Currently I am camping in Moab Utah. It’s hot, windy and incredibly gorgeous. I’ve been hiking in Arches National Park. I have to admit the desert hike absolutely kicked my ass. I’m pretty hardy, however between the heat, aridness and the strenuous hike up slick rock fins, by the end of 7 1/2 miles I was whipped. It felt more like 10 or 11 miles due to the environment. I’m not complaining, it was fantastic, just tougher than I’d expected.

Walking between stone canyons literally millions of years old, took my breath away. Touching the rocks, knowing they were formed eons ago from an inland sea, deposits of salt, sand, wind and water to create and sculpt these incredible arches, spires, balanced rocks, and fins, really made me -once again- reassess my brief blip, my tiny moment on the planet. There are places where the formations are in the billions of years. It’s simply intoxicating. My mind was in swirls of sandstone, absorbing like the dry earth, the immensity of the process.

The original inhabitants of this region go back 37,000 years. They were true men, walked upright, possessed fire and wore fur clothing. Their origins were possibly gathered up into the next wave of inhabitants somewhere around 12,000 bce. These were Asian nomadic tribes, the big game hunters following the mastodons, mammoths, elephants, horses*, camels, antelope, bison, sloth, tapir, deer and rabbits. These Paleo- Americans were travelers surviving on instinct, guts, root chakra survival and reptilian brain awareness. An interesting side note, by many concurring accounts and time lines, the last remnants of Atlantis went under the waves around 12,000 to 11,500 bce. It’s also when Lake Missoula flooded and forged the Columbia Gorge. But it’s not until 8000 bce that the true genetically linked ancestors of North America’s aboriginal cultures started to develop, albeit slowly. By then the landscape had changed, deserts emerged, animals had disappeared and tribes became more rooted.

Interesting too, are the pictoglyphs and petroglyphs of the southwest. They stand silent and staring from giant eyes, sentinels of inner visions. These are the glyphs from the Paleo- Americans, the earlier inhabitants who communed with various realties, had discourse with spirit beings, aliens and other worldly energies. In my intuitive opinion, these artful stories are not human in nature, but rather reminders to us in this timeline, the Paleo- Americans were completely connected to various dimensions, universes and star travelers. I’m sure there are remnants of these findings in ancient myths and stories within the Hopi’s and Navaho’s oral traditions.

Putting this into perspective of where we are on the evolutionary scale, current humanity could represent another lineage, perhaps another genetic departure, where we can either learn and grow, or disappear like the ancient cultures of 37,000 years ago. In terms of time, it is just an inhalation, a quick breath, an intake and exhale of shifting sands. A thought provoking question is, if our current symbology were to be observed and dissected as we discern and study ancient petroglyphs, what would it reveal to future generations? That is the vital question. What do we, you and I, want to stand as a testament to our beliefs, our passions, our loves? What is your symbology?

Think on it. Meditate. See what is vital and what is irrelevant. Then you’ll have true stories to share and symbols to paint.

Cosmic sunshine to you.

*Ancient horses died out in North America somewhere between 12,000-8000 bce. It wasn’t until the 1600’s when the Spanish reintroduced horses to this continent did they run again across our grasslands. There are current issues concerning our wild horses roaming free across the west. If you’re an animal/horse lover, please look at what is happening to our wild herds.