A Council of All Beings with students from a private school in New York City

From Lillith Jkthecat666@aol.com May 2008

First thing to tell you is that two weeks ago, April 30, I met the kids in their school (4 small groups of them) and Amy and I led them to a nearby park where there were two blindfolded exercises. First we made a circle, with the kids blindfolded, we passed around things that smelled good or felt interesting, not as a guessing game but rather as sensory experiences; then we had kids pair up and one would lead the other, who was blindfolded, on a walk around the area, and then they switched roles. Then we talked about the CAB a bit, not much detail, wanted to keep it mysterious, and also I said it was not something that could be summed up in words, it had to be experienced.

We did the CAB this week (Wed/Thurs), first time I ever did it with kids. We were in a place upstate called Black Rock Forest.
The kids are 4th graders in a private school that teaches self-reliance and encourages environmental awareness. They are at that point in life just before puberty kicks in - perfect skin, shining eyes, affectionate with each other, mostly kind, and still open to childhood and on a friendly basis with grownups. (Let's leave this last sentence out of any public writing.)

The preparatory processes were supposed to take place among the Wed activities (the milling, vision quest, maskmaking) and then we planned to do the Council itself the next day. But instead, the first day was so full - and such fun - that all our stuff got moved to day two except the milling. The kids had the opportunity to restock a stream with trout and to examine water in a reservoir and look for beneficial microfauna and catch newts. Also we had a bumpy ride on the back of a truck on which a bench broke - very exciting. We had a long ride to a campfire and a hike back from there 2 1/2 miles under a half moon in a misty sky. Also very exciting and scary, so much fun for them.

So on Wednesday there was a milling, not so effective I think, as it was kind of squeezed in after dinner and before the ride to the campfire. I think the teachers (other than Amy) didn't really get it that it was an important and integral part of the CAB. I talked a bit more about the CAB and how you don't just get off the bus and go right into the council - it takes a while being outside the city or your everyday existence to open up to the natural world; it's better to sleep on it. I suggested they let what dreams or messages or visions come that might help them know for whom they will be chosen to speak, and that even if they don't remember their dreams tonight, something is happening.

Then we did the milling. The questions: 1) talk about something you remember (and love) in the natural world, whether in a park, a forest, a garden, the seashore, or in your dreams. 2) stand with palms touching each other, first person leads, second person leads, then neither one leads. 3) (we came up with this one) - sit quietly with your partner, listen to the world around you. Then open your eyes - person A talk about what you experienced, then person B. But befpre we got to question 3, half the kids left (they got a ride to the campfire).

Amy did question 2, but I think she was pretty stressed out, feeling responsible and accountable for the success of this project, and so she had a rough night. And there were too many people milling for us to handle. Lots of wild energy, silliness.

The next day began cool and wet, then warmed and dried out in time for us to go outside. I went up the mountain to prepare: placed a white lace scarf across the path in tree branches near the clearing, put down the altar and candles, laid branches to delineate the space, created another circle next to it (we had 42 kids! 10 adults!) with another altar, while Amy stayed with the rest of the people, making sure everything went ok down there.

Then I went back down to the group already sitting in a (very large) circle and Amy was already talking about becoming another being. I missed most of what she said so perhaps she can tell you that.

And then I talked about how indigenous people felt it necessary to do things to connect to nature even tho they lived close to the earth, and that if they felt it necessary imagine how much more necessary it is for us. (this I have heard you say) And I said "This is what I believe, and I don't preach anything, but I believe the earth is alive and conscious because how can we be conscious and the earth not, as we come from her and imagine how wise and old she must be." Then I asked how old was the earth and someone answered and I said that we are 4 and a half billion years old or more, at least as old as the planet, and that we are so much more than just our human selves. And then I asked why they thought it was important to do such a thing as a Council of All Beings, can't technology fix all our problems? A girl said that no, technology was not the answer, it made more problems. One kid said that we should do the Council of All Beings "because we have global warming and we need to learn all we can and change that." Finally I said that there was wisdom from the Council available to them, and that when I was a kid the teachers and parents told us that we were the future, and I said, yes, we were the future, but you who are now the future will be smarter and stronger and braver than any who came before you.

Then we did the vision quest near the retreat center and I told the kids (and adults) to pay attention, that something may come from all the way across the world or from very nearby. This seemed to be something very special for the kids. They were really quiet, connecting to their beings; some just looking around, one of them called out to me "I think I know!"

