"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity"

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity is a landmark new book by British archaeologist David Wengrow and the late anthropologist David Graeber, who was a London-based author, anarchist activist and professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics. Graeber was the author of Debt: The First 5,000 Years and Bullshit Jobs: A Theory, and was a contributor to Harper's Magazine, The Guardian, and The Baffler. An iconic thinker and renowned activist, Graeber was a leading figure in the Occupy Wall Street movement, and is sometimes credited with having coined the slogan, "We are the 99 percent."

The Dawn of Everything offers a dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution -- from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequality -- and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation. In its early chapters, the book proposes that the European Age of Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries was actually, in great measure, a response to the Indigenous philosophies that Colonists and Imperialists had come into contact with in the New World of North America. Ideas of freedom, equality, and democracy did not exist in Medieval Europe. Ever since then, the Western mind has been moving closer, in these areas, to Native American views. As the authors point out, our ideas about human freedom, democracy, and sexual equality are much closer to that of an Indigenous person of the 16th Century than they are to the European Catholic view.

One of the main propositions that Graeber and Wengrow put forth in The Dawn of Everything is that the ancestors of our prehistory were not simple, ignorant savages, but rather self-conscious, idiosyncratic social organizers, evolving through a "carnival parade of political forms." Today we might use words like anarchist, communist, authoritarian, or egalitarian to describe their activity, but that language fails to represent the sheer quirkiness of the actual case studies: large cities without central authorities or farming (Göbekli Tepe), tribal nations spanning entire continents (Cahokia), and social housing projects (Teotihuacan).

 

Some populations would even alternate their social systems on a seasonal basis. For example, the Plains tribes of North America formed into an organized political community under one government during the seasonal bison hunt. There was a police force and squads of warriors with full coercive powers. If anyone endangered the success of the hunt, they could be punished, imprisoned, or even killed. The people who occupied those enforcement roles rotated from year to year. These coercive institutions did not last beyond the period of the hunting and ritual Sundance season. During the rest of the year, these Plains societies would split off into smaller groups which had entirely different social systems where people would have to resolve disputes through processes of deliberation and debate.

 

For 40,000 years, people have been moving between various forms of equal and unequal social structures, building up hierarchies and then dismantling them. The authors make the case that, rather than being less politically self-conscious than people nowadays, people in stateless societies were considerably more so. How did we get stuck?

One of the key arguments of the book is its stance against a reductionist view of our current circumstances: its insistence that the first 300,000 years of human history offer a past that is more varied, hopeful and altogether more interesting than what we have interpreted it to be, and that the same might be true of our future. Our species has been creating new ways of living in all the diverse ecosystems on this planet for hundreds of thousands of years. The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. We have the freedom to create new and different forms of social reality, so why not exercise it. We have done all this before. We can do it again. The book's optimism, in the face of impending climate doom, political polarization, and social upheaval, is itself a provocation to act.

Remembering Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

The beloved teacher, civil rights activist, and pioneer of engaged Buddhism died on January 22 at midnight (ICT) at his root temple, Tu Hieu Temple, in Hue, Vietnam. He was 95. Hanh suffered from a severe brain hemorrhage in 2014, which left him unable to speak, and had been living at Tu Hieu Temple. After the Plum Village Community, Hanh’s sangha, announced his passing, followers, dharma teachers, and world leaders, including the Dalai Lama, immediately started sharing remembrances and condolences.

Nhat Hanh entered a Buddhist monastery at age 16, devoting his life to the faith. He became a teacher, first leaving Vietnam in 1961 to serve as a guest lecturer at Princeton University and Columbia University. Nhat Hanh returned to Vietnam in 1963 to work toward peace during the long and violent war that raged in his homeland, bringing aid to the people and urging North and South Vietnam to work together to end the war. When Nhat Hanh left Vietnam again in 1966 to tour the world calling for peace, his home country banned him from returning.

Exiled from Vietnam, Nhat Hanh became a powerful symbol of peace, nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. He established the Plum Village Monastery in southwest France and began spreading his teachings throughout the West. Nhat Hanh wrote dozens of books guiding readers toward peace and mindfulness, and he made Buddhism accessible by suggesting that inner peace can be achieved through living an ordinary life with awareness of things like breath and joy. It was the beginning of the mindfulness movement, and Nhat Hanh attracted Western followers who were less interested in traditional Western religion but loved the spirituality they found in his teachings. Mindfulness grew to become a popular 21st century practice. Nhat Hanh became known as Thay, Vietnamese for teacher.

Nhat Hanh first returned to Vietnam in 2005, almost 40 years since his exile began. He traveled the country and published several of his books in Vietnamese, though he received criticism for not speaking out against religious oppression in the country. Nhat Hanh returned for another tour in 2007. In 2018, after suffering a stroke in 2014 that left him unable to speak, Nhat Hanh went to Vietnam a final time, with the intention of living his final days at Tu Hieu Temple, where he first took his vows.

