This is the second in a series of blog posts that explores the possibility of transforming the way our current civilization leads us to live upon the earth.  Can we change from living as though we are tourists in our own home to becoming the responsible co-evolutionary partners we see historically and within many modern Indigenous cultures?

In the last blog post, we explored the way Indigenous inhabitants have been treated in the name of conservation.  In many ways, we can consider this conservation approach to be the other side of the same coin that reveals the exploitation of people and the earth in the name of extraction of resources.  Both stem from a cosmological belief that the earth itself is in-animate, a non-living entity that hosts resources (above and below ground) that can be exploited. There is a cause and effect relationship between the way we view our place in the world and the world we help to create.

What becomes possible when we recognize that a people’s relationship to the earth arises from a culture and cosmology that recognizes the sacredness of life, arising from a co-evolutionary journey of millennia between people and place?

The following example demonstrates both our disconnected relationship with nature and a return to those who understand it most deeply.  Northern California has experienced extreme drought conditions, which has brought with it historic wild fires.  Fire conditions have been made worse by decades of fire suppression tactics, caused by a cosmology of control and domination, which had the effect of limiting smaller fires while unintentionally laying the groundwork for the massive fires we have today.  As the realization that this approach has failed has spread over the last few decades, more naturally occurring wildfires were allowed to burn, which has led to limited success.

Now officials in California are turning to the Amah Mutsun and North Fork Mono Tribes amongst others to learn and implement pro-active fire management techniques that build the overall vitality of the ecosystem while changing the conditions that lead to the catastrophic fires of recent years.  Native forestry practices such as these, which include clearing meadows that serve as fire-barriers and water repositories, have historic precedent in creating the abundant North-American (as well as other places globally) landscape that settlers marveled at.  The myth of a pristine environment, with native people living innocently off of its abundance is just that – a myth.  Undoubtedly, the cosmological framework embedded in the culture and practices of these and other peoples gave rise to an improved land – and life for the people.

If we take a moment to reflect upon our current cosmologies and how they play out in our culture and practices, are the effects upon ecologies and people’s evident?  What is the opportunity we have to transform the foundations of how we view and relate to the world in order to create a different effect? 

Native traditional methods revived to combat California drought, wildfires

As Autumn arrives, we have a chance to reflect upon the passing Summer.   Here in the US, warm weather and kids out of school conspire during this season to bring about one of our long-held cultural rituals: Summer Vacation!  Now, before traveling down the path of considering vacation (a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday) as an indulgence of western culture, we learned on a trip to the Amazon that villagers occasionally travel with their families deeper into the jungle for brief periods to escape the stresses of village life, fish and relax.  Digression aside, this year my family took our annual trip to Pine Ridge, SD, then seized an opportunity to spend some time on the road camping and visiting some of the remarkable lands (and sea) of the western US.  One of these early stops included Yellowstone National Park, considered by some to be the Serengeti of North America due to its diverse array of visible wildlife and impressive geysers and land formations.  The sites did not disappoint – but the tourists…and the culture of tourism.

When I say “culture of tourism”, I am referring to the sense of not belonging, of passing through without feeling responsible for the improved well-being of the land and people that welcome you as a guest.  Extracting experience without exchanging a meaningful contribution, and sometimes not even respecting the hospitality.  So, we found ourselves in the tourist sea, taking in sites and experience without feeling or finding a meaningful connection or contribution.  What led our national parks to be paved with this kind of cultural experience?  Well, a little digging and we find that the history of “pristine” and protected areas is born out of a mindset that believes that humans have little, if anything to contribute to the benefit of the natural world.  We can see it, look at it, but interact with it as little as possible or we will mess it up.

Indeed, humans are terraformers, we’ve been shaping our world since as long as we have walked this earth.  We have done it well and we have done it poorly.  One of the key shifts we must make is in returning to see humans as a part of nature, not separate from it, and to learn from the Indigenous populations that have co-evolved upon this earth for millennia so that we may regenerate places around the planet.  In National Parks, a historical look back reveals how our dominant world view evicted those best suited to manage it, then brought them back in for display to tourists.  As the article below points out, this history continues to live today in “conservation” efforts around the world.

