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Embrace the Great Lakes
Scroll down for information on Great Lakes Vortex and Erie tribes.
Solstice Meditation at/with Lake Erie
Thursday, June 21
6:30pm
Mentor Headlands
All light workers, students of spirit, healers, guides, shamans and teachers are invited to join together on the solstice this June 21st to participate in a dimensional communion with the lake, the elements, star beings, earth beings and the light beings who are guiding the transformational process of humanity and the planet.
Whether you want to join us at Mentor Headlands, sponsor a solstice meditation at another site or join us in spirit from wherever you will be that evening, you are invited to participate. Our mother deva of the water element, Lake Erie has invited us to join with her at this propitious time to perform ceremony that will bring greater joy, purification and compassion to the planet.
The energies have shifted and our consciousness is trying to catch up with the shifts that have already occurred. The more we join together in ceremony to tune in to these shifts on the subtle planes, the more each one will understand their unique role and path.
Bring your musical instruments, your love of our mother deva Lake Erie and your intent to enter into deep communication with the living energies that guide, support and sustain our emergence and fulfillment.
Please RSVP to spiritheal@aol.com if you are coming. You may press the "contact" button the side of this page to go directly to the e-mail page. Also let me know if you would like your name read at the ceremony or if you will hold a ceremony at another site that I may list on this page.
Meet at the far east end of the beach where the sand narrows on the way to the Light House.
For information, maps, phone numbers, etc. about Headlands Beach State Park go to: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/headlnds.htm
If you cannot make it but would like your name read as an active participant, please e-mail your name to spiritheal@aol.com or click the contact button on this page. Your name out loud as we speak our appreciation to Lake Erie and assure her of your love and appreciation as well.
Report from Mentor Headlands Blessing: November 13, 2005
We had 8 people at the blessing, and each of us had very strong feelings of the connection among our group, among the three groups, the Lake and the Earth. The waves and wind were awesome--it felt like the lake was hugging us with the wind as an extension of herself. One participant (his first time at the lake blessing) had a vision of a deer coming out of the water during the meditation. One of the women had a vision of a horse coming from the water. We all felt very rooted to the beach--it was hard to move our feet afterwards! That sense of being rooted to the earth but literally swaying in the strong winds brought a sense of the Lake Energy combining with the Earth Energy. During the meditation, when we imparted our blessing to the Lake the wind abruptly stopped until the blessing portion was completed, then started again. The same thing happened afterwards as we were all still in the circle with hands held, and we passed energy around the circle. The wind stopped and it felt like the Lake Spirit was part of the circle. Andrea Zweigat spoke words that she had received as a channel, which mostly encouraged us to continue in the direction we are, to flow with the changes that are happening, and that the Lake Spirit acknowledges our Lights and appreciates our work. We definitely felt the presence of everyone else. We left at 10:05 to start our walk back to the cars.
Report from Brandywine Falls Blessing: November 13, 2005
30 people showed up at Brandywine Falls to share their blessings with the water goddess and bless the Northeast Ohio region. We stood in a circle and shared our intentions with the falls to come into reciprocal relationship with her in order to contribute to greater harmony within ourselves and the planet. The commitment from the attendees to healing the waters of the planet was deep and thoughtful. One little three year old member of the circle embraced us with her loving energy in profoundly palpable way as well. The light was brilliant as we came into deeper and deeper communion and a portal to greater dimensions opened as our energies harmonized. Light beings from many dimensions appeared and blessed us as well.
Visit the Coastal Ohio website. This is a great site on Ohio waters.
The following is an article on activation of the Great Lakes Vortex.
Embrace the Lakes….The Great Lakes Vortex Is Activating Now!
By Sarah Weiss, MA, LMT
Our time has come, we are awakening. We invite you to co-create with us a new era for the planet. Yes, for the planet. Our power is vast. Not only will the Great Lakes region arise in renewal, but it will also become a place of pilgrimage and holiness.
Joyfully yet patiently, the spirit of the Great Lakes, the feminine being embodied in the fresh water we call the Great Lakes, is awakening and whispering in our ears. She is calling us to recognize and participate fully in the miracle of life! In the watery wombs of the planet and the elemental world of the ethers, life originates in the heart of the water spirit. She is impregnated with a fertile God seed and carries it until life is birthed in a blaze of glory.
Beneath the surface of the vast waters of the Great Lakes lies an energy vortex so strong that when fully activated will transform the planet. A nature vortex awakens a result of the harmonics of the cosmos. The Great Lakes is a living being. When she feels the divine call to awaken, she willingly rises, ready to serve.
