Back to the Ledges at High Tor--What Stone Work

Peter Shell and I were back at High Tor NYS Forest in the Ledges area photographing and cataloguing    stone mounds.  As I have been posting about recently there is some incredible stone work found there. I wanted to share some pictures with you.

Below are pictures of stone mound #19.  It is an oblong shaped stone mound with a dimpled center. There are also many appendages that cover Energy Lines. There is an  elevated front entryway. Not sure if this was to mark Energy Lines, or to create a step up before entry.

The stone mound covers numerous Energy Lines. In fact we ran out of staffs to mark all the Energy Lines and ended up to resorting to using sticks and wrapping them with yellow tape.

There are only 2 Earth Chakrasoff one main Energy Lines marked by yellow tape; offshoots from the dark blue and white staff.

Staffs mark the Energy Lines.

 This is the right side of the first picture. Notice how raised stones mark the Energy Lines. Even on the ground to the right you can see stones marking Energy Lines.

In the picture above the tape attached to the dark blue and white staff mark Energy Lines beginning from an Earth Chakra. A vortex, or Earth Chakra is found at the origination point of the new Energy Line. Notice how stones are used to mark these Energy Lines originating from the Earth Chakra.

YouTube Video posted--Mound #16 A Very Intricate Mound

A video of Ledges Area Survey, Stone Mound #6, has Been Posted on YouTube. We are in the process of cataloguing the stone structures at the Ledges Area of High Tor. 

Because the Ledges Area contains numerous Earth Chakra, and the bulk of stone mounds are located over Earth Chakras you might wish to first see a short video I put together a few years back on Earth Chakras.
Earth Chakras--Vortexes of Energy Circulation


This video looks at stone mound #16 and shows the various, Earth Chakras, Energy Lines, etc that are associated with that stone mound. It is an incredibly intricate stone mound and a true  demonstration of the workmanship ancient cultures. . Thanks to Peter Shell and Janice Carr for their help. REMEMBER IT'S ALL ABOUT THE VIBE!

Ledges Stone Mound #16, An Intricate Stone Mound 

Article--The Roots of America's Identity are Buried Deep in the Earth.

Friends,

With July 4th approaching it is time to recognize how the land has shaped Our, America's, Identity. The following was published in Counterpunch today.

Blessings,
madis 

The Roots of America’s Identity and Our Political Divide Are Buried Deep in the Land

By Madis Senner

The political divide in the U.S. has never seemed wider than it does now and our polarization never this great. Yet even though a chasm exists between opposing political sides, there is universal agreement that there is something special about America, what some call her "exceptionalism." 

What IS this "something special" and how did it come about?  

The roots of our national identity are buried deep in the earth and existed long before the first Europeans landed on our shores. No doubt our Founders and subsequent immigrants helped shape our identity, but the mosaic of who we are as Americans was already firmly established by the time they arrived.

The Land Shaped Us?

Most Americans would find the concept that the land itself defined and shaped us is one that borders on blasphemy and the ridiculous. Many identify the U.S. as a Christian nation, and thus the idea that the land can influence its inhabitants defies the Abrahamic tradition and is considered paganistic. The concept is equally heretical to the scientific and materialistic viewpoints.

But the fact is the land DOES have a profound influence upon us. We see this vividly with our political divide, which is also a regional divide. America has a Blue State/Red State orientation, where we are aggregated in distinct geographical areas according to our political perspectives (conservatives in the South, liberals in the North).  And the idea that we cling to Civil War allegiances seems almost unimaginable. 

The prescient analysis of Kevin Phillips in 1968, then a Republican strategist for the Nixon Administration, predicted our Red State (conservative)/Blue State (liberal) divide. His book, The Emerging Republican Majority, forecasted a surging conservative movement as Americans moved from cities to suburbs and from the Northeast to the South and West. He believed that traditional Civil War alliances would dominate politics, becoming known as the "Republican’s Southern Strategy.” 