In subsequent articles, I’ll bring forward examples that highlight the growing awareness of traditional knowledge and wisdom that places humans within living cosmologies is guiding us to terraform our world in a much better way – led by the lineages that live within Indigenous communities.

The Forgotten History Of ‘Violent Displacement’ That Helped Create The National Parks

Throughout the history of human life on this planet, Sacred Places have been identified and revered for their spiritual, ecological and cultural importance.  Our relationship to these places has nourished our evolution and been integral in shaping cosmological beliefs. As the movement into our modern civilization has brought us from the sacred to the profane, our relationship to these places has shifted from reverence of its living being towards commodification of its material resources.  The world’s remaining Indigenous peoples have been bearing the weight for generations of resisting this endless tide of extractive impulses to both maintain the places and the sacred relationships to them that extend back through millenia.

Our efforts have brought us to this forefront many times, including the effort in Sarayaku, Ecuador to resist oil extraction and in Guatemala where access and protection to these sites are often under threat.  The good news is, as Christopher McLeod points out in the article below, resistance to this exploitation is growing and we have an opportunity to turn back to those that have sustained the relationship to Sacred Places to re-shape the role that humans serve upon this earth, and in doing so, better realize our collective potential. This path forward requires supporting both the sacred places and the people that best protect and honor them, so that we may learn to reframe the way we “develop” with the earth, beginning with an honoring and recognition of our sacred relationships.
Why Sacred Places Should Matter, Even to Business Folks

The Maya Calendar, Cosmology and Tzu’tujil language are being transmitted to young people through a Guatemalan Hip Hop Group

The intersection of ancient lineages and modern culture and technology often exists as a combative arena, where – far more often than not – modern perspectives and tools dominate and eliminate the living heritage of peoples.  Is this, however, always necessarily the case?  In almost every corner of this world, the presence of our modern infatuation with “newness”, consumption and homogeneic culture lure younger generations away from their ancestral roots.  Very few have successfully rejected all aspects of the modern world, and those that have to greater or lesser extents have often isolated themselves and become subject to ongoing threats of exploitation.

At this intersection, however, lies a dynamic tension that holds the potential to unleash a creative force that, at its best, can connect deeply with and nurture the roots of tradition while transforming the outer face of living lineages and adopting and transforming the modern culture and technology engaged with in the process.  This is an important space that Saq’ Be’ is mindful of, in order to integrate the power of these living lineages to transform our modern lives while nourishing their roots.  If done correctly, lineage cultures can adopt the tools and cultural elements of the “modern” in service of their ancestral cosmology, knowledge and wisdom.  When young people are engaged, a pathway is created to ensure the future vitality of a lineage, rooted in its homeland.

Guatemalan rappers promote Mayan language, stories to youth

Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the community of Sarayaku has sustained their way of “Living Well” by keeping extractive oil industries out of their territories.  Saq’ Be’ has a long time connection with the community.  In 2004, my wife and I travelled to Sarayaku where we got to know the people of the community and recognize a way of life that embodies the potential that humans have when in balance with each other and our place. We had the privelage of being welcomed by the children of Sabino Gualinga, a powerful medicine man, with deep roots in a profound healing lineage.  It was also a time when the petrol companies were deploying numerous strategies to remove the community from the territory – modern day versions of the same tactics used to extract people and resources throughout history.  You can read more about that experience here: Cry in the Jungle: Defending Life, Resisting Devastation

The struggles Sarayaku has faced is indicative of both the challenges and the hope that Indigenous communities around the world hold.  These communities have much to to teach the world about how we live our lives and relate to our home:

Sarayaku residents describe sumac kawsay as “choosing our responsibility to the seventh generation over quarterly earnings, regeneration over economic growth, and the pursuit of well-being and harmony over wealth and financial success.”

Through our board member, Karen Marrero, we hope to continue to provide much needed support to the community in their successful efforts to turn back extractive industries, live in right relationship, and to bring that wisdom forward into the world.  Please contact us if you are interested in contributing to support these developing efforts to help Sarayaku.

