Just
finished my Memorial weekend vacation, I have come to the conclusion that I need
to share the theme that I have had from conversation trends and universal-consciousness
whispering in my ear all weekend.
List of events that together make a whole
statement:
Cherokee Stories
Mermaids-The new evidence
Into the Wild
Nick,
Kane, Laura and I were sitting out in her back yard when casually I brought up
how I always get attacked by or visited by aquatic animals. My first
experiences in the water I was in Mexico and was stung by a box jelly fish, this
has happened countless times since. While in the water I have been visited by
dolphins many times as well. Laura kindly suggests to me that maybe I should
acknowledge that they have precedence over me. That while in the water I
respect their territory but also their spirit. She explains how she does this
while walking through the forest. She can take long naps on the forest floor
with not a bite from or scratch from nature upon waking. I do this with land animals,
so this made sense to me. Speaking of this, while we were visiting Charleston
Nick and I say two pods of dolphins at two different times on our trip. One siting
was in the ocean and another in a local bay. Also when I went outside to see
the full moon on Friday night, a honey bee crawled up to my feet on the
pavement. A neighborhood cat took such a
liking to Nick and I that she would wait outside the front door each day until
we came outside to pet her. She meowed at the door Saturday night because she
wanted to be close to us. I always keep in mind what animals have to teach us
spiritually, animal totem spirits.For
example, dolphins are healing, intelligent
and joyful. They convey a lesson to us about true love, community and joy. Honey
Bees symbolize
accomplishing the impossible. They also are a symbol of fertility of
life. The
idea that we must acknowledge and show respect for nature made so much sense to
me since it is one of the oldest stories told by the people of my ancestry. Below I have
sited the Cherokee Story of the origins of disease and plant medicine. If you would like to read
it scroll to the bottom but otherwise I will summarize the writing.
This video made me cry, coming to the realization that we could be working alongside so many intelligent animals. Instead of being stewards or respecting our place in the circle we demean animals thinking just because they do not have human communication that they are incompetent or undeserving of the luxuries of love, inter-species cooperation and respect.
If you
ever have watched the movie Into the Wild
or read the book by Jon Krakauer, than you would have
noticed this hierarchy. After a wide
exploration of the west coast in April 1992, a twenty-two
year old Christopher McCandless aka Alexander Supertramp hitchhiked to the Stampede Trail in Alaska. There, McCandless
headed down the snow-covered trail to begin an odyssey with only 10 pounds of
rice, a .22 caliber rifle, several boxes of rifle rounds, a camera, and a
small selection of reading material – including a field guide to the region's
edible plants, Tana'ina Plantlore. Chris
is a small, yet strong young man with deep eyes who is portrayed as
likeable despite his stubborn disposition. Into the Wild addresses
the issues of how to be accepted into society, and how finding yourself
sometimes conflicts with being an active member in society.Most critics
agree that Chris McCandless left to find some sort of enlightenment. He
also tries to find his way in the wild with as little material possessions
because “it made the journey more enjoyable.” His
taking risks to extremes was eventually his hubris which led to his downfall.
To read more click on the link. 
In the movie he has many encounters with animals such as a brown bear,
many moose and other creatures. There is a scene where he shoots a moose and despite
his efforts to save the meat by a smoking method, maggots infest the meat
making it incapable for consumption. There is a scene where wolves watch look
to him as they devour the meat almost as a cruel joke. To me this spoke in much
higher volume. The movie takes another turn when he is just feet away from a
large Alaskan brown bear that sniff the emaciated Chris and then moves on.
Almost to say, nature has proven to be bigger than you. I am sure he respected
nature because his spirit was in the right place. The writing in his journal and insights on
society were so profound. Yet the spiritual aspect or respect of the hierarchy I
think was missing. When we are not protected by steel and smoking gun, humans
are quite helpless.
Another point I would like to
address about the movie Into the Wild,
is the fact that he most likely did
not die solely from consuming Sweet pea. It would take large amount of eating
this legume alone to poison someone to the point of starvation. Chris most
likely was not getting adequate amount of vitamins and nutrients for the amount
of calories he was burning daily. Even though Chris was eating large amount of meat successfully eating moose, porcupine, and squirrel, yet still starved to death. This tells us a story that yes protein/amino-fatty acids are important as it was emphasized from the nineteen-hundreds but also just as important are vitamins and nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. He ate most potato root and sweet pea but he could have also been eating things like wild lettuce and dandelion to get more nutrients to help keep him alive.
