Newsletter August 2004

Breathing in Mexico: Rest and Renewal

“ Even the butterfly takes a bit of time to adjust to the light…once out of the cocoon”
-Jeanne White Eagle, Tulum, Mexico

Most of us would agree that one of the fundamental elements of living is breathing…inhaling, exhaling. In our work and travels, we both have found that in the constant activity of “doing,” however powerful the activity may be, if we do not balance it all with rest and the simple act of “being,” then we become depleted, and not only flirt with sickness and disease, but endanger our ability to serve.

And so, each of us has learned, sometimes the hard way, that it is necessary to “inhale” at times, “cocoon” for a while to reenergize and re-center ourselves. This is what we did in January and February…with Jeanne journeying to Tulum, Mexico and John to a quiet farmhouse in the hills of Tennessee.

Tulum is where ancient Mayan ruins color the landscape with mystery and beauty. It is situated by the clear turquoise waters of the Yucatan’s ocean gulf. It is here that Jeanne returned after 11 years of absence…to the place where she and John fell in love. And it is here that she hoped to rest, remember, and bathe in the simple beauty that Tulum so freely represents and gives…this, after months of moving and being in high activity and constant ceremony, much of the time inside war zones.

Jeanne stayed in a rustic little cabana by the sea, no electricity, no schedule. After 40 days of simple living, communing with the nurturing waters, white sand, iguanas, pelicans, and funny little sand crabs, Jeanne found herself able to unwind and let go…remembering the power and wisdom of stillness and quietness. The ocean’s constant song was healing and found a place in the heart to be called upon whenever needed. John joined her the last 10 days, where the two celebrated their anniversary…a perfect setting as this is where their two hearts were first joined.

The whole experience of 40 days by the ocean brought Jeanne home to the birthing waters of our souls. It was such a powerful experience that we two have committed that wherever possible now and whenever needed, we and those with us will find our way to the ocean’s arms…where we can release and be reborn.

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Mystical Numerology

“Numbers represent movement. They are the connectors between the fundamental vibrational building blocks of our reality.”
- John Pehrson

For more than 15 years, John has been working on a whole new system of numerology, which he calls Mystical Numerology. In the process, he has created a new 13-month 28day solstice calendar. Only in the last weeks has he begun to “come out of the closet” to share his findings and teachings.

He chose the name Mystical Numerology for several reasons. In addition to a person’s Life Purpose and Path being discovered through one’s name and birth date, one can become connected in a more powerful way with his/her inherent spirituality. There is also the possibility of learning the deeper meaning and power of words, and the presence of the mystical in the mundane.

John has spent long hours in the last months honing this amazing system. He has learned much through teachings of the vowel sounds as principal energies of creation and has looked into the mystical qualities of the consonants and numbers, and how they relate to the vowel sounds and how all of this fits into the circle of life. John developed Mystical Numerology after years of study, in part drawing on the work of Joseph Rael, teachings from the Quiche Mayan system of Day Lords, and Jeanne’s teachings regarding spontaneous singing of the vowels. The resulting system is an integration that is both accurate in the insights it provides, and fascinating for its ability to reveal the deeper meaning behind the ordinary.

A book is already in the making to share and describe this new system, and hopefully will be out in the near future.

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“For the One” Dance in Tennessee

“Dance reconnects us to the land – which is the vast Self.”
- Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow)

This year, in March at the Spring Equinox, the “For the One” Dance was brought home to the Center for Peace in Seymour, Tennessee where in 1996, on this ancient Cherokee land, the vision for this dance was born. In John’s words; “At the end of September 1996, during a cold, rainy weekend, Jeanne and I did separate three-day vision quests. Jeanne, under direction of the ancient ones, placed herself in the dance arbor. I was in the Peace-Sound Chamber. Over that weekend, Jeanne danced sixteen paths in the arbor – the four directions of the four directions. And during that time, the “Old Ones” came to her and began to sing through her. This was the time when Jeanne was taught how to sing the vowel sounds with spontaneous melodies, (a practice that has resulted in two CDs and many peace concerts around the world). Yet, it was at this same time that the seed for this “singing” dance was planted. Jeanne danced it. And when she was done, sixteen hawks circled above her – messengers of the Ancestors. They even followed her from the arbor to the house of the Center for Peace…witnessed in wonder by two other women. Something important had happened.

