July 4th Meetings in Portland

We met with Sun Dance pledges to share experiences and prepare, and Four Winds Foundation council came together to discuss the future of FWF and Deer Haven and our common goals.

Right now FWF’s goals are as follows: to save the land by stewarding it through these times, not unlike our forefathers in the dust bowl years; to provide a secure and warm home for Sweet Medicine, our President and Elder; and to provide a facility that not only can host youth groups and ceremonies but provide a space for a returning warriors equine program. This program will be headed by Phiamma Stiles, regional representative for this equine program in the west, and will combine the latest methods of working with horses with the traditional practice of the sweat lodge to help these warriors transition, integrate, and heal—and, through this process, also to recall their dignity, self respect, and sense of belonging within their families and communities.

 

Four Winds has worked with Youth Eco-Science for six years now and also with Wolftree, another science based non-profit in central Oregon. With funding as it is (non-existent within the current economic climate) we have lost funding. At the end of this last school year we had zero funding and relied on mentor volunteerism. Together we are looking at what this will mean next September.

We’re working with of a grant from the Santa Fe Art Council to create the first short installment in a documentary on water (mni) and its importance, past and present.  Brad Smith (HOTPEPPER Productions) and Daniel L. Prince (eAssets Program Manager, Hewlett-Packard Company) will combine their efforts to create a beehive of connections for our documentary and educational work.
We’re currently looking into alternative funding and support for these offerings.

 

Nicole Tripp will provide the means to continue this blog, Sarah Clark will work on public relations, and Susan Prior will be our special events coordinator and manager for our mailing list. Phiamma Stiles and Susan Prior have also joined our team of fund gatherers and Master Planners for the future of Four Winds and its far reaching connection to other indigenous communities throughout the Americas. 

June 14-21 Vision Quest

Pledges committed to a process of discovery fasted and prayed for four days. This year folks from all over the U.S. came together in the unfolding heat of central Oregon’s desert mesas to support those who cried for a vision that would help them learn who they are in relationship to their world and themselves. Some had done this before and some were new to it. All in all, we gathered, set a wonderful camp, and all arrived with their supporters to create the most peaceful and smooth-running camp in years.

Deer Haven, the 40 acres of land owned by Four Winds and Sweet Medicine, lay 17 miles outside of Sisters, Oregon. Its connection to canyon lands there is a plus, as the canyon provides for sacred encounters that bring not only respite and calm, but a deepening of spirit and healing for most.

This year’s group was a mix of elders who have been walking this Red Road for many years, youth supporting friends on the hill for the first time, and families--all holding the deeper mystery of what is possible for those that fast for these four days and nights.

We were blessed to be able to combine two altars and camps this year, as Little Buffalo joined us. Little Buffalo has been a helper in our camp for two years, but in his own right is also a leader of his own community. We were not surprised at how seamless the convergence was. The shared energy enhanced both communities with a sacred and profound blend of offerings.

Each night we gathered around a sacred fire in the tipi for teachings and each day enjoyed healthy, organic, and delicious meals prepared by gifted chefs and their charges in Four Winds’ well stocked kitchen.

3-17-09

Journey continues, celebrating both Marina's and Ana's Birthdays with Morelia family. 

On March Full Moon, attended a lodge (temezcal) and was able to see the new floor that was constructed for the ceremonial tipi.

...yep, those are tiles.

 Circle for the fire pit in the Centre. The tipi is now up and all are preparing for this "52 year" celebrating for Marina. 52 added together create a 7 and five decades, plus two (Father Sun and Mother Moon). This celebration Wise years.

Next steps.

March 1 2009.

In mid Mexico now with the family of Morelia, Michoacan. Celebrated Ana and Marina's (birthdays) cumpleanos, it is wonderful to be here for this too.

The weather here in the million plus people is high spring. Orchids and roses, as well as all the tropical fruit you can imagine is blooming, fruiting and being eaten, by me each morning.

More to come.

Mexico.

