The Earthkeepers

This Saturday will be the 7th Earthkeepers Dance, number 7, which represents coming full circle. In honor of our completing the Sacred Hoop, the group decided that no one person would be the Ceremonial Leader this year. It is the year of the Ceremonial People with each of us being our own Ceremonial Leader for this dance.

My goodness, has it been 7 years since John lead us down this dance road?

As I walk down the memory “driveway” recalling how the Earthkeepers Dance got started, I thought others might enjoy the tale, so…….

Danceprints in the Driveway

In June, the Year of our Lord, 2000, a rag-tag group of Earthkeepers attended the Illinois Sundance….John Armbruster, Diane Adams, Caroline Eberline, Danielle Ferrette, Patty Freehling, Tritia Hamilton, Kathy Lima, Karen Martin, Mike Milewski, Dusanka Mitchell, Thayne Oppelt, Sondra Riccardi, Larae Smith, Dan Wenglarz, Saffira Windsinger, and Dave, Tracy and Janisse Younce.

While this collection of old friends and new arrivals prayed together, a dream was seeding. Unwittingly, this gathering was witnessing the start of a miracle. While Spirit brought forth songs, a humble drummer boy beat to the rhythm of Mother Earth. His respectful beat merged with the Sundancers feet as they prayed for the People.

As he drummed, bits and pieces of an Anishinabeg Elder’s vision kept working it’s way into his awareness. Visions he would ponder over for the next week. When John Many Voices Armbruster returned with the Younces to La Porte, IN, on June 25th, to his humble sanctuary on wheels, he noticed the sun-bleached van was in stark contrast to the dark pavement of the Younce’s driveway. “Balance”, he thought. “If only we had balance on Mother Earth.”

Then the Vision emerged. In this modest driveway, his fingers started sailing across the laptop. “The Earthkeeper’s Dance for Peace is a remarkable opportunity for people to create ceremony which can change the world,” he started. For a week he kept up this vigil, rarely stopping to eat, drink or sleep.

The Younce’s watched in awe as the flicker of light grew into a Sacred fire. Finally, it happened. On a driveway, in a small Midwestern town, the Earthkeeper’s Dance for Peace was born. At Insights, on July 2, 2000, John unwrapped it’s swaddling clothes, and laid the infant at the feet of his contemporaries, introducing the newborn dance to the caretakers who would help it grow.

Not long after, John got in his van and drove away…..leaving the caretakers wondering (and scratching their heads), how would they help the dance mature enough to be ready for it’s Coming of Age Ceremony in only two and a half months…………and the rest is History.

I can remember the days before John left. He spent hours pacing the driveway, phone glued to his ear, talking to the small group of Ant Clan caretakers, helping them with the task that was ahead. Who was to know the many lessons (darkness) and successes (light) that would ensue as the child grew. But, Ahhhhhhhhh……….isn’t that what Balance is?

Happy, Happy…Joy, Joy!

Hugs, Tracy ~ at peace in the wilderness, but heading back to civilization soon

The Dancers as a whole are responsible for holding the center of the energy. They are often in a whirlwind of energetic flow, like a storm of consciousness striving to resolve its inner conflicts. This is the circle finding its step, its frequency of motion that releases the power of the Sky into the Earth world… The Dancer knows the feelings of weakness and the feelings of strength and learns to dance without shame or false pride…

Their bodies are conduits for the group mind to think of itself and come into union with the Ainya of the land and the piercing light of the sky… It is hard sometimes… but they fast and drum and sing and dance… and the hardness softens and the veil between the worlds becomes transparent… the wind becomes the sweet kisses of our creator… the Sun becomes the penetrating power of divine Love… the ground quakes and the land begins to speak through the soles of their feet…

They bring this power to the people in the form of Tobacco as an honoring… compassion and good will as the anointing oil, and blessing with the brushing of the fans..

-John Armbruster

As our family continues to sing, dance and drum the Appreciation of the Ancestor’s earth ceremonies on the shores of Lake Michigan, it becomes more and more evident to us that prayer is a joyous act of people in love with life.

With each beat of the drum we are reminded that…a smile is a prayer. With each note we sing we know… laughter is a divine ritual. And with each step we take we understand… ceremony is about discovering the hidden power of your heart.