 

Photo by Duc Truong. Source: Legacy.com.

Walking the Red Road

In John G. Neihardt’s book, Black Elk Speaks, Oglala Lakota holy man and visionary Nicholas Black Elk shares a great vision which came to him in the summer when he was nine years old and which guided him throughout his life. That vision was extremely rich in detail and symbolism, all of which became important to him in the years ahead, but one image which was revealed to him in his vision and informs the entire book is the image of two spiritual paths: the Red Road and the Black Road.
 

The Red Road or Chanku Luta, as it is known by the Lakota, is a metaphor for living a spiritual way of life. It is a unique spiritual path that runs north and south. The Red Road is a way of life and enlightenment which has no end. This road is described as narrow, winding and difficult to follow. During times of difficulty, the Lakota people could always rely upon the Red Road for strength and renewal, just as they could rely upon the Inipi, also known as the sweat lodge ceremony.
 

There is also a fearful black road of troubles and of war, which contrasts with a good red road of spiritual understanding. The Black Road or Chanku Sapa, which runs east and west, is a path of non-spirituality and self-centered greed. The two roads are said to cross in the center of the sacred hoop of the world, where the Tree of Life blooms. Walking the Red Road is a deep sense of obligation and a meaningful personal commitment to purposefully live your life each day, practicing and embodying the seven sacred virtues of the Lakota: prayer, honesty, humility, compassion, respect, generosity and wisdom.

Remembering AIM Co-Founder Clyde Bellecourt

A few days ago, we lost an icon of our time. Clyde Howard Bellecourt (May 8, 1936 – January 11, 2022) was a Native American civil rights organizer. An Anishinaabe activist from the White Earth Reservation, he co-founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) in Minneapolis in 1968 with Dennis Banks, Eddie Benton-Banai and George Mitchell. For years, Bellecourt worked to address issues of poverty and police brutality against Native people. He remained active throughout his long life, eventually becoming a strong advocate for eliminating offensive sports mascots. His Anishinaabe name, Nee-gon-we-way-we-dun, means "Thunder Before the Storm."

Under Bellecourt's leadership, AIM raised awareness of tribal issues related to the federal government, monitored police harassment in Minneapolis, created welfare programs for urban Indians, and founded Indian "survival schools" in the Twin Cities to teach children life skills and to help them learn their traditional cultures. He initiated the Trail of Broken Treaties, a long march to Washington, D.C., in 1972 to serve as a first step to renegotiating federal-tribal nations' treaties and relations. In addition, he founded non-profit groups to undertake economic development to benefit Native Americans.

He became a negotiator at the occupation of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the site of an infamous 1890 massacre of more than 300 Lakota by the U.S. Cavalry. The Wounded Knee Occupation began on February 27, 1973 when about 200 Oglala Lakota and followers of AIM seized and occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota. The occupation lasted for a total of 71 days, during which time two Lakota men were shot to death by federal agents and several more were wounded. It was a key moment in the struggle for Native American rights.

In 1993, Bellecourt and others led protests against police brutality in Minneapolis when two intoxicated Native men were driven to the hospital in the trunk of a squad car. Bellecourt continued to direct national and international AIM activities. He coordinated the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media, which has long protested sports teams use of Native American mascots and names, urging them to end such practices; the Washington Redskins finally dropped their mascot in 2020 in response to years of protests. He also led Heart of the Earth, Inc., an interpretive center located behind the site of AIM's former "survival school," which operated from 1972 to 2008 in Minneapolis.

Bellecourt died of cancer on January 11, 2022, at the age of 85. At the time of his death, Bellecourt was the last surviving co-founder of the American Indian Movement. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz stated, "Clyde Bellecourt sparked a movement in Minneapolis that spread worldwide. His fight for justice and fairness leaves behind a powerful legacy that will continue to inspire people across our state and nation for generations to come." According to Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Bellecourt was a "civil rights leader who fought for more than a half-century on behalf of Indigenous people in Minnesota and around the world. Indian Country benefited from Clyde Bellecourt's activism."

The Rainbow Bridge

As a rhythm seeker, I spent much of my life exploring the rhythms of many of the world's shamanic and spiritual traditions. As I learned the drum ways of various world cultures, I found the same rhythmic qualities underlying all of them. Like the colors of the rainbow, each culture has its own hue or identity, yet each is a part of the whole society. Although the focus or intent differs from culture to culture, rhythmic drumming invariably has the same power and effects in all traditions. The resonant qualities and attributes of these rhythmic phenomena are universal and come into play whenever we drum.
 

