Nusta of the Waters

Earlier this week, I drove up into the mountains to once again check out Navajo Lake.  This time, my goal was to hike part way around the lake and also to check out the state of the shoreline.  What a difference a year makes!  Because of the heavy snowfall we had this past winter, the lake was full to almost overflowing.  The lake has a dam that is used to keep the water in the western 2/3 for boating, fishing and other water activities.  The dam is now under so much water that it cannot be seen.

I had to walk through several small snow banks on the trail first.

Further down the trail, here is a view of the lake beyond the trees on the eastern end.  The water is just now receding from the hiking trail. 

Now out in the open, in the photo below that I took a year ago, you can see that the closer, eastern part of the lake was totally dry.  The blue area is beyond the dam.

Contrast that to the present day.  These 2 photos wee taken from approximately the same spot.

Not only is the dam totally under water now, but all of the beach areas around the lake are completely flooded. Here is the dam from last year.

  Many trees are now standing in water. 

 

As I walked around, my attention was drawn to the water itself.  It was a deep blue that was turquoise in places.  Energetically, it felt like there were dancing spirits all over its surface. 

Aha!  I realized that these were the Ñustas of the Waters.  These are feminine Goddess archetypes of nature.  What a good time they were having!  What joy!  Their lake hadn’t been this full with pristine snow melt in years. 

So I stopped here and there on my hike to send them great gratitude and appreciation, and pulled in all of that pure joy. 

Because of the large amount of snow in our area, the spring wildflowers are about 2 weeks behind blooming schedule.  Here are a few that are blooming in abundance now.

Delphinium.

Oregon Grape.

Silver leaf milk vetch.

Many of my favorite plants there are now under water along the shore.  This lake has no natural outlet, so the excess water has to evaporate or sink into the ground.  I know I will be going back several times over the summer to check things out! 

Summer Solstice

 

Today June 21st is the official start of summer here in the northern hemisphere.  I did my bowl burning on Monday night, and went out to the sacred site of the Parowan Gap last night.  There is a 5 day window for the solstice, so it is not too late for those of you who would like to do some sort of ceremony to mark this very auspicious occasion.  Take advantage of the longest day and the heightened energy from the sun to set your intent for the future!  

The photo above shows the sun setting in the "Gap".  This cut through a ridge is full of rock art, and is considered to be a premier solar calendar location.  I drove out after my line dancing class, and happened to meet up with 2 friends, Allison and Peter.  We were all there for the same purpose!  Surprisingly, there were very few people there doing the same thing.  Last year, it was a mob scene!  I would expect that tonight, the official start of summer, there might be more people on hand to see the sunset.  

So here are some photos from last night.  I have to say that the weather was as perfect as it could be, with balmy temperatures and very little of the wind that we had seen the past few days.  This is the terrain east of the the gap.

I created a medicine bundle for Mother Earth and Father Sun, which included rose petals, lavender, sage and a small crystal.  In the bundle was also a small sea shell, symbolically representing a container for water.  Even though we have had an abundance of moisture this year in the form of snow, we can always use more!  The bundle was buried under this juniper tree. 

Here I am on the road facing east, away from the gap, with the setting sun at my back.

And lastly, the progression of the sun as it set. 

Because the sky was so clear and cloudless, it was hard to capture the actual shape of the sun.  If there had been even a little haze, the sun would have shown up as an orange ball.  As I stood facing the setting sun, I set my intent for the coming months, and soaked up all of that solar energy.  It was fabulous!  For those of you in the southern hemisphere, your turn will com in 6 months time! 

The Beat of the Drum

I find Native American drumming to be quite hypnotic!   Especially the group drumming that is done at ceremonies and gatherings.   This kind of drumming is done to create a theta brain wave pattern of 4-7Hz.  It is good for relaxation, meditation, and altered state journeying to name a few.  Because the dancers need a lot of stamina to be able to dance all day, the altered state that the drumming creates makes this easier. 

This past weekend, I attended the 43^rd annual Utah Paiute Indian Gathering and Powwow here in Cedar City.  There was Native American dance demonstration and competition, vendors with all sorts of goods and food, and a large group of attendees playing the traditional Hand Game.   Something for everyone.

I attended Saturday afternoon.  The weather was perfect, and it wasn’t too crowded.  There were other activities in town, and it was also Father’s Day weekend. 

Drumming groups from the various tribes took turns drumming and singing for the dance events.  I am always attracted to the colorful and intricately crafted regalia that the dancers wear, but in addition to this, the drumming really puts me into an altered state.  I found myself slowing down and walking around as if in a trance!  I have to say that that state stayed with me even after I got home and well into the night. 

I am so blessed to be able to witness this annual event where the tribes come together to honor each other and keep their traditions alive and well.  Enjoy the photos below.

I really enjoy and appreciate the "Tiny Tots" in full regalia dancing their hearts out! 

Last but not least, here's dad with his daughter.  A budding competitive dancer no doubt!

Out and About

This past weekend, I hosted a visit from a dear friend who lives out of town.  She had never been here before, and I really wanted to pack in the activities in 3 short days!  It was a bit rainy, very uncharacteristic for May in the south west, but luckily not too hot.  Below are some of the photos I took at different places. 

After picking her up at the airport, we drove directly out to the Parowan Gap sacred site.  This is where I go for Solstice and Equinox ceremonies.  It is a sun calendar site with lots of amazing rock art lining the gap.  I have to say that it was wonderful sharing the sacred and elevated energy that is there there with a friend.

We barely made it back to the car before a hard blowing rain soaked everything! 

On the way back, I just had to stop on the side of the road west of the gap to take some photos.  It was muddy but well worth the effort.  The orange flowers are globe mallow, and the brilliant green is snake weed.

If you look closely near the top of this photo, you can see the Parowan Gap lit up by the sun.  I was facing the gap from the west side here.

The next day we went up into the mountains for a long hike before heading over to Cedar Breaks National Monument. The road past Cedar Breaks is closed in winter, because of heavy snow at 10, 300', and they had just opened it a few days before my friend arrived.  There was snow and mud up there, in addition to storm clouds and some rain. This is another place that I consider to be very sacred and highly energized. 

Here is a marmot that was watching us.  He probably just came out of hibernation!

After a quick stop at the Navajo Lake overlook, we headed back down to Cedar City.  I had posted a photo of the lake a few weeks ago, where you could see the dam under water.  This weekend, the water was so high because of the snow melt that the dam was not visible at all.

The last day, yesterday, we took a lovely hike close to town.  There were still plenty of wildflowers and cacti blooming. This first one is the Utah sate flower, a sego lily.

Today, I am recovering from an action packed weekend.  It was so very nice to spend time with a person of like mind, not only spiritually, but in many other ways also.  I am blessed!