Dear Reader,
“We are all indigenous, equal in essence, the sons and daughters of the Earth and yet, for some, many infact, to be Indigenous means to suffer at the hands of our brothers and sisters, to be persecuted, to be stigmatised as less than equal – until balance is restored the suffering will continue; the world will remain out of balance until this is put right.”
There are many in the world who are already doing everything they can to support the struggle of indigenous people to become equal and free citizens, within the world, on their own lands, within the contexts of independant Nation States – if you are such a person, THANK-YOU – please continue to shine your light in the world, to let it shine brighter, to be the example, the exceptional individuals who make the difference – and, may we join you……and, of course, lets remember, indigenous ‘issues’ in the world do not only apply to human-kind……
Re-balancing can happen – it is happening as we speak – and yet, the suffering continues. The message is that we need to ‘up the energy’, sustain our focus for ‘positive change’ and be ready to change our POV as the view changes. Let us examine, under the powerful lense of this Equinoxial Full Moon, some of the ways in which this imbalance persists in the world today, the better to navigate a way forward, a way of healing and bringing an end to the suffering………but, first, lets set the astrological scene :
It is Equinox, the time of the year when we adjust to the changing rhythms of day and night, darkness and light, in fluid equilibrium – it is the fulcrum point at which questions of balance can be brought into focus, given a new appraisal and a healing time prepared from what we find.
There is also a very potent Full Moon the day after the equinox, filling out this theme with passion and emotive energy – opposite the Moon, the Sun re-figures Saturn’s recent entry into the Libran influence of Justice, balance – the weighing of our soul’s path-work on Earth against our love for Humanity. Under these influences our focus becomes intensified, grounded with passion and deeply pragmatic meaning.
Uranus and Jupiter are conjunct within the equinoxial zone of this Moon and the FM itself falls exact on their previous meeting point (June 8th 2010) at the first degree of Aries – time for expansive change, emotive re-evaluation and charging up our heart-felt potential for radical healing.
Full Moons can also cause us to loose our heads, turn us into gibbering lunatics and, with the energies of Jupiter amplifying and Uranus electrifying the Full Moon, we need to be-aware of rash and over the top impulses – Neptune and Chiron continue to challenge us to work for the higher good while also letting go even though our hearts may still be in the right place – even as we allow the power to flow through through us – its as well to be in safe and sacred space if we are working intentionally with these energies as there is an unpredictability in the mix and the possibility of becoming ungrounded.
Put all these energies together and you can see that it creates a great wave, of soul focused healing, and the dynamic re-balancing that releases us from the shackles of the past – riding it will help us to grieve old wounds, even ancient ones embedded in our DNA, clearing the way for a clearer connection with each other and the cosmos – we can bring about the change that we percieve is most sorely needed, so, it is a good time to ‘ask the question’, of what is closest to our hearts.
Applying these energies to persistant and deep wounds will bring about equally deep and lasting change – and, Human Rights is amongst the most pressing and pertinant issues that we face, day after day, in our time – what happens when the world moves WITH the cosmos in consciousness on these issues – lets find out…..
Returning to the focus of Indigenous People’s Rights in the world and, at the risk of inciting you to duck behind the sofa or run for the nearest fire hydrant, let us ask an emotive and difficult question , in keeping with this Full Moon :
‘Are the conquered and divided, missionised, dispossesed, raped, murdered, stigmatised, ethnically cleansed, dishonoured, disrespected, criminalised, Indigenous victims of genocide, enforced enculturalisation, enslavement, marginalisation, imported disease, non-indigenous values, illegal invasion, ‘legal’ subjugation, deportation, starvation and corporate greed expected to say :
“yeh, OK, you’re right, we’re wrong – go ahead, do as you will, destroy us, control us, our land, our culture, our way of life, our communities and families – make of us a diaspora, an example of undesirability, less than worthy members of the ‘Free World’ – disregard our rights to, by your own Laws, Free Speech, self determination, equality, liberty and the basic fundamental rights of human existance, on and within the land that we, our parents, grandparents and ancestors, who so desire the nourishment of our grief shed tears, call our Home, going back longer than you can, in all likelihood, possibly remember, and would willingly shed yourselves, were YOU also vitaly in touch with your deepest roots, with the land that has given you and your kin their roots, meaning, culture and very bodies, has fed and envigorated your spirits and given you the unalienable right to say “I AM INDIGENOUS”?’