The universal power of rhythm is the effects it has on consciousness. Recent studies have demonstrated that rhythmic drumming produces deeper self-awareness by inducing synchronous brain activity. The physical transmission of rhythmic energy to the brain synchronizes the two cerebral hemispheres. This shared resonance integrates conscious and unconscious awareness. The ability to access unconscious information through symbols and imagery facilitates psychological integration and a reintegration of self.
 

The ethereal rainbow arching high into the heavens symbolizes this harmonious union of intuition and intellect. In her book Voices of Our Ancestors: Cherokee Teachings from the Wisdom Fire, Dhyani Ywahoo states, "We are the rainbow, each of us. When we speak of rebuilding the 'Rainbow Bridge,' it is to bring into harmony the left and right hemispheres of the brain, to renew the flow of our intuitive mind." Regarding rhythmic stimulation, she says, "Chanting and drumming were also a significant part of the learning, balancing activity of the right and left hemispheres of the brain."
 

In his book Shamanism: The Neural Ecology of Consciousness and Healing, anthropologist Michael Winkelman reports that drumming also synchronizes the frontal and lower areas of the brain, integrating nonverbal information from lower brain structures into the frontal cortex, producing "feelings of insight, understanding, integration, certainty, conviction, and truth, which surpass ordinary understandings and tend to persist long after the experience, often providing foundational insights for religious and cultural traditions."
 

Brain hemisphere synchronization connects us to the guidance of our own intuitive knowing. Intuition reveals appropriate action in the moment for a given set of circumstances. Synchronous activity appears within consciousness as the most natural thing to do. One can readily perceive what aims are in accord with the cosmos and not waste energy on discordant pursuits. By allowing the intuition to lead the body, one attains clarity in movement. So long as one follows one's intuitive sense, one's actions will be in sync with the true self and ultimately the cosmos.

Native American Gourd Rattles

Native American artisans have long utilized gourds to make many items, including utensils, serving bowls and rattles. The gourd rattle represents the three kingdoms in Native American culture, with the animal kingdom represented by feathers, the mineral kingdom represented by rocks inside the rattle, and the plant kingdom represented by the gourd itself. Music, many Native people believe, is a vessel used to transform ourselves into spiritual beings capable of healing ourselves and others through the transfer of energy, and these rattles are commonly used during ceremonies of song and dance. The following are some examples of gourd rattles crafted by Native Americans:
 

The Kachina Rattle
 

The gourd rattle used by the Hopi Katsinam (spirit messengers) is highly symbolic. Often only painted light blue with little decoration, this special instrument is used in Kachina dance and ceremony, and also as a gift given to children during their initiation ceremonies into the Kachina Society. The rattle is constructed of a flattened gourd, which represents the earth, and the handle represents the axis of the Hero Twins, iconic figures of ancient Hopi lore who help keep the earth spinning.
 

The Peyote Rattle
 

The Peyote rattle (pictured above) was frequently used during Native American church ceremonies, and was an important element of the Half Moon ceremony. A community elder is in charge of leading this ceremony, which involves the ingestion of dried peyote, a hallucinogenic cactus that was believed to induce visions. This rattle was also constructed from a spherical gourd shape and filled with nut or seed.
 

The Iroquois Rattle
 

According to the Iroquois or "people of the longhouse," the gourd rattle is the sound of Creation. The Iroquoian creation stories tell of the first sound, a shimmering sound, which went out in all directions; this was the sound of "the Creator's thoughts." The seeds of the gourd rattle embody the voice of the Creator, since they are the source of newly created life. The seeds within the rattle scatter the illusions of the conscious mind, planting seeds of pure and clear mind.
 

The Shaman's Rattle
 

The shaman's rattle is used to invoke the assistance of power animals and helping spirits. It is also possible to direct energy with rattles, much like a magician with a magic wand. Healing energy can be mentally transmitted through the rattle and out into the environment or into a patient's body. Prayer and intention can be broadcast to the spirit world. Moreover, you can create sacred space by describing a circle with the rattle while shaking it.

Drumming in the New Year 2022

Season's Greetings! I wish to thank all of my Spotify listeners for making 2021 a standout musical year! We made it through another wild year together. I had a lot of firsts this year. I had over 7,000 listeners. My music was added to 2937 playlists this year and was streamed nearly 35,000 times in 89 countries. I am looking forward to another year of creating and sharing my music.

 

As 2021 comes to a close, I will be celebrating New Year's Eve by drumming out the old year and drumming in the New Year. Drumming in the New Year is a great way to set the tone and intention for 2022. It is also a good time to reflect on the year ending to see where you have erred and reform those beliefs, attitudes, and strategies no longer applicable to the New Year unfolding. It is an opportunity to feel gratitude for all that has been received and accomplished throughout the past year. Such a fresh open-minded approach will broaden your perspective and start you out on the right track. What will you be "drumming" into your life for 2022?

