In the slowly brightening light of the high desert morning, the new moon a day away, the azure sky alight with the remaining visible stars, I feel the footsteps of countless ancestors on a holy journey, reverberating through the portals of time to arrive here at this moment in history. We are all gathered together now, a great confluence of the ancient, the present and the future generations, all waiting to see what we will do.
Can we imagine that we are the apical meristem of this incredible journey, the growing tip of the human species tree, the leading edge of an evolutionary journey in consciousness that is so vast it is almost incomprehensible?
Recently a friend gave me the Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters. It is impossible to summarize the magnitude of this story and what it means for all of us today. At the very least, The Book of the Hopi is a stunning cosmology, a kind of alternative bible, a sacred text that illuminates the spiritual origins of our species, what is our purpose and why we are here.
As an aside and an alternative to current anthropological belief, The Book of the Hopi asserts that the Hopi people came to America not by way of the Bering Strait but by way of stepping stones across the Pacific Ocean that have long since been submerged.
On a much deeper level, the cosmology of the Hopi brings forward at least two major themes.
The first major theme is the instructions given to mankind upon our creation as humans. “With all these,” said the Creator, “I have given you this world to live on and to be happy. There is only one thing I ask of you. To respect the Creator at all times. Wisdom, harmony and respect for the love the Creator who made you. May it grow and never be forgotten among you as long as you live.”
The second major theme is what happened when humanity forgot these words.
This is the story of a people who not only have survived the destruction of 3 prior worlds, but who still retain the memory of those ancient times as well as the reasons that the creator spirit caused humanity to essentially start over again.
It is the unfolding archetypal history of our species as told through the eyes of the Hopi, that despite having everything that mankind needed, how we collectively forgot to honor, respect and give thanks to the Great Spirit that created and nourished us, failed to remember our primary purpose to further the plan of the Creation and instead, fell into greed, conflict, manipulation, disharmony and materialism until all hope was lost that men could recover the wonder and the magic of living on this earth in harmony with spirit. And so, the world was destroyed first by fire, then by a magnetic shift in the poles, then by water.
And now here in this fourth world, once again, we have forgotten.
We gleefully destroy the sacred, create chaos and mass psychosis, worship power, fame and money, glorify narcissism and greed, enshrine racial superiority and normalize trauma as essential economic policy. Yet, we call ourselves the greatest and the exceptional.
All this gives rise to the truth that, “where there is no vision the people perish.”
So what’s the point? After the rise and fall of civilizations, the countless migrations and relocations, the endless wanderings and disruptions, the rapacious orgies of slaughters and violence, what has it all been for?
Where are we going as a species? Why are we here? How can we once again recapture our collective sense of purpose? What is our collective trajectory? What contribution does the Hopi story make to our understanding of these questions?
We now face the latest installment of an archetypal crisis that appears again and again throughout history, a collective spiritual emergency. In front of us rises the specter of unrestrained evil and a collective descent into a shadow underworld of psychological de-construction. As a people, we are in desperate need of renewal and redemption. Meanwhile we are instinctively anxious that an impending mythical cataclysm is on the horizon, one that we can only hope may perhaps be the harbinger of a “Great Awakening.”
What can be done to overcome our helplessness and anxiety? How can we survive the ordeal that is moving towards us? How can we begin to reverse the damage of what we have collectively created?
Arroyo Calabasas, Santa Fe, NM
For me it starts with gratitude. Gratitude is the precursor to redemption. If the original instruction to mankind was to respect and honor the creator, then gratitude is the humility to recognize that the gifts we have been given are not only enough but that they are indeed gifts, not entitlements to be exploited and hoarded for ourselves alone. If the original instruction was to assist the Creator in manifesting the divine plan, then gratitude is the first step in having the ears to hear and the eyes to see what that plan is.
I find it helps to anchor my expressions of thanks by making conscious offerings to that Creator spirit. To remind me so I won’t forget that everything in this world is sacred.
Every morning, no matter where I am, I venture outside, holding hot tea in the cup I have prepared not just for myself but as a libation.
I say some version of the following:
“Thank you thank you thank you. Thank you for all the gifts you have given, for the stars and the every-renewing canvas of the sky. For the trees surrounding me, the birds whose song awakens me to the knowledge that I am not alone. For the food that you give, the air that I breathe, the water that gives life to everything. Thank you for my car. Thank you for consciousness itself, for my health, for feeling the ground under my feet, the air on my face, for the gift of smell and sight. For allowing me to be here, to feel the warmth of shelter and clothes. Thank you for seeds and the rain of fruit during the summer, for the abundance that is always there. Thank you giving me everything I need to feel happy and joyful.”
And then, I tip a small stream of tea onto the land.
“This is for YOU.”
Caro Poirier
31 Dec 2024Oh Richard!!! Great Gratitude for your AWE-some and extraordinary Benediction! Your voice and words speak a profound respect and honoring for the Sky People, Father Sun, Grandmother Moon, and the Star Nations, and especially Pachamama, Mother Earth!!! I value your authenticity, veracity and calling out what is. Moreover, I love your PRAYER and the Beautiful daily Ritual so imbued with Love and Gratitude. Thank you thank you thank YOU for your walking your Sacred Path, Teaching the ancient history and upholding the Positive Legacy of what humanity can Shine forth NOW, collectively with spiritual lineage of the ONE. I ask for permission to copy your Prayer to place in my shrine room, so every morning as part of my spiritual practice, I may be guided by speaking the Holy Words until with Power they are etched in my Heart and Soul. Also, I would like permission if I may to copy the beautiful image of the Rock Mandala in Arroyo Calabasas. Namaste from your friend in Maine.
rpwelker
31 Dec 2024Dear Caro,
Of course you can copy the part of the post that is meaningful to you and also the stone mandala photo.
And thank you for your moving comments about this post. I appreciate everything that you have said and thank you so much for your taking the time to share your thoughts and your heart. Very best wishes, Richard
Lisa Farrand
30 Dec 2024Thank you for this beautiful email. It is so well expressed, and because it is the Truth it fed my soul. Gratitude is essential, and I am very grateful for your words and your art.
rpwelker
31 Dec 2024Thank you so much Lisa for your warm comments.
Very best wishes to you,
Richard
Barbara Conroy
30 Dec 2024Dear Richard,o
Truly amazing and awesome.and I love the Great Awakening, image and words. Your creativity and depth move me greatly Your words flow with meaning that captures me.
I’m dedicating New Years Day to meditation and journaling and renewing work on “My Path which I have shared with you. I see this beautiful work of art and words will have a significant role in creating the e day.
rpwelker
31 Dec 2024Dear Barbara,
Thank you so much for your comments on the text and the image and for sharing what it means for you.
Much love to you Barbara,
Richard
Sharon Cassidy
30 Dec 2024Thank you for your words of remembering what a gift this beautiful world is and the privilege it is to live in this sacred place.
Your images are compelling, evocative and beautiful.
rpwelker
31 Dec 2024Dear Sharon,
Thank you for your comments about this post and your own thoughts about living on Mother Earth.
I cannot help but think that this is the mind change that is so needed right now.
Many blessings to you,
Richard