Stories for Children (part two)

This is a story I heard when I was a child.  It came back to me when I was in a hard place, and seemed to describe what I was going through.  Forgive me if this story is not in accordance with the tradition from whence it came because I have yet to find the source of this story.  If you should find it, please let me know where its roots are. 



When the world was much younger, and man had just been created there was trouble brewing in the Cosmos.  Man was so young, and was making much trouble with his work; with his persistent curiosity, and relentless mind, it seemed there was no end to his destructive potential.  There was concern amongst the animals, and the Creator, that man would find the secrete of the universe and make destruction with too much power. 

So creator called a council of the animals who then came to meet and discuss what could be done.  Creator asked the animals, "Where can we hide the secrete of the universe?"

Eagle spoke first, "I shall take the secrete, and hide it in the highest reaches of heaven.  Man shall never be able to reach it, from so far below".
Creator thought about this, and after some time spoke, "No, Man will grow restless on the ground, he will surely devise some way to reach the highest of skies"

The next to speak was Whale, "I shall take the secrete, and hide it in the deepest of ocean, Man shall never find it with no fins and such small lungs!"
Creator thought about this too, and after much time decided, "Man will surely reach the deepest darkest parts of the ocean, his mind will nor rest, until he has discovered all the is to discover."

At this the animals were stumped... If there was truly no place man would not reach, where could the secrete be hidden?

At long lost fox spoke, "I shall take the secrete, and hide it in the cleverest of all runs, man will no doubt be stumbled for all eternity!" 
"Though man may not appear to be so clever as you", Creator spoke, "No amount of cleverness shall forever stumble Man's persistent mind."

Next all of the song birds got together, "We shall take the secrete, and hide it in the most beautiful songs, in the most complex melodies, with layers upon layers of meaning!"
Again, Creator spoke, "Man will learn to find the secrete here too, there will be no song that man will not someday take apart."

It seemed then, that there was no place to hide the Secrete of the Universe, and all the animals fell silent.  At long last a small voice peeped up.  It was a voice unheard thus far in the council, for it had taken Slug much time to reach the meeting...  "I know" said the small voice, "where to hide the secrete of the universe!" 
All eyes turned to slug, slowly moving closer towards the council. "It is only after man has searched the entire universe that he shall finally be ready to find the secrete of it.  That is why we should hide the secrete of the universe inside of Man's heart."
When all heard this, they knew that it was good, and it was done. 

So it is, that when Man has searched the entire universe, he might finally look inside his own heart and find the secrete of the universe. 

(And perhaps he will find there Woman?!)

Stories for children (part one)

Here is a story that I heard from Amma, the last time she was in the Pacific Northwest. She gave this story during Darshan before guiding us in a short mediation. I found her story to be helpful and nourishing... It is my desire to find the types of stories that can be useful and meaningful to children. Stories that can help one to feel safe, stories that can help one to understand, stories to inspire adventure... Good stories. So here is my version... Enjoy!

The two children.

Once upon a time there were two children, two little girls. Lila and Maya were their names. They were good friends, and they were both a little over four years old. It just so happened that on the very same day, both of their parents decided—at the very same moment—that today is the day for their beautiful daughters to learn how to swim for the very first time. 

When the time came for Lila to get into the water, she jumped forward without fear. She slid her way into the water, and immediately knew that this was way different then her bathtub. She felt her way into the strange sensations that swimming undoubtedly causes—at least, the first time around. She noticed the pull of water on her hands and feet. The water felt very interesting moving through her fingers and toes. She quickly realized that when she cupped her hands in a particular way, holding her fingers together—while kicking hard with her feet—that she could stay above water. Before long she was treading water with no trouble at all. 

When Maya's turn came around, she moved forward with much fear. She too, noticed a grave difference between this giant pool and her bathtub. When she cautiously moved into the water, her fear began to grow. She was so afraid that she tried to cling to the water, attempting to stay on top of it. Of course, this is not a viable way of staying afloat, so all of her efforts were in vain, and she began to sputter and sink. Her mother was of course, very close by, and immediately saved her daughter, pulling her close, and giving her much love. 

When Miya's Mother asked what had happened, why had she been so terrified, Maya replied that she was scared for her life—that she thought she might drown there in the water. Because of her terror, she could not notice the sensations of the water moving through her fingers, could not realize that a calm and explorative approach would be more successful. When Lila's Mother asked Lila what had happened, how could she swim with such grace, Lila said that she had no fear, that she knew her mother would save her should anything go wrong. Knowing this, Lila could freely explore the water, noticing all the sensations, and quickly gained the experience needed to be successful. 

So it is with meditation... When we jump into the waters of meditation, we must do so without fear. We must know that the mother of us all—the perfection and grace that gave birth to existence itself will catch us when we fall. When we know this, we will be able to swim perfectly, we will not drown. Yet when we are frozen with terror, afraid for our very existence, we will surely sputter and sink. Although we can rest assured that if such a thing were to happen, that grace and mercy would follow us, and hold us safe.

