On Nature, Death and The Spirit of All Things

“… Whispers from the long-departed, songs of stillness carved in silence, locked in time like wasps in Amber…”

Say Hola to Sphecius Speciousus, the Cicada Hawk or Cicada Killer, a large, solitary, digger wasp, aptly named as Cicadas bugs are their prey. Sometimes referred to as a Sand Hornet, this female Hawk paralyzed the cicada below her, held it upside down and tried taking back off toward her burrow. With the bug being twice the wasp’s weight, the flight proves difficult, as we witnessed this weekend, spending extended time outdoors under an impeccably blue August skyline. Solitary wasps behave differently than social wasps such as hornets, yellow jackets, and paper wasps, Cicada Killer females using their sting to paralyze their prey rather than defend their nests. Despite their size and ominous appearance, unlike most social wasps and bees, they don’t attempt to sting unless handled roughly. Wasps even lug their prey up into the nearest tree, gaining altitude for the flight to the burrow, Cicada Killers exerting a measure of natural control on bug populations and enjoying symbiotic relations with the deciduous trees that provide them a launch pad and head start.

As you have heard me say before and will hear me say again, just experiencing our natural, simplified environment offers said wondrous, engaging experiences with nature. Although it may seem a bit odd, maybe not so much in today’s world(!), I’m also fond of highlighting how we build up resources in the face of death here, knowing that Death, which is so a part of nature, isn’t an issue one solves but rather resolves. The visiting Cicada Killer during our Ceremonial overnight helped the cause, as did the words of Oglala Lakota Sioux sage Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) below. Check out our full Fall offerings on our Retreats/Calendar page, with our next Ceremonial Overnight the weekend of September 12-13th & more info. & registration up soon on our Fall Foraging Workshop and Wild Dinner Saturday Sept. 19th.

“The rite of the Onikure (sweat lodge) utilizes all the powers of the Universe: earth and the things which grow from the earth, water, fire and air. The water represents the Thunder-beings, who come fearfully but bring goodness, for the stream which comes from the rocks, within which is the fire, is frightening, but it purifies us so we may live as Wakan-Tanka wills, and he may even send to us a vision if we are pure. When we use the water in the sweat lodge we should think of Wakan-Tanka, who is flowing and giving His power and life to everything; we should even be as water which is lower than all things, yet stronger even than the rocks.

The sweat lodge is made from sixteen young willows and these, too, have a lesson to teach us, for in the Fall their leaves die and return to the earth, but in the Spring they come to life again. So, too, men and women die but live again in the real world of Wakan-Tanka, where there is nothing but the Spirit of All Things, and this true life we may know here on earth, if we purify our bodies and minds, thus coming closer to Wakan-Tanka, who is all purity.”

Full Moon Groove

“… and the Grand Facade, so soon will burn… without a Noise, without my Pride, I reach out from The Inside.. “

Saturday night we were honored to have the High Priestess of Groove in the house, Heather Winia, Groove Master Educator, Holistic Health Coach, and Fitness/Wellness Specialist, leading a super safe, outdoor movement class at The Higher Haven. You’ll recognize Heather if you’ve scratched about a bit on our website, as her unmatched wellness and leadership skills have been well appreciated since our founding several summers back. I love her guidance and classes, as they are always innovative, challenging, and seem as spontaneous as they are well-planned.

In her own words, Heather inspires people “to LIVE, I mean really feel ALIVE, through positive self-care and GROOVEment in their bodies.” I’m happy we are members of one another’s tribe, as Groove is a simple yet revolutionary group dance experience that provides a safe place for INDIVIDUAL AUTHENTICITY (held in high esteem by The Higher Haven) all while building community around functional fitness. We started Saturday night with a guided meditation, and Heather took us from stillness right into a holistically healthy, mindful movement class where every Body can Dance. And did.

We’d had hoped to throw down under the August full moon light, the moon the Anishnaabe People of The Great Lakes call Minoomini Gilzis - the Grain (Wild Rice) Moon. The full moon on the rise out over our front lawn, serving as a grassy Groovy dance floor, is always quite the luminous sight. But cloud cover kept the shining symbol of feminine energy hidden from the eye but not the heart, as our Groove went on unhindered. And the good news is the substantial rainfall, which went on all night long, didn’t start until 10 minutes after the last dance and collective exit, to the delight of every garden in Michigan.

I began this post thinking about the power of dance, the clown in me recalling that Kevin Bacon scene from Flashdance, do you know that one (?), where he quotes Ecclesiastes? It’s funny. “Ecclesiastes assures us... that there is a time for every purpose under Heaven. A time to laugh... and a time to weep. A time to mourn... and there is a time to dance… see, this is our time to dance… It is Our Way of Celebrating Life. It's the way it was in the beginning. It's the way it's always been. It's the way it should be now.” Lol The student in me recalled another great dance story, told by Joseph Campbell in The Power of Myth Series. I’ll close with that below, and know that Heather will soon return for another Fall or even Winter Full Moon Groove, with our Full Fall schedule up this week and ever evolving.