Philips was correct, and the South benefitted from migration and saw its population explode relative to the North. The influx of new residents was a diversified mix of immigrants and citizens with a variety of political allegiances. Those migrating to the South were not all conservatives, yet the South remained predominantly conservative, consistently voting Republican during its growth spurt. For example, Georgia's population doubled from 4.6 million (1970) to 9.7 million (2010), and its electoral votes increased from 12 to 16 in that same period. And Georgia's voting record remained consistently conservative Republican, with the exception of when native sons Carter and Clinton ran for president. Interestingly 3.6 million of that 4.6 million, or 2/3 of the increase was to metro Atlanta, which you would think like other metro areas would vote democratic.

We also see our regional divide in the social fabric of religion and American values. Preceding the Civil War, the two largest protestant denominations, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Baptist Church, split into Northern and Southern Branches over slavery. Free churches formed in the North for those denominations, or ministers, that refused to embrace Abolitionism.  In the South, many clergy used their interpretation of the bible to condone slavery.

Today, southern Christian churches are speaking out against homosexuality and LGBT rights. They have been a force behind efforts to pass discriminatory laws such as North Carolina’s transgender restroom legislation.  In contrast, northern churches such as the UU, UCC, and Episcopal churches, fully support LGBT rights.  Not all Southerners are conservative and against equal rights for transgender citizens and not all Northerners are liberals and pro-LGBT. But regional influences can affect our thinking and behavior.

Why is it that some Americans still adhere to Civil War allegiances?  In the last 50 years, the U.S. government has passed legislation to increase equality and reduce discrimination. Jobs created by corporate America have reduced economic disparities nationally. And our country has become standardized -- just about every town has a Walmart and a McDonalds.   As Americans, we dress similarly, shop at the same chain stores, and are captured by the same national crazes gone viral.  Yet at another level we are as regionally divided as ever. 

Jungian Archetypes

To better understand why our politics have remained regional while just about every other feature of our lives has become uniform, we turn to Carl Jung. Jung believed that humanity shared a "collective unconscious," populated by our instincts and archetypes, and stemming from our ancestral and evolutionary past. He believed our collective unconscious exerts a tremendous influence upon us, shaping our thinking and behavior, both individually and collectively. He also believed that our collective unconscious is buried deep in the earth.

In Mind and Earth, Jung states that archetypes are the “hidden foundation of the conscious mind.” To describe how our consciousness has developed, he used the metaphor of the construction of a building:

Its “upper story was erected in the nineteenth century, its ground floor dates back to the sixteenth century, and careful examination of the masonry reveals that it was reconstructed from a tower built in the eleventh century. In the cellar we come upon Roman foundations, and under the cellar a choked-up cave with Neolithic tools in the upper layer and remnants of fauna from the same period in the lower level.”

The implication is clear: who we are today, whether it be our national or regional identities, is the result of the memories built upon the land over the millennia by those who lived here before us. Basically, the Earth retains the memories and imprints of our ancestors, or predecessors, shaping who we are. Jung never discussed American regional differences, but he noted that different countries and people have different identities.

Jung saw America as an experiment in the transplantation of a race to another country:   “Just as, in the process of evolution, the mind has been moulded by earthly conditions, so the same process repeats itself under our eyes today.” 

America was not built upon virgin soil, but on the ancestral totems, or memories of Native Americans and other indigenous people.  Jung stated, “The foreign land assimilates its conqueror …. Our contact with the unconscious chains us to the earth and makes it hard for us to move.” Put another way, the conqueror is conquered by the conquered. Jung points out how Australian Aborigines believe one cannot conquer a foreign soil because the ancestor spirits that dwell in the soil will reincarnate in the invader.

While European settlers helped shape America, who we are at our core as Americans is ultimately the result of the ancestors of Native Americans and other indigenous people before them. We have only added another floor, or addition, to Jung’s metaphorical building. We commonly believe that America was built over the last few hundred years, but the deep roots of our being go back millennia.  Jung was so compelled by this idea that he referred to America as having a Native American soul. 

America’s Native American Soul

So where can we see the influence of a Native American soul? In 1988, the U.S. Senate passed Hr. Cons. Res. 331, which recognized the profound influence the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) confederacy, its form of government, and its Great Law of Peace had on our Founders, on our form of government, and on our concepts of democracy. But there was a much greater influence that they did not acknowledge -- that of the collective unconscious of the Haudenosaunee and previous Nations (Tribes) buried in the land that they inhabited, now the area of greater New York State.

