Charlie "Red Hawk" Thom

 

I mourn the loss of Charles "Red Hawk" Thom, Sr., Northern California Native American Karuk medicine man and ceremonial leader, who passed away last Tuesday (Oct.8) at the age of 85.  He was one of the last traditional medicinemen (shaman) who had been trained in the old ways.  Known to many as the guardian of Mt. Shasta and the other ceremonial sites in Northern California and Oregon, he was also an esteemed elder to the Karuk, Kiowa and Hoopa tribes; faithfully serving his people for many years as the keeper of their culture, traditions and sacred knowledge.  He was instrumental in getting official federal recognition for his tribe and was a catalyst in the legalization of Native American ceremonies.  Grandpa Charlie was also involved in natural resource management and the protection of their sacred tribal grounds. 

 

Born in Fort Jones, California on April 4, 1928 and orphaned at a very young age, Charlie Thom was raised by the elders of his tribe in the ancient medicine ways of the Karuk Arara (Up River People), who have possibly lived in the same area since the Ice Age.  As a child, he was hidden from the authorities who required all the Native American children to be taken to boarding schools for assimilation, and was brought up instead to be a medicine man.  He was one of the remaining few who fluently spoke his ancestral Karuk language, and had vast knowledge on his people's history, ceremonies, stories, sacred songs and dances.  Grandpa Charlie was considered a "Living National Treasure" by his tribe.

Charlie leading a Sweat Lodge ceremony on Panther Meadows in Mt. Shasta

 

"Red Hawk Walking Backwards" was his ceremonial name, which signified his sacred path in retracing his people's cultural heritage.  40 years ago, he made his sacred sweat lodge ceremonies public, attracting people far and wide. In 1983, Charlie Thom addressed the UN Delegates in the United Nations at the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium to plea for help in protecting their sacred ceremonial sites.  A ceremonial leader, environmental-social activist, teacher and spiritual guide, Grandpa Charlie has guided hundreds of people from all over the world to live in the wisdom of the ancient ways and to exist in harmony with nature, with each other and with themselves.

 

Known to his friends and family as a kind, humble, gentle, generous and light-hearted person, hundreds of people worldwide mourn the loss of Grandpa Charlie.  He was pre-deceased by 4 of his children; but survived by 14 others, as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who will miss him.  We should all remember him in our hearts as an eternal teacher and guide who lived as he preached, and as a concrete example of how we can all live in harmony with all of creation.

A Little Humor...

...on Politics

...on Corporate Culture

...on growing up with the Internet

...on the monastic life

...on the secret to happiness

Eckhart Tolle: Modern-day Buddha?

I recently came across Eckhart Tolle's books, and I was immediately struck by the depth and scope of his spiritual insights. As a voracious reader, who has sampled quite a vast array of discourse on Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy, Metaphysics and Psychology, I find his books to be some of the most relevant and well expounded volumes on Buddhist thought and general Spirituality I have ever encountered.

Born Ulrich Leonard Tolle in Lünen, Germany in 1948, Eckhart (a name he chose) was perpetually troubled by depression, anxiety and fear until he was twenty-nine years old. One night in 1977, after having suffered from long periods of suicidal depression, he experienced spontaneous "Samadhi," awakening from the illusion of duality. Recounting the experience, he says "I couldn’t live with myself any longer. And in this a question arose without an answer: who is the ‘I’ that cannot live with the self? What is the self? I felt drawn into a void! I didn’t know at the time that what really happened was the mind-made self, with its heaviness, its problems, that lives between the unsatisfying past and the fearful future, collapsed. It dissolved. The next morning I woke up and everything was so peaceful. The peace was there because there was no self. Just a sense of presence or “beingness,” just observing and watching."  For a period of about two years, he wandered aimlessly like the Zen Buddhist Masters of old,  spending a lot of his time sitting in park benches, “in a state of deep bliss." Eckhart wandered around staying with friends and drifted about "watching the world go by." His family was worried that he had gone insane.

People were curious, so they began talking to him about his perspective on life. Amazed at his thoughts on spirituality, people began to be drawn to him. This led to a five year stint as a Spiritual councilor and teacher. In 1995, he migrated to Vancouver, Canada where he began to write. His first three books, "The Power of Now," "Stillness Speaks" and "A New Earth," have sold millions of copies and  have been consistently on the "New York Times Best-Sellers List." Spurred by his books' successes, Eckhart partnered with Oprah Winfrey to produce webinar sessions in 2008 and launched Eckhart Tolle TV in 2009.