It took nearly three years for the seed to grow within Jeanne and emerge, in 1999, as a vision to take this powerful, prophetic “singing dance” to the people. It took another four years for it to gestate and become a reality in April 2003. Now, during the weekend of the 2004 Spring Equinox, it came back to the arbor where it started, to be given roots and anchored.. It was the fourth dance…the number that ‘brings things into form.’ “

We had done three of these dances, thusfar. The first two were in North Carolina. The third in South Africa at the end of this past November, in a place known by the Zulus as “The Valley of the Eagle.” It was there that we were told this dance is the fulfillment of two ancient prophecies –one Hebrew and 3000 years old (which has now been confirmed by three rabbis in Israel), and the other African. The prophecies, taken together, said, “A time would come when people of many colors and cultures would come together to sing and dance as One.”

When we returned to the States, we received an invitation from the Center for Peace to do this dance over the Spring Equinox. We gladly accepted. But like many things we’ve said “yes” to, the significance wasn’t immediately apparent. At first we didn’t realize just how appropriate it was to do the fourth dance there. (We actually had thought the fourth dance would be in Israel, as plans were already in the making for the Israeli dance to happen in late spring.) When we finally did become aware that the Center’s dance would be the fourth, and not Israel’s, we realized how important this was. As stated above, the number four is about bringing things into form, it is about “rooting” an idea or an energy. And here we had come to the birthplace of the dance to do this very thing. A wonderful surprise, yes? We don’t plan this stuff. It just happens.

And so, in Tennessee, the energy of this dance found it’s way into the mass psyche in ways we can only begin to understand. Many of those who would serve on the new International Support Crews, danced this particular dance. And though they don’t know it yet, a number of the new future Chiefs for this dance were birthed at this time.

The experience of the “For the One” Dance has been amazing so far. Beautiful Painted Arrow once said to Jeanne, “If you have a vision and it’s a true vision, once it begins to take off, all you can do is hold on for dear life.” It has quickly become an International Dance, gathering together people of many races, colors and creeds. To date, people from the USA, Germany, Israel, Palestine, South Africa, Croatia and France have either danced or helped…not including those from the UK, Norway and other areas of the world who have donated time and money to make this dance possible.

As the drum carries the dancers to the center, the dancers spontaneously sing the sounds that take them to the original vibration from which all creation comes. Instead of blowing turkey or eagle bone whistles, dancers experience themselves as the hollow bone through which Spirit blows the breath of life. We have watched the dancers move at lightning speed out of a “head” space and into a state of unity consciousness. And in this place of “oneness,” they begin to remember that they are connected with all things. Indeed, the time of separation is over.

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“For the One” Dance in Israel

“We are the hollow bones through which Spirit blows the breath of life.”
- Jeanne White Eagle

Israel is one of the pivotal places on the planet right now. What happens there ripples outward around the globe and touches us all in some way. The violence there has affected life in America in dramatic ways, especially since September 2001. Just, so, if peace can happen in this little piece of land where the prophets of three great religions walked, it will also spread seeds of peace around the world. That is why we felt so blessed when the “For the One” Dance became a reality in northern Israel May 4-6 in the Galilee.

This three –day dance that combines fasting and movement, with spontaneous songs using the vowel sounds, carries the message that "the time of separation is over". Its purpose is to heal what is out of balance, and help us remember our connection to each other and to all things.

The dance in Israel brought many miracles, the first being the outpouring of support that made the dance possible. This included generous donations from around the world to sponsor dancers and help with other dance expenses, the crew that helped build the arbor and prepare the land, and the international team that worked the dance as Moon Mothers, Sun Fathers, Fire Keepers, Dog Soldiers and Kitchen Angels.