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No need for a precipitating event when explaining McCandless's starvation
In Terra Incognita Films blog, they explain perfectly how
there is no need for a poisoning event nor is there actual evidence in
Christopher McCandless death. “Using
peer-reviewed scientific literature, relying on calculations developed by the
World Health Organization, and informed by McCandless’s own food journals, we
tested this hypothesis. The result was that, despite some success hunting and
gathering, McCandless was not able to secure enough food on a daily basis. He
slowly lost weight until he reached a Body Mass Index (BMI) that was fatal. To
test this hypothesis, we calculated his energy expenditure and compared this to
his caloric intake. To assess his energy expenditure, we predicted the basal
metabolic rate (BMR) of McCandless using a regression equation developed by the
World Health Organization for young adult humans, age18-29. His BMR was
adjusted to reflect his physical activity level—hunting and gathering—as
defined by WHO criteria. McCandless’s caloric intake was estimated from his
detailed 113-day food journal. In the end, a day-by-day comparison of his
energy expenditure (BMR) and his caloric intake showed a consistent caloric
deficit, i.e. weight loss. By Day 113, his Body Mass Index (BMI) had dropped
into the range of 13 kg/m2, a level considered incompatible with life. It is
believed he died on that same day.This empirical analysis of McCandless’s
energetic state shows a steady loss of weight. He may have gotten sick from one
of his meals at the end of July (“Extremely weak. Fault of pot. seed,” he
writes on 7/30/92), but this was not the cause of his death. The data show that
he died of starvation because he couldn’t meet his energetic needs over 113
days.”
In Forager's
Harvest blog post, Sam Thayer elaborates on the fable of certain
wild edible death! It is a fact that there are poisonous plants in the
wilderness but they are fairly easier to distinguish than Hollywood portrays. “Our culture is spellbound
and beguiled by the story of someone mistaking a poisonous plant for an edible
one and dying from the error. It is a magnetic motif with a suite of
admonitions that we find economically and socially useful: don’t stray too far
from the beaten path; what civilization has given you is better than you
realize; Nature cannot be trusted; be normal and live a predictable life of
routine. These messages are compelling when a torturous death is presented as
the cost of disregarding them. Every culture builds its own propaganda to
promote stability. An important aspect of this propaganda is fables—stories made up to teach particular lessons.
Since we have trouble finding sufficient examples of wild plant poisonings, we
fabricate the story again and again.The Poison Plant Fable assumes many forms.
“
“In
a short-term survival situation, food is of minor importance. However, in
long-term survival or “living off the land,” it is of paramount importance. “ –Sam Thayer
I
agree with this statement entirely. For me eating organic and permaculture
should be a part of every community because it is a way to pass on to our
children the survival tools of our ancestors and further connect our loved ones
with nature. The builds character there is something about living off the land
that is enriching to the spirit. It builds self-confidence while keeping ego in
check. By just creating relationship with the land and food we create and
change the dynamics of the individual and also the surrounding culture.
I leave you with the enlightening Cherokee story of The Origin of Ailments.
Long ago the humans and the animals got along fine. All the
peoples, human and animal, could communicate with each other and were at peace.
The animals of that long-ago time were much larger than the animals of today.
Indeed, the animals of today are but shadows of those who once were.
There came a time when we humans forgot our place and broke the harmony. We
humans began to reproduce at an alarming rate, and we gave ourselves to
the production of all sorts of weapons meant for the destruction of the animals:
spears and atlatls, bows and arrows, blowguns and traps of all kinds. We began
to hunt, not just for food, but simply for the fun of killing. We humans also
killed many animals just by pure carelessness, never stopping to think of the
results of our actions. Even as we walked from place to place, we were not
careful where we stepped, so that many of the tiny many-legged and legless ones
were crushed to death or maimed. Some humans went so far as to purposely kill
little animals merely from a feeling of disgust or loathing, going out of their
way to step on a bug or squash a harmless spider. It was clear that we humans
believed ourselves to be the only ones who mattered in all of creation, and as
we continued clearing land and building our cities; it looked as if there would
soon be no more room for anyone else to live in the earth.
