Experiences in the Labyrinth
I have continued exploring my new sacred space, the labyrinth in the woods. I have now gone to its center in ecstatic trance five times. Each time has offered me an important experience as I continue to learn how to use it. The last two were especially important. I need to smudge and call the spirits at the entrance of the labyrinth, rather than calling the spirits as I walk the first two circles which I found took away from the quieting experience of walking it. Walking the labyrinth quickly quiets my mind and when I reach the center I am ready to take the posture and start the drumming. Following are the last two experience before I left for California where my daughter wants me to build a labyrinth in her front yard.
11/15/16 Overcast sky, 38 degrees
Again I used the Hallstatt Warrior Posture. This time I at first listened to the drum that told me to take the Saami Underworld Posture, which I did in my mind, not in reality. Lay on my stomach with out-stretched arms, I soon felt hands reaching up, taking my hands and pulling me into the underworld. These hands were of the grandfather/elder of our siida who had died not too long ago. We sat by his fire in the underworld, and he told me that we need to love and respect all that is of our great mother, of Maadteraahka. He reminded me that we need to care for the reindeer as we do, protecting them from the wolves and helping them in birthing and in knowing their ways and leading them in finding sufficient food. The reindeer appreciate and respect us for these things, but we too need to respect and value the wolves.
This ancestral elder then pointed out to me that our mistake is our way of finding wealth with increasing the size of the herd. Our large herds throw things out of balance. The wolves now us as part of the herd and with this we provide them with a greater and respected challenge to their need to have reindeer to eat. If our herds were considerably smaller, just enough to allow us to survive, the herd would be much easier to protect from the wolves, and the wolves would know to leave us alone because there would be enough wild herds in the area to provide them with food. With the smaller herd leading them to find the food would be easier and we would not have to wander as far. We seek to have larger herds in order to impress others, especially the young women in order to find a wife. But this competition in herd size only makes life more difficult than is necessary and throws out of balance what Maadteraahka provides us. We need to return to trusting what she offers us and not hoard large numbers of reindeer. There is great wisdom from the elders of the underworld.
In calling the spirits of each direction as I initially walked the labyrinth takes away from the deeper experience of walking it. I need to call the spirits before I enter it and then walk it in silence, the time to follow my breathing and quiet my mind. This I will try tomorrow.
11/16/16 Rainy 40 degrees
I smudged and called the spirits while standing at the entrance to the labyrinth. Then I walked it in reverence. Walking in reverence is trance inducing and effectively quieted my mind. At the center I sat in the Freyr Diviner Posture. The sense of walking reverently was still part of me and I could feel the reverence of each trance inducing step as I proceeded through the labyrinth. Walking in other ways came to mind. The everyday purposeful walking to accomplish some task lacks the awareness of this reverent walking. Often paths and sidewalks are for self-protection and also lack this awareness. Walking the premade paths in the forest are made to protect the Earth that is off the path, and generally the awareness of the reverence of each step is not thought about. Within the labyrinth the total purpose of the labyrinth is to be aware of each step and it brings to us that sense of reverent trance.
The Cuyamungue Method of ecstatic trance is Earth oriented with the smudging and calling the spirits of the Earth and the labyrinth adds to the reverence for the Earth. Other methods of ecstatic trance such as those that lead to speaking in tongues are not Earth oriented but oriented to a god that is not of the Earth. The indigenous drumming and dancing that induces ecstatic trance is also Earth oriented when the dance is of some animal or other feature of the Earth. Ecstatic trance is most meaningful, at least to me, when it is Earth oriented. Stepping on the Earth in reverence feels very powerful, and it is quite understandable that with each step I am connecting with an underworld spirit such as an ancestor as is believed by the Saami. Today’s experience was intense in feeling a connection to the Earth with each step making a reverent connection to that which supports or sustains me in all ways.
11/15/16 Overcast sky, 38 degrees
Again I used the Hallstatt Warrior Posture. This time I at first listened to the drum that told me to take the Saami Underworld Posture, which I did in my mind, not in reality. Lay on my stomach with out-stretched arms, I soon felt hands reaching up, taking my hands and pulling me into the underworld. These hands were of the grandfather/elder of our siida who had died not too long ago. We sat by his fire in the underworld, and he told me that we need to love and respect all that is of our great mother, of Maadteraahka. He reminded me that we need to care for the reindeer as we do, protecting them from the wolves and helping them in birthing and in knowing their ways and leading them in finding sufficient food. The reindeer appreciate and respect us for these things, but we too need to respect and value the wolves.
This ancestral elder then pointed out to me that our mistake is our way of finding wealth with increasing the size of the herd. Our large herds throw things out of balance. The wolves now us as part of the herd and with this we provide them with a greater and respected challenge to their need to have reindeer to eat. If our herds were considerably smaller, just enough to allow us to survive, the herd would be much easier to protect from the wolves, and the wolves would know to leave us alone because there would be enough wild herds in the area to provide them with food. With the smaller herd leading them to find the food would be easier and we would not have to wander as far. We seek to have larger herds in order to impress others, especially the young women in order to find a wife. But this competition in herd size only makes life more difficult than is necessary and throws out of balance what Maadteraahka provides us. We need to return to trusting what she offers us and not hoard large numbers of reindeer. There is great wisdom from the elders of the underworld.
In calling the spirits of each direction as I initially walked the labyrinth takes away from the deeper experience of walking it. I need to call the spirits before I enter it and then walk it in silence, the time to follow my breathing and quiet my mind. This I will try tomorrow.
11/16/16 Rainy 40 degrees
I smudged and called the spirits while standing at the entrance to the labyrinth. Then I walked it in reverence. Walking in reverence is trance inducing and effectively quieted my mind. At the center I sat in the Freyr Diviner Posture. The sense of walking reverently was still part of me and I could feel the reverence of each trance inducing step as I proceeded through the labyrinth. Walking in other ways came to mind. The everyday purposeful walking to accomplish some task lacks the awareness of this reverent walking. Often paths and sidewalks are for self-protection and also lack this awareness. Walking the premade paths in the forest are made to protect the Earth that is off the path, and generally the awareness of the reverence of each step is not thought about. Within the labyrinth the total purpose of the labyrinth is to be aware of each step and it brings to us that sense of reverent trance.
The Cuyamungue Method of ecstatic trance is Earth oriented with the smudging and calling the spirits of the Earth and the labyrinth adds to the reverence for the Earth. Other methods of ecstatic trance such as those that lead to speaking in tongues are not Earth oriented but oriented to a god that is not of the Earth. The indigenous drumming and dancing that induces ecstatic trance is also Earth oriented when the dance is of some animal or other feature of the Earth. Ecstatic trance is most meaningful, at least to me, when it is Earth oriented. Stepping on the Earth in reverence feels very powerful, and it is quite understandable that with each step I am connecting with an underworld spirit such as an ancestor as is believed by the Saami. Today’s experience was intense in feeling a connection to the Earth with each step making a reverent connection to that which supports or sustains me in all ways.
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