Shaman - the Awakening (17 page)

We were lucky because there were no street lights here and the sun was going down. The Walpi Village didn't have electricity or running water, it was one of the oldest of all the communities.

“Follow me,” I said, jumping out of the car. “I know where we're going.”

We came to a dwelling that was situated overlooking the rest of the villagers. The structure hadn't changed since it was built, like most of the dwellings here. There were feathers and chimes hanging outside, and an ancient buffalo skull on a totem near the entrance. Not only was this dwelling higher than the rest, but it was larger. One would expect someone of importance to have lived here long ago, perhaps even to the present day.

She was waiting for us in front of a burning fire and the ancient symbol of the compass was drawn in a large circle, covering the floor before us. “Loloma,” she said to both of us, as she had the previous night in the dream.

“Loloma,” we responded together. Then she continued to speak in Uto-Aztecan. Nina attempted to translate for me, but I quickly realized it wasn't necessary. I told her, “I understood what she was saying. She asked us to sit down beside her in front of the fire.”

Nina's eyes almost popped out of her head and her jaw appeared to drop. She stood there, frozen with her mouth open until the elderly woman urged us to a seat.

Nina finally composed herself to speak. “You know Uto-Aztecan?”

“I do now. She taught me last night,” I replied.

“You learned Uto-Aztecan in one night?” Nina inquired in amazement.

“No, it more or less just came to me. There was no formal teaching. She just started speaking to me in my dreams, and I knew what she was saying in Aztec.”

Then I spoke to Nina in Aztec. She was still in awe of what was taking place, as she had heard and seen Shamans speaking in different, unrecognizable tongues, but had never actually witnessed it to this degree outside of a ceremony, and in a tongue that she recognized. Up to now the only other language that I knew was Spanish, and that was extremely marginal; it was a school prerequisite. Then I spoke to the elderly woman in Aztecan.

“Thank you for having us, Great Mother, and for showing us the path.”

“You are welcome in here, Toquer Shoo-coots.” With my new knowledge I recognized the name she gave me to mean Black Cat. “I am Kayah, Kiva Priestess.”

I responded, “I have been given the Cherokee name Cheveyo in preparation for you.”

“I know, Spirit Warrior and this is Nina. I don't need to tell you your destiny. You already know this, but
I need you to journey safely together
.”

This was the exact thing Mrs. Jerrells had said to us in New Mexico.
This has to be more than a coincidence.
Nina, are you ready?” Kayah inquired.

“Yes, Great Mother,” Nina responded.

Kayah escorted us to the village Kiva, which was located at the highest point on the mesa. When the sun went down she began to chant aloud, so the whole village could hear her say the nightly prayers. It was beautiful listening to her voice echo over the village as she blessed it. When it was over she went up the ladder to the Kiva, then down into the aerial opening of the structure. It was amazing how agile she was for her age. She asked us to join her inside.

There were Ancient Aztecan writings, signs and symbols decorating the walls of the Kiva. In the middle there was a huge circle sunken into the floor, about two feet down from the surrounding surface. There were signs and symbols going around the circle with four different colored arrows emanating from outside the circumference. There was a white arrow pointing north, a red arrow pointing south, a yellow one pointing east and a black one pointing to the west.

There was a stone altar on the West side of the Kiva, with an elaborately adorned black pottery vessel in the center. The vessel contained water. Kaya lit a fire in the circular sunken floor, and then the Great Mother asked that we emulate her actions and repeat her words. First she knelt in front of the altar and paid homage to the Great Spirit Massauu and other spirits with a chant. Afterwards she turned towards the circle with what appeared to be a thurible, and threw some smoke to the north while chanting. Then she turned, faced south and threw smoke, repeating the chant. She did the same to the east and the west.

Then the Great Mother took out the feather of a large bird, perhaps an Eagle. She made hand and arm gestures towards the fire with the feather, and then handed it to Nina. She asked us to hold hands in front of the circle as she began speaking to the spirits, and then to us.