Solstice Blessings to Everyone

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter. This occurs December 20, 21, or 22, varying from year to year, dependent upon the elliptical path of the Earth around our Sun. Ancient peoples in our northern climes regarded Winter Solstice as the pivotal time of year. It is a time of transition in the annual cycle when the old year ends and our journey into the New Year begins. It is a sacred time to conduct ceremonies focused on the return of light and warmth. Rituals designed to divert nature from the path toward eternal winter and oblivion to one directed toward light and prosperity. Most cultures planned festivals and celebrations at or around the Winter Solstice to ensure that the Sun would return.
 

Winter Solstice is an affirmation of the continuation of life; that the cyclical order of time and the cosmos will continue intact. Fire and light have always played a central role in the Winter Solstice ceremonies. In much of northern Europe people ignited huge bonfires. Lighted candles were often placed on the branches of evergreen trees, which symbolized survival and eternal life. These symbols of warmth and lasting life were lit to hasten the "old" Sun's waning and the "new" Sun's rebirth. On the Winter Solstice we are all praying, on some level, for the darkness to end. "Just return the light!" the ceremonies seem to say. As we celebrate the return of the light, we affirm the continuation of life at the very moment of dissolution. To be sure, dark days lie ahead. But contained within each is the promise of brighter tomorrows.

Shamanic Trance Postures

In 1998, my close friend and collaborator Judith Thomson introduced me to ecstatic trance postures after she took a four day workshop with the late Felicitas Goodman, the modern discoverer of ritual body postures. Judith and I began facilitating workshops together in early 1993. She was called by Spirit to teach drum making and I was called to teach shamanic drumming. My trance experiences with the body postures I learned from Judith inspired me to begin a 32-month experimental journey into trance posture practice. I meditated several times a week for 15 minutes while holding specific body poses, then recorded my trance experiences in a journal.
 

I highly recommend incorporating trance postures into your journey work, though not as a daily practice. Too much trance work can leave you feeling ungrounded and disconnected from physical reality. This practice is compatible with all other consciousness raising practices when done separately. There is no belief system or dogma associated with this work. Some of my most profound trance experiences have taken place while holding shamanic body postures. "Waking dream" is an apt description of these visionary trance states.
 

In the 1970s, linguist and anthropologist Felicitas Goodman demonstrated that the capacity to enter ecstatic trance states is built into our nervous system, our body-mind-soul, our very DNA. It can be achieved through a shift in our physiology. And that is something our nervous system knows how to do when given the right cues. What's more, she learned this was discovered long ago by our ancestors around the world going back 50,000 years or more.
 

Goodman discovered that specific yoga-like poses recur in the art and artifacts of world cultures, even societies widely separated by time and space. Goodman's hypothesis, therefore, was that these postures represented coded instructions on how to produce consistent trance-like effects. Goodman researched and explored ritual body postures as a means to achieve a bodily induced trance experience. Her studies led her to many countries and to trying out these body positions practically with hundreds of participants worldwide. She discovered that people who assume these body poses report strikingly similar trance experiences regardless of their worldview or belief systems.
 

According to Goodman, these postures produce a common effect because they all share one thing in common: the human body, the basic structure and functioning of which has remained unchanged since the time of our most ancient ancestors. The nervous and endocrine systems are, in fact, all much the same as they were 30,000 years ago--a fact which enables contemporary urban dwellers to enter nonordinary reality just as effectively through the same neural doorways as shamans throughout history. Combined with rhythmic drumming, the postures engender a profound change in consciousness, leading to new insights into healing, inner development and soul purpose. There are different postures that facilitate healing, divination, spirit journeys, metamorphosis, and more.
 

The results from my ecstatic trance posture practice have been astonishing, confirming Felicitas Goodman's theory that, "if one adopts such a posture, one will have such an experience." Rhythmic stimulation combined with trance postures produces a physiological shift that leads to a profound change in consciousness, enabling one to experience different dimensions of reality. I highly recommend Belinda Gore's book, Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook. With clear instructions and illustrations, Gore reveals how to work with these shamanic body postures. I hope this practice becomes a valued tool in your repertoire. The following are postures I recommend and use in my shamanic practice:
 

1. The Bear Spirit Posture for healing and restoring harmony;
2. The Lady of Cholula Posture for divination, guidance and advice;
3. The Tattooed Jaguar Posture for a metamorphosis into a jaguar;  
4. The South American Lower World Posture for journeying to the lower realms;
5. The Psychopomp Posture for guiding departed souls into the afterlife.