From the Heart

I hear the footsteps, tapping on the spacious floor of eternity.
The shadow of convention is approaching,
Claiming that the way has been paved.

How can we understand our place here,
The context of our times,
Without the gnarled wisdom of our grandfathers.
Their fox tooth wisdom,
Undeniably precise,
Somewhere between night and day
Between predator and prey

How can we expect to teach our children,
When we have not learned to respect one another?
Respect that follows like a river,
Whose damn is the void of understanding,
A rift in the great conversation
Between all things.

How can we reclaim our ability to see beyond,
"People", "Place", and "Thing"
When our own conditioning demands it?
Could we, as a people, see,
That the value of things lies in connection?

Can we learn to see that the river we damned,
Has drowned a people wanting only to live as they're ancestors had,
With respect, reverence and care for this great web?

I pray, that some inspiration finds me, something of the realm of truth.
I only crave to hear that undeniable feeling of truth, as it reverberates through my skull,
Crashes through my spinal fluids,
Like a pacific crest.

I pray that seals will continue to ride in these waves,
Hunting for fish...
That whales and sharks will find them, devour them, destroy their lives.
Because death is real.
It happens to every one of us,
and its time we acknowledge it.

There is no ultimate value in our lives alone.
These bones will decay
This heart will one day quite
and become that from which it came. 

And what, I say, will this heart have done
When that day should come?
Whatsoever it may be,
makes all of the difference.

I hear the footsteps, tapping on the spacious floor of eternity.
The shadow of convention is approaching,
Claiming that the way has been paved...
Its cement is our complacency,
Mixed with the water of attachment.

Devils Club

Yesterday I walked into the woods...

I journeyed there with my partner of nearly two years and our puppy of nearly two weeks.  We were not long journeying before we reached the home of Devils Club, a damp and muddy trickle of water where this water loving plant thrives.  I said hello to the shoots growing up there, giving gratitude as we passed.  We walked further into the woods, our new dog fighting over the ferns and under logs to keep up.  The destination of this climb was the top of a hill, where a beautiful and large stand of Devils Club grows.  As we neared the top of the hill, the sun began to emerge from behind its cover of clouds.  It seemed as if the plant was welcoming us to its home.

There is a distinct pungency--a volatile and uplifting quality--to Devils Club.  I can see this in the character of the plant as reflected in its morphology, its scent, taste, and environmental niche.  Devils Club possesses a phenomenally unique smell, warm and earthy, with a spicy, almost sharp and prickly taste.  The plant grows in tall spiky stalks that can reach up to fifteen feet high.  It propagates when these stalks fall to the ground.  The fallen stalks become roots, and allow for new stalks to shoot up.


The root of this plant is strong medicine, and is used in a variety of different ways for a many different ailments.  It is commonly used to treat coughs, colds and respiratory ailments.


When we reached our destination at the top of the hill, I felt a sudden urge to leave my partner for a moment, and journey over off in a direction I had never been before.  I asked her pardon for my sudden departure and took off with our pup--Luna--following.  Ducking beneath the bows of a large cedar, I disappeared into the forest, following subtle impulse to move.  Jumping over logs and parting my way between the large sword ferns, I came to the edge of a deep grove in the landscape, carved by years of seasonal water-flow.  




There before me was the largest and most prolific territory of Devils Club I had ever encountered.  Thirty feet on either side of the slight trickle of water was completely covered with Devils Club.  In that moment, I could not escape a powerful sense of wonder.  This plant has had an involvement with humanity long before recorded history.  Its uses as a medicinal plant have been understood by native populations for generations innumerable.  The spirit of this plant has initiated many humans into a collaboration with nature, has cured a vast array of diseases, and its use as a tonic and plant ally have improved the quality of life for people across many boundaries.  There, in that dark, cool, muddy waterway, surrounded by Devils Club, I felt inspired to the point of awe.


I harvested a small piece of root in a way that encouraged future growth for the plant.  Taking only what I needed, I gave thanks for the amazing medicine that Devils Club undoubtedly is.  Devils Club is known to be an adaptogen, immunomodulator, blood sugar regulator, and a tonic for the lungs, yet the reputed uses of Devils Club range much further.  It is said to have had success in curing and treating cancer, diabetes, and arthritis, and many have used the plant to strengthen and balance the body--mainly through its tonitonifying and nourishing effect on the adrenal glands.  The smell of earth rose to meet me when I gathered this powerful medicine, and the pungent, aromatic smell greeted me as I cut into the root. 


I am amazed at the multitude of successful uses attributed to this plant.  It makes me wonder at the way I usually see the world... There seems to be much more complexity then I am normally aware of.  It seems to me, that if one plant can be used so successfully, the dominant perspective of Western Medicine--with its isolated and fabricated constituents as the primary mechanism for treatment--is a very limited vantage point.  There seems to be so much wonder and mystery in the way this plant can heal us humans.  As we pile back into our car, the smell of Devils Club beautifully colors our ride home...