The Peacemaker, a spiritual prophet of the Haudenosaunee tells their story. He arrived in upstate New York at a time of war, violence, torture, and cannibalism. He convinced the people to stop their blood feuding and forgive those who had injured them, and he united the warring tribes/nations into one Nation (Haudnosaunee/Iroquois.) He transformed the Adodarhoh, a vile and violent man, into the Tadodaho, a great spiritual leader and the greatest chief, a position still held and revered today.

The Peacemaker then gathered the people at Onondaga Lake (in Syracuse, New York.)  As a symbol of peace, he uprooted a white pine tree and had the people throw their weapons into the stream below—thus the term "bury the hatchet." The Peacemaker replanted the Tree of Peace and gave the people the Great Law of Peace.

When we examine the Haudenosaunee, its prophet (the Peacemaker), and his Great Law of Peace as how that law manifested in the actions and beliefs of the Nation, we begin to see in those people much that we hold dear about ourselves: 

Democracy—the Great Law of Peace created democracy and contains familiar terms such as “we the people” and established a confederation, or union of tribes/nations.

Welcoming—“If any man or any nation shall obey the Laws of Peace … they may trace back the roots of the Tree … They shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Great Evergreen Tree.” (Great Law of Peace)

Peace/reconciliation—People were able to cast their differences aside and unite in peace. None of the advocates for peace killed anyone.

Women—were given an elevated status of clan mothers. Author, feminist, and scholar Sally Roesch Wagner was so impressed by this influence that she wrote a book about it, Sisters in Spirit, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Influences on Early American Feminists.

Transformation—America is the story of second acts, supposedly from immigrants finding a new home in a distant land. But the story of the Peacemaker tells of one of the most dramatic transformations ever, the rebirth of the Adodarhoh into the Tadodaho. Imagine the most violent and evil person being transformed into a spiritual leader! 

Melting pot/uniting—Before the U.S. became a melting pot of various cultures and races, the five tribes that became the Haudenosaunee were united.

Spiritual—the Creator through the Peacemaker brought about peace.

Forgiveness—Everyone had to forgive, especially Hiawatha who had his daughters killed by the Adodarhoh while working with the Peacemaker. A powerful message seldom seen in "story arcs," or stories, whether they are religious, or nonreligious.

This is what makes up the floor below us. But there are many other floors below that I imagine are very similar. Ones that were cumulatively shaped the Haudenosaunee and others before them.

We Have Been "Conquered"

Yes, there is something exceptional about America because there has always been something exceptional about the land we inhabit, from ancestral totems to aspects of Mother Earth. We must accept that we are not a conqueror, but that we have been conquered, as were the Haudenosaunee and others before them.  The land we call home has subsumed us, and in the process we have been imbued with noblest of beliefs and ideals.

No doubt other factors have contributed to our development. But we need to recognize that we have been shaped by the Earth we call America; whether it be our national identity or our regional differences. Once we recognize that the land shapes us, we may begin to appreciate Mother Earth and see Her for who She is.

I like to imagine that many prophets and great souls walked the area of greater New York State long before the Haudenosaunee’s Peacemaker landed his canoe on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. I see the roots of the White Pine Tree that he planted have stretched around the world and know that concepts unimaginable at the time, such as democracy and the empowerment of women, have been embraced globally. 

Yes, we have our political divisions, our perceived injustices, and the prospect of tyranny. And, yes, our Founders recognized slavery, viewed women as second class status citizens, and failed to allow everyone to vote. But the land conquered those inequities.  HOW?  It influenced its inhabitants to become reformers, leaders, and great souls.  It will do so again.

The exceptionalism that defines us is a powerful force buried in the earth – neither the blood feuding and cannibalism at the time of the Peacemaker, nor the Civil War could stop the land's force. That exceptionalism remains bubbling below the surface of the land looking to rise again.

The Earth will offer us a future, once again, of an even  "more perfect union," a more just and egalitarian society, and a community where all of creation and Mother Earth is revered.  Great wonder awaits us.

