The Earthkeepers

The Evening before Christmas has a strange an delightful mix of energy. Expectation mixed with stress and anxiety… the deep quiet of Christmas Eve Services and the hustle and bustle of last minute shopping.

The Poem “The Night Before Christmas” has shaped our perception of Christmas Eve and has immortalized Father Christmas into a legendary and symbolic representation of Christmas that, in many minds has supplanted the image of Christ. 

It is interesting that Christ’s birth came out of the night and was heralded by the mystical powers of the universe, took place during an oppressive time of Roman Government, and emphasized the humility of spiritual birth.

The celebration was moved to the time of the Roman Saturnalia. This was a weeklong celebration of the Winter Solstice and the Sun’s greatest distance from the Earth. The 25th of December is the point of least light. The Christ, bringer of the light, represents the return of the Sun.

For every Christian this time is a time of inner understanding and quiet contemplation of the order of life, the gift of life given by their creator to each and every living thing. In Christ, the divine became human… or was our divinity simply revealed to us…?

When we talk about the past and future minds, we are referring to the fact that so much of our time is spent contemplating and contending with the past or planning, worrying, or dreading the future.

It is important to understand that in both cases the power to change always lies in the present. Our lack of awareness of the present will rob us of golden opportunities to absorb the joy and uplifting quality of the world around us. To do this we have to have an open channel to the energy of living all around us. Sorrow, regret, disgust, hurt, jealousy, anger, all sap us of the energy to see, taste, touch, FEEL the moment with all our senses and with all that we sense is us. Worry, dread, hopelessness, and hope can all turn our attention from the blessings we are receiving every moment of the day.

Drumming, singing, dance all help to strip away the dark smoke of our illusion… it is the illusion of being in the past or future. In addition, acceptance of the past will release us from that past. Faith and releasing total control will free us from the future. In the present we can let our energy flow into everything we do or everything we experience. In that way, our essential selves, the part of us that is sincere, exuberant, confident, and committed will produce the future one present moment at a time.

— John Armbruster

The Winter Solstice is approaching soon and the veils are their thinnest at this time. John would say it was a good time to review the previous year, release that which no longer serves you, connect with Mother Earth and ask for guidance for the coming year. John wrote on his former website:

The Solstice time is a time of intensity and passion. It is a time of extremes.

The summer solstice is the Midsummer’s Night energy. It is the longest day of the year. Sensuous, even oppressive energy of the Sun. Unrelenting. It is a time when the planet is bursting with power. Overflowing with lifeforce. This is a time for celebration and release.

Many of the Sun dances occur around this time. The power of the Sun being strongest. In lower latitudes they are held earlier.

The Long Dance is good to be held around this time.

One ceremony we have done over the years is a nature’s Spirit Dance, where everyone dresses up as a plant or animal. Strong drumming, passionate songs, and lots of clowning are appropriate.

The Winter Solstice is a time of deep reflection. It is the longest night of the year. It is a time of deep yearning and introspection. It is a good time to become passionate about the choices you are to make in the coming years. Since the Winter Solstice comes so near Christmas (in the Northern Hemisphere) it often gets lost in the big holiday. However, it is important to remember that Christmas was actually placed in the Calendar to coincide with the winter solstice.

Meditation, deep heartfelt songs, burning of the lists is a good ceremony around this time. ~ John Armbruster

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

The give away ceremony is important in bringing together the people of the community. The passing of objects which have meaning for a person is an act of magnification and resolution.

The feelings and energy which is embodied in an object are magnified and more open for examination when the object is consciously given away. When it is done in public the energy is brought into the community circle. It is a point of vulnerability and innocence, and should be carefully respected and supported.

The give away is traditionally done when an honor or change in life status occurs. It can be part of any ceremony and acts to blend the energy of the person who is doing the give away and the energy of the community surrounding them.

The give away is very different for our culture to understand because it is in reverse to our cultural norms. When someone is getting married, we give them presents. In the give away thinking they give us presents. In a way they do just that. They give a reception. They give gifts to members of the wedding party etc… When someone has a birthday, they receive presents. In the give-away way of thinking they should give presents to all who attend the party. When we are honored, we are given an award. In the give away way of thinking the person receiving the award should do a big give away. Could you imagine what the Oscars Ceremony would look like if that were the social norm?

