Comment of the Moment: "big change is coming" by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts
Throughout Neil’s career he was borrowed elements from other songs that he has written.
This isn’t a criticism, but simply an observation. And I have always enjoyed his occasional songs with familiar themes and chord changes. It’s kind of like his signature in a way, and this new track has several different reference points from his past.
I don’t watch music videos when previewing a new song. Because I’d rather let the song stand on its own merits. And I really like the fact that the lyrics aren’t telling you what to think, it’s just observing what’s coming. And the riff is definitely catchy.
I’m looking forward to hearing the whole album in context with the other songs. Neil has always been a great sequencer of his albums, and depending on where each song lives on the album, tends to enhance both the song before and, the song after. This is one of many reasons why I love listening to complete albums. The artists lays out the tracks with a very specific theme, or intention.
But for now; judging from this one song, I’m actually pretty excited about this new album. So hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to hear the whole thing…… soon.
Peace to all……..and here’s hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. 🙏
“Without deviation from the norm, progress is impossible “
Frank Zappa
"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials".
Seneca (ancient Roman philosopher)
Earlier, we said that at the risk of saying "told you so", Here Comes "The Big Shift" and the corruption of mainstream media is blatant and dangerous, it is sadly ironic that this all comes so late in the game for those who should have been paying attention. But, better late than never. (More on the intersectionality of politics, art and the media.)
Labels: #BigShift, album, band, concert, neil young, Official Music Video, songs, tour, video
by thrasher@PermaLink: 1/18/2025 11:24:00 AM
51 comments
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51 Comments:
Disclosure is coming.
And no, this isn't a political/religious event. We're talking about Truth and Reconciliation.
I don't know for the life of me
Where you come up with that stuff.
Truth and Reconciliation?
The American voters and their billionaires
Just decided they want anything but...
And they own the place, the internet
And the change, the stock exchange that is.
ahhh, our dear friend Dionys, we fear you misunderstand here.
Afterall, who could possibly be opposed to Truth and Reconciliation?
Only liars and crooks. And we KNOW you're definitely not in those categories.
I have to weigh in with Dionys on this main point: the U.S. voter does not seem to want anything even resembling the truth. We voted for a malicious buffoon.
Ah, I've been with the professors and they've all liked my looks
With great guys here I have discussed liars and crooks
I've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books
I'm very well-read, it's well-known
But something is happening here and I don't know what you mean
when you say Truth & Reconciliation
Am I Mr. Jones?
Thrasher, bless his heart, likes to throw out cryptic messages about some undefined Big Shift. It's like the proverbial "they" that is often alleged to be at the root of all nefarious activity. Anyway, out here in LA, the Big Shifts I worry about are those underground or winds during fires. As for politics, there are plenty of very real dangers to be concerned about without summoning oblique Big Shift. We can name them and organize to counteract them. Climate change, inequitable distribution of wealth, atomization of society, militarism, etc. etc.
Btw, I like the new song. Better than just about everything off the last 2 albums, except Chevrolet.
Neil writes about modern problems in our world, such trying to save the earth and democracy. But a lot of these types of new songs that he writes have a good message, but many of them aren't that great of a song. But the old stuff of his with these themes was killer material like Ohio, Rockin In The Free World and After The Goldrush. Green Is Blue is a good recent song about being environmentally conscious, and I think Help Me Lose My Mind is a great way to show the dangers of the conservative minded brainwashed masses who support the recent red wave of fascism. What works about that song and Ohio is that they capture a feeling and it isn't just a simple slogan song like a lot of his new stuff is with these sort of themes.
In future, I think I'll take a leaf from Dan's book and listen to new songs sans video first... the song has energy, which is certainly a good sign. On reflection, it's a good fit for the times: lots of bellowing, little specificity. Talk about jangling your nerves! An ode to the unknown and the unknowing, I guess.
Who needs specific, practical solutions when "truth and reconciliation" are sure to be coming any day now? Some people talk big to avoid showing what they're actually made of.
Very interesting to see Neil Young , carrying an American flag . As of Monday , Canada will be at war with all Americans that continue to threaten invasion. No idle threats , this will be war . Any Americana in Canada is a threat to our Sovereignty. We have fought fascist aggression and will continue . There is no glory in times of War , when those die , in defence . Keep a close eye on your embassy in Ottawa , and yer Americana Hockey stars in the NHL . This will be a long war , you are all targets now .