______________________________

The preceding was adapted from Sacred Sites in North Star Country:  Places in Greater New York State (PA, OH, NJ, CT, MA, VT, ONT) That Changed the World.

Madis Senner is a former global money manager turned Seeker. In his previous life he published opinion pieces for the NY Times, Barron's and others. As a Keeper, he takes care of maintains several sacred sites. Sacred Sites in North Star Country is his fourth book. He lives in the heart of North Star Country in Syracuse, NY. You can learn more about his thinking and Mother Earth at http://motherearthprayers.blogspot.com.

Thanks to Debra Schaffer for her editorial help and Monroe Bernold for his input.

Bibliography:

Jung, Carl; Mind and Earth, Volume 10 of his Collected Works.

Phillips, Kevin; The Emerging Republican Majority, Arlington House, NYC, NY, 1969

Sabini, Meredith; The Earth Has a Soul. The Nature Writings of C.G. Jung, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley Calif, 2008

Strong, Douglas M; Perfectionist Politics, Abolitionism and the Religious Tensions of American Democracy; Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, NY, 1999

Tacey, David: “Mind and Earth: Psychic Influence Beneath the Surface”, Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche; Volume 3. No.2, pg 15-32.

The Great Law of Peace


Wagner, Sally Roesch; Sisters in Spirit, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Influences on Early American Feminists; Native Voices, 2001

Reminder: Summer Solstice Celebration This Wednesday 10AM at the Peacemaker's Sanctuary

What:    Summer Solstice Celebration

When:   Wednesday June 21st 2017 at 10 AM

Where:  Peacemaker's Sanctuary Onondaga Lake

We will be gathering at the Peacemaker's Sanctuary to celebrate the Summer Solstice.  PLEASE BRING A CHAIR OR CUSHION TO SIT ON!

Unfortunately the wooden bench has not been replaced, so we only have one bench.  

DIRECTIONS:
Directions for the Peacemaker's Sanctuary Onondaga Lake 

If you plan on coming please email me or post a comment below.

Join us in giving our Mother a BIG HUG.

REMEMBER PLEASE BRING A CHAIR TO SIT ON!

ASD Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY

I attended and spoke at the American Society of Dowsers (ASD) Convention this past weekend in Saratoga Springs this past weekend. As always it was a fun social event. I feel that the workshop presenters were a touch better this year.

We were able to have one Charged Ley Line Meditation in the main meeting room 5PM on Saturday. Meditating on Ley Line Charges it up and as dramatically  improves the meditative experience. Janice Carr led the meditation. Notice how everyone is sitting in a straight-line on the Ley Line. The results were very positive as everyone went deep into meditation and one person removed a physical pain they have been having for the last few days.

Unfortunately the Kateri Shrine was closed by the time I arrived.

NOON--Update on Onondaga Lake

I got the following letter from NOON acknowledging that they were able to get an extension on the public comment period for submitting proposals about the  future use of Onondaga Lake and thanked everyone that sent a letter. Here is copy of My Letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service

NOON THANKS everyone who asked for an extension of time! We got it!

NYS DEC and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has Announced New Opportunities for Public Input on Proposals to Restore Wildlife Habitat and Recreation on Onondaga Lake

The initial six-week public comment period on the draft plan has been extended 45 days to July 17, 2017. 

Public Comment Session & Additional Open House Scheduled for Thursday, June 22, at Syracuse Community Connections – Southwest Community Center, 401 South Ave., Syracuse, NY 13204, in the Clover Corner room.

5:00 p.m. Open House - Posters of projects outlined in the draft plan will be available for viewing and representatives from DEC and the USF&WS will be on hand to answer questions and explain the natural resource damage assessment and restoration process.

6:00 p.m. Public Hearing - All persons, organizations, corporations, or government agencies that may be affected by the proposed project are encouraged to comment on the proposed projects. It is not necessary to file a written request in advance to speak at the public comment session. Time available for oral comments is limited to three minutes per person to ensure that all persons have an opportunity to be heard.

Written and oral statements and comments on the proposed projects are encouraged.

July 17, 2017 deadline for written comments sent by mail to Anne Secord, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3817 Luker Road, Cortland, New York 13045, by email to anne_secord@fws.gov, or phone at (607) 753-9334.