Please read this timely, and eloquent article that appears in Yes! Magazine:

Deep in the Amazon, a Tiny Tribe Is Beating Big Oil

Modern technology is opening new ways for us to learn from and nourish living lineages.  A couple of years ago, Jim Jenner and Brenda Bynum joined us in Santa Fe for a consultation with Maya Ajq’ij Lina Barrios.  Their immediate connection with the tradition brought Brenda back here from her home in New York to participate in sessions, workshops and a ceremony in July of last year.  This quick connection suddenly found Jim and Brenda on a journey to Guatemala this past January, applying their film making skills while traveling with Denise, Lina, Carlos and others, filming elders, ceremonies and sacred locations.  This footage is being compiled to make use of the medium to further tell the stories of the living Maya lineage, so that we may learn, transform, and return to nourish the roots of the tradition.  They are hard at work compiling these videos in their spare time, putting forth a tremendous volunteer effort to make this content available.  We are excited about the potential that is being unleashed by filming lineages in an appropriate manner.

While this is being compiled, we are able to share some images of their journey in the gallery below.  More to come soon…

I had to put up a quick blog post, as the US news headlines features NASA scientists declaring that the SW US is set for unprecedented drought that will last decades.  Perhaps the only thing new in this view is that it is being confirmed by scientists, as I imagine many people expect this to be the norm within the context of climate disruption.  Personally, we live in an area often affected by drought (New Mexico), and see its impact on our drinking water, agriculture and fires. Of course, this is not only the case in the US, but in other parts of the world as well, including the Americas.

There are two things that come to mind in reading through this:

1) Our relationship to water.  Within our modern context, we treat water as though it were a fixed commodity.  We extract it, exploit it, pollute it, bottle it and worry that we won’t have enough of it.  What if we were to shift our frame, to see water as something that is alive, connected, that can grow, heal, sustain and regenerate? Would we open new realms of possibility in the way that we manage, allocate and perhaps even grow this elemental foundation to all life?  This brings me to point #2:

2) We have recently (and some of the Saq’ Be’ team have ongoingly) had conversations with a Latin American representative for UNESCO.  The group is highly aware of an impending water crisis throughout the Americas (from North to South) and sees a solution in turning towards the knowledge and wisdom of the continent’s Indigenous peoples.  This is because humanity has learned much over time through our interconnected relationship with that which sustains us, and we are fortunate to have peoples that have not lost that connected lineage.  They are able to teach us in the modern world, but it requires a fundamental transformation of the way we view that which gives us life – from a commodity towards a relationship.  UNESCO is very serious about collecting, applying, and integrating this knowledge and wisdom while protecting the territories of first peoples.

Clearly this will be a delicate process, but it points towards the opportunity we have.  My new friend here in New Mexico, Larry Littlebird, brought forth the question: what is the opportunity of climate change?  This story highlights one for me, what are the other opportunities that you see?
Study: Unprecedented ‘Megadroughts’ Expected For U.S. After 2050

You may have noticed that I’ve stepped in over the last few days to provide the daily Nawal. That is because Denise has been offline from her home in Antigua, where Volcan del Fuego erupted on Saturday. The city is covered with ask and communications were knocked down for a bit.  Thankfully, everybody is doing just fine.  Fortunately for everybody else, Denise is back to writing the Daily Nawal to share with everybody!  We are extremely grateful for all her hard work and dedication!

We’re thinking about expanding the content on the Daily Nawal.  Let us know if there is something that you would like to see on a daily basis that would support your connecting with the energies of the Cholq’ij Calendar.

Here’s a little news video on the eruption:

Can the knowledge and wisdom of living lineages help to heal individuals and a society being devastated by addictions?  This recent article (below) points to a growing awakening, led by the scientific community, over the causes of addiction.  While we often associate addiction with afflictions such as substance abuse or gambling, it is clear that addictive behavior is wide-spread in western society, extending to include areas such as food, material consumption and information (internet).  The emerging realization is that “addiction” may stem more from our human need to bond than a particular pathology, and without perceived opportunities for positive bonding, this innate impulse can lead to vicious cycles of destructive behavior.