@Thrashers : I appreciate being singled out. Always a surprise actually.
As to the Big Shift…..today I went to a women’s right rally here in Boise Idaho. And Idaho has a government trapped in the 1800’s, as well as being unable to join the rest of us in the 21st century. The abortion ban here is one of the strictest in the nation, and our congressional representatives have been working hard to eliminate any freedoms we still have left here.
One of the speakers (who I can’t remember her name) had some interesting observations. She said that many of her friends had said that our founding fathers would be rolling in their graves if they could see what our country has become. Her response was that she “begged to disagree”. At the time when our Constitution was adopted, black folks were only considered as three-fifths of a person, women couldn’t vote, and even a white man couldn’t vote unless he owned property. All the men who drafted the constitution had slaves, and were considerably wealthy individuals. So no, they wouldn’t be rolling in their graves. They would definitely recognize it.
We now have an incredible opportunity over the next four years to make a difference in our country, but it will require all of us to step up and be heard. We’re fighting billionaires who have complete control of most of the information that comes out, and they intend to dismantle as many freedoms as possible. Because they already have all the money, so now they want all the power…….So we definitely have our work cut out for us.
But as I was reminded today; the darker it gets, the brighter our light. So this is no time for hovering in fear. We need to take back something from these billionaires that belongs to us, and that’s our freedom. Freedom isn’t given; it’s earned. And none of us can just sit back and wait for someone else to do the heavy lifting.
The Big Shift is coming from those who are willing to do their part. Big or small things can make for change, so whatever works for you is great. At least speak your truth, and learn to listen. Because if we all do our part (big or small), then the SHIFT will definitely hit the fan. Just because they have all the money doesn’t mean they have all the power. Just remember….there’s more of us than there are of them.
To quote John Lennon : “so….apathy didn’t work….so what. We try again”
Peace to all 🙏
In the US we need universal health care, radical alleviation of childhood poverty, reparations for systemic racism and sexism, amnesty for the VAST majority of immigrants, radical commitment to environmental sustainability, term limits, a reversal of corporate politics, commitment to the equality of opportunity, return of abortion rights, equal pay for equal work, acceptance of all marginalized groups, radical infrastructure improvements, total reform of the food system, where should I stop? Oh wait, a 35 hour work week, paid parental leave. Big Change? Good Luck.
But, don't ever give up
It can be done
@ Abner : It must be done…..and it will be done. But it will take time and effort. Two things many people don’t have. But if enough of us rise up…. It can. Our Republic desperately depends on it. If not now, then when.
Peace to all 🙏
Universal health care? Check. Childhood poverty? Check. Reparations for systemic racism and sexism? Not sure, depends on who you ask. The VAST majority of immigrants don't need no amnesty in this country, because most of them apply for political asylum under constitutional law which they can rely on if they come from the Near East, Afghanistan or the Ukraine for example. Radical commitment to environmental sustainabilty? We are too slow to get there, but no leading politician in his right mind applauds the "Drill, baby, drill!" mantra. The electoral system here does not require term limits, because thanks to our American advisors in the late 40's there never was a government made up by a single party since 1949. Corporate politics reversal? Yes, that would be needed. With regards to restricting the power of digital giants the EU does less than they could, but a lot more than other governments. I skip the rest. Yes, there is paid parental leave in this country.
Still we do have a votership of about 30% that leans to the far right or other extremist world views because they "believe" that liberal, diverse and open democracies don't work. The reason appears to be that exactly these democracies were unable to establish, nurture and maintain the idea that a functioning democratic system has to be supported by its citizens as instead of waiting for a government handout, a benign hegemon solving all of your problems and then complaining if the state touches your ego or your aura (Remember RFK?). The federal elections coming up on February 23rd will show if more people hereabouts gradually will come to their senses. And what we definitely don't need under these instable circumstances is another big shift. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the US presidential elections have been shi(f)t enough. Arlo Guthrie once sang: "Step by step and row by row we're gonna make this garden grow."
Indeed a lot of serious issues need addressing, but I think we can all agree that things could definitely be better than they are. I don’t have the answers, but I’m willing to listen to anyone who might have some meaningful answers.
Peace to all 🙏
If we want protest songs, look to guys like Dylan, Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger. It's too bad that Neil is one of the few major rock stars that still write topical songs and sound the alarm bell to the fact that our democracy is collapsing, the environment is in grave danger, and we are on the edge of a new world war, because we could use a lot more music stars like Neil to help keep the fight going.
