Saturday, February 3, 2007
Location: Piikani Reservation, Alberta

We had a full-moon sweat this past Thursday. I never really understood that the full moon lasts four days. Four days, in which to pray, four days, in which to connect, four seasons, four directions, four elements - four days. This morning as I awoke and went out to feed the cattle, the moon was setting. Tonight, as I prepared to return inside, the moon was rising; a deep orange disc on the horizon.

My dreams over the past four days have been lucid and powerful. While, between dreams, my nights have been filled with a restless sleeplessness.

We’re all affected by the full moon, our bodies mostly water; we all ebb and flow. And, when we take the time to connect to the natural world, we fall headlong into the reality that we’ve created a world devoid of the important reminders as to our makeup. In our world, built of concrete and steel, built of technology, media, and high frequency signals, where is there space to be human? Where do we return to ourselves? Where do we find the time and the space to connect to our innate natural rhythms?

Out here on the Piikani Reservation, remote from everyday experience is the hum of the cityscape. Feeding cattle, tracking coyotes, waiting on eagles, I’m connected to nature. Also, to be honest, I’m a little homesick for my family farm back in Quebec.

The Gainsford farm became dormant a decade or so before my grandfather died, his children opting for a life independent of the land. It seems this was the case with much of the baby-boomer generation. Leave the archaic, in favour of progress and a better life. I think this was the case for much of modernity, to leave nature behind. BUT, I think there’s something we forgot to consider… a fact we forgot to carry in our side pocket – nature - is us.

For my family, although the farm is dormant, fortunately the land is still there. With this I’ve had the privilege of growing up ‘walking the land’ with my father. I had the privilege of growing up connecting to nature. Now, out here on the road, there’s a really strong instinct telling me, it’s time to go back. Since, the recurring message of this journey thus far, has been, ‘go back to the land’.

For this project I’ve made a commitment to continue south, I’m certain there are other truths out there waiting. All these truth are not only helping me understand myself as a man, but also the journey of my life that lies ahead.

What do we value, what brings us happiness and contentment, and most importantly, what kind of future do we leave for those behind us.

peace,
d