The give away blanket ceremony is something we use at our encampments.

It is a great way to complete the energy of the encampment. Each person brings an object which means something to them and places it on the blanket. The oldest person at the gathering begins the choosing. The person who placed the object on the blanket then says why it is important to them. Then that person picks something off the blanket. At some point the person who picked first will have his/her object picked. They then have the honor of picking someone to pick next. Often times people bring more than one object or they bring objects for others. In the case of bringing more than one object, when their second object is chosen they have the honor of picking the next person to choose. People who have not brought anything are good candidates at that point. This gets everyone included. Those people usually participate to a greater degree as time goes on.

There is something very powerful that happens at these give-away blankets. So very often, the gift chosen and what it means to the person who put it on the blanket matches the experience of the person who chooses it in a very deep and mysterious way. It sometimes feels like our hands are guided by a larger hand.

–John Armbruster

Questions have come over the years on how folks come to be a lodge pourer. I can only share what I have been taught about some of the traditional ways.

Some Southern Ute Lodge Ways, as I understand it:

In Ute tradition, firekeepers are men as fire is male. The Stone People carried into the Lodge are the seeds of wisdom coming in union with the womb and the water which is female. As is the natural order of things for two leggeds, man carries the seed into womb. This keeps the balance.

To become a pourer in the Ute way, one needs to have been a Chooch (Pipe) carrier and attended lodge regularly for at least 7 years or more. If the Elder Medicine person is guided by Spirit that someone is ready to lead ceremony, they call the person to go on the hill. If the Spirits give a vision to pour, then one would apprentice in the Ways of the Lodge for as long as the Elder deems necessary before pouring their first lodge for the people.

Our Ute Elders say, “People who lead or provide ceremonies because they have attended rituals performed by a Ceremonial leader, is like putting a shingle up to practice medicine because you have experienced medical procedures done by a medical doctor. Ceremony is the ‘tip of the iceberg’.”

Some Earthkeeper Lodge Ways, as I understand it:

Hollis Little Creek, a respected Midewiwin from the Marten Clan of the Anishinabeg nation, taught John. John apprenticed for years before pouring his first lodge. John told us the story of how he always got into “hot water” because he was listening to Mother Earth when he was suppose to be listening to Hollis. When it came time for John to pour his first lodge, he told Hollis, “I cannot pour in your traditional way. I can only pour as Mother Earth guides me.” John expected he would not pour lodge. However, Hollis not only had John pour, he honored him by pulling the stones for John. Additionally, he had John awaken Joseph Many Horses’ Chooch in the lodge. Hollis taught him, “So many make the mistake of listening to “Spriit” without having the foundation and knowing the “Spirit”. It has caused many hard lessons on the path. You have the foundation John and hear true.” John commented, “I don’t know why Hollis saw that in me as I caused him such grief with my screwing-up.”

John taught that the tradition of the firekeeper determines who carries the stones and moontime practices. As for the Earthkeeper Lodge tradition, I will share what John did. John was given a vision while on the hill, that he was to offer tobacco to Dave and I to teach us to pour. We turned down the tobacco. However, three months later John said, “I am not one to offer tobacco a second time, but I had a vision to offer it again.” As I had talked with my Ute Elder and gone on the hill and Dave had been having dream visions, we accepted. To pour in the earthkeeper way one must be a Chooch (Pipe) Carrier and listen to Mother Earth. John did teaching lodges with us. We poured for one year under his guidance and when Mother Earth guided John to let us continue pouring, we did.

What is said about non-traditional lodge ways:

The Southern Ute Elders are cautious. Balance for the participants is a major concern as is short-cutting the prayers by short-cutting the training process.

John taught that the sweat lodge is one of the oldest universal ceremonies of the earthkeepers. One must know the teachings but follow your guidance from Mother Earth.

I can only offer, in my small way, my belief…that sweat lodge ceremony is a relationship between the participants and the spirit of the land. The pourer needs a deep-rooted foundation so they can pour in a balanced way thus the participants can make the connection and do their prayerwork in balanced energy. As our prayers in lodge are actually impressed into our body. Our cells radiate our prayers for many days afterward. So balance is paramount.

For as many traditions as we have across our nations, there are that many different paths to becoming a lodge pourer.

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