click on photos to receive more intense Chi Hit:
Homol'ovi wall, morning of my first of of two Traditional Hopi Footraces that i did last Saturday and Sunday. photo by ilg. makes a great Screensaver...then again, many of the DL photos throughout the years make for great Screensavers (see yesterday's DL). In WF, a ScreenSaver can be used as an electronic upa guru to reMind you of your WF Practice and privilege.
yes, in answer to Student Warrior Kim's question about how much time i must spend on these blogs;
i do try really, really hard to produce High Integrity Dharma stings on your Soul...
may my Itch in your Soul mature and give speedy grace toward your (eventual) Enlightenment.
This Hopi Footracing series is dedicated to the 7,000+ Hopis living in the 12 villages along First, Second, and Third Mesas...while millions scramble after 'guru's' in India and the Himalaya, a few of us realize the spiritual shambala that lie hidden in the high mesas beneath the Sacred Peak.
Suggested Artist to listen to during these blogs:
OLIVER SHANTI & FRIENDS
"Circle of Life."
go fetch.
you won't need much more than this CD for your next Southwest road trip.
cumulus on fire, photo by ilg. the cloudbase on this behemoth must be close to 15,000'...only in arid, mountainous regions do culumus soar into Father Sky like this. this beauty blessed my campsite on the eve before my race.
Event: Suvoyuki Festival
Location: Homolol'vi - Day One. Hopi Reservation - Arizona
A warrior yogi is ever bold, active, tactically skillful, and his or her devotion solid.
Does this 'Sand Sage' conceal anything from God?
do you?
you can't.
take Pilgrimage to the Ancient Ones.
learn immediately that the necessary qualities for you to Rise Higher are like those of the Sagebrush:
straightforwardness,
sincerity,
and
self-effacement.
you are reading too fast.
stay Here Now.
you are in Hopi time, now...
relax,
slow your roll,
and
be Hopi.
Sunrise is the traditional start of a Hopi Footrace...in training, the Hopi runners often rise before Grandfather Sun makes his appearance on the horizon and then 'race the sunrise' to start the day. According to one of my Hopi Teachers, this pre-dawn running was done because the Earth Energy was greatest at this time and because it is so difficult to get out of bed and be active at this time, doing so develops a human's capacity to handle the stresses of life more effectively. When stressful situations come at us, they often come cold and hard. Getting our lazy butts up and out of the warm bed in the pre-dawn hours (see my DL's on Brahmamuhurti - the hour of God which lies between 4 and 6 am to compare with this Hopi teaching) develops our ability to confront stress and deal with it. above photo by ilg.
Registration table.
humble, isn't it?
everything about a Traditional Hopi Footrace is humble.
it is their Way.
racers were not timed.
everyone was already considered a winner by showing up to the Start Line (sound familiar to WF Dharma?).
we were Blessed by Hopi Micah Lomaomvaya whom would soon become my main focus of meditation during the race.
his Pre-Race instructions started with;
"Well, there is a big rock out there for the turn-around..." and chuckled.
fortunately, i had some pre-race beta from Neil Weintraub, leader of Northern Arizona Trail Runners who told me to expect highly difficult route finding through about 90% ankle-deep soft, red, snake-and-scorpian filled sand and a climb out of the Little Colorado River Valley after descending into it. cowpaths in the soft, energy sapping sand would be the deal of the day.
i was one of several palefaces, the rest of the 20-odd racers were Hopi.
blue cornmeal monumented the Start Line.
at the Start Line;
be it in snow,
asphalt,
a cinder track,
piney singletrack,
or
a red earth cowpath snaking through snakeweed across ancient native ruins
there stands inner questions more marked than the line upon which you stand;
do you have fear?
do you have doubt?
have you desires?
what is in you, now?
at the Start Line,
the yogi feels his or her samskaras,
often in overwhelming ways.
this broken back yogi
has many doubts,
many fears,
yet my desire to Rise Higher
is the strongest and most versatile arrow in my spiritual quiver...
so, out there, on that mesa
surrounded by sagebrush, ancient ruins, and dark-skinned Hopi runners,
i reached down to my running watch
and waited...
"HEYA!!!" yelled Micah and i felt my index finger press the Start button on
my chrono watch...
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