NO! I DON”T THINK SO……………DO YOU?
Indigenous peoples the world over continue to this day, in our time, to suffer exploitation, oppression and the abuse of their inalienable Human Rights – and this, despite the best efforts of the UN, the ILO, national governments and their representatives, countless dedicated organisations, lobbying, pressure, support and resource groups, campaigns, communities and inspired individuals to bring balance and equality into the world on behalf of and as representatives of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. This raises many questions – such a state of affairs is itself a persistant and pertinent question waiting to be fully answered.
Pertinent questions can be powerful motivators – they persist and remain active until resolved……..for example :
The United States and Canada are the two most prominent countries not, to this date, to have fully endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – Canada, at the time of writing, is still moving towards ratification – at the time of initial adoption eleven other countries abstained – WHY?
The ILO Convention C169 that gives Indigenous Human Rights a global legal condition of recognition, as well as giving Indigenous Law a valuable degree of parity with National Law, is, to date, ratified by ONLY 22 nations worldwide, despite having been in existance for more than 30 years, and in force for 29 years – notable absentees from ratification include the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, the UK; infact every single European country except Holland, Spain, Norway, and Denmark has so far refused to ratify this noble and crucial convention – WHY?
France’s government is in the process of expelling Roma peoples; Germany’s government is heading in the same direction, with their sights on even greater numbers of expulsions than France, including large numbers of children – WHY?
Then, please consider the fact that, even when they do ratify Articles and Conventions that protect the equality of First Nations within Nation States, giving them legal rights that protect their Human Rights, Nation States the world over continue to demonstrate a liability to show harsh disregard for the same fundamental rights of aboriginal, indigenous peoples, when it comes to issues of State policy, land rights, legal rights, education and health, the abolition of poverty and particularly the Humanitarian rights of peoples whose very existance is under threat from Corporate Development of their homelands – WHY?
Given that, inspite of all the advances and immense efforts that have been initiated, embedded and enacted on behalf of and in support of the indigenous peoples of this world, that they continue to suffer, are we then to stand back and do nothing? Are we to remain passive observers of the horrors faced by indigenous peoples, day after day, the world over?
If you find that the answer is NO please take time to think on this, make a pledge to yourself, renew your old ones, to, at least one time in your life, but, better still, once a year, a month, even everyday, do at least one small thing that will help change this totally unacceptable state of affairs within our present world. And, if you find that the answer is YES……..then, thank-you for making it this far, and, having done so, just allow yourself to go one step further……
The smallest thing can make all the difference – a gift, message, prayer, dedication – even just ‘thank-you’ in some form adds more substance, more energy to the wave of change that we can and are generating in support of the indigenous and oppressed First Nations of our world – Our World…..think on it….there is so much more we can choose to do
Whatever your choices the following organisations and articles will help you make your choice an informed one – illuminations and blessings of this Equinox Full Moon be with us :
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL
IP SURVIVAL FOUNDATION
UN INDIGENOUS FORUM
UN DECLARATION
ILO C169
BEING INDIGENOUS
FOREST PEOPLE
ARCTIC PEOPLE
ISSUES AND RESOURCES
ROMA EXPULSIONS
UNREPRESENTED NATIONS
A I MOVEMENT
owlmirror 
well…this post, which I read right after viewing a video of an Algonquin elder talk about his earliest childhood memory
( and no doubt with the influences of astral and full moon energies ) really stirred up a rather large amount of pain. Thank you, really, because that is a gift, to be consciously aware of a deep wound is to heal it – as is a gift to write so evocatively as to make this possible.
I am still working through some of the more personal, original wound stuff, (again) but here is what I have come up with so far -without turning this into a therapy session or a public purging.
Some of my pain is grief for what has been, and continues to be, perpetrated on first nations people worldwide. I have seen firsthand some of the effects of ‘globalization’ on Tibetan refugees, Mayan and other indigenous Mexicans, the Hopis and First Nations people in Canada. Although I have always tried to leave no footprints when I travel I have wondered how my contact may have inadvertently changed the vibration enough to tip a balance. This comes mixed with a huge gratitude for the teachings that many people with indigenous knowledge are now openly sharing with those who can dissolve the wall of palpable distrust that continues to be an impediment to true understanding.
