World Peace and Prayer Day
21 June 2011 - Summer Solstice - Minneapolis
By Sabina Cesaroni
Chief Arvol Lookinghorse, 19th generation keeper of the sacred Buffalo calf pipe, of the Lakota people, stands proudly and tall while introducing himself and telling us the deep meaning of this gathering. People from Japan, Africa, Alaska, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Israel, Norway …
Everybody is carefully listening to this "story teller” accompanied by the" eldest ones" witnessing their ancient history tradition as American Indians.
Once upon a time ….sounds like a fairy tale but is not!…in Lakota tradition a white buffalo appeared at a time of great hardship for the people and transformed into a woman who brought the people the peace pipe. She taught them how to pray to the Creator with the pipe and some special sacred herbs."
This was the real "fairy tale" at that time …but what happened about 8 years ago is that a white buffalo calf was born again. This was considered as a great auspicious sign, as Lakota say there will be a return of the white animals, considered sacred ones, as a sign of Divine guidance, especially during time of great difficulty for people.
Gathering together, praying for peace in the world, reaching those lands considered sacred sites throughout the time. This is the meaning of our being here, today, on the very solstice of summer time 2011, almost a pilgrimage, a way to remind and honour …
So everyone becomes the story teller in his-her different tradition, sharing and holding the peace pipe gathering into a real “Sangha ".
While listening to the oldest ones …people from Lakota, Dakota, Nakota and other tribes of American Indians, we realize that differences are just various "colours" of the same energetic field we all belong to.
The opening Fire ceremony, the Water ceremony and the ceremony of the horses circling around the Teepee accompanied by the sacred drums beating …the healing circle of the women…everything is so intense and people were really moved, emotionally participating and sharing.
Especially for the dancing ceremonies: the warriors, the sacred spirit of the eagle and earth, silent and refined Maori dance, the dance for honouring and healing ancestors pain … dance is a gift from God and is a sacred healing!
And … it has been raining and raining … but the sacred Fire was kept alive by its guardians and the shaman who seemed to be drawing magic circles in the air. That warmth and light accompanied us all these long days.
Many guests from abroad were invited to talk. So Japan was represented by women talking about the days after the tsunami disaster and the nuclear problem … what will we do now?! South Africans talked about racism, Mandela and the Apartheid, about the many children still starving … a Rabbi talked about Israel and the suffering of both Israel and Palestine and the "wall" … between them, its religious conflicts and the intimate search for God beyond any dogmatic discrimination … an Inuit woman talked about the difficulties of survival etc.
Among these the presence of 2 Swamis, women, wearing the same orange colour representing that final surrender, those sacred ashes left after the personal burning fire transformation.
Swami Nitya, with whom I was travelling - and I'm telling you … what an experience! Swami Nitya talked about the elements , about fire and water and earth and particularly … that special burning , that special not being stuck …that special letting go in order to re-move any form of passed "samskaras" and proceed forward. She invited people into Silence, because it’s the Silence where all differences and all suffering disappears; where the sacred fire transforms into light.
On the last day it kept raining and raining … so that the closing of this meeting happened naturally!
Helped by a quite strong wind, it increased so much (the tent was about to fly away) and the physical fire extinguished slowly and naturally by itself, even though the sacred fire will keep burning in our hearts and minds.
While I am writing, "flashes" of those days come so alive and sharp. I realize: I too am "story teller" and as American Indians say: passing "medicine", which is the fruit of living experience!
Here, at the Meditation Centre in Minneapolis where I stayed during these days I can breathe the silence and the calm. Surrounded by greenery and birds singing in the early morning a blessing for the morning sadhana!
Swami Rama and Swami Veda spent such a long time here, you can feel their presence accompanying you.
Everyone at the center was so friendly and lovely … I take with me that silence, that peace accompanied by the echo of those drums still are beating in my heart.
Hari Om
Editor’s Note:
Sabina Cesaroni is a teacher at the Himalayan Yoga Institute Italia (http://www.himalayaninstitute.it/) in Florence, Italy. To read more about the Himalayan Yoga Institute Italia, please read: http://www.ahymsin.org/docs2/News/1107Jul/05.html
Jim Feketa writes that Sabina did a wonderful dance at WPPD 2011.
The website for The Meditation Center in Minneapolis is http://www.themeditationcenter.org/jnana/
More about World Peace and Prayer Day can be found at this website: http://www.worldpeaceandprayerday2011.org/
Swami Nityamuktananda’s website is: http://www.athayoga.info/
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