Printable version of 2004 Newsletter

CONTENTS:

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Everything in life unfolds in its right time. Time exists in folds, did you know? --- Joseph Rael

This year of travel has included more than its share of miracles. But beneath the magic, and away from the intensity of ceremonial dances, pipe ceremonies, peace concerts, and time spent with amazing elders, this year was about balance – the balance between activity and rest, finding balance in relationships, and balancing the sacred and the mundane.

Walking the path of Spirit is a process of radical surrender. It’s like dancing with a 500-lb gorilla. Once committed to the dance, you don’t stop when you want to stop. You stop when the gorilla does. In a similar way, listening and then acting on your guidance requires letting go of control at deeper and deeper levels to allow the Creator to take charge. It’s not always fun. The ego rebels and wants to stop, wants to have at least the illusion of control. At times it’s an emotional roller-coaster ride. All that is out of harmony with who you are growing to be, your message, or your work eventually comes up to be examined, and healed. And so it was for us. As we took a time-out in the mountains, a process of examining, balancing and healing began. It was to become the underlying motif for the entire year.

For the first time in seven years of globetrotting, we stopped for the winter. We needed the rest. The intensity of 2002 left us in semi-burnout. Our bodies needed healing and recharging. We finally realized that we wouldn’t be any good to anyone if we didn’t start taking care of ourselves. So, we rented a little earth house in Crestone, in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range of the Colorado Rockies. The town sits above the high plain of the San Luis Valley, just north of the Great Sand Dune that stretches south along the mountains almost to Blanca Peak, near Alamosa. It is the area that the Tiwa-speaking people call Sand Lake, perhaps because beneath the valley is the largest aquifer in North America. It is also where they believe life emerged onto the planet. For that reason, this area is considered sacred – so sacred that no battles were ever fought here. Thus, the valley is also called the “Bloodless Valley.”

It was a perfect place to rest, recharge and reflect on our past travels. The mountains are heart energy, and open us up to beauty. The winter air at 9000 feet is cold, dry and purifying. The wandering families of deer, the magnificent elk herds that feed at dawn, the menagerie of birds and occasional squirrel that came to eat the seeds Jeanne scattered for them, all fed our spirit in the solitude of this out-of-the-way place, 55-miles from the nearest grocery store.

Crestone is an eclectic tapestry of spiritual traditions that have been given land there over the years. There are two Buddhist retreat centers, a Shinto Temple, a Hindu Shrine dedicated to Babaji, and a Carmelite Christian Monastery. A Native American group has some land there too. Just up the mountain from our little earth house is a Buddhist Stupa, a golden shrine that radiates the blessings of the 100,000 prayers stored inside onto the valley below. While we were in the midst of all of this spiritual energy, the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost in a fireball over Texas, and the US was marching toward a preemptive war with Iraq. It was a strange contrast to our surroundings.

Just before we left Crestone to start our travels for the year, several feet of snow fell over a two-day period. When it stopped, we looked out at the giant juniper trees to find them covered with white snow-buffaloes resting on the branches like Christmas ornaments – at least half a dozen of them! We couldn’t believe our eyes. But it was true. White buffaloes in crystallized light! We took pictures of them. After our time of rest and renewal, it was snow-magic that ushered us on our way.

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Travels in Israel & Palestine

From Israel must come the Word. The fate of the world will be decided in Israel. – Dr Credo Mutwa, 2003

This past year, we spent from the end of April through mid-June, and all of August in Israel. We strengthened friendships, did peace concerts and workshops, made contacts in the Palestinian and Israeli Arab communities, and laid the foundation for upcoming Dance, and Mystical Tour of the Holy Land (May 2004). Mostly, we relaxed into what it is like to live in this place where the veil between worlds is very thin, and life is lived intensely. We’ve spent eight months in Israel over the last three years. We can tell you from first-hand experience that the violence is not the truth of what is happening there.
Yes, there is violence. But, it’s safer to walk the streets of Jerusalem than many places in Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York. You have to remember that the news reports from Israel focus only on the violence. The reports are unbalanced. I’ve never seen a CNN report covering one of the Peace Walks that sometimes has up to ten thousand people involved. Never covered are events such as the planting of a Peace Pole at the Erez Checkpoint on the border between Gaza and Israel. One has to ask, why not? Our frustration is that the media, in their unbalanced and sensationalistic reporting, is feeding the “trauma vortex” that keeps the violent cycle of attack and reprisal going. This is not just irresponsible. It is shameful.

