Deer Dancer Ranch Trip

At the end of April I attended a shamanic retreat at Deer Dancer Ranch in South Texas. About 40 people joined us from the US, and a lovely lady brought her presence from the Brazilian rainforest. We would camp on the 500 acre ranch or stay in the bunkhouse. The ranch was filled with many animals, including buffalo. They were roaming the afternoon acres near the ranch entrance (and several calves had just been born), and there were a couple varieties of deer as well. The land featured several huge meadows, a lake, and plenty of open space. The owners and their friends had worked hard to restore the land to its natural state (people had actually used this place as a dump, and when the owners bought it, it was covered in tires and beer cans).

Hanging in the bunkhouse

“The most reliable way to understand Jesus is to connect deeply with his landscape… I would love to visit him [the Galilee] one day… I would love to talk to the eco-landscape that grew out of it… The Great Return is deeply tied to humans once again being participants in the landscape” – From The Galilean Shaman 2.0, Dr. Will Taegel.

One afternoon in the bunkhouse, several ladies gathered as Sarah talked about her dissertation. Ever since I met Sarah at the Garrison Institute’s 2012 Dissertation Intensive, I’ve been enthusiastic about her topic on ethics. When it seemed that she would not continue with her dissertation, I felt even more drawn into the conversation.

“What are you looking for?” she questioned herself in the context of her thesis journey.

Those words triggered a story in my mind. She paused and I spoke.

“When Mary was sitting in the garden outside the cave where Jesus was buried,” I began.

Sarah looked at me and I gestured for her to wait. Apparently the rest of the ladies did the same. Knowing me from the Garrison Institute intensive, she gave up sitting down and listening.

“Mary noticed that the stone entrance to the cave was open. Inside, she saw two angels along with a gardener. She had felt helpless after her Jesus had died and confused that he was no longer buried in the cave. She had teary-eyed, and the gardener asked, “Why are you sad? What are you looking for… Maria?”

As soon as the gardener called his name, Mary instantly recognized him as Jesus. Hearing her name woke her up.”

At that moment in the bunkhouse, Sarah and the other ladies were fully attentive.

“Jesus didn’t answer any of Mary’s questions, right? What was important was the feeling she had when he pronounced her name.”

A day later, as we waited to greet the last prospector on his return to the tribe, Sarah and I had another conversation. Meanwhile, she had spoken with Dr. Carolyn about the progress of her thesis. Apparently, the financial part had been worrisome. But, Dr. Carolyn and Lynda had figured out a way for Sarah to continue her thesis journey. Sarah was excited to use a special study she had recently created for a group of ladies as a key part of her thesis.

“You showed up just to deliver that message to me,” Sarah said. “You can go now!” she made fun of me.

I was happy that the Easter story I had just read found such a fertile landing spot in Sarah’s heart. Did the countryside inspire me to read the story during my trip from Washington to Texas? Did you arrange for me to present you at the bunkhouse at just the right time to connect the words, “What are you looking for?”

A field inspired each piece of this connection. Are they ecological fields connected? How does this work? Perhaps this is a living example of non-locality. Henry Stapp, possibly one of our greatest living scientists, claims that no locality is “the most profound discovery in all of science.” – From Taegel, The Mother Tongue: Intimacy in the Eco-Field.

No Location

“…the ancient shamans, like the new quantum scientists, knew that the underlying fields convey information aimed at the evolution of the total landscape [of which we are all a part]- From the Mother Tongue: Intimacy in the Ecofield.

During a trip to India, I learned an important related lesson. During the plane ride home, I received a sacred gift from a fellow traveler. It was a handkerchief that had a special meaning. I realized that once you start a journey or a sacred quest, it begins and ends at your doorstep. Perhaps the Easter story read, remembered, and told in multiple ecological fields is teaching us the same lesson. What do you think?

🙂 Diana