Then the mask making - a great success, lots of enthusiasm, Amy and the art teacher making it all happen.

Finally - one teacher beating a drum, two children at the front of the procession with the drummer, Amy and me, and another teacher assigned to sage people and another one to sprinkle a little water on everyone, and we began to walk toward the (secret) place, up the hill, excitement and somberness and curiousity even among the teachers.

Then those of us in front went under the scarf and all the others waited while we lit the sage, the candles, saged the two children, then they formed the arch and the others were allowed to pass. They put on their masks (most of them were already wearing them), and entered the first (closest) circle following me clockwise till it was filled up. Then another round with children and teachers standing in outside the first group, two concentric circles of beings. Then a few more in a third circuit.

I was Oak Tree, and explained the talking object and confidentiality. All the children were listening intently - the idea that they would have full respect and attention when holding the talking object (and that they had the choice of objects from the altar to hold when they were speaking) really meant a lot to them. Also the understanding that nobody could speak of what happened there without permission from the speaker, very important. They are good kids and get respect but when you are 9 or 10 years old it's hard to hold forth without being interrupted by another kid - or sometimes an adult, in fact all too often.

Then Amy led the outer circle to the clearing nearby and we began the Council(s).

I said, "You can speak or just pass the talking object. Nobody has to speak unless you want to. Tell us who you are and where you are from." And so we went around. Then point in fact about talking with attention paid: The first to speak was the little boy to my left. He said, "I am a cheetah and - uh -" and one of the teachers, a big man-boy himself, said (from outside the circle, leaning against a tree, kind of out of the process) "and where are you from?" I whispered to Cheetah, "You have the talking object. Tell him." And he spoke up clearly to his teacher, "I have the talking object." And the teacher got the message and did not interrupt again.

Then after all spoke I said, "What is it like to be in this form on the planet at this time? How are you doing with food and a place to live? Do you have children? Are you in danger?" Cheetah turned to me and in a quiet voice asked if cheetahs were endangered and I said, Oh, yes, very much so. So we went around again. One little girl was a 3-being - she was cardinal and tiger and (I forget what else) and she had a different voice and accent for each, and as tiger she had 7 children and she named them all, without hesitation, as if this was all very real and familiar for her, names like San and Luri and Ka-ili, beautiful names. One little boy started crying when he said he couldn't find enough food for his children, and he had so many of them. Another child said his mother was a squirrel and his father was a bear and they were divorced and it was much more fun to live with the bear. The teachers said their stories too. Finally we got almost all the way around again and the kid to my right said, "I am someone who gets very angry and when I do I turn into the Hulk who is a big green monster." And I don't remember why we didn't pick up on this the first round, but this time when he said it I turned to the beings and said, "Brothers and Sisters, we have a problem. I think there is a human in our circle. What shall we do?" and there was a loud clamor, "He has to leave! He has to leave! No humans in the circle." but he said he would not leave and he just sat there smiling. We tried to figure out if a monster was a human or not and he just said he was a big monster. So then it escalated to "Kill him! Kill him! We don't want any monsters in the circle. He can hurt us."

Then there was the suggestion to turn him into a turtle. One of the beings held a vote on that. But meanwhile one of the teachers, a woman, had gotten scared, I think. She said, "Why don't we allow just one human? Perhaps this is the first human ever to be allowed into this circle, and maybe this is just the right one, someone who can help us." But that really wasn't the solution for these beings - we were in the midst of something big here and the beings were taking it very very seriously. At that point, Amy's circle came back (they were done, it was time to pack up and get on the bus and go back to New York) and as arranged, their group encircled ours. We continued on for a bit, and then I announced that sometimes in life there is a question left unanswered, and perhaps there will be another council or another way to deal with that question, but that this is sometimes what happens when humans show up where they are not invited, and that it was too bad that the beings did not have the opportunity to speak in private before deciding whether to invite humans to hear what they decided.

(In fact, Amy had asked me the night before what did I think we should do if a kid said, "I'm not a creature, I'm really a human being" - I thought a good answer was that it was sad that some being was deprived of the chance to be heard because someone didn't allow himself or herself to be chosen.)

Then we gathered up the altars and passed thru the arch again (formed by two other children this time) and returned to the sound of the drum, most of the kids still wearing their masks because we didn't have time to end that part, and down the mountain (actually a hill) and back in ordinary time.

On the bus, I told everyone that anyone who has participated in a Council of All Beings (that means everyone but the driver) was now certified to lead a Council of All Beings and there was a big "YAY".