“You are strong, Nina, like most who bear the mark of the Eagle. Like her, you are incredibly patient and courageous. The Eagle peers down from the highest of trees, waiting patiently for hours to strike. You are a relentless tracker, you won't give up on anything or anyone. Once something or someone is in your sight, you will pursue it until caught. The Eagle is extremely dedicated and loyal. Once its powerful talons grasp a hold of something, it won't let go. This is why you chose the work you do.

You are very emotional like the Eagle, but being very powerful and emotional leads to extremes. This is why the eagle flies erratically at times, like when it does the death drop. It falls out of the sky at extreme speeds; racing down, coming so close to the ground, and pulling up at the last minute.

The powerful beak and jaws of the Eagle makes you talkative. You are straight to the point and your words are strong; direct and blunt. Sometimes you speak without thinking of the consequences and end up hurting others when you had good intentions in mind. Your words also hold the power of your emotions. You can say what's in your heart that others can't convey. The Eagle has extraordinary hearing. People can hear what is in your heart as well as you can hear what is in theirs. The Eagle also has great vision and insight. It will help you illuminate what is hidden. You are able to see and hear what others can't or refuse to see or hear.

The Eagle lives in the Upper Realm of Heaven and Middle Realm. You are attracted to the light and the sun, yet you also look for the shade for comfort to build your nest for your family. You often fly too close to the sun because you are fearless, and need the cool that the shadows have to offer.

You both live in trees, you see. Just as the panther climbs to be closer to the heavens, yet lives in the dark, the Eagle soars in the sky yet seeks the shadows to be closer to the dark. This is why you are here together. It has been destined. Nina's wings will help you acquire the aerial perspective that you need to continue, Cheveyo. She will be the one who rescues you when you can no longer see past the darkness.”

Then she got up and began chanting in front of the fire. She took the thurible and threw smoke to the four corners, again. Then she gave us each a pipe with peyote and sat back down. We lit up the pipes and began chanting again. I guess the peyote ceremony was pretty much universal, but the languages and chants differ. She chanted to Massauu to assist us in our travels. She guided us into the vision quest. We visited the Great Havi in the Spirit World, where she showed us the Hopi's history from the Ancient People to now.

We stayed with the Great Mother for three days straight. She fed us and provided a place for us to rest, but we didn't get much sleep while we journeyed in vision quest with her. We took the batteries out of our cell phones and I contacted Steve via dreamscape. I let him know that we were safe and what we were doing. I'm just glad he was open-minded and intelligent enough to accept the dream implant.

When we completed our journey with the Great Mother, we were arrested and taken to see the Tribal Council. They wanted to bring me up on charges of trespassing on reservation property and get Nina fired from her job. Ortega and Steve were present, but the A.D. wasn't aware of what was going on. Steve intercepted the phone call from the council members and flew down. The Great Mother intervened on our behalf and informed the council that she had invited us to her dwelling, and to stay with her. The Great Mother was revered throughout the Hopi Nation, including the Tribal Council. She was a descendant of the first Hopi Snake Priest. I spoke to the Tribal Council in Uto-Aztecan with Steve and Agent Ortega looking on in astonishment.

“The Great Mother has enlightened me about the past, current and future of the Hopi People. She has shown me the injustices and wars brought about by the Spanish invaders, other tribes, missionaries and priests past and current. She has alluded to cover ups involving missing priests and the Order of Jemez. We were shown the secret societies of the Hopi, in particular the Coyote Society which Agent Ortega, with his Hopi heritage, is aware of. When the killer identified himself as the Coyote, Agent Ortega felt the need to hide this information. The Coyote Society are the protectors of the Hopi Tribe, security guards and warriors. Since the days of the Anasazi, the Ancient People, they, along with the Kachinas or Great Spirits have been the hunters and guardians of the Hopi. They have been in conflict with outsiders and missionary priests for centuries.”

“The Great Mother has summoned me on this quest for the truth. I will get to the bottom of this. There are some missing priests involved, and I hope the investigation doesn't lead me back here because I will come with the full force of the U.S. Government. The Great Mother has placed a lot of trust and faith in me. Your land is sacred and if I do return, I hope it is to be welcomed as a brother. One who fights righteously for Hopis, not one who covers up injustices or wrong doings.” I looked directly at Ortega when I said the last.

