Part 4: Sacred Earth, A Personal and Bioregional Journey in the Desert

Considering these things during the evening, he awoke the next day prepared with questions. He did ritual with gratitude and love, again calling in the directions and asking their help, with both the quest which he was on, and the quest that was his lifetime. Again, the North spoke to him most strongly, reminding him that it was time to shed his old ways. Offering sage and incense to the spirits of the directions, and to the ancient ones of the land, he again retreated to a circle a bit at a distance, and rattled, hoping the ancestors would come again.

The old chief did come, and the man asked for direction. How could he do these things? What did he need to know about the course of his life that lay ahead? The old man bid him to gaze to his right, and waited patiently while the man began to see the obstacles that would appear on his path.

Straining his eyes, finally three obstacles appeared in front of a wide path that led up a mountain. Impatient to explore, the man started forward, but the chief was not finished. First, the old one added, the man must stop, acknowledge and give gratitude to each obstacle he would meet. Also, he must proceed with awareness, for although he could go around or step over each one, a snag would appear that would grab him.

With a deep breath, the man then started forward. The first obstacle was a dead bush. This, the old one told him, was the chaff of the man’s life, which was spent and ready to be shed. The man took another deep breath and prepared to move forward again, but came to a sudden halt. At his feet appeared a large stink bug. Unhesitatingly, it began to amble in the direction the man was headed, as if leading the way. Sure enough, the stink bug led him to the next obstacle, yet so entranced was the man with his new guide that his leg was grabbed by a dead snagging branch. Then he remembered: he needed to thank the obstacles. Turning back, he thanked his old chaff that was to be released, and turned to the snag, to thank it for reminding him to remain attentive.

The stink bug continued forward, leading him to the next obstacle. It was a beautiful, small Mojave sage. This, the old man said, was the obstacle of his attraction to beauty. This was the trap of the surface of things, and specifically women’s bodies. The man closed his eyes in reflection, for he was all too aware of using sex as a diversion, and detouring around real intimacy. The old man was right. So he thanked his obstacle for showing itself, and proceeded to follow the stink bug.

It took him to a huge thorny bush with many branches that were deeply interwoven. This, he was told, is an organization, and something he could not step over, but must go around. The stink bug worked its way into the depths of the harsh plant until it disappeared, and the man knew he must proceed alone. Thanking the beetle and the thorny shrub, he took a few steps and encountered a wide, well-traveled trail, yet chose to not take it though it appeared to loop towards the mountain top that was his destination. Walking directly forward into the creosote, he realized there were actually many beings around him. He began to see ahead one he thought would be waiting at his destination. When he reached it, he realized he was actually only part-ways towards his goal. Moreover, what he thought was a destination was actually connected to an extremely prickly shrub by a huge, tough spider web. The man realized this was a potential trap. He needed to be wary when he neared his goal.

When he reached the top of the mountain, he found a beautiful, sacred place. Yet, he marveled, it was clearly not unlike any other place. The sacred, it seemed, could be found anywhere. Reflecting on this, he returned to his circle, realizing on his way back that his journey up the had been farther than he realized, and the way back, confusing.

∞

This is the story of a man on a quest who disappeared, leaving his self and his world behind as he sought a vision.

It is the story of a man who stepped outside the dream of people, and enfolded into the dream of the Earth.

It is the story of a sacred Earth, and the part that is the Mojave Desert.