Accidental mystic, p.16
Accidental Mystic, page 16
That was the conversation starter. Michael said that he found the talk inspiring and that he wanted to start studying Native American culture and customs. He added that it was a natural development given the way his journey had begun with Rose. He couldn’t believe he was talking about Rose to a complete stranger. The man at the other end of the conversation was named Running Elk. He told Michael to call him Larry.
They became fast friends that night. It wasn’t long after that Larry helped him build the Medicine Wheel—or as Larry called it, the Sacred Hoop—in Michael’s backyard. Larry agreed to teach Michael. He preferred to call it “conversation”.
Larry taught Michael more about the Hopi tradition. “The Sacred Hoop of Hopi prophecy represents the four races,” he said. “North, like all the directions, represents many things. It is the color white and the white race. It is for childhood, birth, and trust and sometimes it can mean meeting a stranger. The South is red, the red race, heart, and adulthood. The East is yellow for the yellow race. It represents mind and youth. West is black and the black or brown race represents elders and death.” Larry felt it was important for Michael to understand that other tribes have different explanations, but that the principles are basically the same.
On one occasion, alone in the backyard, musing on Larry’s words and looking at the Medicine Wheel, it seemed to be yet another puzzle. He stood in the center cairn and looked out at each of the four stone spokes that led to the outer ring of stones. Where should the next step in his journey begin? He needed a definite starting point, but couldn’t decide what it was or which way to move. North seemed obvious, maybe too obvious; so he placed the compass at his feet and asked for a sign.
He had all the time he needed. Ellen, already upset by the idea of a Medicine Wheel in her back yard, had seen Michael standing in the middle of it. Muttering something about “odd behaviors”, “that Larry guy” and “nonsense”, she shook her head and said she was going shopping. She grabbed the keys and her purse and stomped out of the house.
While Ellen headed south trolling for bargains at the stores in the bigger towns, Michael was turning in slow circles in his own backyard at the center of the Wheel, looking in each direction for something priceless to materialize. As the sun became low in the sky, threatening to close the day, he was trying not to feel disappointed. Suddenly something caught his eye. It was approaching fast from the west, in front of the sun. The glare made it difficult to see. When it was practically on top of him, he was shocked to see what at first appeared to be a human face.
A split second later, he discerned the face of the owl. He didn’t see the body. Only the front was visible with its striking heart-shaped face. Hearts nested in hearts—like Russian dolls—white heart outlining dark brown heart. That dark brown heart, in turn, surrounded a lighter brown heart that had a smaller and perfectly-shaped white heart at its center. Two tiny barely visible tufts on its head joined with the apex of the dark brown heart to give the impression of a small triangle. A dark brown beak, shaped like an exclamation mark, ended in a point at the center of the white heart. Two large, round, golden eyes, with their pitch dark centers and thick, brown, round outlines, set wider than the points at the top of the head and extending out beyond the edges of the outermost white heart—their color echoing the setting western sun beyond—stared directly at him. He ducked as the bird whizzed past him towards the east and felt a quickening in his soul. By the time he turned to look, it was already gone.
He had no time to scan the horizon or to contemplate what had happened because just then, he heard the car pull up in the driveway. He knew by the engine sound that it was Ellen. Given the mood she was in when she left, he considered it wise to temporarily put aside his own interests and meet her in the living room. He was standing there waiting when she came in carrying a couple of bags. She was excited about her new-found treasures. Despite their agreements about not spending money, Ellen loved shopping. She considered bargain-hunting an Olympic sport and paraded her little victories with unabashed pride. Her pique with him had been erased by her shopping successes.
It amused Michael that such small things could make her so happy. In an odd way, it made the world seem normal, as if terrible things were not happening elsewhere.
It amazed him how much she could buy for so little. Maybe some time he could go with her and see how she did it. She gave Michael a private fashion show that led them inevitably to the bedroom. Each, in very different ways, had experienced a very good day.
The rapprochement didn’t last long when on the following morning at breakfast, Michael told Ellen he was meeting Larry in for lunch. He wondered if it wouldn’t have been simpler just to lie, but he hated lying to her. Ellen was only slightly appeased that he had planned the meeting away from home. He picked the location in a nearby town because it had a bookstore with a coffee shop next door, not because it was less offensive to Ellen. That was a bonus.
Although Michael had already told Larry some things about Rose, the Four Directions ceremony, and the compass, he had only just last night, when Ellen was busy pottering about in the kitchen, phoned to tell him he wanted to talk about the experiences he’d had with bald eagles and the most recent owl encounter.
They sat down at a table for two, in the corner, as far away from listening ears as they could find. Michael brought a couple of cold cut sandwiches from home. He gave one to Larry. He bought a cup of tea for himself and a large chai latte for Larry that he barely touched because he was tripping over his own tongue with excitement—an unusual state for him. He couldn’t get the words out fast enough. “Those are powerful totems, man.” Then he made a whooshing sound, letting out a burst of air, as if the energy were too potent to keep inside and a torrent of words tumbled forth. As usual, his explanation took a circuitous path.