With any mass influx of a different culture there is a time – maybe generations – where there is anger and distrust. While I recognize that what I am about to write is on a different level than the atrocities which the First Nations endured it nevertheless is one shared by enough people to create a collective field of consciousness that cannot and should not be swept under the rug of political correctness. It also carries pain that needs to be looked at so it can be dissolved. I live in an area where this is a real time event so will give it a local slant. Many people, including myself at times although I do not foster it, feel pushed aside and marginalized in the country in which they were born by another culture that largely does not respect the land, the language or the values of the people that live there. They bring a different consciousness about natural resources and so much short term wealth that some are blinded to the long term effects. The landscape is forever changed. Even those who come with a more open heart change things just by being part of such a large immigrant group.
I have been immersed in this pain for long enough to be a bit numb to feeling it for what it is –separation. And this happening all over the earth, playing out in different ways, but also in very similar ones.
Several years ago, in vivid dreamtime that left an indelible imprint, I received an clear message that I came here to be bridge. I am coming to an understanding what that means in this lifetime as there are so many daily opportunities to do just that! Perhaps all of us came here at this time to bridge this shift in consciousness. I believe that by resonating love and acceptance we can reach for the highest good in our globalized migrations and travels – but creative action is also needed. Maybe by extending our arms in welcome in the present we can also reach back and heal some of the past. Maybe that bridge is the one that brings us all to the realization that we are all one, all indigenous on this planet, all deserving to stand tall and powerful on the 2 square feet of mother earth under our feet and to reach up to our creator in what ever way nourishes our hearts and souls, alongside our brothers and sisters. Have we not yet evolved to a realization that we cannot change anything with the same consciousness that created it?
Therein lies my pain
Joan – thank-you – listening, hearing each others truth, is immense, and, yes, it must begin under our own feet – bearing witness is the tough and requisit challenge – whether we aspire to make a difference, be change makers or not, this of itself makes all the difference – when we have the courage to do this, to be self-honest, accept our complicity and speak what we find, it begins, of itself, to change everything – so, thankyou for going there, speaking out and persisting
And, while we are in dire need of the campaigning and being pro-active, the whole is undermined by a huge collective grief – I am a strong believer in the healing power of grief, and this always begins with our selves – there is no morbidity in this – it is liberating across time – our ancestors require it of us – for ‘Westerners’ this is problematic – we can learn much from indigenous peoples – but, it is a necessary undertaking – so, to make the process, the next steps, lasting
There are no easy answers, no quick fixes – we should not expect to see the fruits of our labours, which means our vision and determination is required to be strong and unwavering – what we do now we do for those who come after – and they need us to keep the sacred fire of our aspirations, for a better world, alight, that they too may pick it up and pass it on – we are their ancestors – the least we can do is sustain the call, persist in bringing back attention, maintaining focus, fostering awareness – this is our only guarantee for realisation – it will come, and keep on coming if we do so
processing a little shift these last few days- nice to feel non judgement and especially clarity around a few things. Thank you. Occasional self indulgence is great man!
You are right on the mark! Under the pain I was feeling is the burden of responsibility – one gets very good at trying not to see that one , it can be so ..inconvenient…..:)
the following is a great little video I just received which you may have already seen – and will probably see again because it is too real to not share with my FB friends.
our ancestors require it of us…
I hope the attach is here
thanks for the link Joan – I became aware of the Kogis back in the late 90’s – their deep respect for the cycle of Life, that the Sierras embodies so clearly, made a lasting impression, as did their awareness of the ‘younger brothers’ (their term for the Europeans who came over the seas) who continue to show a need for awakening to responsibility and awareness of our impact upon Life – awareness, the gateway for change – our responsibility, to cross the threshold, of understanding, to embody it
every time we make these connections we mend the sacred hoop, step into the consciousness that connects all Life – mend that part of the circle that is within us – if we can open a spirit path through this, to the ancestors, we make the circle come alive with their voices and the voices of the ancestors become stronger within our own lives, begin to speak to us in the everyday – for the ‘younger brother’ this is a road of recovery, which enables right thought and action to embody those deeper connections – with our deep relations, with all our relations – it is also a path of correction, of our relationship with ‘power’ – right thought and action, being within the circle – first we must listen – second we are required to feed that which feeds us, those who support us from the spirit worlds, those who give of themselves that we may live – with gratitude – once again, this is our path of realisation – I have my own ancestors and and mentors to thank in this understanding – once again, thanks for bringing the flame forward
Wow, certainly interesting topic. How will I get this RSS?
Nicky Smith
nyc escorts
Hi Nicky – RSS is top right of the page – all best, R