Churches can tell you a lot about a town. It’s ethnic components, first and foremost.
In the Valley we had Buddhist churches as well as Indian Shaker
The Indian Shaker church, as described by Elizabeth Colson in The Makah Indians:
People come and go, without waiting for the end of the service; participants and onlookers; no hymn books; praying not in unison; simultaneous performance, with each participant voicing their own prayers; shaking comes at the end, as participants stand shaking violently or circle the room as they go … during the shaking, several men ring handbells — “Dear Lord, send us your holy power!”
POWER SONGS
Also: “You’ll be a great doctor. You’ll see a hand sticking out of the ground. When you see that, you go put your hand close to that so that power will get in your hand. That’s the best you can get if you become a doctor, that hand sticking out of the ground …”
A map allows you to go back through places you’ve been while also looking ahead.
The topographical maps of the valley, especially.
Trail maps, too. The Cascadia books!
As I noted: Several times last week, in conversation someone got too close physically or gave a look that broke through the façade — my reaction of quick fear, a fleeting impulse to run — how far I’ve come from yogic self-clearness …
Reactions to Carlos Castenada’s Journey to IxHaMm:
- Laugh! Lightning!
- Reverse all assumptions.
- “Everything agrees with me!”
- Create a fog around yourself so others cannot manipulate you by their preconceptions.
- No need to explain to others, your action becomes false in the telling.
- Caw like a crow, like an omen
Early July: Tuesday, went to town, looked at new cars — torn between the class and comfort of Audi Fox, the rugged opportunities (high country) of Toyota Land Cruiser … $7,000 either way … Land Cruiser eats the gas …
I had never even considered I could afford a new car before that.
~*~
From Spiralbound Cascadia with commentary.
Jnana's Red Barn 