unity

[Judi Richardson]

Unity - 2 days in open space with those who share a vision of Mi,kmawey Debert.  An opportunity to hold the container for creativity and much healing.

After the first day I spent healing time with three young native women who are embarking on careers that will enhance and empower themselves, their children and their communities.  Also healing time with the non-native woman who is coordinating the project and going through a painful divorce.  The grandmothers in dream-time offered me the rock symbol, we traveled to the Paleo-Indian site, dug rocks, had them approved by the archaeologists, asked them to speak to participants, and used talkstory as an icebreaker to begin.  The rocks became a theme through the two days.  If the time is right for this project to proceed, the digs could show Debert as the oldest Paleo-Indian site in North America, if not the world.  As we stood collectively on the site, I could feel the earth move with the hooves of 30,000 Caribou journeying by - asleep in the wigwam you could hear them move by continuously for 3 days*.  Native and non-native, man, woman and one woman-child were there.  Twelve year old Bethany came with her Mum at the last minute.  I invited the group to accept her as our silent witness - our future hope, and to remind us of why we are meeting.  On the first morning, I was sitting to the side as participants shared their rock talk-story and a woman marched right up to me to share hers.  After we shared, I found out that she was the Mi'kmaq woman whose writing I found while completing honors research on Mi'kmaq education - I read all that she wrote and there she was beside me.  We spoke of the thesis I'm working on, she looked me in the eye and said keep writing and keep talking - with humour and humility - you are meant to share your stories and experiences.  An African-Canadian woman introduced herself to me on the second day, we spoke of many things and I told her the story of the computer students and the two CPU drives - master and slave - and how we had been trying to contact Bill Gates - she smiled as her son is working personally with Bill Gates right now.  Not only that, some of the research I have been doing
of an African Nova Scotian woman who spoke out 9 years before Rosa Parks in the States and a few facts escaped me - during conversation, this woman also revealed that she is the niece of the woman I have been researching.  These two powerful elder women also said during the conversation that they wished they had been men.  Part of my work as a healer is to mend the masculine/feminine split - to help women remember that our strength and power is equal and complementary to that of men.

The second day energy shifts were happening, I had connected spiritually with a Chief of one of the First Nation's.  As masculine and feminine strengths we danced with the flow of energy during the day, sharing the container for creativity and healing.  Telepathically, talk story, finding ourselves sitting next to each other in the closing circle - he to my right, I to his left - I began the closing circle, passing the rain stick, he closed the circle.  We called each other to the two days.  I was asked and accepted months before, he accepted and declined several times and then showed up.  With very few words we discovered many parallels in this lifetime - totally appropriate that we connected on a day of unity - and quite possibly only for that one day.  We were able to speak quite honestly and openly about issues of unity and diversity - to question what is to come, to speak of what it means to be called to leadership.  He left me with the joyous gift of patience at a new level.  As I open to spiritual connection, the universe answers.  As a facilitator in Open Space, my goal is to leave no thumbprint, to stand in the midday sun and cast no shadow.  I learned more about trusting the process of life, following the river's channel, and about sharing my experience when it is asked for.  I was able to offer healing conversation to a First Nation's Chief and a Department of Fisheries Officer - they shook hands at the end.  In Eastern Canada these two factions were at veritable war for a few months.  I am constantly humbled at where I find myself.  After the closing circle, Chief Meuse and I held out our hands to exchange a momento - I gave him a jade bear paw token from B.C. that I often wear for strength and protection, his gift to me is a pewter Mi'kmaw bear paw token - exchanging bear paws - how cool is that????

This is the work I am meant to do.  The Universe truly pays me for being who I am and doing what I love to do!  I humbly sit, basking in the glow of the unexplainable unifying force of open space.


Judith L. Richardson
B.A. B.Ed. CNE
M.A. Candidate
Paralegal Studies
Akerley Campus
Nova Scotia Community College
21 Woodlawn Road
Dartmouth, N.S. B2W 2R7
902 - 491-4900
902 - 491-4864
fax 902-491-4903

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