Experience of the Wild

For the past six weeks I have been coming here to learn from this forest. There are seven Cedar trees in this area circling a fallen Douglas Fir.  The tree has been dead for many years, consumed by the forest, nearly buried by second growth.  The tree reminds me of the cycles of life, and my place within the whole.  I am amazed at the capacity of these woods to regenerate, to recover from complete desolation.  I know that these woods are but a memory of the great old-growth forests that stood here two hundred years ago, but they are beautiful in their own chaotic way. 


I have been changed by my time coming to this spot in the forest.  Each plant has some different thing to teach me.  The sword ferns, with their arms reaching in the direction of sky, teach me how to relax, how to be fluid.  They superbly embody the principle of pliability.  Watching them, I can feel my rigidity loosen, and my presence relax.  The great tree of this area, Cedar, is fulfilling the archetype of protector, teaching me how to be clear, how to be clean.  The smell of its branches is a clear, ambrosia-like remedy that brings me face to face with the present moment and all I can think is "Yes".


The birds on this land have their own story to tell.  Every few minutes a new voice chirps a new instrument in the symphony above my head.  A sudden alarm call of a bird disturbed by a careless passerby.  Their voices remind me to look beyond my own self, and to listen to each sound in the forest.  It is because of their acute attention to all signs of possible danger that they acheive awareness in the present.  Sometimes, when I sit long enough, I feel I can almost taste this presence, and when I do, there is a meaning to they're words.  It is in these moments that I can stretch my awareness across long distances.  I can hear different voices amongst the chatter, different moods, different species.  In these moments I become elated.


The words that you see above is my attempt to achieve the impossible.  There are few people who are capable of expressing the ineffable sense of wonder that the wild inspires.  Many have tried to portray the essence of such experiences, among them is Thomas Berry.  He wrote, "The communion that comes through these experiences of the wild, where we sense something present and daunting, stunning in its beauty, is beyond comprehension in its reality, but it points to the holy, the sacred."  His words ring a bell of recognition within me because I too have sensed something daunting and stunning that is beyond the realm of comprehension.   

Buhner's Workshop in Portland

This last weekend I attended a workshop entitled Gaia's Mind and the Secrete Teachings of Plants, presented by the acclaimed herbalist and author, Stephen Buhner.   He began his workshop by discussing the bacterial processing of plants.   Stephen explained that bacteria constitutes the underpinnings of life-itself, claiming that neuron-networks are organized anytime a biological system forms.   Even the phenomena of human reasoning is defined by the behavior of bacteria.   Stephen then went on to describe the ecological function of plant intelligences including the psychotropic plants and fungi.  Throughout his entire workshop he detailed and demonstrated his philosophy for the integrity of a healer.  Over-all his workshop was incredibly interesting, and I am excited to pursue more research to discover or disprove the holistic truth of his claims and concepts.

Stephen asserted that 'neuron-networks' are organized any time a biological system forms.  It is still unclear exactly what he means by this, but after having briefly looked into the field of microbiology it is clear that communities of bacteria demonstrate extremely high levels of intelligence.  In the Article entitled “Neural Networks” in Bacteria: Making Connections the Authors refer to this when they write, “Bacteria have more complexity, more organization, and more control than we ever imagined” (Armitage, page 1). Buhner explored bacteria from a theoretical and ecological perspective, drawing upon his own observations and research being done in related fields.   From this point of view, bacteria seems to play an important role in earths history, initiating incredible innovations throughout the evolutionary timeline, exhibiting behavior akin to our own neural networks.

Buhner spoke to the ecological functions of different organisms, shedding light on the cooperation and mutualistic behavior within ecosystems. He said that each plant is essentially a different “pillar of biological organization”, fulfilling a niche, not only within the environment, but also within the spiritual ecology of place.  An example of this he gave was the existence of psychotropic plants and fungi within an ecosystem.  Buhner claimed that wherever these organisms grow, their function is the same—they break patterns of behavior within the keynote species of a forest ecosystem, and facilitate a change in the ecosystem as a whole.   He suggested that the effect of psychotropic organisms remained the same, whether the chemicals were exposed to a human, fox or a variety of grass, the effect remains the same.

Overall the workshop was a phenomenal learning experience.  Not only did I gain many leads to very interesting developments in theory and science, but I gained a better understanding of what it means to be a healer. Buhner said, “As a healer, we must realize the function and teaching potential of any disease”.  In this statement there is an interesting implication for any herbalist.   Our job is not to “fix” a person who is “ill”, rather our job is to understand the causes of a disease.  We might ask, what is this disease attempting to teach an individual.  There were many more gems offered throughout the weekend--too many to share here--and I am thankful to have been present for one of Buhner's final workshops.  As I journey deeper into my flirtation with the wild world, and come to know plants in greater intimacy, I hope to retain the essence of his message, and I hope to walk this path with receptivity, respect, reverence, and great love.

Just one of my heros

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asw0_DaA85Y