“Forget what you’ve seen in the movies, man. You know that DA-da-da-da, DA-da-da-da ‘Hi. How are ya?’ staccato drum beat that you hear in all the shoot-’em-up movies about Indians? That’s not native. That rhythm doesn’t exist except in Hollywood’s imagination. If you hear natives playing that when you go by, they’re insulting you, man. Their saying you’re an ignorant white man
Forget what the wannabes are saying. Many of our rituals have been stolen and used for gain or in ignorance. Running a sweat and making tobacco ties are not true religious practices without the deep understanding and connection that comes with them, no more than wearing orange robes and chanting makes you a true Buddhist. Most people know there are different tribes but they have no idea how many or what their differences are.
There are more than forty million native peoples from the northern ends of North America to the southern tip of South America. Man, there are hundreds of different indigenous nations and tribes. And that’s just the ones recognized in this country by your government. We aren’t Indians. We are Hopi, Sioux, Navajo, Apache, Ojibwe, and more than I can name.
Spiritual traditions, practices, and prayers are different among the nations and tribes. Some precepts are common. Recently, the nations and tribes have joined together in councils partly for preservation, but most importantly, to slow down what is called the ‘third shaking’ of the planet and ‘the purification’ of which the Hopis and other nations speak. At this critical time, all the teachings are being shared.
So I cannot tell you a Native American interpretation without telling you that it is only representative.
f course, that holds true for the other religious traditions as well. At some time, some chief or teacher—a master soul—saw into the ultimate and returned to reveal truth to the people. Then the people took the truth that they could not fully comprehend and turned it into stories, myths, rituals, ceremonies, and religions. Some religions think they have the only truth and will fight over which one is the only true one. But I believe that each holds a piece of the truth, a piece of the puzzle. Only an enlightened one perceives the whole and to that one, the name of God or the manner of religion is not as important as the nature of Spirit or Love. That is what your great white teacher—the one they came to call Jesus—came to tell the world.”
Michael was already aware that if he asked Larry about something specific, the answer was going to go on one or more tangents and bring about a whole lot of information and wisdom about many other things. In this way, Larry reminded him of Rose.
Michael knew that Larry had been raised on the “rez” as he called it. Larry had moved to Colorado to attend college and stayed, but preferred the less developed western slope to the eastern one. The western slope was closer to the Four Corners area—an expanse of land that incorporated parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado—considered by his people to be the heart of the world.
His non-native cultural training included an undergraduate degree in anthropology from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley. After that, Larry had studied contemplative education in religions and religious studies at the Buddhist-inspired Naropa Institute in Boulder, where he had received his master’s degree in transpersonal counseling and specialized in wilderness therapy. He could move from culture to culture in one conversation faster than rafting the rapids of Colorado’s rivers. Sometimes Michael struggled to keep up; and he admired his friend’s intelligence, wealth of knowledge, and depth of character. He tuned back into Larry’s strong, low-pitched voice. He spoke rhythmically. It was very soothing. At the moment he was saying:
“In virtually all native cultures, the circle is an important aspect of religion. Black Elk thought that because birds build their nests in circles, they share the Native American religion. In our cultures, the Sacred Hoop is a symbol of a wholeness that was divided into pieces and seeks to become whole again. Different tribes have different colors and different animals representing the directions. They tell different stories. To all, the Sacred Hoop or Medicine Wheel represents much more than the four major directions and the four races.
When the fourth world started, the Great Spirit scattered the humans to the four directions and turned them into four colors. Each race received its own teachings and they are meant to close the circle—to return to the center—to share the teachings in order to bring about a great civilization, a paradise. To some, the yellow race represents wind , water is the brown or black race, earth is the red race, and fire is the power given to yours, the white race.”
He stopped himself, looking at the watch cradled in his broad Navajo silver and turquoise wristband, and added with an uncharacteristic haste and impatience, “But, damn, man, I can’t get into all that now. I must tell you about your totems. Some believe that each person has nine totems and that they come from the different directions. They are one each from the North, South, East, West, Above, Below, Within, Right, and Left. Whether the totems are to be considered symbols or the actual power and quality of the animal is a matter of interpretation. The red man says that your totem animals are with you for life, guiding you from the spiritual world (sometimes called the white or blue path) and protecting you in the physical world (often called the red path).
Not all the animals that you encounter are totem animals. For instance, in your case, the eagle might be a spirit animal. The reason I say might is because there is no one interpretation for these things. Much like dream interpretation, there are general guidelines but the symbols differ between cultures and are unique to individuals. It is safe to say that when an animal messenger comes to you—especially in the way that yours have come to you, man—it is always a special event.
Jeez, Michael, you are being called to awaken to a higher version of yourself. The difference between the spirit animal and the totem animal can be confusing, especially so because ill-informed people tend to use the terms interchangeably. The spirit animal is a guide who comes for a period of time to deliver a specific lesson or a particular wisdom. The lifelong totem is there to protect and give you special power or powers. It can work with other animal guides, with the spirit animal, and with the journey animal that guides you as you choose a new direction, or with the shadow animal that appears over and over again in difficult and uncertain times when you have failed to hear a message or learn a life lesson.”