John used to say,

“The EarthDance way is a celebration of life. That it manifests in better health, more prosperity, and better relationship between people. It also heightens our awareness, our concentration, and our commitment to our Spiritual Path.”

These used to be just words. But as we continue our family ceremonies, this wisdom has come alive. We know earth ceremony as one of Creator’s masterpieces. It has brought us to an earlier heaven.

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest…I share because I care.

We have returned from the 2006 All My Relations Sundance, Sharing the Vision of the Condor and the Eagle. John was with us as Steve Purkaple finished John’s four-year Sundance commitment. Many had visions of John. The following vision came from a 1st year dancer who had never met John except to see him dancing. He remembered him because of his distinct “chicken” style dancing reminiscent of prairie chickens.

The weather was uncompromising the first few days of this year’s Sundance with heat indexes at 100% and temperatures over the 100-degree mark. The “new bee” was having a tough go at it, because by the third round on the first day, most Sun dancers had sweated out any precious fluids that had been stored in their bodies. As ”new bee” was struggling, the “chicken dancer” appeared up in the branches of the Tree, casually sitting on a chair covered by a blue star quilt. John said, “I do not have to do this anymore”, and proceeded to share how to make it to the fourth day without water or food. John visited until the dance was completed.

Additionally, visions of Mother Earth seem to abound among Sun dancers, visions showing Mother Earth as healthy and glowing with vibrant energy. John came in another’s vision saying,

“Mother Earth is fine…it’s the people who need the ceremonies.”

When Steve completed John’s commitment, he gifted us with the medicine he danced with. A vision signaled the time of the Parting of the Ways Ceremony that John had taught, (see below John’s words on it from his former website).

So Janisse, Dave and I will be heading to Lake Michigan, where John’s ashes were given back to Mother Earth and thank John once again for his teachings. We will honor the vision, “John was telling the Younce family to do the parting of ways ceremony”…(and we thought he was done giving us direction!!!).

Thank you Steve!

Hugs, Tracy – take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest - I share because I care.

Parting of the Ways Ceremony

This ceremony is designed to create a sense of completion and resolution primarily in relationships.

In many cases, the parting of ways refers to the mutual disagreement and dissolution of a partnership. In a teacher/student relationship, the parting of the ways refers to a break in teaching, as the student is ready to stand in their own power. In most cases, the ceremony is done because of physical separation or death.

In this ceremony it is good to go to a stream or lake. It doesn’t matter if those in the relationship are all present. Each person receives a blessing and a smudging. After a calling song, each person speaks of the goodness between him/her and her/him, speaks of what is unresolved and what is complete. Then the Pipe is smoked. After that, tobacco is offered and each offers a prayer for the well being of the other. Objects that represent the relationship of the past are smudged and buried if appropriate.

Then each person does a ritual cleansing in the water, and offers a prayer or song to the Sun in thanksgiving for the gift of life.

Then the leaving song is sung. If those who were involved in the relationship are present, they each leave the place by a different route being careful not to look back.

Dancing on the grounds Saturday, June 10th at the Indiana Dunes State Park, where many folks first did ceremony with John in Illiana, got me thinking of a conversation I had with him a few weeks before he passed. He was moving to another village down the road in Georgia, unaware of his true destination, the Ultimate Village. We were talking about the challenges of an Earthkeeper. He commented that he thought the lessons were part of the dance/ceremony. That when one commits to ceremony, they commit to life-altering experiences.

Like most Earthkeepers, I seem to focus on the feel good experiences, the wonderful ceremonies and fun on the path. However, it’s good to remember that a commitment towards peace includes the lessons that come to help rid us of that which no longer serves us. That’s why balance is Yin and Yang…dark and light. I get it!!!

So when the dis-harmony comes, as it will, instead of sweeping it under the rug, we embrace it as it has come to help us move closer to peace. The tough experiences are part of our commitment. So it is truly no small thing we do, because when we commit to ceremonies and dance on the path of peace, we commit to learning the lessons that come with the path.

The Elders have always taught that the spiritual road is a rocky road. I can hear Grandma’s voice, “Be careful before you commit to it. It will be the hardest and best road you will ever walk but it is not for the faint of heart or fair weather folks.”

I would much prefer that rocky road just be an ice cream flavor!!!!

We are heading out to Sundance…we’ll be back to post in a few weeks.

Hugs, Tracy