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Trees Are Family: A Story From Russia |
| August 15, 2006 by admin |
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In a remote area of one of the mountainous regions of Russia, just north of Mongolia, commercial industrial interests will soon begin tearing up this land that grandparents and great grandparents, and great, great grandparents grew up on. Trees will be cut down, and worst of all, the sacred places - a bald patch on a mountain, and a hill - are at risk of being violated.
"Bad things happen when trees are cut down", the people say. "A child can get sick, or all of our cattle might die. Maybe there will be a flood. Our nature is very easily offended."
The villagers in this region practice Buryat shamanism, a set of beliefs that centers around a reverence for nature. Trees and rivers are worshiped. The main prayer rite in the spring celebrates "the earth waking up". Upset deities can be troublesome.
"Technologically, we are becoming more modern", one woman being interviewed said. "But we have lost the sense of living. I'm not against civilization. But my forefathers are from the trees. I am afraid for them."
Adapted from a New York Times article, Feb 19, 2003. (Photo of Mongolian trees is by satellite360. Some rights reserved.
Please also read the comments about trees made by Fear-No-More Zoo Founder Adi Da Samraj. |
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Native American Story: Alice Talks to Bees |
| August 7, 2006 by admin |
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From the book Rolling Thunder by Doug Boyd. Rolling Thunder was a well known Cherokee medicine man with whom Doug Boyd spent time in the early 1970's. (Photo at left by RogerGW shows a black horehound. Some rights reserved).
The tent was down and nearly folded when Rolling Thunder drove into camp with Alice. Spotted Eagle ran back to the main tent to fold up Alice's camp chairs and Coleman stove.
Alice came down the path toward me, walking very fast.
"I want to tell you something," she puffed. "I had the most interesting experience gathering herbs up there," she said, "and I'm so anxious to tell you about it. It couldn't have happened without Rolling Thunder, I know, but I actually communicated with the bees. I actually talked to them and they understood."
She was excited. "Rolling Thunder told me on the way back. He said, 'Now you tell Doug first and then you write it all down.' He said that you should write about the mind and consciousness things, and that I should write about animals and wildlife. Is that what you are doing?"
"Well, maybe. I guess so, sort of," I answered.
"Well, you should. Anyway, we went to get horehound plants up there near the old ranch. Rolling Thunder knew right where they were. He agreed to show me because he knew I needed horehounds. As soon as we got there Rolling Thunder made his prayer and his offering. Then I saw that the plants were absolutely covered with bees. I'm deathly afraid of bees; it frightens me just to look at them and they always sting me. So I just didn't know what to do. I was just ready to leave. Well, Rolling Thunder talked to me; he was so kind and gentle. He sensed what I was feeling, without my saying anything. He told me I was really not afraid of animals or any living thing. I only thought I was. And he reminded me how I had always loved animals and had taken care of them on a farm in my childhood.
"He told me that the fear of any living thing is based on misunderstanding. He said, 'Now, Alice, I want you to talk to those bees. I saw how you talked to the dogs just a little while ago. You talked to the babies and to the mother and you said the right things in the right way. If you can talk to dogs that way, you can talk to bees, and they will understand. They won't understand the English language, but they'll understand your meaning as you say it.'
"So he told me what to say to the bees. I was supposed to ask the bees to share the plants with me, to tell them I wouldn't harm them, and to explain that I needed the plants for good medicine, but I would leave enough for the bees and for seeds for the coming year. He told me to say it loud and clear. He said he would be sitting behind me, and he wanted to be able to hear my voice.
"I did as he said, and, do you know, the bees actually understood me, and they moved! I just can't describe how I felt. All the bees on the plant I was looking at moved. They all moved together to the back of the plant. I took only the front half of the plant which they had left me, and then I moved to another plant covered with bees, and the same thing happened again! On one of the plants, when the bees moved back and I started to cut, they all made the strangest buzzing sound. It felt as though they were somehow speaking, telling me to stop, and I was understanding.
"I looked at Rolling Thunder and he said, 'There now, you see? You and the bees have agreed to share and now you're cutting back too far. They'll expect you, now, to do as you said.' So I cut only the front half very carefully. Then Rolling Thunder came up to me." She paused and she appeared to be filled with emotion. "And he said that this was a gift of the Great Spirit!"
We also recommend The Bridge To God, a Talk by the Avataric Great Sage Adi Da Samraj (founder of Fear-No-More Zoo) about the participatory attitude that allows Nature to be a bridge to the Divine. |
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"Planet Bytes" is a service mark of the Avataric Samrajya of Adidam Pty Ltd.
Original photos & writings are
© 2005-2006 The Avataric Samrajya of Adidam Pty Ltd, as trustee for The Avataric Samrajya of Adidam.
All rights reserved. Perpetual copyright claimed.
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