One of the things that people more grounded in the Earth than ourselves have always known, and continue to know, is that it is not difficult for us to be the voices of nature, or to allow other beings to speak through us, that we can become a medium for their truth. This is the basis of the Council of All Beings, which is the ritual that we’ll be doing tomorrow morning, what we’ll do this afternoon is the beginnings of that. The first thing we’re going to need for the Council of All Beings is an ally, and that ally is a non-human being, because the Council, for the moment, consists of non-human beings only.
There was a time when human beings were part of the Council, and we pray for a time when human beings again come to the Council. they chose to leave the Council, and we have heard lots from them, it is time for the voiceless to be heard. So for tomorrow there’ll be no humans in the Council, but ANY non human beings are welcome and these may be animals, or plants, or features of the landscape, lakes, rivers, rain, clouds, or worms – you name it is OK. Each of us is going to find an ally, or more accurately we are going to be found by an ally because this is not done in a direct and purposeful kind of way, but it’s done in a way where we just be in nature and invite something to come to us. The spirit of something will come. It maybe that if a moose comes and licks you on the face, that could be a sign !, but more usually it comes to us as an inspiration, it is a very childlike space that you’re going into, and it is hard to give an example exactly, it’s different every time, but it might go like this.
You go out into the woods and begin to do this walking meditation, and just meander, just amble, and then you might suddenly feel that you need to defocus your vision, allow things to blur, you just want to be able to see enough so that you don’t fall over, and then you
might feel a certain tree pulling you towards it, at first you think “aha, this tree is my ally”, but when you get there, the tree is not it, and then you discover that the tree is not your ally, but the tree is an antenna, that allows your ally, which is the African Elephant, to come all of that distance and enter your heart. So it is just like it is a fairy tale, it’s a little story, and it is something that you do by yourself.
Now the thing about it is that no-one has ever failed to find an ally, some people may already know who their ally is because it leapt into their mind the moment I started speaking. It’s no big deal, but the process of finding your ally, of surrendering to your ally, is an important part of really letting go of our usual boundaries, our identification of our sense of what’s real, our sense of what’s dignified, and our sense of what’s nonsense. Just letting go, back into a child like, well maybe I’m going to learn something new today, tomorrow, maybe something is going to happen, that hasn’t happened before. So, we are looking for that place, of readiness for something new because it’s really important.
(My notes. Surrender ! It is better if your ally comes TO you, be open, be willing to play along, you don’t have to believe anything, just be willing to play).
So the first part of that is connecting with our ally. The second part of it is that we make a mask to represent that ally. Now the mask doesn’t have to be a likeness at all, it can be an abstract representation, the mask doesn’t have to be beautiful, it’s good if it covers our face because it makes it easier for all of us to participate if we don’t see any human faces, but sometimes people have come back with a mask that was just a fin which they wore on their back as a dolphin. You can do anything you like. If you put it over your face it is good for the mask to have eyes to be able to see what is going on. And if it great if you have a hole where the mouth is so it’s much easier for all to hear what you are saying.
Indicate to people where all the mask making materials are, and tell people to use anything interesting they find on their journey, e.g. feathers, but to be gentle in taking things from nature for the masks. This can be quite fast, say a couple of minutes to make the mask, it doesn’t matter because you are going to introduce yourself in the Council, you’ll say “I am wolf, or I am River”, so everyone will know who you are. The making of the mask is an opportunity to invite a kind of softening of your own boundaries, that is the Council of All Beings, and so if you find that it’s much more important for you to be out in nature, don’t worry about it just take a few minutes on your mask. If you already have an ally, and you feel that an elaborately decorated mask is more suited to how you will invite the spirit of your ally to mingle with your spirit, then go ahead that way. It doesn’t matter how we do it, but one way or another all of us will end up with an ally and a mask by 9:30 tomorrow. In the mask making it is not necessary to be totally quiet, but to retain the focus, and to respect people’s intention and space with their ally.
V Council beginning
Welcome to this Council of All Beings my fellow beings. I am “being”.
Ask all to go around the circle once and introduce themselves.
We come to this council to share matters that are close to our hearts, also to share our strengths, our beauty, our troubles and our wisdom.
(Brief modelling by me.)
Invite any being to speak.
A council can be all about the beauty of Gaia, doesn’t have to focus on problems ! JS advice is to be invisible, when it seems needed to do something, wait at least 5 minutes, but don’t let it get boring or fidgety, put in questions that lead or prompt or suggest, and always hook them back to something another being has said, so it is important to note things said that can be weaved into an ending, allow all the possibilities to be explored, only if there is a conspiracy to deny what the humans doing should I get in and give humans a real serve, don’t let the council be falsely protective of humans activities)
VI Council ending(s)
1. Put on human masks.
Creates great clan/tribe feelings … excellent.
Can come about like this …
We must not forget our wildness. When you see a fellow being, remember this, be heard, speak out, do something every day as ritual to remind us of our true selves. Let us teach the humans the rituals and make them fun ! then lure them back to Council.
We have shared much, surely enough for the humans to change, if only they could hear us.
After all options have been discussed, get into dreams, kill the lot, etc, “But this is really an emergency, we really need powerful ways to get to the humans minds. Tell story about how Indians would make masks and dance. In the dance of the spirit of the animal they were to hunt. This was to appease the spirit and ensure success. We could put on human masks, and hunt their spirit, to share our knowledge with them.”
“Must come back to Council to remember danger of being out in the human world. Come back regularly and bring some humans along, just tell them it is a workshop.”
How do the beings feel about this ? (listen)
We must go amongst them , for if we separate them, then we are doing just what they have done. We are one, really it is not a human mask, but just a change of perspective.
We also owe it to our brothers and sisters who are enslaved by the humans, and those who are addicted to their garbage heaps.
Could go around and discuss problems that we will face with human masks, share ideas, and allow some time for beings to make the transition.
2. Reveal the human part of me and ask you all to embrace it. Can lead from the idea of the web, that we have a strand of each thing is each of us. Bit wiffle wafflely.
3. Ending from Thinking Like A Mountain.