by Francisco “Pancho” Ramos Stierle

Globalization, if done properly and with understanding, would not be one cultural group imposing their lifestyle on all others, but instead we might learn how to share space and resources with each other, in the midst of the magnificent biodiversity in which we live. Globalization has nothing to do with a repressive empire, but hope lies in the global conscience of the Earth Community. For this reason, I find it difficult to convince myself of any absolute truths, I find hard to believe in fundamentalisms of any kind (the careful reader might forgive my “fundamentalism” in “antifundamentalism” matters).

During the awakening of Humanity, each one of us is a catalyst who impels all perspectives. The result is that we are getting closer to the truth. As seekers of truth, Ahimsa people (from Sanskrit ahimsa is “absence of the intention, or desire to harm”) can in this way avoid the fundamentalism-antifundamentalism paradox. A community is emerging on our Planet. We are becoming aware of the diversity of thought, on the one hand, and on the other hand, unity of heart. These are the ideas that rule the hearts and minds of perspectivists.

Perspectivism has been accelerating exponentially with time:

-Just a century ago, we invented Satyagraha (from Sanskrit “clinging to truth”), the vast inner strength required to perform nonviolent acts, an invention that is recognized as a positive and spiritually based form of resistance that starts in the heart of the resister and inevitably produces creative action.

-Just over 6 decades ago, we created the United Nations, which, for all its imperfections, made it possible for the first time for representatives of all the World’s nations and peoples to meet in a neutral space to resolve their differences through dialogue rather than the force of arms.

-Less than 8 lustrums ago, our species ventured into space to look back and see ourselves as one people sharing a common destiny on a living spaceship, the Earth.

-A little more than 10 years ago, our communications technologies gave us the ability, should we choose to use it, to link every human on the planet into a seamless web of nearly costless communication and cooperation.

-A couple of months ago, our curiosity drove us to discover the first Super-Earth (a terrestrial planet about 5 times as massive as the Earth) orbiting around a red dwarf star in the habitable zone (region where water is possible to be in liquid state). The iconic view of our living Spaceship, taken by the astronauts of the Apollo program, is reinforcing the idea that the Earth is but one country and the humankind its citizens.

-This article is about another constructive story (one for David Korten’s or Michael Nagler’s nonviolence collection), which happened about 30 days ago.

Silent Walk (sixth action), first experiment OraWorldMandala
The full Moon of last May 31st of 2007, watched over the sixth action —a silent walk in the practice of Ahimsa— of the international project OraWorldMandala.

The project originated from an ARTivism research work based on the concept of the Mandala: Ora, from Latin “prayer”; World, our planet with its human continent; and Mandala, from Sanskrit “wholeness”, which can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself, that has taken shape from the visions of many ancient civilizations and traditions where external reality is perceived as a reflection of human consciousness. The Mandala represents the resonance that arises when elements and forces are in equilibrium. The mission of OraWorldMandala project is to tell the story of a social transformation through eight experiments, inspired by the eight areas of action of the United Nations Manifesto for a Culture of Peace, namely: The spirit of oneness is the ultimate goal.

India and Mexico are located on opposite points of the planet. The fourth action of the first experiment of OraWorldMandala, was the union of soils from India and Mexico. The fusion marked the cultural alliance between two ancient civilizations, on opposite sides of the globe, that have been united in the common cause of Ahimsa.

The intention of the sixth action was to create a space of reconciliation in the minds and hearts of the participants, generating a resonance of Ahimsa within one’s self, with each other and with Mother Earth. As a result of a process of individual and collective consciousness, people of different cultures will connect to represent a world of creation instead of destruction. On the other side of the World from India’s Sabarmati Ashram (Mahatma Gandhi’s home and center of operations for many years), we find the place for the sixth action: el Cerro del Quemado (Hill of the Burned).

El Cerro del Quemado, an important center of Wirikuta natural and cultural reserve, is located in the mountains of Sierra de Catorce in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The Wirikuta reserve is the first protected area in Mexico created specifically to conserve spaces sacred to humans in addition to its biodiversity. The Chihuahua desert, of which Wirikuta is a part, is one of the three most biologically rich semi-deserts on the planet. The reserve includes the traditional route of the native Huicholes or Wixárika (as they call themselves in Huichol language), culminating at el Cerro del Quemado. The respect shown to this sacred ground by the native Wixárika is a microcosm of what we would like to express on a planetary level.

In accordance with the Huichol tradition, el Cerro del Quemado is a vision of devotion to the Sun guided by the eagle. For the first time in history, the Wixárika people considered one of the most authentic and preserved cultures of the ancient American continent (due to longtime deliberate isolation and resistance to evangelism they have retained much of their original culture), opened the sacred doors of el Cerro del Quemado to a large group of people belonging to different visions and backgrounds. This gesture of love and tolerance suggests a new approach to the process of social inclusion that is going on in all the country and the World.

The 2006 Mexico’s electoral fraud, led to the imposition of a fascist-like government, which supports the totalitarianism of the corporate capitalism. The Huichol advanced perspective, however, is echoed in one of the hearts of Mexico, Mexico City, by a strong, growing, peaceful, bold, creative resistance movement which has surpassed the barriers of political parties. The other perspectivist intense heartbeats, of course, come from the Zapatista communities in Chiapas: the Caracoles (some sort of Mexican Ashram). The civil society is getting organized and Ahimsa is starting to become not only a word but also a way of life.