A Path to Authenticity

Shamanism is universal and not bound by social or cultural conditions. It is the most ancient and most enduring spiritual tradition known to humanity. In his book, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, Mircea Eliade describes the three stages of becoming a shaman: the Call, Training, and Initiation. The first stage of shamanhood, as described by Eliade, is that of the calling. This call comes from the family, the community or from the world beyond. Some are called, initiated and trained by spirit guides and/or human teachers from childhood.
 

Shamans are called and then receive rigorous instruction. Training may follow an ordered tradition or take a spontaneous course guided by the shaman's spirit helpers. The function of training is to develop the skills and talents so that shamanic practitioners don't unintentionally hurt themselves or others. Though the spirits give shamans their healing powers, practitioners must learn how to properly honor and commune with them to gain their blessings. Traditional shamanic training requires considerable devotion and personal sacrifice, not so much to gain power, but to become the person who can wield that power responsibly. It's a lifelong commitment to service and learning. Ongoing practice and learning are essential to perfecting any art or skill.

Then there is Initiation. Shamanic initiation is a rite of passage connecting the apprentice shaman intimately to the spirit world. It is typically the final step in shamanic training, though initiation may be set in motion at any time by spirit's intervention into the initiate's life. Ultimately, shamanic initiation takes place between the initiate and the spirit world. It is the spirits who choose and make the shaman.

In their book, Shaman Wisdom, Shaman Healing, Michael Samuels and Mary Rockwood Lane have taken Eliade's three stages and added a fourth: "the practice of shamanism." To be an effective shaman, one must go through the three stages of development, and ultimately the practice of shamanism in the community. An authentic shamanic practitioner makes a commitment to intercede between the spiritual and human realms on behalf of the local community. It's an alliance that fosters healing, problem solving, and strong communities.

Shamanism is a sacred call to build relationship. A skillful shamanic practitioner works in sacred partnership with helping spirits--the power animals, the benevolent ancestors, and the sacred elements. Spirit helpers are the caretakers in the unseen world who want to support the earth and her inhabitants at this time. They are here to teach us how to gather wisdom from the spiritual realms, the natural world, the past, the present, and the future in order to give birth to new ways of being.

The shamanic relationship between humans and helping spirits supports our spirit's quest for self-realization. Helping spirits, if engaged regularly and skillfully, offer flexibility, creativity, and perseverance in fulfilling our own unique path. The spirits are here to teach us to be better humans. They come to assist us in doing the principal unique thing we have come here to do in a way that benefits all living things.

Shamanism offers a valid and effective path back to our soul and its purpose for being here. Shamanism is about remembering, exploring and developing the true self. By engaging life from a shamanic perspective, we rediscover our core values and deep loves, find others who share them, and recommit our lives to living from what has heart and meaning. The passionate expression of our soul's purpose is precisely the medicine the earth needs at this time.

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!

Giving Thanks

Celebrating a bountiful harvest once a year is a wonderful tradition. But giving thanks should be more than just a yearly event. Rather, the expression of gratitude ought to be a daily practice. Giving thanks and being in a state of gratitude opens our heart, allowing our indwelling presence of being, our spirit, to rise forth unimpeded. Gratitude, like any other spiritual practice, is something we do, not just something we feel. And it is something we need to practice. Try to cultivate a spirit of gratitude in all things. Even in situations that seem difficult to give thanks for, just remember that you are on the Earth to experience, learn and grow. An "attitude of gratitude" in all things helps connect us to our core values and purpose for being here. 

Foster a reciprocal relationship of meaning to the Earth. Take time to honor and respect the reciprocal cycle of give and take, for Mother Earth provides everything we need to live and flourish. Express your gratitude through prayer and offerings. Give thanks also for the things you are praying for. Giving thanks before needs are met is a way of making space to receive them. Reciprocity is the guiding principle of the indigenous shamanic path. We can restore balance to the planet. We humans have all the necessary talents to be reciprocal caretakers of Mother Earth.

Hummingbird Medicine

Hummingbirds always capture my attention when they fly into my life. I am dazzled by their humming wings and iridescent light. I am awakened to the beauty of the present moment. There's something about the hummingbird that makes me think of healing beauty, that something that beautiful can't possibly exist in flesh, and yet it does. When I see this magical bird, the boundaries of flesh cease to exist, for a moment, for a second I am in non-verbal space, and am one with the Hummingbird, with the flower, with the water and air, with all of nature, in a great glorious symphony of joy and celebration.

Hummingbird's exist only in the western hemisphere, but their magic is available to everyone in the world. They are extremely adaptable because they can hover, fly up, down, backwards and forwards with great speed. Generally speaking, Hummingbird brings joy, happiness, good luck and light to the world. It speaks to the heart in all of us and tells us that a closed heart shuts away life's radiant energy and color. Without an open and loving heart, we can never taste the nectar and pure bliss of life. Hummingbird disdains ugliness or harshness, and quickly flies away from discord or disharmony. Hummingbird’s message is: "Do not judge, assume, make conjecture about others, rather, laugh, sing and celebrate differences. In doing so you will elevate the world."

