Manataka™ American Indian Council
Welcoming Spring at the
Place of Peace
Springtime on the sacred Manataka
Mountain. The comforting aroma of the campfires in the Gorge as people waken
to prepare the morning meal. The sense of the sacred everywhere is present.
As we look forward to this annual renewal of our Mother Earth, we also look for
renewal of spirit and vision for the coming season of abundance and growth. As
with other cultures on Turtle Island and beyond, the Spring Equinox inspires us
with joy and hope.
Astrologically,
the Spring Equinox occurs on March 20th. At this time the Light is
ready to triumph over the darkness of the winter and day and night stand equal.
On March 21st, our Brother, the Sun, will be in triumph as the day
now outlasts the night. From that time until the Autumn Equinox, the Sun reigns
supreme.
People have celebrated this
astrological event from pre-history and into the present day. First
Nations people created many stone structures which are still standing in North
America that mark the timing for the Equinoxes and the Solstices.
In Vermont, a natural
amphitheater occupying about 20 acres has been named Calendar One. A stone
structure was erected in the center from which one can see where the positions
of the Sun during the
Equinoxes
and Solstices were marked on the edges of the bowl of the amphitheater with
vertical rocks.
Another megalithic site, carbon
dated to be between 3,000 and 4,000 years old, is located in Salem, NH. This
site, call “American’s Stonehenge, includes six stones, five standing and one
fallen. The stones are arranged in alignment with the sunrise and sunset at the
Spring and Fall equinoxes.
In Central America, the Mayan people built a
great ceremonial pyramid, El Castillo, in Mexico. When the Sun sets on the eve
of the Spring Equinox, a shadow is created on the western face of the pyramid
which creates the illusion of a diamond-back snake descending as the Sun goes
down. Since ancient times, this has been called "The Return of the Sun
Serpent".
If
I can be anywhere upon our Mother Earth at Sunrise during the Spring Equinox, I
will be on Goat Rock on the East side of Manataka Mountain above the Gulpha
Gorge campground. It has been a very long winter and I am ready to great the
Sun in it’s triumph. In the warmth of the embrace of Brother Sun, I know I can
accomplish the work Creator has given me to do.
It is as if all Souls sense that this is the time of awakening, of renewal and rebirth. This is a time when our individual and our collective dreams can be set in motion; a time for each of us to let of winter and sow the seeds we want to harvest this year. It is a time for manifesting the dreams of our winter sleep.
We are all awakening to new levels of understanding and consciousness. The warmth of Brother Sun warms us, encouraging us to grow and become Creator’s vision for us in a deeper and more meaningful way.
At Manataka, we have much to do. Our Relations in Australia are planning a Summer Gathering there this year. Manataka’s message of peace must be renewed and extended to all our relations. As Manataka’s membership becomes global, there is much communication and instruction that must be provided. And the pilgrims that come each year to pray and conduct ceremony on the Sacred Mountain must be greeted.
In synchronicity with the coming Light we start our quests anew. We rub the sleep from our eyes and emerge from the Dream Cave, hungry for the new day and the new adventures. It is time to build a new future for our Children. It is time to build our dreams. Stretch. Wakeup. Get ready to go to work.
Sow your seeds in the fertile soil of the future; keep the weeds of dissention and intolerance pulled from your garden. Tend and protect the tender seedlings of your dreams and watch them blossom in summer and become reality at the harvest.
We must become the change that we need. We are the Rainbow Warriors. We build the future.
Aho!
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