Jazmin was my hostess in Mexico City, as well as her son Omar and daughter, Katrina. Thanks to them for all they shared. Thursday last I went to the Bosque (forest) to see the butterflies....and oh my god. There are trillions of them there. It was much better than last year's trip there. This year I also walked up the mountain seeing I needed to get the exercise and also save the money.

Day traveling around Valle De Bravo, and the Monarcha Preserves, in the high pine covered mountain, to see the beautiful butterflies and their mating dances and the males ending of life. As we travel to the Monarch butterflies:

On the next weekend we travel thru Silver mine country of Mexico, where we would stay for two days to visit the city of Ixcateopan, in the state of Guerrero Mexico.

The plan was to be apart of a celebration of Cuauhtemoc's life, and to be apart of some ceremonies around the Red Road and this cultural event, held here each year at this time. (March 26th) The story goes that when Cortez came he killed a young warrior king Cuautemoc. His mother took him from the hanging tree and hid his body. After 6 generations the person who held this secret of the family, saw the sign that the mother had told the people that would come (which was her sons pictured as having value). well, the one day the Mexican government printed a coin with his picture on it.....this was a sign, so the person who h

elps this secret in the family for all these years told of the resting place of this young man....who by the way was even more loved by the people of all Mexico that they called him the peace chief....so 

the officials of Mexico in the state of Guerrero looked into this....and found the remains of this wondrous young man, he was 23 when they hung him to take the power of the hearts of the people and turn them into Catholic based people.

The most interesting part was over time his resting place was covered by the catholic church that stands in its place today..... not only was it there the whole time, but it was also visited by the people all over Mexico that understood that this is the resting place of this man, but not a soul ever thought it would be found in the ground under the church where the actual pulpit was or altar of the church. Well, since then people come each year to this place and dance this special kind of ancient dance called the danza....and they do it all night for two days....this little mountain town that boasts only the large deposits of Marble. Yes all the streets are cobbles of marble...as well as the foundation are made of this.

Anyway the church folks immediately of course built another church as this old one was the resting place of this king....and now there is a glass bed of his bones and the remaining items he had on his body at the time of his death

. I took pictures and movies of this dance to give a feeling of the whole town. Food flowe

d from everywhere....people came and chokes the streets finding a bed or camping is the only option in many cases as the people there are not tourist minded. This was amazing to see and be a part of for two days....but two days without sleep took its toll on me today. 

So I am resting and packing for Morelia.

Then went on Friday to Teotihuacan.... you can see the website of this one..... it is the biggest in the whole of Mexico.... see this site. it is a good one. 

There we met with the man I had met 6 years ago and was taken to the powerful understanding of this place....he is the guardian elder of this place and the main history keeper of the town and its ceremonies. He took us to the palace of the kind and behind the closed doors and chains to keep out the visitors we did ceremony with him.... a little kitty came to sit in our laps and be with us while there.... outside as I told some of you there was a big lightening storm and rain that they so needed flowing until we stopped the ceremony..... in fact the lightening beings were with me for most of the week. Then the Pyramid in the whole of Mexico (the pyramid of the fire) and then here.

I had the best pulque here too and the older tequila....dangerously smooth. Thought I am not a drinker of such things. 

HISTORY of Pulque is the old drink of 24 hours of fermentation of the Maguey in less than a day the drink will be ready, the old wine of the Gods that still in certain corners of the Mexican plateau is continued producing and that all the family farmers consumes on a daily basis. Given to its antiquity and the symbolism that surrounds so much to the plant, the maguey, like its product pulque, this practice turns out to be a true ritual, the hymn of the farmer to an old world as soon as forgotten. From the moment in which old the Mexicans domesticated the maguey with the purpose of to take advantage of not only their juice, chewing the pulp, but its fibers to weave their clothes, their thorns to sew, the stem of the flower - greatest in the world like beam, to make ceilings and walls. its foods, the skin of these to make paper and, finally, its sweet sap to satiate the thirst of the man since then and for that reason was naturals who the maguey acquired deity title today.

I got to see the outside that night of the BIG church dedicated to Guadalupe....and hear all about its history and controversies too....but I was too cold and tired to get out of the car and go inside that night around 10:30pm. Another time.

