A couple years ago at the first workshop of the season, just as folks were showing up the first day this incredible configuration appeared in the sky. I’ve lived outside for most of last 25 years and I, nor anyone there had ever seen anything like it. Perhaps most of us have seen a rainbow circle around the sun, or sundogs. Some might even know these as indicators of coming weather. But this was something else, not just the brightness of the aurora around the sun but that the color spread out across the sky in what could only be called serpent like fashion. Literally, a rainbow serpent stretched out above the sun circle. Like that wasn’t unusual enough there was also a dark line that circled from the sun to the Earth in a wide parabola. I knew that this was important, and clearly a gift for us at the workshop. The bear was added for the logo, as the Earth Wisdom Centre symbol.

I think there are many messages or meanings in this, but from what I understand at this time; the serpent or dragon represents spirit, the ethyric presence or teachings of light. I spent many years immersed in Eastern philosophy and religion and applying it to the Earth. I am a dragon in the Mayan calendar and both Megan and myself are dragons in the Chinese calendar. The dragon is also the one who has brought the fire to humanity. This gift of fire is something that happens with the bow-drill at every primitive living workshop. The circular rainbow, bridges these rainbow teachings of light to the Earth. Like the rainbow warrior does with other people. The black bear represents the primal wisdom of the dark Earth. Relatively recent indo-European cultures represented the Earth with the Goddess, just a few thousand years ago before the warrior-king monotheistic religions. But earlier animistic culture, for hundreds of thousands of years, saw the Earth as a much darker and awesome force, miraculous, powerful and terrifying. Before domestication of the land this was her true face. Natives believe the black bear to be our closest brother because they are the most like humans of all animals in North America. It is also believed in many traditional cultures that the bear is the keeper of plant and healing wisdom. It was through a very unusual occurrence of a conversation with a little black bear that inspired me and gave me the confidence to start the Earth Wisdom Centre. The dark circle stretches in a parabola from the sun to the Earth and back, represents the ongoing exchange of information and energy between the sun and Earth. We are one with the sun.