the old-school guestbook archives
my amazon wish list... my favorite astrologer... my favorite artist... yerba mate revolution! erowid: a travel guide for interior journeys... no more war: MoveOn.org United for Peace and Justice True Majority seek the truth: Common Dreams Unamerican Activities The Nation people I adore, diaries I read: rev.raikes ariana cubiclegirl epiphany glitter333 laurakay wammo the music: the asylum street spankers backyard tire fire blue highway bill camplin wendy colonna freedom tribe joules graves guy forsyth band hamsa lila hanuman libby kirkpatrick leftover salmon pamela means medeski martin & wood the motet the nice outfit nickel creek open road rose polenzani railroad earth south austin jug band string cheese incident taarka tha musemeant the devil makes three tim o'brien band trolley wild sage keller williams yonder mountain string band |
earth, air, fire, water and spirit ~ September 25, 2002 - 12:45 a.m. the mountain continues to burn... when I woke up this morning, the smoke was a thick haze, bits of white ash floating in the air like snowflakes. skye, rajani, august and I piled into skye's bronco and headed down the mountain to find some air. we spent the day in santa cruz, and I got a lot of errands done, including my hepatitis A vaccination. my, but going down to the county clinic brings back memories. I don't ever mind leaning on the county when it comes to health care because I think it's ridiculous that any country can call itself "the greatest in the world" when it won't even provide for the health of its citizens. really, how hard can socialized health care be to accomplish? after that I took a break and went to the beach, where skye and I had an amazing time bodysurfing with the gigantic waves that powerful moon is drawing to us. it's a power time, there's no question of that. we headed back up the mountain after that, except when we got to mount madonna road, the sheriff was blocking our way. we could still go up, but we had to detour around to 152, because they were going to be bringing fire trucks up mount madonna road, and needed to keep it clear. does that mean it's getting close to us? we wondered. when we got there, they were just getting ready to hold a community meeting to discuss everything. I was reminded again, of how much I love this community. we all gathered in the main room of the community building and sat in a circle on the floor. bhavani took roll, so that we knew who was on the land. people were requested to check in with the office if they decided to leave. we began the meeting with a mighty OM, all of us holding hands. each of the people who were designated in charge of various aspects of the emergency were introduced. we went over procedures and possibilities. kim son, the monastery one mile down the road (where I saw thich nhat hanh on sunday), has been evacuated. the fire, at last report, had come as close as three or four miles down the road. we lent two of our school buses to kim son to aid their evacuation. some of our neighbors were at the meeting too, and we talked about checking in with the folks up and down the road, supporting each other. they don't think we'll be evacuated tonight. at last report, the fire was pretty well contained, and expected to stay that way through the night. in the heat of the day tomorrow, who knows. if anything does happen, they'll ring the fire siren, and everyone in the community knows to head to the community building for instructions. everything feels strange up here, otherworldly. there's a whole world down at the bottom of the mountain that's more or less unaware, apart from the column of smoke in the sky. and up here, we're figuring out what to pack in case we have to run. it's an interesting thing, to sort through your things, trying to figure out what's essential. what you need to save from consumption by fire. I found I didn't have that much. of course, after all the time I've spent on the road over the past couple of years, I don't have all that much stuff anymore. I'm a pack rat by nature, but I've come to realize that it weighs me down. I enjoy purging the stuff. so I picked through my things, and stowed a few in the back of skye's car. my laptop and disks. my important papers box. my backpack. my favorite blanket. a couple changes of clothes. not much that I couldn't afford to let burn. everyone is dazed, the energy up here is all over the place. excitement, love, some fear. there's a very strong sense of community, that we are all in this together. that's the only reason I'm even here. I don't live here anymore, and I could easily be spending the night somewhere away from the smoke and ash-- but I am a member of this community, and we are all working together to make sure everyone is safe. tonight there's a crew with chainsaws and bulldozers out there working on firebreaks. tomorrow I'm going to work on one of the outside crews, clearing brush and watching for embers and whatever else needs to happen. we've got drinking water piled up everywhere for the crews, the kitchen is unlocked. we have our own volunteer fire department, and right now they're staying here to defend our buildings, if need be. there's a lot of spiritual work going on right now, too. everyone's sending energy in their own ways. I gathered with a few beautiful women to drum and chant and share space. at some point a revelation hit me-- I was thinking about firedance, and the way in which the sacred fire is the focal point, how much work we do releasing our negativities into the fire and letting it purify. and I thought about the fact that we have a gigantic sacred fire right down the road. what an incredible opportunity to let go and purify. everything feels very elemental. I was just asked to cover the phones in the office, which is serving as the command center, for a few minutes, and the walls are covered with giant sheets of paper listing people to call for various things and resources which have been offered, including accommodations, vehicles, hoses, and medical help. did I mention how much I love this community? I think we're fine for the night. I feel very safe. we'll see what the morning brings. I'll probably head down to santa cruz again tomorrow for breatheable air, if I'm not needed on a crew. speaking of which, it's time for me to get some rest. my head's stuffy from the smoke, my throat raw. wish us well.
(((rings))) |