Humankind's relationship with "special" places upon the earth, places imbued with mysterious and numinous power, is as old or older than our history as a species. Older, perhaps, because many indigenous and tribal traditions the world over link these places of geomantic power with the Star People, pre-human visitors from celestial realms who came to Earth in the distant past bearing gifts of knowledge, healing, and spiritual empowerment. In fact, these age-old tales of celestial otherworldly visitors, usually beings of immense knowledge and power, and their connection with specific places of natural beauty, geographic uniqueness, and/or spiritual and energetic vitality are a universal human phenomenon.
This fact alone is a key to the alert and spiritually attuned observer that something, or a series of somethings, did indeed occur within the experience and memory of our earliest ancestors. These experiences and memories became tribal lore and oral and cultural tradition. Though 21st-century technocratic humanity may dismiss them as mere primitive superstition, they form the underlying basis for most of the existing world religions and much of inherited cultural tradition.
We know from accounts of Julius Caesar, Tacitus, and other ancient commentators that the Druids, as well as the pagan Germanic tribes, worshipped and performed their sacred mysteries in groves, forest glades, sacred hilltops, and other naturally occurring places imbued with sacred power. As the Celtic tribes spread throughout much of what is now Eastern and Western Europe, many who claim European ancestry can look back with confidence to the primal, Earth-honoring traditions of their ancient European ancestors for inspiration and guidance. Those of European ancestry, like their Native American, Australian Aboriginal, and African brothers and sisters, are also the descendants of indigenous tribal peoples to whom the forests, rivers, lakes, and mountains were held to be sacred, and can take their place among the indigenous caretakers of the sacred around the world.
To reclaim this way of thinking, which is more a way of being, you need to undergo a process of purification - purification of your essentially free, untrammeled, native way of being. By "native," I mean native to this world, to this place, this watershed, this forest, or prairie, or ocean shoreline; to your particular spot on this nurturing, endlessly forgiving planetary island whirling amidst a sea of stars; purification of your sense of alienation from the world, of your driven rootlessness.
You then are able to acknowledge your need to put down roots and experience connection with your own inner depths, with others, and with the infinitely nourishing Mother Planet that sustains us all. You grow more akin to your elder brothers and sisters, the trees. You may even become aware that the trees are calling out to you, with voices that can still be heard in 21st-century America, hoping that their two-legged relatives may yet awaken and become quiet enough to hear their voices.
That the voices of these elder relations of ours - deemed "inanimate" by Western, post-enlightenment, materialistic science - be heard seems of paramount importance to me. The translation of their communication, of course, hinges on what Buddhists call "skillful means," and I fear that I may not be a skillful enough bridge between the human and non-human realms. I invite you to go directly to the sacred places of the natural world, open your heart and quiet your mind, and partake directly in the counsel of wise, non-human beings.
Earlier I referred to the need for purification. This is needed in order that one might better cleanse the lens of perception in order to experience more directly the supernatural power of sacred sites and the spiritual power hidden within the body of the land. Here I mean cleansing oneself of prejudice and preconceived notions; of socially conditioned fear and greed; and of the endless addiction to noise, empty chatter, and inner dialogue.
Many people are aware of and may have experienced Native American sweat lodges, chanting and yogic practices, meditation and prayer, etc. There is another, very ancient way, found within all cultures and religions, dating back untold thousands of years, native to all of our human ancestors: the way of pilgrimage.
This ancient way, which predates organized religions and codified rituals, states that by preparing the mind for the journey to a sacred site, often by preparing food or other offerings to leave there; by actually travelling to the site (which, to be effective, must involve some walking over the land); by arriving at the site, spending some time in prayer, chanting and meditation (which can simply mean opening oneself and listening to the land); and by leaving appropriate offerings to the mystical presences that reside there, one is automatically purified, cleansed, healed, and blessed. Furthermore, if one undertakes this practice on a regular or semi-regular basis, one obtains the ability to bless others and to bless the environment itself.
The first step in this process of reconnecting with the living spirit of the land is to simply find a quiet place outdoors, a place that feels intuitively and energetically "right" to you, seat yourself, and quiet your mental chatter. Consciously checking in with your body and deliberately relaxing tensed shoulders, jaws, etc., will greatly assist the process. If, in addition, you become consciously aware of your breath, breathing deeply into your abdomen and letting your belly relax as you do so, you are assured of success.
The breath that flows into and out of your lungs is the selfsame breath that animates and flows through all of nature. It is the spirit of life, and by becoming aware of this simple fact, you go far toward erasing the artificial barrier that separates you from the natural worlds. Indeed, this barrier is an illusion, and exists only in the mind. As all the great sages teach, we have never been separated from nature or her processes at all. There is no "my breath" or "your breath"; there is only the breath of the One.
As the breath deepens and grows quiet, the mind stills, and the body relaxes, you may tune in to the spirit of the living land that surrounds and supports you. This experience, though of the utmost simplicity to attain, is yet so profound and far reaching that it may well form the beginning of a spiritual metamorphosis that can ultimately affect the entire course of your life. Once you have experienced directly in this way the living pulse and spirit of the land, you are ready to hone and sharpen your ability to tune in to the earth's finer vibrations. The above practices, simple, personal, and available to all, can become the foundation of a spiritual practice of personal empowerment and unfoldment.
These simple steps can prepare your mind and body to approach the way of pilgrimage. Once you have experienced the ease and immediacy of direct contact with the Earth Spirit in this way, you are ready to consider and undertake journeys to "special" places in the environment, places where the life force of the planet is particularly concentrated, pure, and strong. These special places have been known to shamans, wise men and women, yogis, saints, and sages through the ages as sacred power spots.
One local sacred site, revered from time immemorial by Puget Sound Salish people, is the unusual hill or rock stack in Skagit County, near Big Lake, called Yod Wasta (phonetic spelling). This is the place where Star Boy came down to Earth from the Sky World, as told in the great epic story that bears his name.
Another power spot is at Rosario Beach, just north of the Deception Pass Bridge. Here you will encounter a wood sculpture of the ancient Samish princess Ko Ko Wala Loot, who gave up her comfortable life on the surface of the earth and married the son of the chief of the undersea people, thus ensuring that her tribe would always have plenty to eat from the rich bounty of Puget Sound waters. To journey along the path beyond her statue and climb up the hill overlooking the sound is to enter into a powerful spiritual vortex, a place where the energies of land and sea meet and intermingle, opening doorways into an otherworld of vision.
Out of respect for Mother Earth and for the actual ground on which one lives, one should first turn one's attention to the sacred sites in one's own local area. After connecting with the Earth Spirit in our own surroundings, we can make pilgrimage to sacred sites in other lands. I believe that the quality of connection I experience locally determines my ability to link spiritually with the land in other places. By loving and cherishing the ground on which I stand, I come to know the ineffable presence of the Earth Spirit and her hidden children, the genius loci or faery beings, in each and every clime.
Corby's Writings: Pathways and Reflections
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Journeys
www.corbyingold.com
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