Walkers who arrived on the summit of Black Mountain on 4/22/2018 celebrated our connection with Earth and sky. The elements of fire (in our life energy) and water in the soil and plant life: these too were present.
We learned much from that man in the hat, Sky Road Webb, through his teaching stories and the songs (in Miwok language!) he led. Sky Road had researched the likely ancestral name for this mountain. It translate to Coyote's Bones -- especially the bones used in a gambling game that had the power to settle differences among people.
This hike was a pilgrimage conceived of by the non-profit organization Black Mountain Circle. Participating in the day made me reflect on the meaning of pilgrimage. It's a journey to a sacred place... or any long quest, especially of high purpose or devotion. The word pilgrim evolved from a twist on the Latin root peregrinus... as in the falcon (!).
Our Earth Day journey invited us to reflect on our lives in a powerful landscape. We walked for the most part in silence, receptive to insight from the living world, stopping now and then to notice and appreciate. Some of us carried questions in our hearts. We traveled as a community, sharing food with one another and with the spirits atop the mountain.
As a pilgrim, I felt myself open and empty like a basket, with no particular request -- just wonder and praise. The journey itself was the gift. Reflecting on this is one small way that I can reciprocate. Gratitude, Coyote's Bones!
We learned much from that man in the hat, Sky Road Webb, through his teaching stories and the songs (in Miwok language!) he led. Sky Road had researched the likely ancestral name for this mountain. It translate to Coyote's Bones -- especially the bones used in a gambling game that had the power to settle differences among people.
This hike was a pilgrimage conceived of by the non-profit organization Black Mountain Circle. Participating in the day made me reflect on the meaning of pilgrimage. It's a journey to a sacred place... or any long quest, especially of high purpose or devotion. The word pilgrim evolved from a twist on the Latin root peregrinus... as in the falcon (!).
Our Earth Day journey invited us to reflect on our lives in a powerful landscape. We walked for the most part in silence, receptive to insight from the living world, stopping now and then to notice and appreciate. Some of us carried questions in our hearts. We traveled as a community, sharing food with one another and with the spirits atop the mountain.
As a pilgrim, I felt myself open and empty like a basket, with no particular request -- just wonder and praise. The journey itself was the gift. Reflecting on this is one small way that I can reciprocate. Gratitude, Coyote's Bones!