Dangerbird flies alone.
Dan, that's a classic Lennon quotation and highly on point. I appreciate your commitment to do the right things, using your energy constructively. Though my last comments may have sounded cynical, they come from a place of ambivalence.
I'm looking forward to the album. I always do. When Love Earth arrived, it touched me in the perfect way: something I didn't know I needed, right as I needed it. However, I find the best, most engaging songs aren't always the singles or sneak peaks. Singles are (presumably) selected with a broader appeal in mind, to those who may or may not bite on a new album. We, the devotees, don't really need to be persuaded.
@ Meta : Agreed. As I mentioned earlier, the song sequencing plays an important role in how each song is presented. And I usually gravitate towards the ones that everyone else seems to overlook.
And singles are definitely decided according to their mass appeal potential. Although I’m not sure why Neil would even care about that at this point. But I did enjoy the song, but time will tell if it has staying power.
Peace🙏
Dan and Meta have to be right on this one? I mean, how exactly are we supposed to understand a "single"? People take excerpts from philosophers and writers for "Facebook" and it drives me nuts. To understand the book you can't take ANY of it out of context. But people and consumers are not trying to "understand" the music? They want a little noise enjoyment. Maybe various short cuts? Have you seen this idiot thing called "Blink"? This is supposed to be the app for "intellectuals." Nothing whatsoever that is worthy of our attention is easy. It seems like in the US everything that does not matter gets much bigger: football, televisions, crappy food portions, etc. Everything that matters gets smaller: ideas, books, music, fucking commitment.
do you guys seriously think that this song's lyrics are good?
Art, speaking for myself, I think the lyrics are bone head (taken alone, in isolation). Add the thundering music it is all much better and given the cultural realities, even better. The song might just be a prompt and nothing more. Remember "T-Bone"? The all time biggest bone head lyrics? Given Reaganomics it was interesting, given the rest of RE-AC-TOR the lyrics made sense and were disturbing. Big Change is lyrical minimal, worst case scenario moronic (in isolation).
lyrically
Abner , I always thought it's an individual's interpretation of a song's lyrics so I have a bone to pick with you , sorry I couldn't resist the pun . When T-Bone came out I used to sing that song when I was surfing , as I pushed through the whitewater I' d chant ' mashed potato ain't got no T-bone " but when I finally got out the back and caught a wave I'd chant " Got T-bone " Always been a deep and meaningful lytic to me .
I am heartened by Dan’s optimistic determination, and the other good comments. Big Change is a bit of a simple song, perhaps derivative of Neil Young. The Billionaires have a lot to celebrate today! Even lower taxes!
We won’t try to take Canada, you guys are already batshit crazy up there and all we can offer is more of that. No gunfire required. Your Brother Alan in Seattle
Americans, we will only get what we demand. Millions in the streets would be a big shift! Real life is more important than fútbol, football, baseball, basketball & Hockey!
Still-young, I used to sing that song to myself every time I fired up the grill!
Not real keen on the Trumpster either but I do think he has the best cabinet of my lifetime. I'm kinda surprised NY hasn't weighed in on RFK, Jr. since he followed the Monsanto trial in person (see link about that case below).
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/10/637722786/jury-awards-terminally-ill-man-289-million-in-lawsuit-against-monsanto
I've often caught musical acts that had a so-so leader but the band was amazing and that is the way I feel about "most" of this cabinet. As one example, sort of liked John Denver but wouldn't have gone out of my way to see him except he had the Elvis Presley "Taken Care of Business" (TCB) band backing him live. Feel the same about Trump right now because of that cabinet. Zero point energy might undercut drill baby drill, too. That alone would make me very happy. A whistleblower has said you can do ZPE in your home after spending a hundred bucks at Home Depot but we shall see but, of course, didn't say what to buy.
Feel so sorry for the 30,000 families whose homes still need repairs to make them livable again in this freezing cold winter in North Carolina who could be helped by ZPE now.
Call me crazy, but I think with the regular Grand Solar Minimum upon us I think winter is coming and we are getting a taste of it right now. It is a shame that long range climate models are being used to make policy when the long range weather forecast model is almost always wrong for next week. In the last four weeks here in North Carolina they have forecast a total of 48 inches of snow but we've only gotten an inch so far this year (but that inch is still on the ground ten days later). The creeks here are frozen over this morning which I haven't seen for decades here.