The real truth is that there are thousands of well-meaning Israelis and Palestinians who are working for peace – unsung and unreported, and who have been living side by side in peace for many years. The following example is one we experienced first-hand, and is memorable in its intensity.

We were invited to a gathering between Israelis and Palestinians on Jewish Memorial Day, the day before Jewish Independence Day (May-7). We rented a car in Jerusalem and, together with Ibrahim, a Palestinian friend from the Mount of Olives, we drove to Mitsukeh Dragot on the cliffs above the Dead Sea. There, in a small community known as “Hamakom” (or, The Place), sixty or so Israelis and Palestinians – Jews and Muslims – gathered together to talk and search for common ground on these two days that the Israelis consider a time of remembering and celebration. In stark contrast, the Palestinians consider them the days of disaster.

They began in the early afternoon by sharing stories of their pain. A Jewish brother and sister recounted the savagery of the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis, old memories of near starvation and a narrow escape from Russia still fresh after 50 years. A Palestinian man told of a massacre at the hands of Israeli soldiers that took place in his village near the time of Israel’s Independence. Emotions were high, but people listened. Tears flowed on both sides. It was impossible for anyone to say that one pain was any greater or less than the other.

At dinner after the sharing, Ibrahim, our friend from the Mount of Olives, gave bread to everyone. He had purchased ten big bags of bread, each bag with at least ten pieces of flat bread big enough to be a meal in itself. For a man who doesn’t have much money, it was an extravagant act of love and selfless giving. And it was more. It was also a strong metaphor. Bread is considered sacred. And Ibrahim, the Arab name for Abraham – father of the Jews and the Arabs, was bringing bread to his people!

After dinner, Ohad, the leader at Hamakom, asked Jeanne to do the sacred Peace Pipe Ceremony with the permanently joined pipe. It is a pipe that signifies that the “time of separation is over.” We expected the ceremony to last only 30-45 minutes. What happened was a miracle. And sometimes, miracles take a little longer.

We gathered in circle in a large common room. The sacredness and significance of praying with the pipe was explained, and the ceremony began, quietly – at first. As the pipe was passed, John began playing the Native American flute. As each person prayed with the pipe, Jeanne began to sing a spontaneous song. After a little while, a few people next to Jeanne began to hum along, softly. Then, they began singing their own song. One by one, others joined in the singing. As people gained confidence in their own voice, the song grew in energy. Someone began playing a small African drum. Suddenly, to our great surprise, a Jewish woman stepped boldly into the middle of the circle and began to dance. Then, a Palestinian man, a Sufi, jumped into the center and began dancing with her. That was amazing, all by itself. But before long, more people started dancing. The big African drum started up, and Ohad began playing his guitar. By the time the last person had prayed with the pipe, almost everyone was dancing – Jews with Muslims, Israelis with Arabs. They were really rocking out. Nobody could stop it. It lasted two hours, and blew everything else off of the agenda that night. It was a bona fide miracle!

There has never been a pipe ceremony like it, and probably will never be again. But the pipe worked its magic that night in healing the separation between these sons and daughters of Abraham.

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The “For the One” Dance

“The For the One Dance is about creating the harmonics to shift the pattern of form, creating a new one from the original form from which all patterns come. The Dance will create the harmonics that will make it possible for us to return home.” – Jeanne White Eagle, from a vision in 2003

The “For the One” Dance is a two-day "singing dance" whose purpose is to awaken the memory of who we are and where we come from. It combines fasting, movement and sound to help participants heal what is out of balance, and experience a state of "oneness" in which they remember their connection with all things.

We did three of these dances in 2003. The first two were in North Carolina, in April and September. The third was in South Africa at the end of this past November, in a place known by the Zulu 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 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.” [Note: A full description of the dance in South Africa follows below.]

When we returned to the States, we received an invitation from the Center for Peace in Tennessee to do the “For the One” dance in their arbor over the Spring Equinox (March 19-21, 2004). We gladly accepted. But like many things we’ve said “yes” to, the significance of doing the fourth dance there wasn’t immediately apparent. The number “four” brings things into form. So, doing the fourth dance will fully manifest the energy that was put into motion in 2003, and be a springboard for the next cycle of Dances starting in Israel (May 4-6, 2004). As John thought about this, he suddenly realized that the “For the One” Dance was also seeded at the Center for Peace just over seven years ago!