Narrating the Voice of Silence
“When one comes to think of it one cannot help feeling that nearly half the misery of the World would disappear if we, fretting mortals, knew the virtue of silence. Before modern civilization came upon us, at least six to eight hours of silence out of twenty-four were vouchsafed to us. Modern civilization has taught us to convert night into day and golden silence into brazen din and noise. What a great thing it would be if we in our busy lives could retire into ourselves each day for at least a couple of hours and prepare our minds to listen in to the Voice of the Great Silence. The Divine Radio is always singing if we could only make ourselves ready to listen to It, but it’s impossible to listen without silence.” M.K. GANDHI – Harijan, 24/9/1938, p.267

The sixth action of the first experiment of the OraWorldMandala project was a silent walk in the practice of Ahimsa. Indeed, it is Ahimsa, Gandhiji’s message of love for all life through active nonviolence, which threads through the fabric of our actions, experiments, and lives.

As directed by the harmony of a peace mandala, after 56 hours of lovely interactions in buses with siblings from Oakland, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, Nuevo Laredo and Matehuala, we (brother Michael Schuck and I) finally arrived to Real de Catorce.

A virtual human axis connecting opposites points of the Earth, aligned at the Tropic of Cancer, became not symbolic but a pragmatic trace. Close to 200 citizens of the World, a rich mix of Gandhians (from Mexico, India, France, US, Germany, Bolivia, Italy, Argentina, England, Barzil…), nonviolent rebels, Buddhist monks, artivists, locals and wise indigenous people were present and ready for the mystical experience. We gathered in the Plaza Hidalgo (named after the priest Miguel Hidalgo, abolitionist of old slavery and father of the independence movement in Mexico) to receive logistic instructions. Little did we know that the transfer of wisdom from the elder shaman, marakame Maurelio, was about to start.

The Huichol tradition says first-time pilgrims are not allowed to look around and see the landscape while going up in the sacred hill, due to their most likely distracted state of mind. The impressive beauty of the place is fully described only after you reach the top of the hill. Hence, first-timers were asked to cover their eyes with a bandana, but many of the eager participants didn’t have such a temporary blinding device. Then, the peaceful wit of the marakame flowed, the shaman said: “You all are love warriors. Many of you have traveled from very distant places to reinforce the spirit. Therefore, no bandana is needed. Close your eyes, go beyond the material world and your will strength is going to be the only cloth you will need.”

As in the fourth action, we walked in silence from Real de Catorce to the sacred el Cerro del Quemado, guided by the Wixárika. After two hours of (almost) silent pilgrimage, the Wixárika “opened” the sacred doors of the hill. A fire ritual started in a ceremonial center to the East of their mystical religious territory, where, according to their ancestral beliefs, “Tatewarí” or Grandfather Fire was born. Here, in the top of the hill, we formed a circle around the fire and different dusk prayers in silence (included some agnostic/secular) filled this venerated space. Later on, the group of Tibetans monks shared their positive energy with their chants.

On the West, the setting Sun in Mexico brought forward the dawn in India. On the East, the rising full Moon provided us with poetic photons. Each person —following his/her tradition, belief, meditation technique or simple perception— was trying to maintain his/her focus in silence. After that, some of us fasted for purifying purposes; some others shared food in silence. At about 3,000mts above the sea level and due to the chilly night wind, we strengthened the bounds of the circle around the fire, listened and danced to the traditional music of the Huichol people. Close to midnight, the natives made an official preparation of the Marakame’s song and they prepared the offerings, while the rest of us observed in silence.

Maurelio started singing the Marakame’s song when the Moon was in her highest point in the Sky. At this moment, in silence, we united in a sincere attempt to understand the significance of our action: silence is an instrument used to increment the resonance of our actions and to create a path from violence to nonviolence; we unite our lands in conscience of the Mandala’s future. Immersed in the Wixárika world, around the Grandfather Fire, we listened to the song, asleep or awake, while Mother Earth was listening in silence.

The mystic moment wasn’t over yet. It was June 1st. With the moonset, the sunrise and candle offering, we made a dawn Sun salutation acknowledging as well the birthday of the Buddha. We maintained silence while listening the energetic chants of our siblings from the Tibet.

Next, we honored the “Eye of Truth”, a work of art created from bamboo and threads of various colors, in the form of a Tsikuli, a sacred tool of the Huicholes. Usually Tsikuli are called “Eyes of God” but looking at Sabarmati Ashram as the engine to spread the values of Mahatma Gandhi, we believe that the Eye of Truth will see the hale of truth circumambulating the globe.

Before returning to the town of Real de Catorce, we performed Safai —it means “cleaning” in Hindi— to leave el Cerro del Quemado clean. Mahatma Gandhi lived his entire life yoked to this discipline. After our descent, in a complete renewed state of mind, we met at the watchman’s house. The silence ended to allow a constructive dialogue and to share the new plan for actions in 2007-2008.

The Earth Community
Humanity has to become a fractal of compassion in order to survive. Nothing is harder than conceiving what has not yet been imagined. Now, let’s perceive it!

Perspectivism, Permaculture, Person Power, People Power, Ahimsa, Satyagraha, Integrative Power, Collective intelligence… nonviolence and thinking from the heart is the emerging paradigm. After this incredible Ahimsa silence experience, Flemming Funch, David Korten and Shakespeare will help me to give an emphatic end:

We have many names, we speak many languages.
We are local, we are global.
We are in all regions of the world, we’re everywhere in the air.
We have no enemies, no boundaries can hold us.
We are the Universe being aware of itself, we are the wave of evolution.
We are in every child’s eyes, we face the unknown with wonder and excitement.
We are messengers from the future, living in the present.
We come from silence, and we speak our truth.
We cannot be quieted, because our voice is within everyone…

TO BE more or to have more? That’s the question.
The choice is ours. The time is now. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

If you want to be a rebel, be kind. Human-kind, be both.
Pancho Ramos Stierle