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Above: Huicholpilgrims walkacross thesacred landscape

Right: Huicholmarakame(shaman)

The Wirrikuta is an ancientpilgrimage route in Mexico. Theoriginal pilgrimage route started onthe western coast of Mexico andstretches 300km to the desert ofSan Luis Potosi, ending at theQuemado, the sacred mountain. Itwas and is a pilgrimage route for theHuichols and other tribes of thearea. Around 30km of the pilgrimageroute is over desert terrain, passingby various natural ceremonial sites,before reaching the mountain itself.The desert is famous for the peyotecactus, and part of the reasonfor the pilgrimage is to harvestthe plant, which is used invisionary ceremonies.

In Huichol cosmology, boththe peyote and the sacredmountain are parts of a returnto ‘where the sun was born.’The mountain is the physicalexpression of their creationmyth, it is the sacredconnection to their originallight, and indeed the originallight of all humans. They see itas the place of their truefather, the place of the originof their seed, their ancestors -and they see these ancestors

also as our ancestors - yours andmine - since they believe this placeholds the history of humanity.

THE PLACE OF THE DEADOne of the sacred pilgrimage sitesthe Huichols pass by is calledBernalejo, this is the place of thedead. Bernalejo is a mound ofvolcanic rock in an area which hasno volcanic activity. Geologistsdescribe the rocks as meteorites,but the Huichols describe therocks more like messengers from

the stars - their ancestors.Offerings are made here to theancestors that come from the sky.

Having worked with this sitemyself now for fifteen years, it isclear to me that If you open yourheart to the stones, the earth‘opens’ and the holographic textureof this planet is revealed; there isnot just one time and space, thereare multi-times and multi-spaces;lives upon lives, like bubbles withinbubbles, or dreams within dreams.

This site is sacred to theHuichol dead, and I sense thissite also attracts the dead fromall over this planet; they comehere to find a bridge to the‘other side.’ It is seemspossible to both see and feelthe bridges through which thedead pass, and I have aphenomenal feeling ofunconditional love towards thedead finding their homes.

Many of the ancientshamanic ceremonies for thedead are no longer performedin the world, due to the deathof traditions. Ancient deathrituals would originally have

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Walking until the End

of the WorldA sacred landscape

under threat in Mexico

Daniel Stone

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Above: offeringsto the spirits

high in the hillsof Wirrikuta

Below:Huichol perform

ceremonies atBernalejo

served to make a bridge like theone naturally offered in Bernalejo.Now, with ancient culturesdeclining all over the world, thereare many spirits of the dead whoneed help.

In Mexico, indigenous culturesstill account for ten per cent of thepopulation, but every year theircultures are diluted because of thepressures of poverty andmaterialism. With their declinecomes also the ending of crucialceremonial rituals normallyperformed for the dead. In Europe,these ceremonies for the dead arebarely remembered since there arevery few indigenous livingtraditions, however, that does notmean that they cannot beremembered or re-dreamed. If thedead do not find their paths, ifthey are not able or don’t knowhow to cross the ‘bridge ofdreams,’ they stay here, lost. Andwhat does a dead spirit do if itdoesn’t know where to go? Itlooks for another body, or anotherplace to hide, creating possessionof both humans and places.

When I go to other lands, Iconsciously make a dreaming bridgebetween the rocks in those placesand the rocks at Bernalejo, so thatdreaming tracks can be created forthe dead. This enables them to findthat bridge they look for, the bridgebetween dreams. Bernalejo - beingworked and alive - is a jewel for thedead, and when people come toretreats here, they also bringattached lost spirits of the dead withthem; from their families, theircultures and their land.

I have always believed that, ona fundamental level, people comehere on retreats to die on many

levels. They come here tolet go, to releasethemselves from theirpast and from theirkarma. At Bernalejo thereis an opportunity to lookdeath in the eye, and indoing so, let go of thefear of dying. When a lifeis seen and understoodas being just a dreamwithin dreams, then deathbecomes a breeze.

POINTS OF POWERThe pilgrimage walk goesfrom Bernalejo towardsthe Quemado and thesacred mountain. Walkinglong distances in Mexico is a time-honoured way of ‘changing thedoors of perception’ and of raisingone’s level of consciousness. Thecontinuous rhythm of your stepstakes you into a trance, and thisallows your mind to calm. Youbecome aware on other levels, andin particular, the pilgrim seeks tobecome more aware of the spiritworld – the animals, the plants,the rocks, the beings of the skyand of the earth.