Once she is active, electromagnetic emanations from our galaxy as well as from galaxies beyond are focused on her as the entire universe comes into harmony with the divine plan. The plan is to create a living breathing vibrational pool of energies that will hold and radiate the message of love, harmony and wholeness for the entire planet. Within the next twenty years the Great Lakes will be fully activated and vibrating as a tuning fork for the planet. Aligning with these energies will help you align with the emerging consciousness of our planet. It will tune us to the birth of the new age.
The Meaning of Water
Esoterically the water element is the realm of the second chakra, called the Svadhisthana center in Vedic tradition. This center relates to sweetness, the womb; creating and bearing life, the emotions, and the kidney, circulatory and lymph systems of the body. Key words for the second chakra are “flow” and “life force” as in the flowing of water, emotions, generosity, health and abundance. When we purify the second chakra we are freed of the emotional shadows that haunt us from within. The lymph and blood, upon which our entire immune system is dependent, is also revitalized and our kidneys have enough energy to support our daily activities. When the second chakra is purified we feel light and vital, filled with effervescent sparkling hope and joy, boundless optimism and strong physical energy. Our personality beams with a generous confidence. These are the qualities that define us as humans in our best sense. When the waters of the planet are ignored and unappreciated, the quality of life on earth is compromised in every single aspect. The shadow side predominates and the result is a world that lacks unity and harmony. By working consciously and co-creatively with the energies of the Great Lakes vortex we can purify both the personal and planetary levels. Imagine our planet inhabited by humans with healthy second chakras! That would mean we transformed the shadow qualities of greed, fear, control and misuse of sexual energies into abundance, joy, confidence, and love.
The power of water to heal communities
Past cultures and current indigenous traditions have recognized the power of the water element to heal and restore harmony and wholeness to society. One example is the Incas of South America. They appreciated water’s ability to link, transform, and communicate harmonic resonance. At the height of their civilization, they constructed sacred sites with an emphasis on the placement and direction of water throughout the grounds. Water was the life force that held together every aspect of community from the holy springs that ran through the temples to the water used for farming. At the point where the water first entered the site, priests and priestesses performed blessing ceremonies to consecrate the water that was used for drinking, gardening, cooking, and ceremonial rituals. As a result a holy atmosphere of unity circulated throughout the entire community. They recognized that water was the element that could bring everyone into resonance and harmony with the divine flow of life. What would happen if we blessed the Great Lakes in the same manner and how would our lives be brought into greater health harmony as a result?
Co-create with the great lakes vortex
We can contribute to the power of the vortex in a co-creative way. Your intention to come into relationship with the vibrational frequency of the vortex will strengthen its power and align you with the divine life giving properties of water. Take walks along the lakes, rivers and reservoirs that are the water sources in your area. Bless the water as it flows by so that all are blessed who come into contact with it. Speak to her as if she was your sister or mother and lovingly tell her how much you appreciate her. Bring her little offerings, keep a bowl of water on your altar at home and bless it with your love and intention. Tune into the mysteries and teachings of the feminine. Delve into the depths of the womb of Mother Earth where the waters of life are both the curriculum and the teacher.
Meditation to connect with the great lakes vortex
First, relax your mind, body and emotions. Then open your heart to the journey ahead and invoke the divine presence. Ask permission to enter a sacred relationship with the Great Lakes vortex. It is only polite to ask permission to enter into someone’s space. If permission is granted, you will feel an immediate connection or resonance with the vortex. Something in you will come alive, or respond on either a visceral, feeling or subtle energy level. For each person this might feel a bit different. After you enter her presence or space, invite this great being to reveal it’s magnificence to you. She may surprise you in how she shows up, so be open. You may feel her as a glowing waterfall of light, or as a giggle in your heart, or as a goddess of such power you instinctively bow before her. Be patient and quiet so that you won’t miss the subtle response. Be persistent. Try this meditation more than once; try until you make the connection! Keep yearning for a deeper connection. Ask her to reveal the secrets of the universe to you, to connect you with the very source of life.
When we recognize that the source of our material world lies in the vast planes of the subtle, we will be able to access greater unlimited resources to help us resolve the challenges that face the planet at this very dynamic time.
Erie history©
[Note: This is a single part of what will be, by my classification, about 240 compact tribal histories (contact to 1900). It is limited to the lower 48 states of the U.S. but also includes those First Nations from Canada and Mexico that had important roles (Huron, Micmac, Assiniboine, etc.).
