Odyssey of the 8th Fire is the true tale
of an epic pilgrimage for the Earth
across North America
by people of all colors and faiths.

  ◊ - A creative non-fiction book in online evolution - ◊
© - 2007 by Steven McFadden

To hear a sample audio recording of Odyssey of the 8th Fire, click here.
Visit Steven McFadden's Youtube channel.

     - James Duncan

Day 119 - Thursday, October 19, 1995 - The Sunbow walkers moved their base camp from Talequah on past Muskogee to the land in Okmulgee, Oklahoma where the Creek Nation was settled at the end of the Trail of Tears. The walkers are there as guests of Chief Fife.

Julia, age 1, daughter of Joe and Ineke Soto, on the pilgrimage trail with her Teddy Bear.

During the day the Sunbow pilgrims will take their steps along Route 62 into Okmulgee. Then they'll head south on Route 62 to I-40 west; then onward to Route 75, south a bit further to where 75 intersects with Route 9. From that point it’s a straight shot into Norman, close by Oklahoma City.

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Now that Briana has gone home to Maryland to help her grandmother cope with cancer, the Rainbow Walkers group is made up of just four people: Alycia Longriver, Sherry Noser, VaLaine Lighty, and Clayton Peters.

According to Alycia, the Rainbow Walkers have traveled along Route 266 as far as Checotah, Oklahoma. They plan to follow that route west to Henryetta, and then perhaps jog south on Route 75 to Route 9 west on toward Norman.

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Osho, the Japanese Zen Buddhist Monk, met with the Sunbow 5 walkers through the day on Thursday. He told them that he has opened a Sunbow 5 office in Tokyo.

Osho has asked the walk to come to Japan in August of 1996, and to walk from the top of Hokkaido Island to the bottom of Okinawa. After crossing Japan, the Sunbow 5 group could then go on to Korea, Mongolia, China, and India.

Grandfather Commanda - rests in a chair in Oklahoma while healers Jacki Gauger and Osho Genje Abe attend to his leg, injured last Sunday when he accidentally fell while in Arizona.

Some walkers said they might be interested in this opportunity. Most, however, figured they had plenty on their plate at the moment just finishing this walk. California is still a far piece down the road. There's no shortage of present demands, obstacles, and opportunities.

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E-mail Subject: The Walk
From: Lorri Payton

Dear Walkers:
This message is for you. I have been able to think of little else since your last journal correspondence. I didn't want to write this letter, but my spirit has given me no rest until I do.

I am very disappointed by what has transpired. I understood needing a break and taking time to re-evaluate what is truly important. I was sure, however, that once this was done you would be able to be reunited and become stronger than ever in your resolve to finish what you have started. Instead of this I see that you have split.

How can you sacrifice so much for a walk for humanity to gain unity and peace between all of mankind, and then not be able to gain that very peace and unity among less than 50 people. What you are signifying to all the people following the walk is that this is hopeless.

Whether you realize it or not you are acting as role models, not only for the United States, but also for the entire world. All eyes are upon you and you are in a fishbowl. You realized this responsibility when you took on the task, and now you are succumbing to the "me" syndrome, which is putting your own feelings and emotions ahead of what is good for the common goal.

I don't know what kind of misunderstandings divide you, and I don't even want to know. Anything that you personally feel is petty when looking at the overall picture and importance of this walk. This is not a game, but has a significant meaning to mankind. Just because you do not have thousands following you physically, does not mean that they are not there in spirit, watching your every move and following your progress.

Do you realize what message you are sending out? You are saying that it is impossible for us to get along, even for a short period of time.

A house divided cannot stand, and neither can a walk. It is disintegrating before your very eyes, and yet you do not see it. Every step you take apart is a step further from your goal, not toward it. You wanted media coverage, well this is the stuff that the National Enquirer is made of and if even one disreputable or hungry newspaper reporter gets a hold of it they can turn the entire walk into a giant platform for reasons why mankind cannot now and will never get along, not to mention a giant joke for those who said all along that it couldn't be done, and believe me there are many of those.

Do you think the others in the world want to see you succeed and emerge victorious? No, because if you succeed it means that others may have to consider making some sacrifices toward peace in their own lives.

Reunite. Put aside your differences whatever they are and remember your calling. Fulfill what you have been sent to do with pride, dignity and the understanding that it is the single most important thing that you will do in this lifetime.

If you succeed it will mean positive change for humankind. If you fail you will have added to the excuses already into existence for years as to why man cannot get along with man. I don't care if you are green with purple spots and come from Mars. We are all spirits occupying vessels, which happen to be of human form. Reach out to the spirit within and put aside the physical body for this project. We are all united in the body of humankind. Don't cut off your arm because it gives you pain, but fix it and remove the pain, from within not without. You can change no one but yourself, but by changing your perspective you evoke a change in everything around you.

This is all I have to say. I am sorry if my words seem harsh, but they are the ones which my spirit has led me to write, not out of uncontrolled emotion or anger, but out of love and concern over an important project failing. I hope they touch your hearts and help you to overcome your problems.

                           Peace, Lorri Payton

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Copyright 2006 by Steven McFadden

Read Day 120 -- Odyssey of the 8th Fire