This message is to my Family, psychedelic drum huggers, peace people, dancers, you know who you are.

We all know that "causes" and "movements" are no less corrupt than the Man himself. My Family is not a political group. We are a cultural group – in a sense, a spiritual group. I believe we are people who seek peace by living peacefully, we see our responsibility as being about showing what life can be about instead of just what it has to be about.

In this way, I believe we are expressing a kind of politics that has been under attack for so long that we've forgotten what it is. We are part of an ancient tradition of political organization. We are not about theories and ideologies. We are about Rhythms and Sharing.

The Indigenous Peoples of the Earth are the keepers of this tradition. We who Dance and Drum over the bones of the Shoshone whose home this was here only 200 years ago want to be respectful to their interests. We have been given a chance to extend ourselves away from our heritage as Westerners and learn from Indigenous People. The Cactus and the Herb have made friends with us. The voices of many Traditional People find eager ears among us.

There is a season of Public Demonstration coming. The cities of Seattle and Washington DC have seen the streets filled with thousands of people. They are united in their aim to stop the Corporate Minority from completely destroying the planet in the pursuit of profit. The destruction of habitat is familiar to any of us who ever tried to find a wild spot here in LA. What is happening in the world at large involves the extermination of the Traditional Peoples who live in these "habitats" as well. The Conquest continues, and now as they run out of real space to devour, the Mad Scientists are working on ways to factory farm from scratch and patent life itself. Not my idea of something I can live with, even from my own comfortable spot as an American. I feel a duty to support this movement which I see as a good way to protect the right to a decent life for our children's children.

As a participant in our Family's Fire, I invite us to prepare a new ceremony. We have been celebrating what I call a Medicine Dance for years. This is our Heart as a Family, where we create our own culture. Is it possible to bring the Heart of that Spirit into a public demonstration? I have drummed at the head of marches in LA, the contribution is well appreciated. But a lone drummer does not make a ceremony. I wonder how much more satisfying it would be to be sharing that with all my Heart Fire Family, and hope it will be so.

"May the Four Winds Blow You Safely Home..."

elbop