Mandorla Rising
Invocation
A Prayer to Tatewari (Huichol God of Fire, Grandfather)
Sparks of fire
The ancients knew
were dangerous embers
of sun on earth
They kept us warm
taught us songs
kindled culture
gave us birth
to cook our food
settle down
burn our houses to the ground
Listen to the crackle
Listen
Power is a fragile
lesson
When we forget fire is sacred
When hubris runs amok in mind
Can we remember we were all born naked?
Clothing is a gift animals and plants designed
Listen to the crackle
Listen
Power is a fragile
lesson
Fire not harnessed as horsepower
Nor chained to a grid
Invention
Wildness
Witness this travesty we’ve lived
Can we behold all Creation did and does for us and all?
Let us now split the prison hold of Alexander’s crumbling wall
Listen to the crackle
Listen
Power is a fragile
lesson
Listen to the cackle
Listen
Lord Coyote
bring us sweet transgression
Neglect
Regret
Remorse
Release
Ganesh - Remove all obstacles to peace
Listen to the cackle
Listen
Power is a fragile
lesson
May the Salmon of Wisdom
attune us to Creation
Help us curb unruly overcompensation
Allow us to feel our mother’s degradation
Return us to humility without sedition
or sedation
For we are not gods
We’re accompanied by their grace
Mere mortals here on earth
Not made for space
Trees aren't fuel forever
Keep tar sands in place
Retrieve stolen bones of children
Help us face hatred’s disgrace
Listen to the crackle
Listen
Power is a fragile
lesson
Holiness is now heaven and hell
Rumi cautioned ‘Don’t go back to sleep.’
William Stafford said it well:
‘The darkness around us is deep.’
—Judith-Kate Friedman
25 July 2021
To Carry Fire
With the flame in the heart
as the hands work their art
as the voice and the drum entwine
every gesture unfolds
to bring culture and soul alive
For the heart and the hands require
to carry fire
There are five sparks aglow
in the stories you know
and they long for your breath to burn
So we strive for the skill
for the courage and will
to return
For the heart and the hands require
to carry fire
Alexander made his wall
of shadow and amnesia
The Mythsinger will recall
all we are
All we’ve been denied
from the other side
reclaimed
For the heart and the hands require
to carry fire
—Daniel “3D” Deardorff