photography by Erin LangleyI decided to go back to the
clean-up site once a week to continue anchoring the healing work in a practical way. Dreaming can be a slippery business, after all. It's good for a dreamer to get her hands dirty, regularly. The area still looks fairly clean, but I worked on a hillside that I hadn't touched before, so I actually got a lot of trash today. There's a little bit of new graffiti, which speaks to the turf sparring between groups of kids up there. It seems to be the peace-loving artsy kids who decorated the area with colorful hearts and peace signs, and the more mischievous kids venting their anger through hateful graffiti. The new graffiti says, "F-ck this art sh-t." Kind of funny, really. After we picked up the trash and hauled a new trashcan up to the site, I made an offering of tobacco and prayed for gentle, thorough healing for the land and everyone who goes there. May it be so!
photography by Erin Langley
Offering tobacco in this way is a nice gesture. It's probably similar to the traditions of some native American people. Cigarettes are unhealthy largely because they have dangerous chemicals added to the tobacco. But purer forms of tobacco are good to use once in a while, especially as an offering or commemoration.
ReplyDeleteYes, I use tobacco frequently because it is a common offering, and very portable. I also like to make offerings from my own culture, but it's rare that I carry a bottle of mead with me. :)
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