The animals decided something had to be done about this human problem. The
bears met separately from the other animals. The Great White Bear, presiding at
the council asked, "What's the problem?"
"It's these humans; they kill us indiscriminately."
"How do they kill us?"
"With bows and arrows."
"Of what are their bows made?"
"The bow of locust wood and the bowstring of our guts."
The bears decided they would make bows of their own with which to kill the
humans. They got some locust wood, and one of the bears sacrificed himself to
give material for the bowstring. When the bow was finished and arrows were
made, one of the bears stood up to shoot. He could pull the string, but
releasing it was a problem. His long claws would get hung and throw him off
target. The other bears, ducking his wild arrows, cried out, "Stop, stop.
Something must be done. We'll cut your claws."
After the bear's claws were cut, he could shoot a bow as well as any man.
"Now the humans have had it!" all the bears said. "We will hunt
them, as they have hunted us! All we have to do is cut our claws."
"Wait!" said the Great White Bear. "How is it that we bears make
our living?"
"By climbing trees to get honey and by ripping open rotten logs to find
insects and by digging in the earth for rodents and by catching fish."
"How do we do all these things?"
"With our long claws."
The bears understood that if they cut their claws they could no longer make a
living as bears and would starve to death. The idea to hunt the humans with
bows and arrows was scrapped, and they never came up with another solution.
All the other animals came together in a joint council to discuss the human
problem. The Grubworm presided at the council. After all, it was his people,
the little creeping and crawling peoples of the earth, who had suffered most
from the actions of the humans. The animals all sat in a circle. The talking
stick was passed, giving each an opportunity to speak. The Toad said,
"Something must be done. These humans despise me. They are forever kicking
me or throwing things at me, because they think I am ugly. Just look at all the
bumps they've put on my back!"
One of the little birds rose and said, "Although I'm too small to provide
much meat, their little boys kill my people and roast us over the fire until
our feathers and feet are burned off." One after the other, the animals
spoke of atrocities committed by the humans. The only one with nothing to say
against the humans was the little chipmunk, who was too small to be hunted for
food and too quick to be stepped on. When he spoke in defense of the humans,
the other animals jumped on him and gave him such a scratching down his back
that the stripes are there to this day!
Once it was established that something must be done about the humans in order
to save the rest of creation, the floor was open for discussion of what to do.
It was finally decided that each of the animal peoples would come up with at
least one disease with which to inflict the humans, in order to kill most of
them and to teach the rest some respect. Various animals attending the council
agreed to come up with every sort of ailment from cancer to p.m.s. When the
Grubworm heard this last one, he laughed so hard he fell over backwards and has
been crawling around like that ever since.
So, all the animals went their separate ways to meet in council, each with
their own kind, to work out the details of what they would do. The deer met in
council, with their chief, Little Deer, presiding. The deer understood the
humans to be a pitiful and needy people who live only by the deaths of others.
For this reason, the deer decided to allow the humans to continue killing some
deer each year, but only what is needed for food, NEVER FOR SPORT. Furthermore,
a human hunter, upon killing a deer, is required to show respect for the spirit
of the deer by begging the deer's pardon and making a proper tobacco offering.
And so, Little Deer, the chief and adawehi of all the deer will come. Swiftly
and invisibly he will come to the place where the deer has died. Gently he will
bend down over the blood. In a whisper, he will ask the spirit of the slain
deer, "Did this hunter treat you with respect? Did he beg your pardon? Did
he offer tobacco?"
If the answer is, "Yes," all is well, and Little Deer will go on his
way. But if the answer is, "No," Little Deer will track that hunter
to his home. There, Little Deer will strike that hunter with rheumatism, which
he may never hunt again!
Word was sent to the human people, and we Cherokees have not forgotten this
treaty with the deer.
And so, many diseases came into the earth. Many people died. For a while, it
looked as though maybe no humans would survive in the earth. The great cities
were forgotten and fell into ruin.
The plant peoples who saw all of this, also elected to come together and meet
in council. Deciding to take pity on us humans, each plant agreed to give of
itself to provide medicine for at least one human disease or ailment. All we
humans had to do was ask in a respectful way.
Understand that every thought is interlinked within universal consciousness. That your life is an echo of your dominant thoughts.
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