadwork. He was a Huichol indigenous artist from Guadalajara. The Huichol, or peyote people, are known for their yarn paintings and papier-mache masks covered in small, brightly colored beads. Yarn paintings consist of commercial yarn pressed into boards coated with wax and resin and are derived from a ceremonial tablet called a neirika.
 

The beaded art is a relatively new innovation and is crafted using glass, plastic or metal beads pressed onto a wooden or papier-mache form covered in beeswax. Common bead art forms include masks, bowls and figurines. Like all Huichol art, the bead work depicts the prominent patterns and symbols featured in Huichol shamanic traditions. The most common motifs are related to the three most important elements in Huichol religion, the deer, corn and peyote. The first two are important as primary sources of food, and the last is valued for its psychoactive properties. Eating the peyote cactus is at the heart of the tribe's spiritual knowledge and core to their existence, connecting them to their ancestors and guardian spirits through psychedelic visions.  

Huichol masks are akin to mirrors that reflect the patterns of face paintings worn during sacred ceremonies. The Huichol people understand themselves to be mirrors of the gods. The Huichol believe that you must look past the ego reflected in a mirror in order to enter the place they call the "original times," before the present separation occurred between matter and spirit, between life and death, between the natural and the supernatural, and between the sexes. They are a culture based on being at one with the Cosmos. The very purpose of life is to reach a state of unity and continuity between man, nature, society and the supernatural.
 

The shaman-artist had some small beaded masks displayed on his table. I asked him if he had any larger masks. He pulled a bundle out from under the table and unwrapped a beautiful life-size human mask. The intricate design featured a radiant sun on the forehead, a stalk of blue corn on each side of the head, a double-headed peyote eagle on each cheek, a prayer arrow on the ridge of the nose, and a deer on the chin. I asked him how much? He said 300 pesos, or about 50 dollars. We settled on the price, but the artisan needed to finish the beadwork. He asked if I could come back later in the day. I agreed to return later that evening to buy the mask and continued shopping other vendors.
 

With great anticipation, I returned in the evening to purchase the finished mask. As I carried the mask back to my hotel, it felt warmer and warmer until it was hot in my hands. When I got back to my room, I noticed a tepo or sacred drum (which is the voice of the gods for the Huichol) in the mouth of the mask. The symbolism was a metaphor for a "talking drum," the name I chose for my entrepreneurial publishing company. This meaningful synchronicity convinced me that the mask was meant for me. I later discovered that wearing the mask during meditation induces a blissful state of unity consciousness with the deities that the mask both represents and embodies. It’s a way of communing with the essence of these deities, channeling them to deepen shamanic trance, to honor them and more. To learn more, read my blog post, The Power of Masks.

Pilgrimage to the Crestone Ziggurat

Crestone, Colorado is a spiritual center that includes an astonishing array of sacred sites. Within walking distance of this small international village are ashrams, monasteries, zendos, temples, chapels, retreat centers, stupas, shrines, medicine wheels, labyrinths, a ziggurat and other sacred landmarks. Most of Crestone’s major religious centers are sheltered in the juniper and pine forests on the lower slopes of the mountains south of town. The Camino de Crestone is a 26 mile inter-faith pilgrimage that visits 15 of the spiritual centers.
 

Since moving to Crestone, my wife, Elisia, and I have made pilgrimages to many of the area’s sacred sites. Although pilgrimage may seem an antiquated religious ritual, it remains a vibrant activity in the modern world as pilgrims combine traditional motives—such as seeking a remedy for physical or spiritual problems—with contemporary searches for identity or interpersonal connection. That pilgrimage continues to exercise such a strong attraction is testimony to the power it continues to hold for those who undertake these sacred journeys. Pilgrimage has been an essential component of my spiritual practice for over 30 years.  
 

Our first local pilgrimage was to the Crestone Ziggurat, a nearby landmark built by Najeeb Halaby, father of Queen Noor of Jordan, for prayer and meditation. Halaby, an American of Syrian Christian descent, built the Ziggurat in 1978 as a representation of the Zoroastrian gateway to heaven. Ziggurat comes from an ancient Assyrian word ziffurantu, meaning light pinnacle. A ziggurat, by definition, is a temple tower with an outside staircase that leads to a shrine at the top. The first of these temple structures were built in ancient Mesopotamia, or what is now Iraq. The purpose of a ziggurat is to get closer to heaven, the home of the gods; in fact the people of Mesopotamia believed a ziggurat connected Heaven and Earth. Essentially, a ziggurat represents a stairway to Heaven where one can commune with the divine.
 

Elisia and I walked to the ziggurat, which rises from a hill on the easternmost edge of the San Luis Valley less than two miles from our house. The wind began to gust as we made our way up the switchback trail to the castle-like observatory, which had been stuccoed a golden ochre color. The ascent up the rail-less ramp was treacherous due to the gusting winds. I hugged the inside wall of the structure as I made my way up the 40-foot tall tower. I stood on the summit and took in the stunning views of the San Luis Valley, one of the highest and largest alpine valleys in the world, encompassing an area of 8,000 square miles. The flat, expansive valley is ringed by the San Juan Mountains of the Continental Divide on the west side and the Sangre de Cristos on the east side. It is a truly inspiring place for prayer and meditation.

The Lindisfarne Chapel

Crestone, Colorado is a spiritual center that includes an astonishing array of sacred sites. Within walking distance of this small international village are ashrams, monasteries, zendos, temples, chapels, retreat centers, stupas, shrines, medicine wheels, labyrinths, a ziggurat and other sacred landmarks. Most of Crestone’s major religious centers are sheltered in the juniper and pine forests on the lower slopes of the mountains south of town. The Camino de Crestone is a 26 mile inter-faith pilgrimage that visits 15 of the spiritual centers.
 

One of the most remarkable structures in Crestone is the Lindisfarne Chapel. With its sacred geometry, stunning interior and remarkable acoustics, the 2,800 square foot dome serves as the main practice and retreat space at the Crestone Mountain Zen Center. The Lindisfarne Chapel was conceived and designed as an interfaith sanctuary by cultural historian William Irwin Thompson, founder of the Lindisfarne Association. The Lindisfarne Association (1972–2012) was a nonprofit fellowship of artists, scientists, and religious contemplatives devoted to the study and realization of a new planetary culture. The group placed a special emphasis on sacred geometry. The exemplar of these ideas is the Lindisfarne Chapel, which is built to reflect numerous basic geometrical relationships. The world’s premier performer of the Native American flute, R. Carlos Nakai, recorded his iconic 1987 album "Sundance Season" in the Lindisfarne Chapel.