This history's content and style are representative. The normal process at this point is to circulate an almost finished product among a peer group for comment and criticism.
Using the Internet, this can be more inclusive. Feel free to comment or suggest corrections via e-mail. Working together we can end some of the historical misinformation about Native Americans. You will find the ego at this end to be of standard size. Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to your comments...Lee Sultzman]
Erie location
Southern shore of Lake Erie beginning near Buffalo, New York and then west to the vicinity of Sandusky, Ohio. Their homeland may also have extended far inland to include large parts of the upper Ohio River Valley and its branches in northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Population
Unknown, unless wild guesses are acceptable. The French had only one meeting with the Erie but never learned how many villages there were or the extent of their territory. Estimates have varied from 4,000 to 15,000, but the ability of the Erie to defy the Iroquois (without benefit of European firearms) seems to favor the higher figures - probably at least 10,000. There appears to have been a sudden surge in their population prior to 1653. The wide range in their population estimates could be explained by the large number of Huron and Neutral refugees who joined the Erie in 1651.
Names
Erie is a short form of the Iroquian word "Erielhonan" meaning literally "long tail"" and referring to the panther (cougar or mountain lion). Hence their French name was Nation du Chat (cat nation). Their other Iroquoian names - Awenrehronon and Rhilerrhonon (Rhierrhonon) - carry the same meaning, although the Huron muddied the situation by using Yenresh (panther people) for both the Erie and Neutrals. Other names which seem to have been used for the Erie were: Atirhagenret, Chat (French), Gaquagaono, Kahqua (Kahkwa) (Seneca), Rhagenratka, and Black Mingua (Dutch).
Language
Iroquian. Reportedly similar to one of the Huron dialects.
Sub-tribes
The Erie are believed to have had many villages and several divisions, but only three names have been preserved: Kentaientonga (Gentaguehronon, Gentaienton, Gentaguetehronnon), Honniasont (Black Minqua, Honniasontkeronon, Oniassontke), and Rigué (Arrigahaga, Rigueronnon, Rique, Riquehronnon). One clue as to the number of Erie villages came years later, when the Iroquois told the French they had destroyed 19 Kentaientonga villages in the Ohio by 1650.
Culture
With French contact limited to one brief meeting, very little is known for certain about the Erie except they were important, and they were there. The Dutch and Swedes also heard about them through their trade with the Susquehannock, but never actually met the Erie. All information about their social and political organization has come from early Jesuit accounts of what they had been told by the Huron. Although questionable because of the lack of first-hand observation, this information seems reasonable enough. The Erie had a large population, several divisions and lived in permanent, stockaded towns. Like other Iroquian peoples in the area, they were an agricultural people. They were traditional enemies of the Iroquois, and there had been many wars between them before the Europeans. The Iroquois, who always mentioned the Erie were great warriors, have verified the long-term hostility, and also add that the Erie frequently used poisoned arrows in war.
History
In 1615 Étienne Brulé met a group of Erie near Niagara Falls. So far as is known, this was their only encounter with Europeans. At the time the Erie were members of a three-way alliance(Neutrals and Wenro) against the Iroquois. Although it is is not known for certain, it is quite possible some of the Erie were allied with the Susquehannock and supported their wars with Iroquois. In any event, the Erie often traded with the Susquehannock and received European goods from them at an early date. It also appears that the Susquehannock were very careful to insure the Erie did not get any firearms and only a limited supply of metal weapons. Huron and Neutral traders apparently took similar precautions.
The Erie needed beaver for this trade and probably encroached on other tribal territories to get it. The result was a war with an unknown Algonquin enemy in 1635 that forced the Erie to abandon some of their western villages. In 1639 the Erie and Neutrals withdrew their protection from the Wenro leaving them to fend for themselves. The Iroquois attacked, and the Wenro were quickly defeated. Most fled to the Huron and Neutrals, although one Wenro group remained east of the Niagara River and resisted until 1643. The alliance between the Erie and Neutrals continued until 1648, when it ended after the Erie failed to support the Neutrals during a short war with the Iroquois. The failure of this alliance occurred just as the war between the Huron Confederacy and Iroquois League was reaching its final stage, and its timing could hardly have been worse. Huronia was overrun in the winter of 1648-49; the Tionontati met the same fate later that year; and in 1650 the Iroquois turned on the Neutrals. Defeated by 1651, large numbers of Neutral and Huron (several thousand) escaped and fled to the Erie. The Erie accepted these refugees but did not treat them well. Apparently, there were still bad feelings from the break-up of the past alliance. They were allowed to stay in the Erie villages but only in a condition of subjugation.
