Odyssey of the 8th FIre

"The miracles of the church seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly near to us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always."

- Willa Cather

Day 189 – Thursday, December 28, 1995 - The Associated Press reported today that France has detonated the fifth in a series of nuclear explosions at the Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific.

The nuclear explosion involved a bomb of about 30 kilotons, about ten more kilotons than the bomb that set off over Hiroshima in 1945. Australian seismologists said the blast shook our Earth in a manner equivalent to a 5.3 magnitude earthquake.

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New Pilgrims - Kinue Hirata Kamvicimo and Tim Burress have recently joined the walk. Tim has lived in Japan and is fluent in the Japanese language, and can help Kinue who speaks Japanese, but little English. (author photo).

Tim Buress, who has recently joined the walk with the intention of going all the way to the Western Gate, sent out an e-mail to share his view on how things are going.

E-mail subject: Catching up with Sunbow 5

We really do appreciate all of the prayers and support that we have received from the Internet cyber-walker community, and feel like you are right here with us as we walk the miles or stand in circle around the sacred fire. Technical difficulties have kept us "off the net" for a while, but now that we're back, I hope to be able to give back something in return for all of your help and continued support.

All of the news from our camp at Sandy Ezrine and Moondancer's home in Cornville, Arizona is good. It is a beautiful, warm day, with clear skies, and a light breeze. We are taking a rest day today in preparation for our move tomorrow to a camp near the California border, probably the Colorado River Indian Reservation.

The steps taken in Albuquerque to heal the split in the walk are now coming to fruition, and the two groups are expected to re-emerge into the world as one in the next couple of weeks, and to travel across California together. Everyone here feels good about this potential reconciliation, which is supported by prayers and visions of unity, and the endlessly patient teachings of Grandfather William Commanda.

Our group in Cornville now numbers around 40 people, with representatives from many Nations including Innu, Arawak, Naskapi Cree, Lakota, Aztec, Wales, Japan, Canada, Holland, and the United States.

At least one Diné brother is expected to join us very soon and walk with us to Santa Barbara. New people arrive almost daily, some joining for a couple of days, some planning to travel all the way, and others simply visiting to learn what we are about and share in our common concern for the Earth. It is a truly wonderful experience to be here.

We have been walking largely on faith. There have been times when it looked like there would be no food, but then in the next moment there would be abundance. There have been times when we risked snowstorms, but then in the next moment there would be warmth. There have been times when we didn't have enough vehicles to carry people and equipment, but then someone would show up with a car. We now walk in the sincere belief that so long as we proceed in a good way, doors will open. And they do.

To many people, having lived in these traditions for such a long time, this may come as no surprise, but for me it is more than a little awesome.

- Tim Burress

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Read Day 190 -- Odyssey of the 8th Fire