Larry handed Michael a plastic bag. It contained books for Michael about North American birds and books specific to owls and eagles. He took out, from his own leather, fringed tote bag, a weathered, leather-bound book. It was a personal journal filled with notes and handwrought illustrations from studies with medicine men and women and was not something he would give to Michael.
“One way to understand the messenger animal is to study its natural traits. Another is to explore its symbolic meaning or metaphor. Birds are generally known as messengers. The eagles in your life are very powerful. They are far-sighted, rising far above the material world to peer into the highest truths. They are courageous and strong. People with eagles as totems are swift to accept spiritual truths and are unafraid to dive into a connection with their spiritual teachers. The eagles have chosen you for something huge for some reason that you don’t now understand—but you will—and it’s happening very fast. It may not seem fast to you because spiritual time is not measured on the same scale as physical time. They, my friend, have set the path of your destiny for you. It is nothing short of complete illumination.”
Michael coughed. He took in a large breath of air and let it out fully, exaggerating the blowing out through pursed lips. He stared down at his cup, half filled with tepid tea and absentmindedly took a bite of his sandwich. Larry had not yet touched his food or chai. Larry, too, took a quick bite and followed it down with a swig at the momentary pause. Michael looked around to see mostly empty tables, realizing that he had been completely oblivious to his surroundings.
Larry continued, “The emphasis right now, man, is not the eagle but the owl. It is the present-time messenger in your journey.”
Then, as an aside, making direct eye contact, he said, “I almost envy you, man, in the path that you are on; and I am glad that it is you that is embarking on this sacred journey. It will take you to many wonderful places.”
“Almost? Why almost?” Michael asked, but Larry ignored the question. He continued the lesson.
“Each type of owl will have its own special interpretation, while the owl in general has certain meanings.” Turning to Michael again, to catch him eye to eye, he asked, “I need to know that you are confident that your description of the owl is correct.” Michael nodded. Larry shook his head, picked up Birds of North America from the table, and opened to a bookmarked page. He showed Michael the picture of an owl and Michael nodded again. Larry shook his head again, closed the book, and went on with his description. Michael wondered why Larry kept shaking his head, and based on Larry’s lack of response to his last question, figured that if Larry didn’t explain it, he wouldn’t ask until some later time.
“While the eagle is light, owls represent the ability to see in the dark. Eagles, like most birds, have eyes at the sides of their head. The owl’s eyes face forward and are so large they account for up to five percent of the body’s weight. The pupils have a wide range of adjustment, and with split-second timing, the pupils can respond to minuscule changes in light, allowing just the right amount of light to strike the retina. Some owl species see better in bright light than humans. Their eyes can adjust almost instantly from telescopic to microscopic vision. They have monocular vision to the right and left, and binocular vision—like humans—in the center visual field so that they see things in three dimensions. They are the eyes of the seer. They symbolize wisdom in many cultures. For us natives, they also represent magic and prophecy. You will need to learn to trust your instincts and your intuitions. The information coming into you might at times seem to overwhelm you.”
Michael snorted—the tea he had been distractedly sipping, spraying out of his nose. Images of his former workplace, the slaughterhouse, and the Convention Center in Austin flooded in. The hairs on his neck stood up. Would it always have to be this way?
How was any of this going to translate into earning money instead of spending it? It was an unwelcome thought. Money was still a constant source of tension at home. Money was always getting in the way—a persistent necessity that conflicted with his spiritual search. He shifted his attention again as it occurred to him that he was losing track of what was important, which was not money, but what Larry was telling him.
“Fortunately for you, the natural eating habits of owls are such that they give people with this totem a tendency to assimilate wisdom and to eliminate that which is unwholesome. After a meal, owls will regurgitate pellets that contain the indigestible parts—the bones, fur and feathers—of their prey.
Since their eyes are enclosed and constricted in a ring of bone, owls must turn the entire head to get a full range of vision. For this reason, they have extremely flexible necks that allow the head to turn as much as 270 degrees, enabling them to see behind their own backs. This increases an owl’s ability to detect the source of a sound. They have very sensitive hearing. The flat facial disk—and here we have the circle symbol at work again—is created by the arrangement of feathers on the face. Like a satellite dish, it directs sound waves to the ear openings. Owl medicine ears open to the voice of intuition and that which can be revealed by listening within.
Owl is associated with the mind and that place where science and spirit meet. It is important for owl people to challenge the mind. Knowledge becomes the basis of wisdom and continual transformation. You will need to strengthen your virtue to turn your knowledge and insights into positive spiritual gifts. Owl medicine can exalt and elevate you. It is a good idea to take three steps in moral development for each step you take in spiritual awareness. You will need to start within to find your path without.
The owl, similar to Charon ferrying souls across the River Styx, takes the two-legged between spirit road and life road. Owl is a shape-shifter. You will have the ability with owl to travel through different dimensions of time and space. This is both a gift and a challenge.
