We were walloped with a perfect winter storm this week, waylaid by over a foot of Wá, Snow in Lakota, as in Wá Wá, aka serious Pow Pow. Then temperatures plummeted to 4L/12H, making for the arrival of the super light, fluffy variety, perhaps kanevvluk or ‘fine snow’ in the Eskimo-Aleut snow lexemes. That sequestered us happily in the house for days and days, to work out our new website, while fulfilling on the promise to expand this spot with some new and old stories. The following by Kiowa writer-poet Navarre Scott Momaday was originally posted in August, 2019, back when we had a little more time to dive deeper into books, time and tales we are revisiting during this year’s serene season.

In Words From A Bear, a celebration of his life and works, the author speaks of The Story of Man-Kai-Ee, or The Storm Spirit. “The storm will pass over me,” he declares, “Because it speaks my language.” This is a statement, a spirit, of both awareness and protection, an emotional reaction to the elemental experience of being, one that springs forth from Native American myth, ritual and storytelling. “These rites enabled our people to have an existence in the world beyond the senses to perceive,” Momaday explains, “An expression of the truest response to being.” He goes on to reference a Franz Kafka quote on the power of art and reading, on choosing to be disturbed by books “‘That affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone… a book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.’”

Hoping to swing said axe or two during our vacation, particularly House Made of Dawn, we’ll be on our own retreat, doing our own transformative work. Seva is cool but our Sadhana, the work we do on ourselves for ourselves, is that grope and hope for an opening, the reach for a sea change within. Reconfiguration, renewal, upheaval, and transformation are what our retreats are often all about, as we work for permanent shifts in consciousness. “The Higher Haven is a hidden Sanctuary”, reports a recent visitor from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. “I met up with a friend there for an overnight stay complete with an ancient purification Ceremony. The space and property are absolutely gorgeous, tranquil and idyllic. Leading up to the experience, I was anxious about participating. But I shared it all with Paul and he walked me through the entire process so that my anxiety left me, and I was able to completely enjoy the experience. I felt renewed and replenished after the weekend. I definitely plan on returning.” Learn how storms speak and you’ll enhance your ability to observe your own ever-changing, internal patterns, riding out and even rising up on life’s psycho-spiritual squalls.