The Furious Spinner

Begin with the stirring,
begin with the stirring
in your own dark center,
begin…
—Gwendolyn Endicott

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
—Lao Tzu (570-490 B.C.E.)


Tonight is Full Moon. Dance under it, if you can. Whisper to the Wind, the Trees, the Moon. Ask for the Invisibles to intervene. Who knows what is possible? Because it is time to pull out all the stops. Not to panic, not to worry. But to plan. I'm sure you've heard today they think they know where Bin Laden is. Time for the October surprise. We all knew it was coming—although we hoped it wouldn't happen. If Bin Laden is found before the election....well, you know. So we need to start planning.

Writer and activist Terry Tempest Williams often talks about the Coyote Clan, those of us who are dedicated to protecting and loving the land. I think of myself as part of the Coyote Clan. I will do what I can to protect the Earth, the environment. But that doesn't seem to be enough, does it? If Bush gets a second term, we are going to need all the clans and tribes of the world to come together to take back our neighborhoods, our country, our planet, from those who hate and destroy. All of us together could be the Trickster Tribe. We will not hate, we will not destroy. We will create. We will dance. We will revel in true ecstasy. We will trick and transform.

When describing The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, the new anthology she is editing, Terri Windling wrote this about the Trickster, "To be on 'the coyote road' in certain Native American legends meant to be headed to a wild, unpredictable, and transformative destiny...to be taken over by Trickster. Trickster is an important figure in the folklore of numerous cultures all around the world: a paradoxical creature who can be very clever or very foolish, a culture hero or destructive influence—often at the same time."

Ahhhh, Trickster! Destructive or heroic the Trickster has energy!

We've been tired, we've been afraid, we've been sick, we've been angry. It is time, brothers and sisters, to activate our latent trickster energy. Time to let it loose on the world. You can be secretive, you can be public, and always you will be creative. We're not going to let them win. We're not going to let them ruin the world. Remember, the world will not end. It will change. Shall we ride the thermals of change together, laughing all the way?

As Terri says, Trickster energy can be foolish as well as wise; in either case, I have always thought of it as transformative energy. If you're not sure what or who Trickster is, think about Raven, Coyote, Baubo, Brer Rabbit. Tricksters make you laugh at yourself, especially when you are the Trickster. Look at CodePink. They are all Tricksters. Learn about the Underground Railroad and the French Resistance; read Starhawk's nonfiction books, Animal Farm, and 1984. This is a time of history which will long be remembered. Let's be a part of it. What do you say?

What is our first task as part of the Trickster Tribe? To prepare. Gather yourself together. Find all your pieces and put them into place. Is your house in order? Let go of that which weighs you down. Figure out how to be yourself in whatever world emerges. Find your voice. Have you got it? Have you found it? Now what are you going to say? And who are you going to say it to?

Perhaps you need only to say something to yourself. Encourage yourself. Then do something. Be subversive. Do something "BIG." Become La Conquistadora: plan a revolution. Or do something "SMALL." The other day I saw a large zucchini in a green space next to the sidewalk in Portland. Someone had carved these words into the zucchini: "Squash War." I laughed—and was transformed by that laughter, at least for the moment. And sometimes that's all we need: moment after moment after moment.

So, come, members of the Trickster Tribe. Stay in touch. Don't be isolated. You are not the only one. Stop watching mainstream news—unless you do it for entertainment value. We can't let them hypnotize us into believing their nonsense. Stay in touch with your own senses. Don't turn any part of yourself over to them. Love. Laugh. Be prepared to cover yourself in mud. Remember, darlin's, it's just sacred Earth, after all. If you are accustomed to being mainstream, follow those other creeks and tributaries. They'll take you to the promised land. And I ain't talking about heaven. I'm talking about right here on this Earth.

Learn to use the language. Muriel Rukeyser said, "The universe is made of stories, not of atoms." Right now, they are telling the stories. Let's change that. Let's change the story.

We can do it. I can hear the laughter now. Belly laughter. The best kind. Baubo has lifted her skirt and shown us her private parts. What can you do as an encore to that?

May You Stir in Beauty! 0 comments

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

All photographs and written material copyright © 2003-2008 by Kim Antieau unless otherwise indicated. May not be used without permission.