Forest fired pottery.

So, I have been up in the Jemez mountains for the last few weeks, creating gardens, working on various building projects, doing sweat lodges, and so on. I met a really nice Belgian fellow named Victor at the Return of the Elders gathering, and through him met Casey, he that is connecting me to the Jemez. Casey has about 20 acres @ 8500 ft, and is working on establishing a Jedi training art school thingy. It's pretty neat. He wants to eventually have a self-sustaining system, a library, ceremonial space, and the whole shabang. I'm excited!

We've been cooking lots of great meals, doing yoga, relaxing, working gardens, reading and writing, watching sun sets, soaking at local hot springs, and so on. It's been lovely.

3 nights ago Casey fired some pottery in a big metal barrel. We watched the coals burn down, and then went to bed. We awoke the next day, and just went through are usual routine. Sunrise, breakfast, garden work, etc. Around noon I was working on the garden by myself, and noticed that over where we had been firing pottery, there was a very large fire.

"Huh!?! That's funny, what are Victor and Casey doing over there?" I thought.

It only took me a moment longer to realize that the very large fire was not intentional whatsoever. I immediately began yellling for help, grabbed two shovels, and ran towards the fire. Casey and Victor walked out of the cabin, I threw Victor a shovel, and we went to work!

We began digging all around the fire to contain it's rage. Casey drove down the mountain to call the fire department (we didn't have a phone), and Victor and I battled on. I dug non-stop for about 1 hour. Then Casey returned and took my spot. Victor and I grabbed some water, and then went back to work. We continued to dig and contain for another 30 minutes, when the fire department finally showed. By then most of the perimeter had been established. We stopped the fire at the property line between Casey's placed and the neighbors.

We were very relieved to not have burned the mountain down! Victor and Casey got some pretty wicked 2nd degree bubbly burns, and we all inhaled more smoke than we would have liked. I have a pretty gnarly stigmata looking crispy blister on my hand from the shovel and the heat, and we all have the memory of the intensity-the heat, the smoke, the feelings of helplessness and eventually transcendance. Whoa!

This is probably about the most raw, visceral, elemental experience I've ever had. I don't think I was afraid for a second. There was certainly no hesitation. But the power that the fire had was overwhelming, humbling, a force to be reckoned with. I still have so much to integrate from this experience. And have a new found respect from anyone caught in such a situation. Be it fire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake. If we do not respect the natural forces that surround us, we beckon an encounter that may leave us changed forever@!

I hope to write more of this experience when I've put it all together.

For now, I love you all! Take care.