The Year of the Tiger
"It's better to live one year as a tiger than a thousand years as a sheep"
“The Lion’s Roar” by my granddaughter Laterra Lawson
The January full Wolf Moon seemed to usher in an energy that is collecting within humanity for a powerful awakening.
When I do my KumNye exercises in the morning, one of the eight movements is called "the lion's roar". It is a breath that goes in through the nose deep into the body then out through the mouth with the tongue on the top of the mouth. It is a powerful position and movement that brings release and feels exhilarating.
The teachings of the KumNye came from ancient tribal practices out of the mountains around Lake Baikal in Russia, before Buddhism and even Tibet. The person who taught this was trained from the age of four in the practices of the Dur Bon (Strong and Good) which is where the KumNye exercises originated in the East. (His apprentice taught me the KumNye exercises which help to keep me whole.)
He had a motto from those teachings that has guided my life..."It is better to live one day as a tiger than a thousand years as a sheep".
Well, now more than ever, this rings true in my being and as the big full moon shines over the Pacific where I live, and around the world, something is stirring. After years of of fear, loneliness, lockdowns, stress, disease, destruction, conflict, sadness, restrictions, prejudice, tyranny and insanity, there seems to be a crack in the egg and something new is about to be born.
“Birthing the Bird of Paradise”
It isn't just the coming renewal of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere that I am feeling, it is something much greater...something that came through from having to endure the separation and challenges that had to be overcome by all humanity in this age of global communication and connection. It is like a blanket of despair is being thrown off and the light and beauty around us is being illuminated and everyone is involved.
“Sunrise over Wreck Bay” done in 1972
In my family, we have had a "coming of age" ceremony for each young person as they approached adulthood. These have been powerful and awakening times for all involved. These teachings were given to me and many others by Geronimo's granddaughter who has passed now. She taught the "Coming of Age" and many other ceremonies of the Anasasi which I was fortunate to be part of.
The "Coming of Age" ceremony includes some challenges and time alone, seeking awareness and vision that contribute to self awareness. Most people have never gone through this....but she also taught the "Walkback" that is for anyone later in life who never went through a “Coming of Age” ceremony in their youth. Perhaps that is what we have collectively been through with the challenges of kovid and the global processes of learning that it has involved.
At any rate, here we are and soon I feel we may be on a new path of surprise, revelation and healing, hopefully For All Our Relations.
"I feel it coming in the air tonight", stay the course.