The May NOON Newsletter lists a series of projects to restore and protect wildlife habitat and water quality and increase recreational opportunities at Onondaga Lake, as well as additional back ground information.

NOON would like to bring to you attention the fact that information provided about the calculated losses and the proposed projects is way too limited to even guess whether the overall compensation proposed is enough OR whether the best, most beneficial suite of projects has been chosen.

Overall, this settlement needs more community-proposed projects. Many were proposed and rejected for lack of information, an absurdity because the form given was only two pages long, and the Trustees never asked for more information! These projects need to be given the time and opportunity to be considered properly.

Please consider raising the following possible additional restoration projects in your comments.

- There are no restoration projects planned for Lower Onondaga Creek, which is badly channelized as it flows through the city. Neighbors on the Southside are asking for projects that make the creek more accessible, more natural, and help reduce flooding risks for the Southside.

- Trails around the lake need to leave space for wetland restoration, and should not be built until the waste beneath them has been remediated to the point where there is no danger if walker/bikers leave the trail.

- ALL recreational fishing projects need to have adequate signage warning people not to eat the fish.

- The pollution of fish so that they are so unsafe to eat hurts not only the Onondaga Nation but all people in Syracuse – refugees, foodies, the poor - who wish to be able to catch local fish and eat them. There are currently no proposals to address this harm.

• The Onondaga Nation needs a place where they can take their children and safely teach them to fish, and continue cultural traditions. This land needs to be returned to them with no strings attached, in recognition of their full sovereign title to it which they have held for over 1000 years.

Again, THANK YOU for speaking up about these issues.

YouTube Video Posted on Using Imprints to Verify a Sacred Site

In our survey of the Ledges Area last week we stopped to film a video about how imprints can be used in surveying a sacred site. We are in the process of cataloguing the stone structures at the Ledges Area of High Tor. 

If you don't know much about imprints, or geographic samskaras, you may wish to view my video:
Thought Forms--Geographic Samskaras 

Stone mound #12 has been well preserved and retains its dimpled center. In this video I explain how imprints can be used to verify our beliefs about its purpose.
It is an incredible demonstration of the workmanship ancient cultures; even though leaves block your view, much can be gleaned. This is part of a series of video's on our survey of the Ledges. Thanks to Peter Shell and Janice Carr for their help. REMEMBER IT'S ALL ABOUT THE VIBE!

Using Imprints to verify the sacred area at Mound #12 in the Ledges Area 

Peacemaker's Sanctuary, Onondaga Lake, Update

The water continues to subside and is almost all gone. I went to Onondaga Lake today to clean up the Peacemaker's Sanctuary and cut back the reeds in the main area. There was not much growth. The vibe remains very positive to extremely positive.

I am of the opinion that the county will replace the wooden bench we lost and that we will be able to buy another bench.

The pictures below tell the story the Sanctuary current condition.

 For all the years I have been coming to Onondaga Lake I have never seen a train on the Traintracks by Beach St until this AM. If you park on Beach St. you need to cross the train tracks to get on the trail that passes by the Peacemaker's Sanctuary

 The old wooden bench used to be in front of the tree to your right.

 The soil is still soggy in spots

Book Signing and Talk-25th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend

I will be joining other authors for a book signing and talk at the 25th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend in Peterboro NY( 25 miles southeast of Syracuse in Madison, Cty.) I will be speaking at 1:30 PM on Saturday and 3:00 PM on Sunday.  In addition to author talks there will be a Civil War Battle reenactment, music, a traveling exhibit from the John Brown Farm (Timbuctoo), tabling by historical societies, food and more. Admission is $10.

25th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend

The Smithfield Community Association’s Civil War Weekend Committee is preparing for the 25th annual Peterboro NY event June 9 - 11, 2017. The event began a quarter century ago to raise funds to repair the Smithfield Community Center and to bring attention to Peterboro’s history. Thanks to loyal volunteers and sponsors, the event has raised monies to continue to upgrade community buildings and acquire the Gerrit Smith Estate, as well as promote the important history of Peterboro.