Miracles happen around these kinds of sacred dances, and we had our share right from the beginning:

Four eagles (uncommon in Israel) blessed us with their presence as we built the arbor.
Building materials would magically appear. This included the sacred Dance Pole that is placed in the Center of the Dance Arbor.
As wood is scarce in Israel, Jeanne received an insight to build the arbor out of rope and a minimal amount of wood, in the form of a star. As it turned out, the resulting shape was in the shape of a 10-pointed star…powerful and very beautiful!
An Israeli carpenter made the amazing People’s Drum (shaped as an infinity sign), using the wood of the fichus tree and a gifted buffalo skin from the States. What a blessing!
The Thunder Beings came and it rained hard for 40 minutes. What was unusual about this is that rain is uncommon in Israel in May and the rain occurred only in the area surrounding the arbor. The owner of the land said, “ That was amazing! I’ve never had a private rain shower before!”

“As Israel goes, so goes the world.”
Credo Mutwa, South Africa

The “For the One” Dance was clearly the highlight of our visit, realizing that in a period of a little over three years, we have spent an accumulative time in the Middle East of ten months. This is enough time to learn something of the people and this extraordinary tiny piece of our beloved planet. On this particular trip, however, we also had the privilege of sharing other parts of our journey with those brave people who came from other parts of the world to help with the dance. All of them had their own unique experiences, which included fulfilling some of their own dreams and visions that involve this holy land. To have prayed in the ancient and mystical city of Zfat, where it is believed that Jewish Mysticism was born… To have put one’s prayers and songs into the historical Western Wall of the Temple Mount (the Wailing Wall)…To have visited the ancient Dome of the Rock whose history touches the very soul of any who are in its presence…To have experienced baptism in the purifying waters of the Jordan River… All of this and so much more found its way into the hearts of our dear friends to be shared beyond the borders of Israel or Palestine.

Perhaps the most important experience that our friends had was their own encounters with the people…Jews, Israeli Arabs, Palestinian. We were especially glad to see this. These encounters quickly showed how little of the truth the news media reports and allows the world to see. These precious and beautiful people in this dry and war torn land, after centuries of conflict, still live side by side, thousands of whom are working at the grass roots level to bring peace into their land. The real story that the politicians and the media miss is this People story… the story of these people living “life” in the everyday-world there in the middle of war, most living in a good way with each other. We ourselves have spoken of the great beauty of the people and all the many peace efforts going on in Israel and Palestine. Our friends, now, have experienced some of this first hand, and they will report what they’ve seen and heard, as we have done. They will share their stories well beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine, stories that bring truth and hope.

When these international travelers left the country, those who had come from other countries to help with or dance the “For the One” Dance, both of us then went with two of our Israeli friends to the Sinai in Egypt for rest. What a gift. To be in the area of the world where it is said Noah and Moses walked, was a blessing. And the Red Sea was something of such clear and nurturing beauty. Our hope is to return to this sacred place after each of the dances whenever possible. It fed our souls in a quiet and peaceful way.

This particular trip brought many insights, many tears, much laughter…When we walked into what many believe to be the actual tomb where Christ was taken after the crucifixion, (not inside the Old City of Jerusalem at all, but in an obscure place in East Jerusalem), when Jeanne walked onto the top of the hill, where many believe Jesus may have actually been crucified (again in East Jerusalem), when we went into the prison where it is believed Jesus was imprisoned before his crucifixion…all this and more brought to light the power, the drama, the magnificence of what is happening in this part of the world. After such strong experiences, mystical and mundane, it’s easy to understand when Credo Mutwa from South Africa says, “ As Israel goes, so goes the world.”

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Return to the USA

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches,
but to reveal to him his own.”
- Benjamin Disraeli

Returning to the States this time, we found ourselves exhausted and facing a number of physical challenges…not unusual when coming out of a war zone, we’ve been told. We did, however, find ways of re-energizing and clearing ourselves, as we are learning to do each time we make such a trip. One way for us is to simply play…and so we made a trip to New Orleans to dance a different kind dance and soak in the beauty of the blues.

And, now, after several weeks of integrating back into the American reality, with dances, family reunion, etc., we find ourselves gearing up again to travel to the UK, where we will perform a wedding in Wales. While there we will do some concerts and workshops in both Wales and England. This will be fun and is something we look forward to.