What about the Star Beings that every Native American tribe has an oral history about interacting with them? Meeting them would be a big change for sure.
Given what is happening nearly every night in NJ/NY and even down here in the Chapel Hill/Sanford, North Carolina area it would seem that Steven Spielberg, with J. Allen Hynek as his advisor, got it right with "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
You can watch it for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CugtQaWd2fI
To understand what is going on for the individual I highly recommend this video about Chris Bledsoe's nightly experiences with the Star Beings in North Carolina since 2007 or so. I attended a Skywatch with him a couple of months ago that was amazing but free will between you and them is the reason you see them or not. Bledsoe is a fellow author and we are planning an excursion together to Pilot Mountain when the movie on his life is released.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpQFXljgfyg
Ya Jim, that’s crazy to say this is the “Best Cabinet in my lifetime.” Too bad Matt Gaetz didn’t prevail tho, right? Hegseth has some skills we don’t know about? Other than cheating, raping, and getting wasted drunk? He said he would stop drinking if he is put in charge of the pentagon. Pinkie promise?
Takin’ Care of Biz? Star People? I have been praying to something or other that the UFO’s would attack Earth & save it from the humans. I should’ve started a long time ago. That’s on me.
Solar minimum? The arctic bomb happened because the winds which normally keep the polar air up there have died. So arctic air sinks towards the equator. Weird weather is what we have now. It can be quite hard to predict correctly. Superstorms rolling around left and right. So you are dismissing Global Warming as a cause of the weird weather? Instead it’s the solar minimum. Never mind the vast evidence of unprecedented rates of change in a world full of carbon. Post Industrial Revolution, our world is heating up in a hurry due to the burning of fossil fuels.
Trump says Global Warming is a hoax. And you agree but find him less than perfect in some other way? It’s no wonder some vote for sociopaths. Spinning webs of confusion & lies is how we got here. But more than half the voters supported Trump? Perhaps the extinction of the humans will make the planet less dumb, less greedy. There’s something to hope for.
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
Abner, I don't know anything about Blink. I don't think it's necessarily bad for there to be bite-sized samplings of bigger works, but it needs to be framed as a gateway or starting point for much deeper engagement. The obstacle is the impatience encouraged by instant gratification. To fully come to grips with a book, or an idea, takes patience: a willingness to wait for a reward or "ah-ha!" moment. 240 characters or 30 seconds of video, unless it's done extraordinarily well, flattens the process of discovery. It allows very limited focus at most.
Big Change is hardly poetry but it certainly conveys a feeling. As to the best cabinet of my lifetime? Maybe if I were (literally) born yesterday.
Just to be clear….
31.78% voted for Trump
30.84% voted for Harris
1.06% voted third party
36.33% did not vote
So those who didn’t vote decided the election.
Source: https://www.soulask.com/the-hopi-prophecy-concerning-the-man-in-the-red-hat-the-big-white-brother-and-humanitys-crossroads/
The fulfillment of the ancient Hopi prophecy is at hand where we are to choose in a novel way the path we move forward on. Light and Darkness are both at their most powerful in all of human history, but they are also equal. Darkness in the ever present now has had the upper hand that had attributes of war, hording, stealing, human trafficking, poverty and profound lack of sharing. This extreme polarity is evident everywhere in our earthly society today and in the news minute by minute. By the same token, history is no longer repeating itself so we are seeing novel events around us seemingly every morning.
A red hat man is the temporal marker that the time is at hand for choosing a path according to the Hopi Prophecy. Certainly, everyone in the modern world this week knows about the red hat man and he is certainly a catalyst for this Hopi Prophecy. The red hat man was descriptively called the True White Brother and has two helpers.
It is almost like two trains are leaving the station and you must decide, with no exceptions, which train ticket you want. Even the red hat man must make his choice in every thought, action and deed that will reflect his choice, as will your choice.
In the ever present now these trains are about to split to move in different directions. One train will go down a dark solo path where with such dim light you bump into unknown things causing fear, doubt, regret and profound sadness. The other train will be light filled with community, joy and laughter like a really good music festival where the artist and audience weld together as one. Each train will be verbally upset about what the other train is doing, but soon they will fade from view and maybe even memory.