Pat Ennis will open the event with a program at 7 pm Friday, June 9 at the Smithfield Community Center sharing the story of how her transcriptions of family diaries led toUnion Bound, a Civil War movie released in 2015. The movie follows Joseph Hoover (Ennis’ great, great grandfather) and a fellow soldier in the 121st Herkimer, as they escaped from Florence Confederate Prison on September 21, 1864 and made their way to the Union lines 33 days later – with the help of slaves who were also running north.

The 12 U.S. Infantry Reenactment Regiment and the Civil War Heritage Foundation will once again host the event providing military and civilian encampments, programs, activities, demonstrations, a Sunday military sermon, a candlelight tour, a town ball game, and a daily skirmish. As many as twenty northern and southern units may be on the Peterboro field. These units also provide stations for the Civil War Living History Day for fifth graders before the weekend event.  There will also be an activity center for children on Saturday and Sunday.

One of the themes of the 2017 Peterboro Civil War Weekend is the Peterboro spark that added fuel to the ignition of the Civil War. Dreaming of Timbuctoo, a travelling exhibit from the John Brown Lives! project in Lake Placid NY will open in Peterboro on Civil War Weekend. A series of programs on the relationships and activities of John Brown, Gerrit Smith and the Secret Six will be ongoing.

In recognition of the Centennial of Women’s Suffrage in New York State, programs on women in the Civil War will also be a featured theme. Authors and their publications will be centralized near the Main Gate and some will provide programs about their research and writing.

Civil War Round Tables, historical societies, period crafters,and vendors will provide exhibits, demonstrations, and programs throughout the eight acres of activities involved in the weekend. The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Peterboro Area Museum will be open. The 77th New York Regimental Balladeers will provide Civil War music Saturday afternoon and a concert Saturday evening. Merry Mischief will present period music and fun Sunday afternoon.

Foods will be available at the Deli on the Green and from vendors. The Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department will sell chicken barbeque at mid-day on Saturday, and the Peterboro United Methodist Church will hold a pancake breakfast before the gates open on Sunday.

Admission gates open at 10 am both days and close at 5 pm on Saturday and at 4 pm on Sunday. The exhibits and activities (except food and shopping) are included in the ten dollar admission for adults.

Sponsors, volunteers, vendors, demonstrators, exhibitors, authors, historical societies, Round Tables are invited to sign up now for the event. For participation forms and event updates: www.PeterboroNY.org, mail@sca-peterboro.orgor 315-280-8828.

Sacred Feminine

One of the fruits born of North Star Country was the Women's Rights Movement in Seneca Falls in 1848. At the time it was ambitious, audacious, unique and more. Since then the seed planted there has spread to many corners of the world, as countries have worked to bring about equality. How women are treated relative to men has become a key barometer in gauging a society (see
Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions.) It should be noted that before the Women's Rights Movement women in the Haudenosaunee culture had enormous power; they are considered a matrilineal society.

In the last year or so I have gotten back to a more rigorous program of spiritual exercises--meditation, visualization, yoga, reading sacred texts...... Last week I began reading a book, and contemplating certain sections by the noted Vendanta (Hindu) mystic Adi Shankara (788 to 821.) He is credited with reviving Advaita Vedanta (all is Brahman((non dualism) at a time Tantra (energy, chakra, kundalini) was surging. Interesting the book Sri Saudaraya Lahari--the Descent is the worship of the Goddess Sri Devi.

The version I have is by the Bihar School and was interpreted by Swami Sayasangananda Sarawati. I am a big fan of both and strongly encourage people to read and buy books by the Bihar School--they are exceptional. You can search their archived Yoga Magazine, outstanding and informative.

In my reading today Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati noted that India once had a matrilineal society:

"Shakti (feminine) is the name given to the root matrix of creation. Shakti is raw potential energy, which has the power to manifest or create. The virgin power of Mother Nature manifests into the seas mountains, skies and planets....The earliest traditions of humanity were matriarchal, not patriarchal. Gradually as man became a social animal this began to change...Gradually women were subjugated and relegated to lesser and the men became the head of the family. Despite this, the matriarchal system is still alive today in some parts of India, and whorshippers of Shakti abound throughout the world."

Shakti, Shakti

The world is turning and its back towards the sacred feminine.