Mayan legends explain that the reason Hummingbird is so tiny is because it was created out of the scraps of feathers left over when other flying creatures were made. This tiny iridescent bird is a dynamo of energy, darting tirelessly from flower to flower in search of nectar. Hummingbirds can teach us how to use flowers for healing and to win hearts in love. Hummingbird is also a retriever of lost souls because it can fly quickly into small spaces and bring back the soul undetected. The playful Hummingbird sings a vibration of pure joy and shows us how to find happiness in all things. Invoke Hummingbird to help you find joy and sweetness in any situation. To learn more, look inside Bird Medicine: The Sacred Power of Bird Shamanism.

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.

Joy Harjo: "I Pray for My Enemies"

In her first new recording in a decade, Joy Harjo -- the first Native American named Poet Laureate of the United States -- digs deep into the indigenous red earth and the shared languages of music to sing, speak and play a stunningly original musical meditation that seeks healing for a troubled world -- I Pray for My Enemies, newly released in March 2021.
 

Collaborating with producer and engineer Barrett Martin on this unique new album, Harjo brings a fresh identity to the poetry and songs that have made her a renowned poet of the Muscogee Creek Nation and one of the most authentic and compelling voices of our times.
 

In a recent interview Harjo said, "The concept for I Pray for My Enemies began with an urgent need to deal with discord, opposition. It could have been on a tribal, national or a personal level. I no longer remember. The urgency had a heartbeat and in any gathering of two or more, perhaps the whole planet, our hearts lean to entrainment -- that is, to beat together."
 

Latin Grammy-winning producer, composer and founding father of the historic Seattle music scene, Barrett Martin brings a new dimension to Harjo's unique sound-world -- her words and music spoken, sung and explored in a vibrant mix of classic instrumental sounds. Harjo and Martin describe it as "funkified spoken word" inspiring "elegant jazz, urban soul, and inner city, reservation grit." Harjo sings and speaks her poetry, as well as playing saxophone and flute, on an album she describes as "very much of-the-moment."
 

Martin holds it all together with drums, upright bass, keyboards and production duties on I Pray for My Enemies. He assembled an all-star band to explore Harjo's work, featuring Peter Buck (R.E.M.) on electric guitar and feedback; Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) on electric guitar solos; Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) on acoustic guitar; and Rich Robinson (Black Crowes) on electric guitar solos. Additional players include renowned Iraqi oud master Rahim Alhaj; trumpeter Dave Carter and percussionist/backing vocalist Lisette Garcia. Harjo's stepdaughters sing harmony vocals, and her husband Owen Sapulpa plays surdo drum on the album. 

 

Harjo defines songs and poems as distinctly different expressions, and both are featured in the 16 tracks that make up I Pray for My Enemies. Her words and music, older and newer, get a fresh new identity here. The album opens, however, with a traditional Muscogee song "Allay Na Lee No." "Music travels," she says, adding, "It travels through history, ancestors and especially loves ports and waterways."
 

Some of Harjo's defining poems appear here -- "An American Sunrise," "Fear," "Running" and "Remember" -- refracting her own experience as a Native American woman of her culturally defining generation. "Calling the Spirit Back," from an early collection of Harjo's poems, and the new song "How Love Blows Through the Trees" -- written when COVID-19 reached her home in Tulsa, OK -- echo the suffering of a world experiencing a pandemic.
 

"Once the World Was Perfect" is based on a version of a Muscogee Creek creation story, which describes a time similar to now. She says, "We lost our way in the dark, forgot who we were, then had to find our way again."
 

Vignettes and "licks" of songs and poems also appear on I Pray for My Enemies, ranging from the epiphany of "We Emerged from Night in Clothes of Sunrise" to the playful "trickster" piece "Rabbit Invents the Saxophone." Both feature Harjo's soulful sax. "Stomp All Night" delivers all the primal energy the title suggests, inspired by Muscogee Creek social dances. Harjo's poetic music is just the medicine the world need at this time.

The Resonance Theory of Consciousness

The resonance theory of consciousness postulates that synchronized vibrations are central not only to human consciousness but to all of physical reality. Resonance is the ability of a vibrating object or sound source to transfer its energy to another object, making it vibrate in sympathy. The term resonance originated in the field of acoustics, particularly the sympathetic resonance observed in musical instruments, e.g., when one string starts to vibrate and produce sound after a different one is struck. All things in our universe are constantly in motion, vibrating. Even objects that appear to be stationary are in fact vibrating, oscillating, resonating, at various frequencies. Resonance is a type of motion, characterized by oscillation between two states. And ultimately all matter is just vibrations of various underlying fields. As such, at every scale, all of nature vibrates.