The current commercial tone of his enterprise is not exactly to my taste (maybe it is the best way to reach the most number of people), but I fully support his message and goal. Eckhart speaks clearly about our "collective delusions," and how our "Egos" have created the destructive path we are currently facing. We should all awaken from our "state of insanity," and realize the divinity of life, in all its forms. I highly recommend "The Power of Now" and "A New Earth" to everyone seeking genuine spiritual insight. Eckhart is the real thing, and he is showing us a viable way out of Māyā (Sanskrit माया ), our collective illusion of duality and separateness.

Here is an excerpt from "A New Earth:"

Most ancient religions and spiritual traditions share the common insight-- that our "normal" state of mind is marred by a fundamental defect... In Hindu teachings (and sometimes in Buddhism also), this transformation is called enlightenment. In the teachings of Jesus, it is salvation, in Buddhism, it is the end of suffering. Liberation and awakening are other terms used to describe this transformation. The greatest achievement of humanity is not its works of art, science or technology, but the recognition of its own dysfunction, its own madness.

--Quote taken from "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle 

4000 Years of Medicine

My idea of a modern Medicineman

A friend of mine posted "4000 Years of Medicine" on Facebook... Though humorous, it holds a kernel of truth.

4000 Years of Medicine

2000 B.C.  -  "Here, eat this root."

1000 A.D.  -  "That root is heathen!  Here, say this prayer."

1865 A.D.  -  "That prayer is superstition!  Here, drink this potion."

1900 A.D.  -  "That potion is snake oil!  Here, swallow this pill."

1950 A.D.  -  "That pill is ineffective!  Here, take this antibiotic."

2000 A.D.  -  "That antibiotic is poison!  Here, eat this root."

We have travelled far and long in our quest for healing-- from primitive superstition to cutting edge science.  But have we really arrived at the pinacle of medicine and healing?  I think most of us would agree that we are just beginning to understand 'real' science and the nature of the Cosmos; to discover the infinite possibilities of our 'Minds' and to investigate the 'spiritual/energetic' dimension of our Universe. 

I believe we still have far to go.  We will only get there if we take the sum of our knowledge and experiences (our collective history) and approach all the possibilites one by one, with appropriate reverence for their individual efficacy.  All personal biases must be put aside, for they only divide, divert and distract all of us from our only real goal as healers-- devising efficient and effective healing modalities for all and every ailment that has and will plague humanity.  Let us all cultivate an integrative approach to healing, flexibile and adaptive to anything and everything that works.  After all, is it not wellness, well-being and genuine cure we are all after?  If this is not your primary goal, then you should question your calling as a Healer.  Petty biases and discrimination waste everyone's time, and take their toll on the patients-- the people most desperately in need of healing.

Does anyone already know everything there is to know about medicine (or the nature of the Universe) that he or she can, with certainty, discount everything else outside their current truth as quackery?  Little by little, science is beginning to discover the efficacy of ancient healing modalities.  Soon enough we will also be able to scientifically prove the effectiveness of psychic/faith healing.  So do not dismiss anything offhand, just keep in mind that the idea of an 'atom' or that 'the world was round' was ridiculed just a couple of hundred years ago.

In my opinion, the best way to integrate modalities is for each Healer to pursue the ones they deeply believe in.  Discard (but not discriminate) everything you personally do not have faith in.  Have an open mind and keep learning, by following your natural inclinations and interests.  God will show you where you are needed and what you are capable of.  Plus, as I have already mentioned over and over, God uses a variety of Healers.  No one healer has a monopoly on healing, so be humble enough to recommend other fellow healers when the ailment requires it.   

The Music We Are

By Jelaluddin Rumi (1207 - 1273)

Did you hear that winter's over?  The basil

and the carnations cannot control their

laughter.  The nightingale, back from his

wandering, has been made singing master

over the birds.  The trees reach out their

congratulations.  The soul goes dancing

through the king's doorway.  Anemones blush

because they have seen the rose naked.