Western Sociologist:
“You know, I have now been to a number of these Shinto shrines and I have
seen quite a few rites, and I have read about it, thought about it; but you
know, I don’t get the ideology. I don’t get your theology.”

Shinto Priest:
(polite, as though respecting the foreign scholar’s profound question;
pausing a while as though in thought; looking at his friend)

“We do not have Ideology. We do not have Theology. We Dance.”

Our First Successful Mid-Summer Noble Silence Meditation Retreat

“Fire, smoke she is a rising… Fire, oh Smoke Stack Llightning, Smoke Stack Lightning… I say, send down Fire to Me…”

Wow. Wow. WOW. I know not how, to better express my exultation, my appreciation, and definitely admiration to the small crew who just completed our first Noble Silence Meditation Retreat at The Higher Haven, the Mid-Summer NSR to be exact. Which had us quickly deciding, with one and done, and clearly feeling giddy about it, to make it a quarterly gig, the Fall Noble Silence Weekend Retreat in play for October 2-4 right after Yon Kippur. What’s to say about Noble Silence, other than its made me a poet, now that you know it? To quote John Cabot Zinn, author of the book Wherever You Go There You Are and creator of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training (MBSR) “…it’s helpful to bring to the sitting posture itself a sense of dignity.. then we stay open and awake in the present moment… right here right now… in a continual process of seeing and letting be.. “ Thus the Noble nature of our endeavor, working hard to remain in stillness while the wind of the Spirit blew through and through, in the form of body sensations, mental images and verbal self-talk, or SEE HEAR FEEL, realizing the Spirit-energy nature of our own makeup

Does that resonate with you? Like the three dings of a Meditation Bell? It would if you had spent the weekend here, as Morgan, Lauren, and Branden did — three beginners’ minds who took collective and individual quantum leaps in practice and understanding over this past weekend’s three-day retreat. For more on the virtues of making a heroic go at sitting in stillness for an extended period of time, check out This Huffington Post article on the scientific skinny Regarding the benefits of cultivating inner stillness. By developing our ability to cultivate high states of concentration, along with a sensory clarity and equanimity, we also develop an unconditional love ability, and gain inner resources in the face of death.

That’s the very, very special angle at which we come at Spiritual Practice here, Spiritual Purification to be more precise. Rather than a fundamentalist, more religious approach with a creed or set of principles — which are cool, which we love, which we’ve studied and will continue to, but points to some imagined time of spiritual bliss when one won’t suffer — we take a more balanced, dynamic approach, merging a combination of meditative techniques and Ceremonial purification, creating the place of spiritual bliss here and now. When the pandemic hit we felt the pain of wanting to jump online and Zoom… something… out of a sense of service and offeingr our solution to the suddenly worsening human condition. But you can’t Zoom what we offer here. So please keep an eye on the two constantly moving parts on our website — this Blog and our Retreats + Calendar page to find the time to come here and experience our approach, that of a direct experience of your own Spiritual Source, the Spiritual Source of all that is and will ever be.

I’m thinking now of my Teacher Shinzen’s recording titled: In Praise of Confusion, as there’s been an awful lot in the world these days, and the path as we walk it is one of an undoing as much as a doing, a negation as well as affirmation, a connection to life and death. Check the Noble Silence Meditation Retreat schedule and you’ll see a Fire Circle Saturday night. This powerful intention setting Healing Ceremony, based on the inipi or Make Your Life Ceremony, with an intravenous dose of Heyokaism, provides attendees a taste of purification. And coupled with extended sitting practice through the weekend, provides a solid foundation for a regular practice, a wonderful skill to acquire in this currently Weitgo (Crazy) world. Above is the Ceremony’s ashy aftermath, live action pictures doing it a disservice, as it’s to be Experienced to be Believed.

Regarding word play, and as you may know, I always get by with a little help from my friends, loving a good alley-oop when telling these stories, with thanks to Branden for the perfect pass below.  If you read this and you’re more confused then ever, Great, and should consider turning things around from bad to good at an upcoming event like the next Ceremonial Weekend Overnight - The Way of The Contrary Weekend, or our Bolt from the Blue Moon Dance this Saturday night, with a whole four months of additional Fall Happenings up for Registration on the aforementioned Retreats page during the first week in August. Toksha

"Attending the Noble Silence Meditation Retreat at Higher Haven was the best investment I could have possibly made in my life. Despite being one of the most challenging things I have ever accomplished; I left feeling thoroughly rejuvenated, immensely empowered, and with a deep profound sense of inner peace and control. Paul was a conduit who gave me the tools to fix my problems internally by utilizing meditation and techniques from a myriad of ancient traditions and cultures. The decision to seek guidance at Higher Haven was truly the best gift I could have given myself. I now have the keys to the universe and the possibilities are endless and exciting. Throughout the retreat Paul kept me nourished with delicious organic foods amidst an astounding environment that has to be seen to be believed. My heart is filled with gratitude and boundless love thanks to Higher Haven. Pilamaye!"  - Dr. Branden Welch