The Matriarchs' Stories
The towering matriarchal stones that tell unabridged stories of how they came into being were born more than 525 million years ago in earth time. Immense in size and ponderous in their various shapes, they are mute to human ears, yet clearly audible to anyone stopping long enough to listen to their stories. Some stones are massive with gray colors, their faces shrouded in shadows. Others are thin elongated spires, dancing across the terrain like wild Dakinis. They stand as guardians and sentinels looking out across hundreds of miles of landscape.
There are many ways to trek through Arizona and Utah’s National Parks. You can go by tour bus or by car – stopping at scenic overlooks. Or, you can hike the trails that lead you off the beaten path. Hiking takes you into the realms where the Matriarchs live undisturbed. While in Canyonlands we were shadowed by a large black crow. Wherever we stopped, the crow was there. Knowing they are “messengers” we focused on exactly where we were and what the crow was trying to tell us.
Away from the constant drone of chattering tourists the silent dowagers speak. Three protectors stood watch, staring out over a vast curtain of limestone shaped like a pipe organ. The official park brochures call them “The Three Gossips” – a designation demeaning to the elegant bearing of these towering shapes where one was crowned with an Egyptian headdress and another looked like a Mayan priestess. Others, surrounding the Three Matriarchs, looked like grandmothers lounging in conversation.
Climbing atop a large outcropping we sat with the grandmothers for quite some time. In the cathedrals, where they stood, these story-tellers held us enthralled. They possessed a consciousness of stability, foundation and solidity; waiting for humans to arrive on the planet to appreciate their old stories. The Matriarchs towered carefully watching over the earth. They pointed out the remnants of waterways that had carved their shapes over geological time turning them into vivid shades of reds, ochres and oranges. We listened as they told us of the winds that howled through the canyons eroding their ancestors and creating soil. Eons of lightning strikes had shattered or blackened some of the Matriarchs, allowing the space for the arrival of the plant kingdom.
Flowering plants clung to small ledges, flourishing in the rocky arms of these mother stones. We sat on a petrified dome that once was an ancient sea bed and we listened. The Sentinels said they were the earth – the foundation and container of all land. They witnessed the days of Genesis when the land was water and the light came and sky was formed. Although they were solid and immobile, they watched and patiently waited as plants grew in their dust, creating food for the animals and humans that would someday live on the land.
Millions of years went by. Over the eons, they saw their towering ancestors become rolling hills and valleys covered with grains and grasses. They knew that someday the similar monstrous stones of Zion will have the same fate. Between the heights of the Zion stones and the valleys of the reservations, they would become the lacy spires and arches of Bryce that draw humans from all over the world to appreciate them.
The evidence of the continuity of life was all around us, as we sat on the slickrock. Even though epochs had come and gone and no matter how much the elements had altered the landscape life continued. When flooding waters receded, leaving only dry sand dunes, a flowering plant lived on. And amid all the grandeur of nature and creation, a magnificent spirit is present.
As the Matriarchs’ Story came to an end, they asked one question, “What will the humans do?” This question was not unexpected, for indeed, what will the humans do?
The teachings of the mystics of the far east tell us to study and learn from nature in order to understand our spiritual being. The message in every mystical text is clear: to know God go to nature. The Matriarchs of Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands and Arches also know this and teach it to anyone willing to spend time with them.
Our parks are a national treasure. Each one telling a unique story if humans care to listen. Politicians with foresight created them and now, it’s in our hands to continue the legacy of protection for generations to come. Otherwise, through complacency and ignorance we destroy the story of creation. But assuredly, not if the Grandmothers of Mother earth have anything to say about it! For the spirit of all life runs through the stones and after 14 billion years they will prevail.
Jo Mooy – August 2014
Jo Mooy
Travels to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and South American have expanded Jo Mooy's seminars, retreats and spiritual work. The mystical teachings of these cultures influences her work in guiding others to develop their own unique practices. She leads the Sarasota Women's Meditation Circle which was named "Best Meditation Group" for six years straight. Her sold-out Women's Retreats and her Spiritual Seminars explore inspirational and cutting-edge advanced practices. Complex esoteric topics are made understandable and easy to assimilate into personal practices. Testimonials of attendees rate these seminars and retreats with a 5-Star rating. Jo has been a "Staff Writer" for Spirit of Maat for several years. She writes and publishes Spiritual Connections, a monthly e-newsletter. Jo was honored with two achievement awards in Sarasota as 'favorite meditation leader' and another for 'higher calling.' Contact Jo on her website: www.starsoundings.com
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