Hearing the Call

by Cynthia Devlin.

At the beginning of this New YEAR 2012 I dreamed I got a “call from my art teacher about being late… I planned on still coming but am not concerned about getting credit of the class-nor was she concerned about that. ‘ Now, looking back, i realize it wasn’t long after that dream that I contacted the Cuyamungue institute about the possibility of registering for the Hero’s Journey workshop. I definitely felt ‘the call” to come to the ancient land and felt drawn to delve into using the postures created and left for generations to come to aid in spiritual journeying.

Paul and Laura led us into the series of postures over the weekend, “the Feathered Serpent”, the Lady of Cholula , Tsimshian  , the Carchi woman, the Singing Shaman and the Corn Maiden. the powerful experiences of feeling the serpent energy in my right arm, the deeper sense of help being available and my desire to be open to the continuous river of guidance available from what I called my “Mystic Pizza Momma’, catching and eating fish as a bear, being the fish(a fillet of salmon to be precise) bee stinging me from above and all around and loving it, the intense sounds of the 7 whistles, trust in the Great Mother, blue skies and blue waters, being held and fed my heart by the Big Bear above and behind me were all parts of my individual journeys which i shared with our group.  This process reflect my personal journey in learning to “eat art’ by assuming the postures at the most fundamental level, as i was instructed to do in my dreams many years ago.

On another level, the importance of being together as a community of fellow travelers on this earth was reinforced in both the instructions and rituals led daily by Paul and Laura and by the sharing of our trance experiences in the kiva. The respectful listening and honoring each of our stories reinforced the sweet feeling that the eight of us were together for good reasons and had much to learn from being together in this sacred place, whether it be in the kiva itself, the land being led by Paul in greeting the morning sun, in the kitchen as our group engaged in meal preparation, consumption, and clean-up.  As the time progressed I realized not only were each of us on our own journey yet treading a common path on the great circle.

Listening to Paul and Laura’s experiences of what led them to take this great leap on their own Hero(ine)’s  by assuming their leadership roles with Cuyamungue it dawned on me that Cuyamungue itself is in the birthing position of the East and new beginnings of the hero’s journey and the medicine wheel as an organization.  The invitation to join  them at this stage of the Cuyamungue journey was very appealing, trusting that  i have something to offer as well as be nourished by this powerful practice and growing community, so I agreed to serve on the Board. We will “eat art’ of our ancestors thanks to their contributions in years past, much gratitude to Felitas for her heeding her calling and guidance given to  seekers who joined her, and grounded here on the land and the communal and loving spirits of Cuyamungue.