Professor Peter Cohen argues that human beings have a deep need to bond and form connections. It’s how we get our satisfaction. If we can’t connect with each other, we will connect with anything we can find — the whirr of a roulette wheel or the prick of a syringe. He says we should stop talking about ‘addiction’ altogether, and instead call it ‘bonding.’ A heroin addict has bonded with heroin because she couldn’t bond as fully with anything else.

Our modern society is driven from a basis of disconnection, from people, environment, and cosmos.  This is required in order to sustain the levels of extraction upon which our systems are built, enabling the concentration of resources.  This disconnect has fostered the “war on drugs” which has not only created further separation for those suffering from addictive behavior, but has had immense impact in separating many of the communities where the healing potential of living lineages reside.

But we have created an environment and a culture that cut us off from connection, or offer only the parody of it offered by the Internet. The rise of addiction is a symptom of a deeper sickness in the way we live — constantly directing our gaze towards the next shiny object we should buy, rather than the human beings all around us.

We are not the first civilization to face this challenge, and living lineages have worked at individual, communal and societal levels to both connect a sense of meaning and purpose while awakening our potential to bond in healthy ways that create virtuous cycles at all those levels.

A quick example, with the living lineage of the Maya: It has always been a fundamental aspect of Maya society that individuals understand their purpose in this life, and be supported to fulfill their potential in harmony with that purpose.  Thus, when a child was born, they were immediately brought to an Ajq’ij (spiritual guide) to understand that purpose, primarily through the tools of the Cholq’ij.  For example, a child born under the Nawal (day sign) Tz’i (law, justice) was, at the appropriate age, brought to learn from the judges of the community, to deepen their understanding of the connection between cosmic, natural and human law, to uphold their responsibility to ensure its seamless integration.  We can also use the Cholq’ij as a tool to help break unhealthy bonds and replace them with healthy ones.  For example, we can light purple candle’s on Tijax days to help cut away our (or others) attachments to things that do not serve our purpose, connect with Nawal K’at to free us from those things that trap us and to gather those things that help us on our path, and Nawal Kawoq to connect us with a healthy family and community.  If we work with the tools of these lineages through a sustained effort with an increasingly clear intent, tremendous healing becomes possible.

Many of these lineages emphasize the space between, rather than the object, focusing upon the importance of creating harmonious relationships as a key to ensuring a healthy path.  And their are tools within these traditions to help us re-awaken these connections, shifting our perspective as we have an opportunity to move from a reductive/ separated cosmology towards reclaiming an integrated/ interconnected view that can bring us back towards a path of healing and development.  In this way, perhaps we find hope that the addictive behaviors we suffer through, supported by our cultural context, can be transformed through healthy bonding connected to our true sense of purpose and relationship.

What potential do you see for living lineages in helping us to heal addictions and other afflictions?

Read the article by Johan Hari here:

The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think

I often think about living lineages as adapting and changing form as they move across time and space.  What is essential, however, is that as these traditions bud into forming new – and sometimes flourishing branches, they must always remain connected to and nourish (and be nourished by) the roots.  The modern day mindfulness movement, particularly in the US, provides an interesting example of various lineages moving across time and space, seeking to integrate into modern life in a meaningful way.  What appears to be happening is that an aspect of different traditions (mindfulness) has been extracted from the context within which it developed, as secularization efforts aim to make the practice more accessible into a modern culture that strongly favors safety and knowing over the mystery (and potential) of the unknown.

My hunch is that without connecting and feeding its roots, mindfulness will wither on the vine within this society.  When I think about our work here with Saq’ Be’, both our challenge and opportunity lies in finding ways to integrate powerful living lineages into our modern life in ways that feed and nourish the roots of those traditions.  This is why we are working simultaneously to bring the stories and experiences of these lineages into contact with a modern-focused world while also working towards supporting the vitality of those traditions in their homelands through various rescue and preservation efforts.  This reflects a natural law of reciprocity and will ultimately help to bring the transformative potential of these lineages to bear more fully on both the modern and traditional worlds.

This article in Salon.com presents an interesting reflection on modern mythology creating a condition that has led to a reduction and sterilization of rich traditions into functional components that wind up reinforcing that existing mythology.
Mindfulness’ “truthiness” problem: Sam Harris, science and the truth about Buddhist tradition