Walked the 800 steps to the top of a hill or pyramid which was the central of all Mexico....it was the place where the new fire was lit each year....and the last time a fire was placed there was for one day was a torch for the Mexico World Olympics was help there.....funny that no ceremony can be done there now, but people can have picnics, play football on the top and do anything else but no fire ceremony....seems odd.

Seen the floating lands and its canals, of old Mexico, built on plants, soil and then plants, that cause the land to float. Old days of Styrofoam, hee hee! It is on a system of canals, full of water bird life and many colorful flat bottom barge like boats. There people on their boats came to sell us all sorts of goodies.....lunch was the best buy.

Have done a lot in a short time here, thanks to Jazmin's hummingbird nature to get around. It was all wonderful.

Heading South.

SOUTH to CHILE, Jan - Feb 2009, now this was not a cold climate when I was there. It was mid-summer. So the cloths for the plane rides were too hot by the time I got off and to some of the wonderful peoples homes in Santiago, Camelo and Apaula.

It was surprising how comfortable I was after a 5 hr plane flight to Mexico City over night, then a 8 hr flight to Santiago, then a 8 hr bus ride to Pucon in the southern part of Chile. I was to say the least excited but had two naps that day.

I arrived here to be greeted by wonderful people (who spoke perfect English) that then took me around the small city of Pucon, which is like Boulder Co. It is a very  big resort town in Feb. the highest season, when summer vacationers flood the black volcanic sand beaches of the huge lake it is on. The people seem very European in blood, blondes and redheads, mixed with the Machupi, indigenous people of the region. 

Here we took off from Kitralma, in the heart of the Andes, and the location of Vision Quest was already underway for one man who was going for 17 days. This property is huge......and encompassed by straight up mountains on both sides, and volcanos in the distance what smoked and reminded us all that this earth is still very much alive. The good news about this is that there are tons of hot thermal waters to go and soak there in. Seems that instead of Casinos )which they also have in Pucon) the indigenous folks here have hot springs to enjoy.

Bill Stanton, Tyler and Amara joined me here. Tyler got ill and they left camp after a few days to rest in Pucon. I made a few trips to see them, Tyler is doing fine now and they are back in the USA. 

The food is very yummy there and like Europe offers a fair that is not only delicious, but artfully prepared. You can find any kind of food you would dream of. They however do not like garlic and onions as they feel they make your breath smell bad so only in Veg or Hostel restaurant did they serve such yummy stuff.....I did not suffer at all as you can see.

It was hard to leave the most amazing ceremony and all 150 plus people that adopted me and the Community of FW as family. Many elders from all over the South American countries were there to help and support this time. At one point there were 8 Elders all taking people to the different locations and planting them for their special time.

After the camp I was placed on a horse and taken for a two-hour plus ride up above the Kitralma to a sacred lake. There we rode thru Trees that reached the heavens. They are sometimes described as a living fossil. Araucaria araucana is the national tree of Chile. Also called Monkey Puzzle trees, and old growth as we would call them in Hawaii. And the Alerce trees. Resembling giant sequoias, alerce trees have witnessed countless centuries of history. They have a life expectancy of up to 4,000 years and exist only in the temperate rain forests of Chile. Thanks to all there for their supporting my very bad Spanish. We had wonderful weather the whole camp, with artists of dance, music, and painting plus crafts of Chile all coming to share. We sang, laughed, and shared this experience and its sacred time.

The loving people were refreshing and wonderful. In each moment there, was an experience of a lifetime. I even stayed ten extra days to meet and be with important people in Santiago, and to have this trip into the wilds of Chile. Thanks Sole' and Claudia for hosting me in your special ways.

New Year, New Places.

Jan 2009  new year and new places to travel. 

On this beginning leg of my trip this winter I want to tell you how wonderful it was to have been gifted this camera, to record the adventures of 2009.  My last canon Elf fell in the drink while releasing 179 thousand baby steel head in the spring.  Thanks to all of you that contributed, the women and men of Four Winds Community.   You will see I am using it.