Something interesting happens when different vibrating things come together: They will often start, after a little while, to vibrate together at the same frequency. They "sync up," sometimes in ways that can seem mysterious. This is described as the phenomenon of spontaneous self-organization. For example, fireflies of certain species start flashing their bioluminescent fires in sync in large gatherings of fireflies. If two pendulums, swinging at different rates, are placed next to each other, they will gradually entrain until they are locked in perfect synchronization. They entrain because it requires less energy to pulse in unison than in opposition. Nature always seeks the most efficient energy state. 

This synchronization is a kind of physical communication between entities. Synchronized vibrations allow an exchange of energy and information. In the human brain, synchronization, in terms of shared electrical oscillation rates, allows for smooth communication between neurons and groups of neurons. Large-scale neuron firing can occur at specific frequencies, with human consciousness thought to be commonly associated with various kinds of neuronal synchrony. This shared resonance through specific neuronal electrochemical firing patterns creates an electromagnetic field that may itself be the seat of macro-conscious awareness. 

Consciousness through shared resonance takes panpsychism as its metaphysical starting point. This philosophical perspective suggests that all matter has at least some associated consciousness, albeit highly rudimentary in the large majority of instances. In other words, consciousness did not emerge at some point during evolution. Rather, it's always associated with matter and vice versa; they're two sides of the same coin. It is all about vibrations, but it's also about the type of vibrations and, most importantly, about shared vibrations. The more complex the synchronization is, the more complex the consciousness. So, for example, the billions of neurons that fire in the brain together to make a decision and form our experience of the world are extremely sophisticated, yielding a rich and dynamic sense of self or perception. To learn more, read "The Neuroscience of Drumming."

"Things are Looking Native"

Nicholas Galanin is a multi-disciplinary artist and musician of mixed Tlingit/Aleut and non-Native ancestry. His work often explores a dialogue of change and identity between Native and non-Native communities. Born in Sitka, Alaska, Galanin first learned to work with jewelry and light metals, apprenticing with his father. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design and Silversmithing at London Guildhall University in England, and a Masters of Fine Arts in indigenous visual arts at Massey University in New Zealand. Being trained in both traditional and contemporary approaches in art, he pursues and merges both, exploring the questions of identity, misinterpretation and cultural appropriation.
 

Things are Looking Native, Native's Looking Whiter was the centerpiece of "Unsettled," a 2012 exhibit hosted by the Nevada Museum of Art. It is a digital print that bisects and combines two photographs. On the left is a 1906 Edward S. Curtis image entitled "Tewa Girl," a photograph of an unnamed Hopi-Tewa girl with a traditional "squash blossom" or "butterfly whorl" hairstyle. The right half of the photo-montage depicts Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia from the 1977 film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope with her classic "cinnamon roll" hair style. Galanin's piece is intended as a commentary on cultural appropriation in popular media, which is largely dominated by white actors and directors.
 

Edward S. Curtis's great body of work, while beautifully executed artistically and doubtlessly valuable, has often been criticized. Curtis presented himself as a scientist as well as the artist, documenting the real Indians of North America in their environment. However, by the time Curtis took his first photograph in the 1890s, the noble savage he presented to the public no longer existed. He has also been known to stage his images to look more Native at the time, for example removing or retouching contemporary items in his photos. Each of the images used for Galanin's art piece represent different aspects of cultural appropriation. One--the desire to depict it in an unchanging, romanticized way as a vanishing race; the other--blatantly reusing a piece of cultural heritage while disposing of all Native elements of it.

"Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice"

In the 1980s, an Inuit elder told Nunavut Canadian filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk a story about a young female apprentice who was learning shamanism from her grandmother. In the story, a sick man breaks a taboo and needs to be healed by a shaman. The young woman and her grandmother travel to the underworld, or "the one below," to find the answers to the man's sickness. The shaman-in-training discovers she must believe the teachings of her grandmother and mentor and to control her fears while encountering challenges and dark spirits. Three years ago, the acclaimed Inuit filmmaker began turning the story into a 20-minute animated film, which was named the Best Canadian Short at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021. Members of the awards jury at this year’s event released the following statement: 

 

"Zacharias Kunuk's Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice is an enthralling stop-motion that encapsulates an array of textures, sound, and nuanced expressions that collectively invite you into the apprentice's journey in learning traditional knowledge and caring for community while confronting your own fears. You can't help but feel the questions asked of the apprentice are for us all to consider: Who are you? What have you learned?"