I first came here in 1996. I hadtravelled to different sacred sitesaround the world – Uluru, LakeTiticaca, Stonehenge, MountShasta, being just some of thehighlights at that stage.

Sacred sites can be seen asbeing like power points on theglobal surface; the human bodyhas certain energy points whichhealers - such as acupuncturists -use to balance the meridians thatpass through the body. I think theearth’s planetary body works inmuch the same way.

Ancient sacred sites are placesdivined by ancient shamanicexplorations to have a particularlypowerful energy field.

Another way of describing theseenergy fields is to use the term‘dreaming.’ In the AustralianAboriginal tradition, dreaming linescross over vast tracts of land, andeach part of the landscape has itsown ‘dreaming,’ with a relationshipto other times and spaces. Theancient pilgrimage route of Mexicofollows the Mexican equivalent ofthese dreaming lines. Bernalejoand the Quemado are two of themost important sacred sites in thewhole of Turtle island – TheAmerican continent.

Ceremonies that take place atsacred sites are not only for thebenefit of humans, they are alsofor the planet as a whole. Byworking at sacred sites, it ispossible to activate points on theEarth’s planetary body whichstimulates the flow of energy, like

The Huichol sacred site Bernalejo is the place wher ethey make offerings for the dead. Scientists say therocks are meteorites, the people say they ar emessengers from the stars

Ceremonies that take placeat sacred sites are not just

for humans, they canbe an act of healing

for the whole planet -like a kind of planetar y

earth acupuncture

Below: Huicholpilgrims in thehills of Wirrikuta

Inset: traditionalyarn paintingmade by pressingcoloured yarnsinto wax. Thepainting showsmany of theHuichol’s maincosmologicalfigures, includingTewexika - theSun and TamatziKauyumarie -the Blue Deer.Peyote cactusare also shownunder the deer,which are saidto be itsfootprints

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an acupuncturist works on theenergetic points of a body. Forplanetary acupuncture to takeplace, there is a need for clearaccess to sacred sites, and it isparticularly important that thosesacred sites are not damaged.

I feel I was called to Mexico tobuild a retreat centre in the desertbecause of the energy of the sacredsites here. I had heard about thissacred site in Mexico and I wanted tosense its relationship with the otherplaces I had visited. The impact ithad was so powerful, and themessages I got from the desert wereso clear, I had no doubt that this iswhere I was supposed to work

THE SACRED MOUNTAINThe main reason for being here isthe Huichol sacred mountain, LaQuemada. As Bernalejo is the place

of the dead, La Quemada is theplace of rebirth. The pilgrimageroute from Bernalejo to themountain is like a passage fromyour death into a new dream. Theplace where the sun was born is theplace where the new life is given.

For the Huichols, this mountainhas many roles. One of them is thatthis is the place where initiates comein order to receive their vision -which will explain who they are andwhat their role is within the tribe.The visionary guide is called the BlueDeer, and a maracami (shaman)leads the initiates in a peyoteceremony under or on the mountain.The vision that the initiate receives istheir new life, it encapsulates whatthey need to know about their rolewithin the tribe.

The kinds of messages that Iand others have received from the

mountain has also literally changedlives. You don’t argue with thismountain, it’s like a real, true,deep sage, like the father sun,coming down and bringing thewisdom from the sky. I cannotexpress the level of deepreverence I have for this mountain.

CHANGING TIMESIn February 2012, the Huicholscame en masse to make aceremony on the sacred mountain,passing through Bernalejo on theirway. Usually, the Huichols don’tmake pilgrimages together. Differentvillages - indeed, different families -have specific times in the year whenthey come. But this year they cametogether, as one tribe, in order toattempt to save their sacred landbecause Bernalejo and La Quemadaare now under threat from mining.

Canadian mining companieswant to mine this mineral richmountain and desert area, and the

Walking long distances in Mexico is a time-honor edway of changing the doors of perception and ofraising your level of consciousness . The continuousrhythm of the steps takes you into a trance, andallows your mind to calm and become mor e awareon other levels. The pilgrim is looking to becomemore aware of the spir it world - the animals , plants,rocks and the beings of the sk y and of the ear th

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mining would cause very significantphysical and energetic damage toboth the sacred sites and thepilgrimage route.

