Detroit: A new vortex?

Sometimes I’m a little slow and need other people to point out what may be the obvious.

A Shaman I trained with when we were kids shared a thought with me today. She reminded me that I always seem to end up in a place just before it opens up and becomes a place that people flock to for spiritual learning, alternative healings and so forth. I went to Sedona when it looked like a dried up dump and I was in Asheville when it was open KKK territory and I was in Colombia South America when Bogota was being bombed by the guerillas during Uribe was being sworn in as president. Trust me, I don’t have the Bat phone to the Divine and I think I drift in more that get guided but there is a pattern. I shared this idea with other Shaman and they seemed to think we are in a new phase of  in which the most spiritually evolved thing you could do is to help your community make those simple and sensible changes that help people through troubled times and live with less impact on our Earth.

So what’s the deal with me being in Detroit? The other projects I was part of were in areas of wooded countryside and mountains. Perfect for that spiritual getaway kind of thing. People could go to these places and meditate on “healing the planet”, themselves and other spiritual shit before they went back to their mundane world of consumerism and petty bickering. I loved these places. They were beautiful and I was in my element but that really isn’t where the healing is needed. The real turnaround is needed in the cities where there isn’t much space and a lot of people using old infrastructures. Detroit is an old city that had it’s fame in the auto industry. I love the artistic architecture of the older buildings with proud statues on the roofs. Like in most Northerly latitudes the people are more hardy and practical about the work they do. Summer is short and I remember the Michigan Winters can be a bitch with temperatures well below zero so at this time people are thinking of getting their homes ready for the next season. Some of that is heating that involves the use of fossil fuels, or, coming up with inovative ways to heat your home.

So, I have this little house in an older neighborhood that is working class, black and white. I’ve never seen so many little home improvement projects in such a small area. To really appreciate this you have to know that there isn’t much work or money around here and these people are great about making the best use of reclaimed anything. I hear tale that the Detroit area is also the capital of urban farming and some people even have ducks and chickens. The gardens I’ve seen were neat and practical. Growing potatoes in trash cans is smart to me. One of the nice things about neighborhoods like mine is freedom. No home owner’s association up your ass telling you what color to paint your house or snitching cuz you have chickens. The city or anyone else doesn’t seem to care if you farm a vacant lot and the people who are squatting in houses take nice care of them and their yards. What harm are they doing? They are still contributing to the community in participating in local economy and maintaining a structure. I’m all for it.

I think more people need to see living examples like this. I never really liked the vortex definition but if it was to mean a place where people could come to get a different perspective about a sensible change for living more harmonious with the environment and each other, this could be that place. With an old infrastructure and high unemployment, Detroit is the perfect place to try new ideas that will lower the demand on utilities, reclaim materials and save people money. Maybe the visions people need to get are the ideas that reduce their dependence on the corporate/government agenda and give them quality time with their family, friends and community.

Since people have fires in their back yards I thought of having a Sweat Lodge in mine. Haven’t done those in years and miss the all around cleansing that comes with them. A lot of possibilities here.