The Hopi Prophecy is very old in their oral tradition stories and is widely known because it was displayed as a pictograph in the four corners region of the American Southwest. In 1972 this secret prophecy was presented in writing to the United Nations but the red hat man was yet to appear. This week he is known worldwide.
Please know that the red hat man, while clearly on a mission, seems to be simply a temporal marker in the ever present now and nothing more. Your choice of the train you ride is internal, not external, so that man should not be looked upon as a savior. Like you, he must choose his path.
It is not known when the exact time of the fulfillment of the Hopi Prophecy will take place, be it days, weeks, months, years or even decades, but the time is certainly seemingly nye upon us. This time of fulfillment might be the reason so many star beings are being seen as orbs throughout the world especially at military locations and bio labs. There has been a shift of those orbs from ridicule to wonder in the last few months.
Chris Bledsoe’s life is a profound example of the ridicule one man can endure in terms of seeing the orbs since 2007 in his backyard nightly. Bledsoe has a prophecy from those orbs that the shift will happen when the star Regulas is seen directly in front of the Sphinx in Egypt. That star is said to rise in the east shortly before sunrise on the March 20, 2026, but is that a time after the trains have left the station? That very day is the equinox and all indigenous cultures mark that time of the year as significant for a new beginning and a time of planting seeds for growth.
"Mind is the builder, physical is the result," Edgar Cayce said once.
@ Jim : Thank you for sharing this Hopi prophecy. When I was a tour guide in the southwest I was privileged to be invited to the Hopi reservation to see many of the ancient sites of their ancestors that are not accessible to the general public. After our journey through these historical sites, I was welcomed into his home where his mother prepared some traditional food. The Hopi have many legends, and traditions that tell of the future as well as the past. Many of these prophecies have already come to pass. So I really appreciate your contribution here. Perhaps it will open some people’s minds.
Peace🙏
Thank you, Sir.
One of the Hopi interpreters who was sent to the UN to deliver the "Hopi prophecy" (so-called) was the late Thomas Banyacya Sr. who lived in Kykotsmovi on the Hopi rez. Numerous times he also travelled to Europe and met people who supported native nations in the US and Canada and continue to do so in disputes and struggles, especially those related to the nuclear complex. In meeting with Thomas on several occasions (my organization was honoured to host him at a conference in 1990 in Munich for example) we came to the conclusion that the "Hopi prophecy" is a very delicate narrative. It has been around for some time and ties the concerns of the traditional Hopi after 1945 with a petroglyph that has been interpreted as being an illustration of this narrative. While this interpretation is very convincing there are competing interpretations.
Narratives of this kind exist with other indigenous nations too. George Blondin, a one time uranium miner and later a lauded writer of a whole creation story of the Dene (Athapaskans near Bear Lake / Sahtù, Canada) also has vision to tell about the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs in his book "When the World was NEW". When translating this book into German (as of yet unpublished...) I came to learn that these narratives have to be understood within their cultural context and by no means as literal prophecies. Today I read them as an indigenous way of coping with events so totally out of balance with their world and value system that they needed some mythological transformation as to incorporate them into their view on the world. I think that does not devaluate the indigenous contribution to our world view at all if I suggest that these narratives should not be called "prophecies". A lot of the language used to communicate with the white man is makeshift terminology to somehow come through. ("Mother Earth" is another one of these metaphors that was invented to communicate with the colonizers and does not transport the true extent of the indigenous concept orginally behind it.)
And yes Dan, I think we could have met in the Joint Use Area back in the day, when I was a curious student herding sheep as a volunteer with the Dineh near the Dinnebito trading post.
Thanks Dan and Dionys. Glad to hear your input on this ancient prophecy. If either of you find yourselves in North Carolina my friend Yona FrenchHawk is doing ceremony south of Asheville in Henderson, NC this winter. He is a wisdom keeper in the Bird Clan and his great-great grandfather formed the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. They are the one who stayed in the Blue Ridge Mountains during the removal. We've spent time together on Pilot Mountain (a.k.a. Mount Pilot) and hope to get him there again for the equinox in a couple of months. https://www.yonafrenchhawk.com/blog/how-to-take-an-effective-mental-health-day-f65e2
Thanks so much for the intriguing comments on Hopi traditions Jim, Dan & Dionys.
we learn so much here from our dear readers and contribuitors. So a sincere thanks.
Which brings us to a small ask. Might there be some way to connect this Hopi "prophecy" with Neil and his muisc?