At the end of September 1996, during a cold, rainy weekend, Jeanne did a three-day vision quest in the dance arbor at the Center for Peace. The arbor sits on ancient Cherokee land, so the vision quest also allowed Jeanne to connect with her maternal roots. Over that long weekend, fasting from both food and water, Jeanne danced sixteen paths in the arbor – the four directions of the four directions. During that time, the “Old Ones” came to her and began to sing through her. This was the weekend when Jeanne was taught how to sing the vowel sounds with spontaneous melodies. The five vowel sounds (ah-eh-iii-oh-uu) are the primary energies of creation. Singing them spontaneously is a very powerful practice that has resulted in two CDs and many peace concerts around the world. Yet, it was this same weekend that the seed for a singing dance was planted. Jeanne danced it. And when she was done, sixteen hawks circled above her for a long time. They even followed her on the quarter-mile walk from the arbor up to the house. In the Native American tradition, hawks are messengers of the ancestors. It was clear that 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 is coming back to the arbor where it started, to be given roots and anchored – adding power to the next cycle of “For the One” dances.

The experience of this dance has been amazing so far. It is quickly becoming an international dance that is gathering together people of many races, colors and creeds. To date, people from the US, Germany, Israel, South Africa, Croatia and France have either danced or helped. In May 2004, we hope to have a few Palestinians or Israeli Arabs come dance with us too.

Those who have danced it will tell you that it is powerful and transformative. As the drum carries the dancers to the sacred center, the dancers spontaneously sing the sounds that take them to the original vibration from which all creation comes. In this process, each dancer experiences themselves as the hollow bone through which Spirit blows the breath of life. We have watched them 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.

Come dance with us and experience this for yourself! [See the 2004 Dance Announcements below for contact information.]

For more information see; "For The One" Dance page

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South Africa
“For the One” Dance at Rustlers Valley

When energy is released, a kind of epiphany occurs. That energy travels around the Earth. We generate that kind of energy when we dance. – Joseph Rael, 2003

The Dance in South Africa was one of the most extraordinary experiences of our lives. You know how people will say "start at the beginning?" Well, this is what we felt like we did. We started at the beginning...with Mother Africa. How does one describe in any language what it is like to go back to the ancient roots that touch us all – roots that carry the palpable energy of "Mother?"...

We remember our first visit into South Africa, last year...arriving at dawn into Cape Town, with the new sun shining through the morning mist that covered the mountains and water like a mystical veil. The sense was one of coming home into the lap of the Great Mother. This year we arrived, once again, into these great arms, to be greeted with much excitement and anticipation over the dance that was to occur. We were bringing the "For the One" Dance to South Africa. The magic and miracles that occurred are enough to fill a book. For now, all we can do is give you these highlights.

Many of you have heard us speak of Credo Mutwa, a gentle powerful soul of 82 years, said by many to be the "Father of Africa." He is the keeper of the Zulu wisdom. Credo was the doorway through which we entered on this trip. We did not want to bring such a sacred ceremony as the dance into Africa without first asking his permission, out of respect. And so we did. It was upon leaving his home to go to the dance site that he said, almost tearfully, "Sir, Ma'am, please dance for Africa." We lovingly agreed. And then he added, "And, please dance for Mr. George Bush." We laughed and then realized he was serious. He said thoughtfully that this man, regardless of one's political views and beliefs, held the fate of the world in his hands.

And so we embarked on our journey into Rustler's Valley, in the Maluti Mountains. It is called by the Zulu, “The Valley of the Eagle.” It is a place where the Zulu say life emerged onto the planet. It is truly ancient land. Frik, the current owner, said to us, “People have lived in this valley for 100,000 years. In ancient times, it was considered so sacred that the people planted corn and left it, as an offering for the Mother.”

This place is now the site for a permaculture farm, and a rustic get-away with a gourmet kitchen. This sacred place became our base, and the home for the “For the One” Dance. So, we want to acknowledge Niyan, Frik and Myrtle, and all of the other angels who played key roles in bringing us to this extraordinary place and helped us feel welcome. (For those of you who are "Lord of the Ring" fans, it is near the place where Tolkien was born. In fact, the Shire in the movies looks very much like South Africa in the springtime.)

When we arrived, we went out to find the dance site. We quickly found the perfect place, a flat area near a river shaded by large weeping willows. The surrounding pasture was home to a roaming herd of horses, wildebeests and a type of antelope called blesbok. After many hours of hard labor and love, the physical dance arbor was built and ready for whatever miracles wanted to occur. And miracles there were.