As to what the rest of the year looks like, once we return to the States again in mid-September, we prepare for the StarMoon Dance that last weekend, and then for the “For the One” Dance the first weekend in October. After that, we travel to South Africa in preparation for the two “For the One” Dances we will do there…one at the end of November, the other at the first of December (see schedule below).

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Schedule and Dance Announcements

Insights and Inspirations
“The silence speaks loudly for any who will hear it.” - Jeanne White Eagle There have been a number of insights that have come over the last weeks. Here are a few of the highlights we want to share with you.
Click on each insight to go directly to it
Jeanne’s Insights:
Protection Form True Teacher	Prayer Listening	Ing Age
John's Insights:
Judgement & Attachments Seeds of PureConsciousness Hatred	Mystery of Life Real Sustainability Living In the Moment	Grace Awakening
Jeanne's Insights
Protection: Often we receive messages from people saying that they are praying for our protection as we travel and do the work we do. I had personal difficulty with the whole concept around protection because, for me, the very concept of protection presupposed separation. In other words, if you think you must be protected from something, you are separate from it. This posed an internal challenge given that John and I’ve been given to carry in all we do, the message that “the time of separation is over.” Then, one morning, a few weeks ago, I had a powerful insight. The truth is, Protection is simply slowing down time and expanding space. I’ll say it again, Protection is about slowing down time and expanding space. The very vibration of the word itself allows that from which we perceive ourselves to be separated, to catch up with the rest of us, to remember, if you will, who it is. If, indeed, we are of the same consciousness, then anyone or thing we perceive to be evil or bad, (separate, needing protection from), is simply a part of our own true consciousness that has forgotten who and what it is. Giving someone protection allows the time and space for this part of us to remember. Someone once said to me “Imagine the magnitude of a Creator who would create a part of Itself that forgets Itself in order to experience life and the act of remembering.” Form: Once an attachment lodges itself to a form, in that instant, the “form” itself becomes obsolete. True Teacher: A true or real teacher isn’t someone who sets out to impart information to a student but is someone who creates a space that encourages, empowers any within the space to remember that whatever knowledge they seek is already within them. Prayer: Beautiful Painted Arrow asked us once to “pray for God.” I remember how strange at first that sounded. Who am I to pray for the Creator?? But then I began to do it, and I discovered something very interesting. If everything we perceive to exist is part of the same consciousness, then everything, you might say, is a “face” of God. And so, I began praying for the “face” of God that is my son, the “face” of God that is my daughter, the “face of God that is my husband, my country, my planet, and so on. I then prayed for the “face” of God that is someone or some situation where there is great pain or anger. In this case, I prayed for the “face” of God that is that person, country and/or situation that is at war, praying that each remembers there is only one of us here, there is only love. What I’m finding is something astounding and very revealing. I no longer am feeling myself separate from anyone or thing. I am part of everything and everything is part of me. We are in this experience of life together as part of each other…each a face of God Listening: During my winter retreat in Mexico, I remembered something important. It actually is a lesson that I learned a long time ago, and seem to forget periodically. To be truly effective in anything, first one must learn to listen. A simple teaching, but one that slips in between the cracks when life moves in its daily rhythms and nuances. It is a teaching the Ancient Ones insisted that I learn before beginning the work with spontaneous sound. And so, I’ve begun to practice something I learned in Up With People thirty five years ago and did for many years afterwards…Some called it “guidance.” I simply call it “listening.” To what, you might ask. I would say to the inner voice, the higher voice that lives within us all. I awake each morning to hear what that part of me, the God in me has to say. I write down everything that comes. The messages often are profound. Always they are insightful, truthful and powerful. Try it. ING: Once Beautiful Painted Arrow had us add “ing” to our names. He comes from a tribe who speaks a language called Tiwa. This language has no nouns or pronouns, therefore the structure of a sentence as we know it, does not exist. No sentences. No periods, etc. Think of it. A language without stops and starts, without walls. A verb language. One that simply flows, moves. And so to give us an idea of what that might be like, he asked us to add “ing” to our name. I said to myself, “I am Jeanne-ing.” Once again, the experience was profound. And so what I began to do was add “ing” to all kinds of words. Rather than “I am aware,” I say “I am aware-ing.” Rather than “I am busy,” I say, “ I am busy-ing.” Try it. Notice what happens. Everything is in a state of flowing…of creation-ing. Very powerful and brings a new perspective to one’s perception of reality. AGE: Age as we know it may be disappearing. Age is not about deteriorating but rather about remembering. When one is older, presumably one is wiser. If this is so, why is it that the body deteriorates? Some might say simply it is the natural way of things. Perhaps. But I’m experiencing that the more I “live in the moment,” the more I allow myself to be in a place of spontaneity, then the more in the “now” I live, with less and less attachment to the past or the future. The very energy of spontaneity is characterized by being in a constant state of creation, i.e., it is creating newness in each moment, each second. We already know that the cells of the body are in constant regeneration, until, we move into “old age” when the body begins to break down. Maybe this is a reality that is beginning to change. As an example, in singing the spontaneous sounds (mostly vowel), I experience absolute newness with each sound, virgin creation if you will…always in a state of becoming. That vibration of this newness effects everything, even my physical body, so that it, too, is in constant renewal…constant awakening. The cells are listening. They are changing old patterns. Maybe a willingness to drink from the waters of “spontaneity without attachment” is the true “fountain of youth.” Who knows?
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John’s Insights:

JUDGMENT & ATTACHMENT: These are what tie us down in our 3-D reality. To perform miracles, healings, or any powerful shamanic work, we must give up judgment. We must free ourselves from the “rules” of perceptual reality so we can slip into a more sacred space
SEEDS OF PURE CONSCIOUSNESS: “I once had an experience in ceremony of returning to the “void,” the place of absolute oneness. I returned to a memory of the Creator before creation – before time, and before anything was manifest. I experienced being part of everything and everything being a part of me. This planted a seed of pure consciousness in me that began to grow and transform my life, a transformation that happened gradually, organically. I believe this is what the Dances do – especially when we integrate the movement with the singing, as happens in the “For the One” Dance. The experience of singing the vowel sounds with spontaneous melodies acts to awaken the genetic memory of our connection to Forever. A seed of pure ‘God consciousness’ gets planted inside of us, and within the land. Over time, and with increasing intensity, it grows into a metanoia – a shift in consciousness. The harvest will be a mass awakening. Our job is to keep dancing, keep singing…and to remember that we are from Forever.
HATRED: Hatred is a communicable disease. Kids are infected by the community around them. In a sense, we’re all responsible for each outbreak of violence.
MYSTERY OF LIFE: The mystery of life is a paradox – being “in the world” but not “of the world. Understanding comes from remembering that we exist “here” but exist as “spirit” also, flickering in and out of life a million times a minute. We are incredibly powerful. So relax and enjoy the beauty. Don’t get so caught up in the drama – and, act with compassion toward others that are.
REAL SUSTAINABILITY: The more I travel, the more I have become convinced that it is impossible for anyone truly immersed in our current business structure to understand what is needed for long-term sustainability. Anyone who has been successful inside a large corporate structure has already bought into the principles that have made business, and themselves, successful. We’re entering a time when those rules must change, and ARE changing – like sand shifting beneath our feet. The new way will incorporate an understanding of our spiritual nature. It may rest upon a global awakening, a shift in mass consciousness so that we each recognize our true Source as Spirit– spiritual beings having a physical experience. We are becoming fully integrated physical-spiritual beings able to play in both realms. That’s what the original human experiment has been about from the beginning.
LIVING IN THE MOMENT: Life in service to your vision is often uncertain. It is an emotional roller coaster ride. Events come together in ways that push all of your buttons. The best you can do is listen, and then show up, shut up, and follow your inner guidance. That’s when magic and miracles happen.
GRACE: I have to remind myself sometimes, that just at the point when everything falls apart, that is the opening for God to enter. That’s when new birth takes place.
AWAKENING: The awakening that mankind is experiencing at this time has the goal of marrying ‘life in the Spirit’ with ‘life in the Physical’ in a way that only masters and avatars have experienced in the past.

EAGLE NOTES