We recall that quite a bit has been written on Neil and Native Americans. Particularly songs like Pocahontas , Peace Trail's "Indian Givers," etc.
TW is alway open to reader's unsolicited submissions for publication @ thrasher@thrasherswheat.org
To my knowledge there is no connection between Neil Young and the Hopi story, although I believe that it is very likely that he has heard or read about it. His support for indigenous causes is well documented in biography and song. One time he took to the stage wearing a "Free Leonard Peltier"- T-Shirt. That just came to my mind now that Joe Biden has decided that Peltier is to be released from prison after doing time for more than 40 years, a sentence based on fraudulous evidence concocted by interested parties. Being an old man in very bad health condition he further on will be confined to his home though. Biden's act spares Leonard having to live within the same state jurisdiction as the illegitimate #47 resident of Mar-a-Lago. Neil and Daryl have come forward with quite some support for indigenous peoples in recent years.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee, ha. That goes back in my family even before I was born. My dad visited them in the late 50's when serving in the German navy. His son and grandson came back in 2005 but that was a tourist affair, a holiday trip, others were not... I wrote something about Sequoyah, after talking to Joshua B. Nelson who did a documentary film about this great man and his mysterious disappearance.
"Some things take so long. But how can I explain, when not too many people can see we're all the same? And because of all their tears, their eyes can't hope to see the beauty that''s around them. Isn't it a pity?"
~George Harrison
Be very careful with your hate words right now because mind is the builder and physical is the result according to Edgar Cayce. Do you want to build something with hate or build it with love? Every single word and every thought counts toward what you are building. Also remember that hate spoils your deep well within but can be contagious which is fundamental to propaganda.
I would like to suggest everyone find a sacred site near your home and with intent connect with it. Mine is Pilot Mountain and the star man who lives there but everyone has a sacred site nearby. Find it now! It is so important and will help you react to the changes that are upon us "in a good way."
When I went looking for my community at Pilot Mountain I found all the tribes of North Carolina who I thought had disappeared. I also found Chris Bledsoe and when I am in his presence there are orbs everywhere. He told me when war started with Iran that the orbs would be seen everywhere on earth (anybody from NJ/NY area seeing orbs/drones?). Chris also said later that year star beings will start to come out of the orbs but that is yet to come. There will be no disclosure since we are in a free will universe and you can reject it all.
They say the Native Americans disappeared from the maps and newspapers but they are still here. Now I spend time on the mountain on the solstices and equinoxes with them and they have enriched my life so much. Now, when I listen to Neil Young I wonder if he is a real songwriter shaman. When I listen to "After the Goldrush" I think of the star man I've connected with who lives inside Pilot Mountain.
Here is exactly what I'm talking about here written by someone I call my spiritual elder. I'm way into the "living" stone faces of Pilot Mountain that breath and wish I could get permission to use these lyrics because they are spot on for me as a researcher:
"None of the neighbors remember names
They only see the faces
With destinations still unnamed
It's hard to leave the traces
For someone to follow"
Neil Young "Traces"
Sweat-lodge Ceremony
The Cherokee are a Matriarchal society. To honor the Sacred Feminine is foremost among the visions of our ancestors. To remember our ancestral origins and our place amongst the Star People and the role we have in revealing the Great Mystery of Life.
The Sacred Sweat-lodge symbolizes the womb of Mother Earth. The place in which all life is conceived and birthed. In this ceremony we return to the womb to be cleansed, reborn, and to remember the ancient language of silence. Nature’s language of water flowing, wind blowing, and the grass growing. The chatter of smaller animals living their lives and birds singing the songs and stories shared with them by nature.. Bee People pollinating the beautiful and sometimes, impossible, colors of life and imagination.
This is the language of the silence of my childhood In the still darkness we journey back to the beginnings of our memories from being held so lovingly by our mother. The first vibrational tones shared with us as mother and father spoke of their dreams, visions, and hope. Ancient memories ready to be birthed into new dreams and Ideas that will guide us on our sacred journey through this lifetime. Energetic thermal flows of high vibration that will lift us up so that we may soar and further the vision of our dreams and realities.
WE co-create the moment when growth and destiny meet to bring us physically into this world.