One of the most powerful moments happened when the Sangomas came out of their caves in the Sangoma Valley to dance with us. The Sangomas are the traditional African clairvoyant healers who work with the ancestral spirits. Together, we all smoked the sacred Pipe of Peace filled with the tobaccos from around the world. Then, we danced by firelight into the night under the South African sky. How does one describe the beauty of this experience? Here we had people of all colors, religions, and cultural backgrounds dancing and spontaneously creating the songs of remembering, of healing and creation. Later, we were told something pretty amazing.

We've been told in Israel that we're fulfilling an ancient prophecy that is several thousand years old, that a time would come when all the people would sing as one. There is also an ancient African prophecy that tells of a time when the people of all colors would come together and dance as one. We've now been told that this “For the One” Dance, that carries the message that the time of separation is over through its sound and movement, is fulfilling this ancient prophecy. Whether it is or it isn't, the truth is, something happened for us all at this dance that is beyond our comprehension – something that has touched the soul of the land and the people.

All we know is that we showed up and said “yes,” together with our African family and a number of magnificent friends from the United States, Croatia, Israel, and France. And then the magic happened.

We've now been invited back to South Africa in 2004 to do two of these dances, back to back on consecutive weekends – one at the end of November (26-28) and the other in December (3-5). We welcome anyone who feels “called” to dance or help.

One thing we haven't told you yet, is what Gogo Monica said to Jeanne after the dance. (Gogo means Grandmother, and Monica is the Head of the Sangomas.) She said, “Cici (daughter), next year many more people will come!” When we shared this with our South African fire keeper, who has lived with Sangomas, he looked at us wide-eyed and threw his head back and belted out a huge laugh. He said, "You have no idea what she said, do you?" We acknowledged we didn't. As he talked to us, we began to understand. The time of the prophecy has begun. The Africans call it the Rainbow Spirit (an interesting connection with Beautiful Painter Arrow since his name also means “Double Rainbow.”) Many people will begin to come to dance this "singing dance," including the African ancestors and our own ancestors – all because "the time of separation is over." It is time to bring that into our place of remembering and awareness.

After the dance, together with some of those that danced or helped us in the dance, we spent a few days with Baba Credo Mutwa. When we finally bid farewell, Baba looked at us with a smile and asked, "And when will you do this dance again in Africa?" We shared we would be back again in 2004. He smiled and then said, with such love and grace, gently shaking his bowed head, "Honorable Ones, never before has such a thing been done here in South Africa."

Recent reports from Rustlers Valley say that the energy of the dance is still reverberating through the valley and the small farms and villages there. It is still palpable. Everyone is amazed at its power. Something quite amazing and inexplicable has happened. We hope you will consider being with us near the end of this year – to dance, or to help. We guarantee that you will have stories to tell your grandkids if you do!

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Baba Credo Mutwa

We are capable of changing our future. ... If all the gifted people, if all spiritual people, could forget their selfishness and come to one great place at one time to pray, we could avoid many [catastrophic] things. – Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa from his book, "Song of the Stars"

Credo Mutwa, called Vuzamazulu (awakener of the Zulu) carries the title of High Sanusi – literally, “one who causes things to ascend.” He is an artist, storyteller, teacher, healer, priest and prophet. We’ve described him before as large man, a gentle giant of 300-lbs or more. Now, 82, he is one of those rare people who carries great wisdom, the keeper of the oral traditions and sacred artifacts of his people. Last year he had a stroke and almost died. He left his body and found himself walking on a path toward a traditional African village where music was playing. As he walked toward the village, a Zulu warrior in full regalia blocked his path and told him to go back. Baba told us that he’s almost died four times in his long life. Shaking his head sadly, he said to us. “I’m tired. I don’t know why they keep sending me back.” … I think we know.

After traveling the world for many years, people from all over the world now come to him. With each one he sees, he shares his love, and some of his wisdom – often in stories, and always with great humility. He is one of the most erudite people we’ve ever met, a living and breathing encyclopedia of wisdom about a great many things. When you are in his presence, he radiates an aura of peace that transcends the suffering he has experienced in his life. All we can hope to do is pass a long a tiny portion of what he has shared with us. Here are a few kernels from our talks with him during our recent visit:

AIDS is wiping out entire African villages. On a recent trip to six African countries, Credo saw entire villages surrounded by fruit trees, abundant with fruit. But there were no people. “Nobody leaves a village with that much food available,” he said. So, he asked where the people had gone. He was told, “They are all dead – from AIDS.” In this country we rarely think about AIDS being a pandemic that is wiping out millions of people. But in Africa, it is a huge crisis. Baba has a simple tea that, while not a complete cure for AIDS, strengthens the immune system and relieves about 90% of the symptoms. But he can’t get people interested in it. It’s too simple. So maybe nobody can make any money from it. How crazy is that?

