A long long time ago, humans were so weak they couldn’t even lift a small pebble and a piece of grass would make them fall over. Nobody had any clue on what to do about it. Until one boy stood up and said he wanted to find a cure.
He took four corns and set out in eastern direction. He walked all day until he could no longer. Ate a corn and fell asleep.
The next day he woke up, turned south and walked all day in southern direction. After a day of walking he ate a corn again and fell asleep.
The next day he turned west. Walked all day to the west. Ate a corn and fell asleep again.
When he woke up, he turned north. After a day of walking to the north he arrived back where he started. He ate a corn and fell asleep.
This time he had a dream. In his dream he saw a lodge. He entered the lodge and in it there were seven grandfathers waiting for him. Sitting on the ground with a bowl between their feet.
The first one looked up and said it was good of him to come and visit them. They all had a gift for him, to help him cure his people. He reached down and from his bowl he took knowledge and gave it to the boy.
The second one looked up and said he also has a gift for the boy. He reached down in his bowl and took out love.
The third one looked up and from his bowl he took honesty and gave it to the boy.
The fourth grandfather looked up and from his bowl he took strength and gave it to the boy.
The fifth grandfather looked up and reached down in his bowl and took out Honor.
The sixth grandfather looked up and from his bowl he took Respect and gave it to the boy.
The seventh grandfather looked up and he gave the boy humility.
The boy woke up sitting on a crescent moon with the sun behind him. Casting a shade on the ground of the lodge. Helping him to remember everything and cure his people.
From that day he looked to the East. Thanked all the ancestors and spirits to the East and accepted the gift of knowledge.
He looked to the South, thanked all the ancestors and spirits to the South. Accepting the gift of love.
He looked to the west, thanked all the ancestors and spirits to the West. Accepting the gift of honesty.
He turned to the North, thanked all the ancestors and spirits to the north. Accepting the gift of strength.
Turning east again and looked up to the sky. Thanking all the ancestors and spirits above him. Honoring their guidance.
He looked down, feeling mother earth. Showing her the respect she deserves.
Standing up again, accepting the gift of humility.
Everything we have today, is because our ancestors gave us these seven gifts and showed us how to use them.
An origin story shared with us by Joe Wawatie, a Medewin (Me-déh-wen) elder, Joe Wawatie.
He started with: “All people have their origin story and all of them are true.”
Joe gave us a kg of Moose steak. We gave it back and asked if he could learn us how to cook it <3
Walking the lodge
Mike, Little Half Moon, builds lodges. Lodges are spaces with a certain purpose. Like a sweat lodge, or a teaching lodge. Only this time he is opening a spirit lodge. Walking from the east coast in Nova Scotia to the west coast in California. For healing and the union of the divine feminine and divine masculine.
He does not believe there is anything useful we can do for the world. Only spirits can do the work now. For the next two years he walks for the spirits, together with his partner, Liane. I’m sure you understand, we were instant friends.
Each morning they drive back to the place where they left the previous day and have marked the place with a sacred stone. They take their staffs, a hand full of tobacco and flower seeds and do an opening ceremony. Where everybody shares their intention for the day. After it Mike picks up the sacred rock, that looks like the opening of the lodge at the east, stabs a whole in the ground with an awl, pours water with golden glitters in the small hole, put a reed in it and we’re ready to go.
Usually one of them walks and the other follows by a car for 2 km. Now, we walked in pairs and the other pair followed us with the car. Walking in ceremony, where our staffs mark the ground after each step. Mike sings his songs while walking and points out to the plants, birds and animals we see. Telling stories of beluga whales that followed them in the river and the meaning of the birds we encounter. There were a lot, probably because we left seeds for them where ever we went.
At the end of the day Mike puts down the stone again. We do a closing ceremony and we drive back to the place to sleep. They live in an old ambulance, so together with the firetruck we had a nice set up. One morning a police car came, because locals didn’t like Mike’s singing the evening before. We forgot to make a picture of the three together, but laughed about the idea. Every two, or three days, we drive the ambulance and the fire truck ahead, before we start to walk again.
