every year for six years I went to a san-pedro long dance ceremony held by a bolivian ceremonialist, who i had studied with during that time. the ceremony was a eclectic combination of many traditions that the man had studied and combined rather beautifully. He could integrate nearly anything into a meaningful ceremony. over the years I had become a "dog soldier" in these ceremonies one who helped and protected and lent support to others. it was a big part of my life and every summer summer solstice i prepared and participated in these dances.

there are MANY reasons why i do not participate in these ceremonies any more and many of the reasons why are what has helped to form bioregional animism today, as well as many of the things i learned from these dances, as well as from this bolivian man.

the last ceremony i attended I attended with a very good brother who had never been to one before but had been with me through many of our own ceremonies and healing/growth over the years. this friend was and still is like a little brother to me and i was very grateful for him to be able to participate in something that had been one the one hand a great source of inspiration as well as on the other hand a great source of inner conflict.
during this ceremony, i had a very difficult time taking things seriously, from the get go my contrary medicine and that of my friends relaly stood out strongly to every one else there, we where dancing in an other bioregion as well, it had allways been in washington and now this was in oregon... with people of that place. It was not that it was different it was that it no longer held the same importance to me, it was not my way any more...
some men had created an alter at an old growth fir tree, it was a father alter and it was way off in the bushes out side of the ceremonial space, which had an alter to the earth mother at the entrance to the dance arbor. For years i had hoped to be gifted with a ceremony of my own for the people of my bioregion, or to be given the role of dance chief from this man and lead my own integrated bioregional long dances for my community, not asking for payment just bringing people together to make it happen. but i was not introduced as dance chief that year as i had been told i would, and instead of spending the night dancing my friend and i spent the majority of the night at the father alter, at the tree.
As i have mentioned before there is an old growth tree with an eagles nest on top of it that we allways go to that we have called the killing tree. it had not occurred to me at first that that was our way, our ceremony, our tradition... we stayed at that tree and we prayed, we gave offerings, we communed with the tree, with spirit with the land and sky, we prayed for our fathers and for all fathers, and we talked from the heart with each other between moments.
this praying at the tree had become our way and we had not even realized it. it had been something we had felt moved to do for a very long time so it had become something we all just did. and here we found our selves doing just that while others sought out a way taught by another, coming from other traditions from around the world... we had just felt moved... and so a way formed... we did not know that was what was happening or if there was something great or co-creative, or new or old occuring, we did not think that this was what our ancestors must have done, or what others have done in other traditions, or that it was what we had been taught to do, it was what we felt moved to do, deeply moved... and so we sat there on our knees and we prayed, we let our hearts feel the needs that surrounded us and came from deep within us and we gave them voice, and we wept and we found strength and we allowed our self to feel those parts of us that felt lost and we where given guidence, we allowed our selves to feel the parts of us that where wounded and we felt healing all at the base of the tree, surrounded by peoples pictures of animals, their candles their corn meal and tobacco and sage and palo santo, their votive's and horns and crystals.. all meaningful symbols of relationships that they honored... we sat with the tree... we sang the world tree song i had been given years ago for ceremonies we held with a visionary tree teacher in the past... and we gave the tree thanks and offerings, we gave the tree and all that live, because of and with the tree offerings with our prayers... we gave the tree gratitude. we felt the tree harbor us, lend us support, cradle our spirits, we felt its invitation to climb it and to fly from its branches to nestle deep in its roots beneath the soil... we felt the tree within us and we felt it growing...

this is the way we had been given by the land, by spirit, by the tree, by eagle, by our own hearts... and I am grateful for that.

So this solstice, i pray that for those of you on this path find that you have been moved to do what must be done for the well being of all...
and that new ways form so naturally and with such ease ...
blessings