The fate of the world will be decided in Israel. It is strange to hear a huge black Zulu say this. But Baba says, “From Israel must come the word.” He says that Israel is linked to Africa. There are black tribes in Africa who are direct descendants of the Israelites – sons and daughters of Abraham. For many years, scientists discounted this until DNA testing became available. Now, scientists have traced DNA from some African tribes back to Israel. It’s not so far-fetched when you consider that Solomon's favorite wife was the Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia), a black woman. Baba says that Moses is revered in Africa. In fact, Moshe – the Hebrew name for Moses – actually means “beauty” in many African languages.

At times in history, humans become God-like. The ancients knew things that we have forgotten with all of our modern scientific sophistication. They knew how to do things on a massive scale, like build the pyramids. There are also rivers that are made-man or, at least, man-improved, like the Nile. The ancients also knew how to “see into stone.” According to Credo, himself an accomplished sculptor, this is the only way they could have carved such massive sculptures such as the Great Sphinx without cracks. He also says that the pyramids were connected with agriculture, and may have been erected as “water generators,” or “water purifiers.”

It is important for us to honor women. Women are the force behind the forward movement of history. And similar to the Tiwa, Native American cosmology, Baba Credo says that the “Mother” came first. Actually, he says that creation began with two universes. One was a feminine, “alive” universe (the Mother), and the other was a cold, fiery one (the Son). The energy of the Mother and Son merged. And from this union, human beings were created.

Languages make friends. Credo, like Joseph Rael, is a compulsive comparative linguist. In his travels around the world, he’s found many languages that contain words that are almost identical to Zulu words. In Japan, he can understand what the people are saying even though he doesn’t know Japanese, and they can understand him when he speaks Zulu. The Cherokee language is also very similar to Zulu. But many other languages have almost identical words as well. This hints at a common heritage for us all.

There is much more we could share from our time with Baba, but space does not permit it.

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World Peace Chamber Congress

If you are not growing, you are dying. Because everything is continually expanding and contracting, we need to continually re-ignite ourselves with divine light. – from Joseph Rael’s talk to the World Peace Chamber Congress (September, 2003).

In the second week of September 2003, we gathered together in Swannanoa, North Carolina with people from around the world. They came to participate in an International Congress of Peace Chambers. Our good friend, Zoe Bryant hosted the gathering at her beautiful place in the mountains just east of Asheville. For a long weekend, caretakers of these Chambers shared what they’ve learned, and coordinated efforts for the future. [For more information about Peace Chambers, click here]
The highlight of this weekend was the talk that Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow) made to the gathering. Joseph is another of those rare elders through whom the higher forces of consciousness are active. So when he speaks, it is always a memorable event – on many levels. Here are just a few of the remembered gems that we’d like to share:

We come [into this life] as worshippers and worship through effort. Whatever you are doing is some form of blessing, and ceremony.
We are the farmer and the harvest... We are the seed, the seed of spring that is finding itself in the summer. All the moments of our life can irrigate newly planted seeds. We are totally new, right now, in this season. Here and Now is our song which is vibration, which is energy, which is light.
We live in an Age of Reason, where proof is needed to legitimize reality. [In contrast], the Tiwa, Native American model of reality is a vibration model, accessing energy through dances, chanting and getting in touch with Earth and Sky, Light and Spontaneity.
There are always excuses. We like higher consciousness but when we get there, we get lazy. When you get stuck, institute activity to stay in that place where you receive insights.
The energy from the North and South Poles shifts every so many years. Likewise, the Sun’s magnetic poles shift every eleven years. When the solar shift takes place, those ready for it will receive inspiration. Be ready for it by training in ceremonial ways.
Because everything is continually expanding and contracting, we need to continually re-ignite ourselves with divine light. Everything is cyclically connected. We never stay in balance but continually shift from one side to another. We must find ways to activate ourselves, to stay alive to breath, matter and movement. When we do this, the result is loving kindness and compassion.

EAGLE NOTES

The “For the One” Dance

South Africa “For the One” Dance at Rustlers Valley

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South Africa
“For the One” Dance at Rustlers Valley