Spring, the only fair judge, walks in the

courtroom, and several December thieves steal

away.  Last year's miracles will soon be

forgotten.  New creatures whirl in from non-

existence, galaxies scattered around their

feet.  Have you met them?  Do you hear the

bud of Jesus crooning in the cradle?  A single

narcissus flower has been appointed Inspector

of Kingdoms.  A feast is set.  Listen: the

wind is pouring wine!  Love used to hide

inside images: no more!  The orchard hangs

out its lanterns.  The dead come stumbling by

in shrouds.  Nothing can stay bound or be

imprisoned.  You say, "End this poem here,

and wait for what's next."  I will.  Poems

are rough notations for the music we are.

--translation by Coleman Barks

Divine Meditation

Meditation has many forms as there are styles.  Praying, contemplating, concentrating, reflecting, observing, pondering, introspection, going into a trance, reciting a mantra, repeating affirmations, journeying through guided or solo visualizations, gazing at a mandala, and even deep sleep all fall under the general definition of Meditation.  But for our purpose here, I am referring to the form of meditation universally considered to be its highest expression, I call it Divine Meditation --contemplation and union with the Divine, within and without.

You know it by different names:   bhāvanā or dhyāna (Buddhism/Hinduism), Contemplative Prayer (Christian), hitbodedut (Judaism), Zazen (Japanese Buddhism), hesychasm (Greek Orthodox), Dhikr (Islam), Yoga Nidra (Hinduism), Tamarkoz (Sufi), Preksha (Jainism), simran (Sikhism), Neidan (Daoism), Trancendental Meditation, Silva Mind Control, and a few others.  Although the individual styles and approaches (not to mention the theology) of these meditation techniques differ from one another, they all seek 'oneness' with the Divine.  As they say, there are many roads but there is only one destination (as there is only one God).

Divine Meditation, no matter what method or style you prefer, aligns your spirit/energy body to its highest configuration and gives you access to the resources of the Cosmos.  The benefits you gain from constantly communing with the Divine are immeasurable.  Physical and Mental well-being are just the tip of the iceberg.  Spiritual Oneness and intimacy with God (the Infinite) are the real blessings you will reap.  I cannot even put into words what wonders you will gain.  Divine Meditation is the essence of real prayer.  Practice Divine Meditation in any form and you will be healthy-- in body, in mind, in spirit and in Soul.

"Meditation has been laid stress upon by all religions. The meditative state of mind is declared by the Yogis to be the highest state in which the mind exists. When the mind is studying the external object, it gets identified with it, loses itself. To use the simile of the old Indian philosopher: the soul of man is like a piece of crystal, but it takes the colour of whatever is near it. Whatever the soul touches ... it has to take its colour. That is the difficulty. That constitutes the bondage." -- Swami Vivekananda

Einstein's View On Religion

Albert Einstein is one of the greatest thinkers in the history of humanity.  He is generally known for his thoughts on theoretical Physics.  But since Physics is concerned about the nature of  (physical) "reality," its greatest thinkers cannot avoid pondering on metaphysical questions in their quest to seek answers to explain Nature and the Universe.  I think, Einstein's views on Religion and God are just as facinating and as relevant as his thoughts on Space and Time.  Here is a brief excerpt of an article he wrote for the New York Times Magazine on November 9, 1930.

"The Jewish scriptures admirably illustrate the development from the religion of fear to moral religion, a development continued in the New Testament. The religions of all civilized peoples, especially the peoples of the Orient, are primarily moral religions. The development from a religion of fear to moral religion is a great step in peoples' lives. And yet, that primitive religions are based entirely on fear and the religions of civilized peoples purely on morality is a prejudice against which we must be on our guard. The truth is that all religions are a varying blend of both types, with this differentiation: that on the higher levels of social life the religion of morality predominates.

Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of God. In general, only individuals of exceptional endowments, and exceptionally high-minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level. But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it.

The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in nature and in the world of thought. Individual existence impresses him as a sort of prison and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole. The beginnings of cosmic religious feeling already appear at an early stage of development, e.g., in many of the Psalms of David and in some of the Prophets. Buddhism, as we have learned especially from the wonderful writings of Schopenhauer, contains a much stronger element of this.

The religious geniuses of all ages have been distinguished by this kind of religious feeling, which knows no dogma and no God conceived in man's image; so that there can be no church whose central teachings are based on it. Hence it is precisely among the heretics of every age that we find men who were filled with this highest kind of religious feeling and were in many cases regarded by their contemporaries as atheists, sometimes also as saints. Looked at in this light, men like Democritus, Francis of Assisi, and Spinoza are closely akin to one another.

How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a God and no theology? In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it."