Camping while walking the spirit lodge.
Everything Mike is doing is not a fixed ritual. He is guided by spirit and not by dogma. He says nothing is ever lost if you know how to communicate with spirits. He was critical on indigenous communities and their structures. Where he renounced all formal positions from. He thinks many are in their own ego structures, or are part of the modern system altogether. He thinks giving land back is only a good idea when it’s given back to people who know how to take care of it. “Could be any colour of man.”
In the evening we shared stories, ate our food together and went to bed early. One night, Mike brought out his water drum. A drum where you first put water in. Then you ‘dress’ the drum by tighten the skin on top with seven small sacred stones and a long rope. There are seven ways to tie the drum, of which two are unknown. Each way of dressing gives the drum a different purpose. Like honouring the divine or healing.
Listening to the drum is a special feeling. I felt it deep in my chest, creating more space with each hit. Then Mike’s singing gets your energy moving through this space. Energy work with music. During this ceremony Mike and Liane gifted us with a millions years old fossilised root of a tree. To take the responsibility of bringing the root to the oldest living trees and forest and for helping me to get closer to the stones.
On the fifth day we left. Did a beautiful ceremony on the parking lot of a Walmart. Said our goodbyes and thank you’s. It was beautiful and an amazing gift after just six weeks in the country we had this exchange with someone who we are so aligned with.
Mike also sent us to his friend, Joe Wawatie, where we also stayed for five days at his house in a reserve. Who told us the origin story we just shared with you.
Travels
We decided to stay as north as possible and skip the cities and the Niagara Falls. A good reason to come back someday. Every single Canadian tells us we’re going to love the west. So we’re going to do that part as thoroughly as possible.
We did wanted to see Lake Superior. One of the largest bodies of fresh water on the planet. To have this experience of an ocean, but it’s a lake. We traveled the shore of most of Canada’s side of the lake and it’s gorgeous. Sometimes it’s only 9 degrees max during the day, because of the cold wind from the lake. But the nature and the seeming endless forests we drive through are amazing.
Now we are on the west side of the lake, in Thunderbay, with Peggy Smith. Who is a retired professor in environmental science. Very interesting to hear her perspective on Canada and its relationship with nature. She helped us a lot with planning the journey ahead.
Interesting fact about Thunderbay, you can sail big freight ships from the Atlantic up to here. I knew, because I could have shipped my truck from the Netherlands up to here. Quite amazing.
Almost forgot. We also got a week of the Canadian dream. Mike also shared with us a location of a sacred tree of his people. A 500 year old white pine. So we visited it and did a full day of ceremonies with it. It was beautiful. Especially because it is still used for ceremony and offerings, almost daily.
That evening a car pulled next to our truck asking us if we wanted their house by the lake for the week. Because they were not home, so we were free to use it. How amazing! So we enjoyed a week of swimming, sauna, wifi, showers and hot water from the tap. Then we moved to friends of Mike, Bill and Jody, who appeared to live on the same lake, so in the end we stayed for a week with the beautiful lake.
The lake is completely closed from other waters, because it is a lake from a mineral water source. The entire lake is completely drinkable. We canoed, made a boat ride and saw the typical lives of the Canadians living there. All of them living the Canadian dream and the Canadian dream is playing.
All of the houses have a sauna, a quad, a snow scooter, a car and a pick-up truck. The couple we stayed with are building an enormous vila for his record collection of 500 LP’s and 21 guitars. Not because they were rich and bored, but because it is their dream. The rich people at the lake also have a water plane, to fly to the north and fish in a private lake.
Bill told me outdoor Canadians are living for playing. (Ice) Fishing, snow scooter tours driving 160 km/h over the frozen lakes in the winter, listening to music together, sitting at the campfire. It’s all with a can of beer in your hand. No matter your age. So we enjoyed a great week of summer at the lake and laughed a lot with them. When I didn’t finish my 15:00 beer before Bill had finished his, he told me: “Oh, you didn’t leave Europe, you got kicked out.”
