Hello tribe,

I came across this on Sobey's blog. Thanks Sobey for the update! portland.tribe.net/template...Detail.vm

Let's send our love and prayers to Grandmother Bernadette, the people of Gabon, and the magical Gabonese forests/land. Vision the highest spiritual powers supporting a harmonious meeting of the Grandmothers in Africa this summer. May their teachings continue to quickly spread along the sacred Web, raising the collective vibration of humanity.

In unity,
Jeannine



International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
Gabon Update, Spring 2008

"We need to keep hope alive."
Julieta Casimiro, Mazatec Elder

We want to thank you all for staying firm while we hold the tension of unknowing about our final plans for the Sixth International Grandmothers Council in Gabon. Many forces are at work, which we need to overcome with the strength of our prayers and the integrity of our actions. Torrential rains in Gabon have almost completely blocked phone and website lines and inhibited the planning and building essential to the Council. We just found out that Bernadette’s heart is in a very delicate state. She needs to take shots every day to breathe properly. Coinciding with this, the wife of the Gabonese President died suddenly. Understandably, this has sent the country into a spin. Since the Gabonese president has committed to making the arrival of the Grandmothers Council a national event, much of the planning will have to be limited. To minimize the impact on the Gabonese people, we can only bring a core group of people along with the Grandmothers. For these reasons, we will not be bringing participants to Gabon as we had hoped.
But we will continue. The Grandmothers possess incredible endurance and fortitude. We are continually awed by the force of their hope and the forward motion of their prayer.
Now more than ever we need to send prayers to Bernadette, to her Omyene people and to all of the peoples of Africa, who are suffering mightily from centuries of oppression. Please join us from your home places in prayer and ceremony to hold firm to the vision of peace beyond boundaries that the Grandmothers Council carries. They are just humble women, following through with their visions and uniting together. We all need to join together across space and time to give hands and hearts to this vision, held by so many of us around the globe. It starts with each of us. It will be followed through with each of us. And all of us will rejoice in its fulfillment.



Upcoming Events
July 17-26, 2008: Grandmothers Council in Spain - All thirteen Grandmothers will be gathering for teachings and ceremonies in Borga and Barcelona, Spain. They will be praying for the waters of the world and celebrating the release of the Spanish translation of their book. For information see the website at www.consejo13abuelas.es and contact Marianna Leger at Arboleda de Gaia arboledadegaia@yahoo.es
October 5-12, 2008: Grandmothers Speak – All thirteen Grandmothers of the Council will be featured in a gathering in upstate New York, sponsored by the Women’s Gathering of Groton and Cornell University. We will be sending out more information as the program develops. Contact Sidney Moonchild at: sidney_moonchild@yahoo.com for information.
October 13, 2008: Heartbeat for Peace (October 10-13, 2008) - On the fourth day of a four-day event, and on the fourth anniversary of their founding as an Alliance, the Grandmothers will participate with Eli Painted Crow and Turtle Women Rising in a Drum Gathering for Peace on the Ellipse in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. The Grandmothers Council will come together to sing to the Earth Mother, in order to create peace. For as women we know that "We cannot demand Peace; we can only become it. We cannot fight for Peace; we can only live it." For more information see www.turtlewomenrising.org.
August, 2009- The 7th International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers at the home place of Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim in Oregon.
August or September, 2009- Omega Institute Retreat. The Grandmothers Council has been invited to a five-day retreat at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York.


“Women, be courageous. Never doubt this task, but take it in your hands.”
— Maria Alice Campos Freire, A Madrinha of the Santo Daime Church, Mapia

Thank you for keeping this prayer alive!

Much love to you and all you hold precious —

Jyoti and Ann

info@grandmotherscouncil.com

Please continue to check the Grandmothers website for further updates:
www.grandmotherscouncil.com