integration

Revisiting the 11/11 site, dancing as and with the salmon, the bear, the eagle, the human(s). Integrating them all into my own nature, my own place in the cycle of life. Looking into and forward to the future. I'm grateful for and to all of the beings I have communed with, especially to Momo and all those who shared this time and place and dance with me. Many thanks to all!

Love,
Rev

11/11 A Witness Reflects

There were many non-human witnesses at our ritual butoh pilgrimage on 11/11. Here is one reflection from a human one:

I came to the ll-ll event as witness, with only a conceptual awareness of its messages & form. These are fragments of my reflections.

The experience was both moving & a visual feast. The dancers proved a valuable bridge to connect me with the salmons efforts & experiences. The gauze masked faces removed the distraction of the dancers humanity, rendering them more as salmon spirits.

The wriggling travel prone to the ground gave tangibility to the difficulty of the salmons journey home. The presence of the roadway reminded me of the dams & obsticals our species places befor them.

In the forest I stood with the dance on my left & the stream with salmon struggling on my right. This was a profound moment as I seemed to stand in two worlds and belong to both at once.

The frenzy of the spawning ground & final death was a sobering time emphisized by Debra's contributions. Death at the end of such struggle, with the gains of the spring rebirth remote, seemed a sad waste of such effort.

JOY! BIRTH! INFANT HOOD ! GROWTH ! STRENGTH! BEAUTIFUL LIFE!

The awakening dance said all! To be a child again!

Arrival at the burn site & homage to its meaning was very moving. I felt sorrow & shame for the dark shroud our species casts over all other life forms, over the salmon.

Thru-out the dance the presence of salmon & eagle acted as exclaimation points to the dance.

Return to the sea was especially impactful as Momo closed the silver skin around her & sank into the water, seeming to become salmon & sea, the beginning of lifes journey into the open world to continue the ageless dance again.

Thankyou All !!

John Lorette