This was a very unusualceremony. It was not only unusualbecause many different Huicholvillagers came, it was also unusualbecause outsiders were invited towitness it. Huichols are verysecretive. They were only able totravel to the site because of financialcontributions from people who careabout the plight of the Huichol.Because of this help, the Huicholinvited all who had come to the siteto witness the ceremony. Theceremony involved a lot of song. It isthrough song that the spirits aregiven voice. After the ceremony, aspokesman for the Huichols made aspeech which is now on YouTube1.

The mining is a threat to thesacred sites and the sacredpilgrimage route. However thingsare not simple, or black and white.

There are also many Mexicans wholive in the area who have no work,living on the poverty line. Manyyoung men have to leave theirfamilies to look for work, some ofthem go to the cities, and some ofthem risk their lives by walking overthe high desert in order to cross theborder to the US. The miningcompanies offer jobs, and this is areally important fact for all of thepeople in the area where I live.These people cannot simply beignored, as their concerns and theirlives are also relevant.

There is a developing tension inthe area between the Huichols,together with ecologists, on oneside, and the people who needwork on the other. This tension willnot go away, and nor will the threatof mining unless there is analternative employment possibilityfor the people who live here.Looking at how things are inMexico, it is unlikely the Huichols oranyone will stop the mining, whichcomes from a deep human needand hunger to eat the earth. Ifalternative economics can beoffered then we have a real solution- one that would protect the sacredsites, respect mother earth, andprovide alternative employment.

There are various projects onthe way which seek to offer

alternative employment possibilities.A project I initiated from donationsgiven by people who come onretreats here, involves collectingand buying plastic, glass, metaland paper waste, and preparing itfor sale to recycling companies.This, for a community that treatsthe desert like a public dustbin, isliterally ground-breaking!

Help is needed with theseprojects. The amount of moneyreceived from donations so far isonly enough to start projects on asmall scale, and help is needed tosustain and develop them. That iswhat has motivated me principallyto write this article. It is importantthat more people are aware ofwhat is happening here in thedesert of Northern Mexico, andimportant to have the opportunityto ask you for your help.

Daniel Stoneruns the ‘Centre of

the Conscious Dream’in the Mexican desert.

He is author of‘The Dreamer WhoDreams You’ (Axis

Mundi Books). www.12conscious

dreamers.comzcrystalhead

@hotmail.com

For more informationabout the Wirrikuta,

or to make adonation:

http://goo.gl/QHn9U

NOTES:1: to see the speech

(in it’s original Huicholwith Spanish subtitles)

http://youtu.be/xKttZJYPPWo

Extract from the speech made by a Huichol spokesman“Tatewari Tutzi (Grandfather Fire) spoke to us about ancestral creation.In the beginning in Reu-kaunx (the sacred mountain), our gods madethe fire and there left their mirrors, so they could see [themselves].

Tatiwari Tutzi, Tamatzi Kauyumarie (Blue Deer) and Tewexika (Father Sun) are the guides forhumanity, and of all the beings in the universe... From the place of the four elements

of the universe they made the sacred sites from where the new ages are born.

Wirrikuta is at the east and is one of the four ceremonies that unite us. Wirrikuta is theplace that gives us balance in the universe. Tatiwari Tutzi, Tamatzi Kauyumarie and Tewexika

sung through us the message that we need to take great care not to damage the sacred sites.They are the nucleus of mother earth, and inside of her are gods preparing for the

rebirth which will be the flowering of the new celestial world.

The gods leave messages in the atmosphere and humans can perceive the preoccupationand anxiety. The gods made mirrors on earth which are sacred sites. The gods ask us to

flourish or flower again so that we can flow with the mother earth. The song of Tatiwari Tutzi,Tamatzi Kauyumarie and Tewexika asks us to renovate the language of the gods as the voiceof the celestial universe, so that no one disturbs the vibration and the balance of the universe,and - through the voice of Tatewari and Tewexika - that there are no disruptions to the sacred

sites, that nothing crosses the path of its birth, that we keep the spirit clean and we donot have fear, as fear traps us in illnesses of the spirit, soul and body.

They ask us to keep the balance inside of ourselves so that we receive the birth of thecelestial universe. They ask us that we ask ourselves what was the energy that made us

germinate, what strengthened us and made our evolution possible. They ask us thatwe are the midwives [in the renovation] of our ancestral deities...

We live in the world of yesterday and today, and who knows about tomorrow; thisdepends on us and our actions. We ask all the people who are against our own creator,

that we leave the sacred sites in peace to the gods of the celestial universe.”