The entire assembly was in awe, including Steve and Agent Ortega. They were astonished by my command of their language. The entire Tribal Council shook my hand afterwards and accepted me into their Nation. Agent Ortega just looked at me like the A.D. always did, and departed.

“I had no idea you knew the Hopi language,” Steve stated.

“I didn't, Steve. I acquired it during a dream with the Great Mother.”

“What did you say to them?” he inquired.

“I told them what I learned while with the Great Mother,” I replied, and then inquired, “Can you take Nina and me to Jemez?”

“I can make that happen,” he stated.

“Good. We'll meet you at Polacca and give you a full briefing on the jet. We are finally getting somewhere, Steve,” I responded.

Ortega was waiting in the lobby for me after Nina and I checked out of the hotel.“ Mr. Sands, can I speak with you?”

“Sure. It's alright, Nina, I'll see you outside.”

She was hesitant and didn't want to leave. Nina was becoming more and more protective of me, especially around Ortega. The Watchful Eye of the Eagle, hovering from above and waiting to protect. I understood her feelings after finding out what we knew about him and his attack on me at the Residence Office.

“I never apologized for my actions at the Residence Office. I just want to say I'm sorry. I was beside myself after hearing the information about Gracie. She's the youngest of my agents and I feel personally responsible for her. She is the first neo I received directly from Virginia, since I've been the SAC,” he stated.

“I understand that, Agent Ortega. I didn't think twice about it. Most people do irrational things when faced with adversity, but we are in the business of facing those adversities head on and with rational judgment. If we don't keep our heads, who will? What I don't understand is why you hid the fact that you're Hopi?”

“I'm not Hopi. My mother is Navajo and my wife is Hopi. Aren't you hiding something as well?”, he asked.

“What do you mean?” I inquired.

“What tribe are you from?” he asked, raising his right eyebrow inquisitively.

“I am the descendant of Cherokee Freeman from North Carolina, but it's not a secret. The FBI hired me with full knowledge of who I am.”

“I just want to say again I'm truly sorry for the way I treated you. I thought you were just some kind of con man or mentalist, to say the least, until I saw what you did in the Council Chambers. The Great Mother could have told you verbally everything you know about us, but you could not have hidden the fact that you speak Aztecan and waited for this precise moment in the case to begin speaking it. Besides, you must be authentic if the Great Mother shared all the Hopi ancient secrets with you,” he stated.

“Thank you. She is quite a remarkable woman,” I replied.

“Sands, I don't know anything about any missing priests, but I heard the rumors. You see, the Hopis don't share all their information and secrets, even amongst each other. There has never been any documented proof that they went missing. No one ever filed a missing persons report in reference to the rumors. There are no signs that these priests ever existed. Can we call a truce between us?” Then he extended his hand.

“Sure,” I replied and shook his hand.

“Is she really still alive?” Ortega inquired as I was leaving.

“Yes; she really is,” I stated, dipping my chin in confirmation.

While on the flight to Jemez, New Mexico, I gave Steve a full briefing.

“But how do these presumed missing priests have anything to do with the abduction of Gracie and the others? It doesn't fit our serial killer's profile of abducting young women in their twenties,” Steve inquired.

“That question I can't answer yet, but there has to be a connection or I would not have received it. It is all connected,” I replied.

Nina fell asleep on the jet while Steve and I talked. “How long has it been since the both of you slept,” Steve asked?

“I don't know; about three days,” I replied.

“It looks like it. You look like…”

Then I cut him off before he completed the sentence, “Yeah, I know.”

“Have you been eating? Looks like you've lost some weight,” Steve commented.

“I'll grab something from the kitchen before we land,” I replied.

Nina was wiped out. The Great Mother had used her as a conduit. Kayah was old and didn't have the strength that she once had. She needed Nina's assistance to continue. I guess the best way to describe it was that Nina was used as a vessel by the Great Mother, who channeled through her. There were times when Kayah would speak through Nina, as though she were possessing her, except Nina was still present as well. Nina knew everything that was going on. Kayah stated that it was Nina's strong spirit which allowed her to remain present. She also stated that she wouldn't have been able to enter Nina if she didn't want her to.