GAIA MANDALA
GLOBAL HEALING COMMUNITY
Earth Treasure Vase for the Great Lakes,
Saugatuck Dunes on Lake Michigan, US
Introduction
What many people call the “Great Lakes” region, is referred to as the “Lands of the Three Fires” by its original inhabitants and stewards, collectively known as the Anishinaabe People; including Odawa, Ojibwe, and Pottawattami. There are five freshwater lakes that are connected in a larger body. In Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe Language), Lake Superior is known as Anishinaabewi-gichigami, Lake Michigan as Ininwewi-gichigami, Lake Huron as Naadowewi-gichigami, Lake Erie as Waabishkiigoo-gichigami, and finally, Lake Ontario as Niigaani-gichigami.
There are so many stories to tell of the journey of this small, but mighty Earth Treasure Vase. Its main intention is for Healing, Gratitude and Blessing for the incredible ocean of fresh water that is the Great Lakes. It also serves to connect with and include people from the Three Fires, adding their prayers and insights into the Vase.
Steward Kat vanHammen writes:
‘’I live a few miles from Lake Michigan, close to where the Kalamazoo River pours into her, and daily I feel the amazing energy of these bodies of water. They called to me and when the opportunity came to go to Ghost Ranch to make a Vase, I knew exactly what I needed to do.’’
A short time after registering for the retreat, Kat went to a lovely cultural event in Douglas, Michigan, near her home and right on the river. People from the tribes came and set up little areas to show and share their culture and arts. There she met Jonathan Rinehart, an Eagle Staff carrier of the Odawa people, who shared with Kat the story of the staff.
They invited Kat to come to their monthly Prayer (Sweat) Lodges. Kat has attended several Lodges at their home by now.
She reflects on one of the lodges she attended leading up to the burial of the vase:
At the last one, in June 2022, I brought the Vase and we put it next to the Altar outside the Lodge. I led the group in the Meditation and they offered prayers to the Vase, and then we entered the Lodge, leaving the Vase open to receive. They were deeply touched by the practice, and I was honored by the opportunity. When we came out, Jonathan did a pipe ceremony for the Vase and blew the sacred smoke into her. It was a beautiful blessing and my heart was so full. I asked Jonathan where he thought the Vase should go and he felt that it should go near the mouth of a river that pours into the Lake.’’
Kat shares:
‘’Such a wonderful start after the retreat and I am so proud of us over-60s women for doing that hike!’’
Later that week Kat met two of her dearest friends in a lovely home in Santa Fe. One from Cambridge, Massachusetts happened to be staying there, and they were joined by their friend from Albuquerque. On the new moon they did a ceremony and made prayers into the Vase, and thus the first steps out into the world were taken.
Upon her return to Michigan, Kat has had small gatherings to offer prayers, took the Vase to many beaches, brought her to the Lodge, sung the Arya Gaia Mantra into her and opened her to the sound of the waves and the water.
The Burial Place
Kat VanHammen:
‘’In the beginning I thought that maybe ‘she’ would like to go near a nuclear site as there are many around the Great Lakes, and there is a strong connection with some of the other Vases in the Mandala through these sites. I took the map of the Great Lakes and marked all of these sites so I could get a visual. Inside, I kept a living question of where it should go. I live near Saugatuck Dunes State Park, and it is a very special place for me. One day I was on top of a large sand dune there, looking out over Lake Michigan, and I knew that this is where she should rest. This is land that I walked frequently and loved so much. I got the message that I needed to put it there because I had a deep relationship to it, it knew me. Once I realized the answer, I took out the map and marked the spot where it would be and then drew a spiral out capturing all of the places with nuclear sites. My drawing was a prayer that the heartfelt prayers in and of the Vase would radiate out to these places and bless and protect all of the lakes. You can see the map below and get a sense of where the Vase found its ‘’home’’.’’
The hearts indicate nuclear sites, and the vase is placed in the center of the spiral.
The Burial Ceremony
Kat continues:
´´I planned to bury the Vase in August and was in preparation for that. I was very excited that Liza Jane and Laurelyn were planning to come and join me for the burial. I still had not been able to connect with the Water Walkers as they had not been walking for several years and due to Covid did not seem to be active through their website etc. It was getting close to the burial time, a few weeks out, and my husband, Tom, said, “Why don’t you contact my friend, Nance, she is a Water Protector.” I did contact her and it turned out that Nance had been at Standing Rock and done water protection in Michigan on Line 5 but she was also a Water Walker! During the water walks the women carry a copper vessel with water from all of the Great Lakes and they also wear a small vile of this water around their necks as they walk. I invited Nance to come to the final Ceremony where we would add the last prayers and seal the vase. Nance was very excited to be invited and I was so grateful for her. Spirit again provided the way and the connection.
Liza and Laurelyn at Lake Michigan
They invited Kat to come to their monthly Prayer (Sweat) Lodges. Kat has attended several Lodges at their home by now.
She reflects on one of the lodges she attended leading up to the burial of the vase:‘“At the last one, in June 2022, I brought the Vase and we put it next to the Altar outside the Lodge. I led the group in the Meditation and they offered prayers to the Vase, and then we entered the Lodge, leaving the Vase open to receive. They were deeply touched by the practice, and I was honored by the opportunity. When we came out, Jonathan did a pipe ceremony for the Vase and blew the sacred smoke into her. It was a beautiful blessing and my heart was so full. I asked Jonathan where he thought the Vase should go and he felt that it should go near the mouth of a river that pours into the Lake.’’
Jonathan had offered to do a special Blessing Prayer Lodge for us the next day. It was such a generous and profound gift to be able to do this with my ETV sisters and Jonathan as part of the final ceremonies. A few days later we gathered, about 13 of us, at the fire circle at my home to do the final prayers and seal the Vase. Nance offered the ceremonial water from the lakes to the Vase at that time. We sealed the Vase and lovingly placed it into the beautiful cedar box that my husband, Tom, made for it. The next day we went to the Dunes with the Vase, open to direction as to where exactly it would be planted. I had picked the general area and as we walked to it at the entrance of a path going up the dune there had been an owl dinner and it had left many feathers laying right at the beginning of the path. We gathered the feathers of the Dove and took the path.
Jonathan and Michelle Rinehart
After discerning where we would bury the vase we gathered with full hearts. I had a shovel but we couldn’t put it together so the three of us just started digging with our hands since it is mostly sand. We felt like mama turtles. Once the hole was dug we stuck the feather quills into the side so that the hole was now lined with feathers. It was so moving and lovely. As we were in ceremony an owl was sounding around us and a deer was standing at the top of the dune about 30 feet away and watched us the whole time. With completion and joy and very happy hearts we left the Great Lakes Earth Treasure Vase in her glorious nest reverberating out her prayers to the magnificent lakes and all of her creatures.´´