Meanwhile, the Iroquois League demanded the Erie surrender the refugees, but with hundreds of new warriors, the Erie refused. The dispute simmered for two years of strained diplomacy. The western Iroquois (Seneca, Cayuga, and Onondaga) continued to view the refugees as a threat and were not willing to let the matter drop. The Erie were just as determined not to be intimidated by Iroquois threats. Their position, however, was becoming precarious, since the Mohawk and Oneida in 1651 had begun a long war against the Susquehannock (Pennsylvania) isolating the Erie from their only possible ally. The violence grew, and an Erie raid into the Seneca homeland killed the Seneca sachem Annencraos in 1653. In an attempt to avoid open warfare, both sides agreed to a peace conference. However, in the course of a heated argument, one of the Erie warriors killed an Onondaga. The enraged Iroquois killed all 30 of the Erie representatives, and after this peace was impossible. Although they had the advantage of firearms, the Iroquois considered the Erie as dangerous opponents, so they took the precaution of first making peace with the French before beginning the war. With their native allies and trading partners either dead or scattered by the Iroquois, the French did not need much encouragement to sign.
Assured the French would not intervene, the western Iroquois attacked and destroyed two Erie fortified villages in 1654. However, the Erie inflicted heavy losses on the Iroquois during these battles. It took the Seneca, Cayuga, and Onondaga until 1656 before the Erie were defeated. Many survivors were incorporated into the Seneca to replace their losses in the war, and the Erie ceased to exist as a separate tribe. The Erie, however, did not entirely disappear at this time. French map-makers during the next 50 years continued to place the Nation du Chat on their maps as occupying a large area south and west of the Iroquois. Unfortunately, no European explored the Ohio Valley until the 1670s, and they did not find any Erie (or anyone else for that matter). Some of the Erie, Neutrals, Tionontati, and Huron escaped (the Wyandot are the best example). Most of these were small groups, but some may have been fairly large. It took the Iroquois many years to track these people down, and the last group of Erie (southern Pennsylvania) did not surrender to the Iroquois until 1680. Where they had been hiding during the intervening 24 years is a mystery.
In 1656 an unknown tribe fleeing the Iroquois entered the Virginia Piedmont and settled near the falls of the James River (Richmond). They built a large, fortified village and terrorized the local Powhatan tribes who called them the Ricahecrian. A combined English and Powhatan army went out to expel these intruders but was soundly defeated. However, shortly after this battle the Ricahecrian abandoned their village and disappeared. Ricahecrian is a Virginia Algonquin word that seems to mean "from beyond the mountains." The Powhatan obviously believed that these new enemies had come from west of the Appalachians. They may have been a Siouan tribe or possibly Cherokee, but both of these peoples were familiar to the Powhatan. The Shawnee are another possibility, but given a date which coincides with the end of the Erie-Iroquois war, it is very possible they were Erie. Where did the Ricahecrian go afterwards? No answers...just possibilities. They may have moved south and settled among the Iroquian-speaking Meherrin and Tuscarora. Perhaps they continued to South Carolina where, during the 1670s, they may have been the Westo, another mystery tribe. Little is known about the Westo except they lived in a large, fortified village and were alien to the Carolina tidewater. Greatly feared by the resident Siouan tribes, the English were told the Westo were cannibals. The colonists eventually armed the Shawnee (another new arrival) who destroyed them in 1680.
Of course, they could just as easily gone north, or the Ricahecrian may not have been Erie in the first place. Other than the final Erie surrender in 1680, only one other identifiable mention occurred after 1656. In 1662 the Susquehannock told the Dutch they expected 800 Honniasont warriors to join them in their war with the Iroquois. Honniasont is a Iroquian word meaning "wearing something around the neck" and refers to the Black Mingua habit of wearing a black badge on their chests. The Honniasont (Black Mingua) are believed to have been a division of the Erie that lived around the upper Ohio River in western Pennsylvania. 800 warriors would require a population in excess of 3,000 and may have been an exaggeration (Susquehannock or Dutch). It does, however, indicate that there was a large group still free in 1662, but they were gone by 1679. Many of the descendents of the Erie that were adopted by the Seneca began leaving the Iroquois homeland during the 1720s and returned to Ohio. Known as the Mingo (Ohio Iroquois), they were removed to the Indian Territory during the 1840s. It is very likely that many of the Seneca in Oklahoma today have Erie ancestors.
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