The lodge itself is built with 16 lodge poles that represent the ribs that protect the womb and the child. Prayers of tobacco, sage, cedar, and water, are offered during the building of the lodge. Tobacco to represent an agreement made long ago among all living things to always, Love, Honor, and Respect, one another. Sage is offered for the Purity of Spirit, Cedar is for the ever present awareness, like the evergreen trees. Water is given so the Great Mystery may continue to flow effortlessly in our Hearts, Minds, and Spirits.
The preparations for the building of the wooden cradle that will host the ancient Stone People is prepared hours before actual entry into the lodge itself. Fire-tenders and the lodge leader arrive hours before all others to set the energetic container for all to come and be part of our prayers and offerings to Great Spirit/Mystery.
The Tree People are honored with offerings and prayers of gratitude and love. Recognition of the age old agreement. Offerings of tobacco, sage, cedar, and water, are given to the earth where the fire is to be built. All elements of life as we know them brought together to ignite the energy for the upcoming ritual of prayer and celebration of life. Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, spirits combined to recreate the first sacred breath of life.
The fire is then lit with reverence and awareness of how it will be the beacon in which the ancestor spirits invited will be led by. Fire is the element that helps to shed light and warmth upon the seeds we become. The Sun Fire Star calls us to reach ever higher to the places that only Wind, Sun, Love, and Hope, know to go. And beyond.
By Yona FrenchHawk who is a wisdom keeper of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee and my dear friend.
And to get back to the topic of Neil's new single and upcoming album, I wonder whether this will be a concept album or more of a regular mixed bag of different styles of music. After hearing the brief preview of the Harvest Moon style Thankfull and the new single, I'm guessing this album will be more like the albums Colorado or Chrome Dreams 2, which is just a good regular Neil album.
I assume that the sounds of new album will be shifting between the snippet (Thankful) and the song (Big Change). While I appreciate and enjoy almost all styles, genres, modes and moods of Neil Young's music and songwriting the two extremes that we have heard of can hardly be described as being a big shift. For me it doesn't need to be great again, first time was good enough... We have come to expect the unexpected from Neil Young but with the unknown looming in the future in all areas of life I would take consolation from more of the same, not as a sedation but a way to gather strength. Re-reading this thread I once more realized that chiffres, paroles and slogans such as the b.s. invite all kinds of disgressions and I apologize If I led you down the rabbit hole with my off topic content.
Jim, thanks for sharing your knowledge and insights. I take to heart your warning about hate. I hope those words reach all the people who need to hear them. Hate is not a word to be used lightly. In the preceding comments, I see frustration, irritation... but not hate.
"Beware of greedy leaders. They take you where you should not go, while weeping atlas ceders just want to grow"~George Harrison. This sentiment, for example, is pointed, critical, and make some people uncomfortable (depending on how they read into it), but it's not hateful. The suggestion that folks are indulging in hatred can be (though it's not always) used to stifle or discredit dissenting viewpoints.
On the subject of leeriness, I'm always cautious about making one to one parallels between spiritual visions and events on earth. Not only does it seem a bit self-centered (as if everything in the universe were about us, right here and now in 2025)-- but there's danger in overly literal interpretations of things we struggle to get our minds around in the first place. Although I don't see orbs, I may paint them (I'm a bit of a Sunday painter) in representation of something else. Something felt.
Spiritual awareness can be felt through any and all of the senses. The benefit of acknowledging this is that it breaks down the dualism of body vs. soul, physical vs. spiritual. Life on earth is a constant process of asking questions, paths, getting on trains. To my way of thinking, the "big shift" has always been and will be ongoing. Call it Samsara or call it a Ferris Wheel. We're all grinding to the human beat.
https://youtu.be/3F2NeH_-f34?si=o_hkSTVrZ6OxpT4M
This Carl Sagan video says it all….one world.
Peace to all 🙏
I drove thru Hopi Rez yesterday. I live in Navajo Co AZ. These tribes need to manage the feral dog problem. I feel bad for these animals and it's not their fault. Canyon de Chelly is worth seeing and at no charge. Wide open land of the Painted Desert .
There was a feral dog around the herd and that's what you can't have if you are keeping sheep. In those days they were relocating Dineh families from the Joint Use Area (part of the Hopi Rez) and some left without taking care of the dogs or they had other reasons why they could not bring them to their new homes.
The family I worked with had me get the gun and someone told me to shoot the dog. Once again I was grateful for not knowing how to handle a gun... Someone else went out and shoot the poor thing then.
shot
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Maybe that's why they drive on Indian Time (slow). You might have to avoid a dog.
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