 

Kunuk took the world by storm in 2001 when Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner had its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The film, which won the Golden Camera Award at Cannes, was the first Canadian dramatic feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in the Inuktitut language. Set in the ancient past, the film retells an Inuit legend passed down through centuries of oral tradition. It revolves around the title character, whose marriage with his two wives earns him the animosity of the son of the band leader, who kills Atanarjuat's brother and forces Atanarjuat to flee by foot. 

 

Zacharias Kunuk says his latest film project aims to reclaim Inuit pre-Christian spirituality while experimenting with a different form of storytelling--animation. It illustrates a part of Inuit culture that was "hidden" by colonialism, he said. "I see this short film simply as a tool to start talking about shamanism again, to invite Inuit, especially children and younger generations, to be proud of our rich spiritual traditions and feel comfortable to explore and ask questions about shamanism."

 

Kunuk says he has no plans to stop making films, even though he’s now in his 60s. He continues documenting Elders' stories today. He's been recording interviews with Iglulik Elders who reflect on oral teachings they received prior to colonization. He plans to expand that effort to other communities in the future. "That's what I love to do," he said. "I love to interview Elders because all their knowledge is in their heads."

Contemporary Korean Shamanism

While traditional shamanism continues to decline around the world, it is currently undergoing a revival in South Korea. Korean shamanism, also known as Muism ("mu [shaman] religion") is the ethnic religion of Korea and the Koreans. Though Korean shamanism has suffered centuries of ridicule and persecution, it is now acknowledged to be an important repository of Korean culture and indigenous psychology. Shamanism, in modern as well as historical eras, provides many of the same functions for Korean society as does psychological counseling. Its form is flexible and adaptable, integrating modern elements as needed in order to maintain its relevance.
 

Once viewed as an embarrassing superstition, the theatrical religious performances of Korean shamans--who communicate with the dead, divine the future, and become possessed--are going mainstream. Attitudes toward Korean shamanism are changing as shamanic traditions appear in staged rituals, museums, films, and television programs, as well as on the internet.
 

Contemporary Korean Shamanism, a new book by professor Liora Sarfati, explores this vernacular religion and practice, which includes sensory rituals using laden altars, ecstatic dance, and animal sacrifice, within South Korea's highly technologized society, where over 200,000 shamans are listed in professional organizations. Dr. Sarfati reveals how representations of shamanism in national, commercialized, and screen-mediated settings have transformed opinions of these religious practitioners and their rituals.
 

Applying ethnography and folklore research, Contemporary Korean Shamanism: From Ritual to Digital maps this shift in perception about shamanism--from a sign of a backward, undeveloped Korea to a valuable, indigenous cultural asset. Professor Sarfati masterfully demonstrates how and why shamanism in contemporary Korea is not only the most widely dispersed religion, even more widespread than Christianity and Buddhism, but also thrives through the virtual media of a digital society.

Hopi Elder Thomas Banyacya

I had the opportunity to meet Hopi elder and activist Thomas Banyacya in 1990 when he gave a talk at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon. Thomas Banyacya was one of four Hopis (the others were David Monongye, Dan Evehema and Dan Katchongva) who were named by elders to reveal Hopi traditional wisdom and teachings, including the Hopi prophecies for the future, to the general public after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. He spent half a century on a tireless and often thankless Hopi spiritual mission to save the planet from the ravages of modern materialism and greed. He was so steadfast in his devotion to the pacifism, traditions and sovereignty of the Hopi that he spent seven years in jail rather than register for the draft in World War II.  

 

Banyacya told the attendees that the Native peoples of this land were put here by the Creator with instructions to keep this land clean through prayer, meditation, ceremonies and fasting. They believe there is a spirit in every living thing around us, and a spirit in people that makes us choose what to do and correct ourselves when we err. At the present time, much human effort and mineral resources go towards making weaponry, and so nature is turning against us with extreme weather, volcanoes and big winds. These things, he said, are related to the present behavior of mankind. The Hopi elders warned that the white brother might turn away from spiritual ways and use his inventions destructively. We are in a most dangerous period, and prayer and meditation are needed. 
 

At one point, Banyacya showed a painting of a petroglyph known as Prophecy Rock near the Hopi village of Oraibi, explaining the meaning of certain features. One line leading upwards represented an all out materialistic path with success in inventions that could easily lead to self-destruction. Another line represented an alternative spiritual path with a possibility of cleaning up our mess without annihilation. Banyacya said that someday many nations would come together, we would realize the error of our ways, and people would start creating better feeling and harmony and clean up the mess without starting World War III.
 

Hearing Banyacya's message was truly a blessing and an honor. His strong stance on environmentalism, his service to communities and  nations, and his reverence for the traditions and teachings of his people were an inspiration. His words and passion inspired my own activism in environmentalism, Indigenous rights and the ongoing peace movement. Banyacya passed away in 1999 at the age of 89. His message seems very relevant in this time of global crisis.