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Two Worlds Together

Friends;

New Year’s Day in the Amanda Grotto of Yachats Oregon is an Opening.  It is a rare opportunity that is presented by the Coastal Tribes and the non-tribal residents together and we are all invited. But not all of the presenters are of this world. If you partake in the Peace Hike ceremony, you will open your soul to peace; you will open your mind to know troubling stories of people that lived a century ago; and you will open your heart to find generosity to repair those troubles with Good.

This year Bob and I were all set and ready to participate again, but a famous (and rather nasty) virus paid us a visit on New Year’s Eve.  So instead, we packed our bags the next day and slowly drove past the Grotto, knowing full well what was taking place behind the trees and beyond our view. Tribal leaders were describing their history near the Amanda statue, native flutes were raising their tributes into the sky, and they were joined in the air by the smoke from burning offerings of cedar sprigs placed in the flames by the participants.

I painted this ceremony in 2015 which was the last year before a mudslide took down the previous Amanda statue wreaked havoc with the terrain and rendered the bridge crossing that had been there unusable.  That Amanda statue has never been found, but I painted her in this “Two Worlds Together” anyway.

The Amanda statue was replaced right away, but this year is the first time that a brand new, grant-funded suspension bridge became available for ceremony participants.  It was very hard-earned, required thousands of volunteer hours to prepare the grounds and was glorious. In fact, it had to have been magical.

Creating this painting, “Two Worlds Together”, will need to suffice to bring me the peace, remind me of the history and inspire me to create goals for kindness. Those would otherwise come from attending this New Year’s Day Event.

Peace, Understanding and Kindness to you all.

margie lopez read