Now, I understand why nature protection in Canada is focused on conservation, which means ‘get people out’. Canadians are very far from a nurturing relationship with nature. We didn’t met city-people, who I suspect have no relationship with nature, like in the Netherlands. The outdoor people in Canada that we meet have a playing relationship with nature. Every national nature park we have passed advertise their park with: “your best playground” or “your next adventure”. I think it contributes to all the litter we find at the beautiful places. Not like in Indonesia, but because Canada supposed to be so friendly and developed it annoys me a lot more.
No wonder it’s so popular with senior Europeans to move here. Here you can still live like you don’t have a responsibility for the whole and feel completely normal.
For Canadians the route we’re traveling is north Ontario. They call themselves the northerners and it’s a big thing for them. Even though we often travel next to the border with the USA. Looking at the map it looks crazy to call Lake Superior the north of Ontario. But north of here there is just forest, lakes, swamps and no roads beside logging roads. We’re already on the northern route.
Driving through Ontario I also better understand the clear cuttings in Canada. Forests feel so incredibly abundant here. Especially imagining that we only see it east to west and most of it is north of our route.
Ontario showed us the Boreal forest. The lungs of the Earth. Nova Scotia, Bay of Fundy, south of Quebec. It’s all Acadian forest, now we entered the Boreal and the feeling is as endless as the map suggests.
Thunderbay is a transition point. After this there are about 2000 km of flat prairies. Then the Rocky Mountains begin. Who mark a completely new landscape, climate and, as we’re told, a different culture. Our idea now is to travel to Alaska before it gets too cold and sea the eastern and northern side of the Rockies. Then travel south passing the coast on the west side of the Rockies. Allowing us to see Canada from East to West ánd from North to South. A crazy 12,000 km ride from here. Possibly we can do parts of it with a ferry on the way back and see some whales too.
Meanwhile stopping at all the beautiful, big, old, mesmerising trees and forests. Sharing them with people online. For learning to reconnect with reality and allowing a new paradigm for a world full of people to emerge. In a healing, joyful and moving way.
After 12,000 km and three months our money will be gone, so we are starting to look for ways to earn money as well. Ways that benefit the land, forests, trees and our qualities. Let’s see.
Embodying Reality
For four weeks I haven’t touched the book. Being completely emerged in the adventure of the road. Now, I’m at it again for a week now, getting back in a daily rhythm. I think about two weeks more writing. Then an editor. Then design. So the 1st of September is tight, but still doable. Let’s see.
It’s definitely an upgrade as well. Integrating all that I’ve learned last year. Sometimes stating the opposite of what I wrote before. The message of the book is the same though: sustainability comes from putting reality in the lead and when we start to prioritise the things that are real in our lives.
I’m completely out of the news cycle. Which is quite a blessing, but from what I hear from people we meet, reconnecting with reality is ever more urgent. Every Canadian has heard about the Dutch farmers protests, frightening heat waves and water shortages across the globe. A lot of reasons to start listening to trees and reconnect with reality if you ask me.
Until next time. Hopefully from Alaska.
Cheers,
Monica & Fynn & Wally & Casper
The office.
Lake Superior. With crystal clear cold water (5-10 degrees) and almost white beaches.
We drove for 700 km with the lake on one side of the road and this on the other.
Almost forgot. We learned about Pow Wows. The indigenous way of showing yourself to the community. A kind of festival with music, singing, dancing, dresses and non-alcoholic drinks. In the summer every weekend there are dozens throughout the state. Monica said they are very similar in Mexico and the USA.
In the middle are the drummers and singers. Called drum circles. It’s a sacred space, where nobody else is allowed and you feel the energy radiating from it. Then there is a ring of dancers and performers, like this young woman doing the butterfly dance and the bear-walk in the previous photo.
Northern Lights! Super blessings. The purple was only visible with the camera, but it looked as magical as the picture nonetheless.
Canoeing on a drinkable lake.
The smoke helps against the mosquitos who make it difficult to sit outside at the end of the day.
The altar starts to look like something with all the gifts from Mike and Joe.