Techno-Shamanism and Animal Powers: Part II
Mike Vincenty is a practical, down to earth guy. A techie who wandered from
electrical engineering into computer networks, he was educated at the Coast
Guard Academy and, despite his gray ponytail, looks like Mr.
Straight-shooter. Mike is the Network Administrator for the California
Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and is Technical Director on the
PLANETWORK core team, of which I am also a member.
Mike uses animal powers in ritual network cleansing because, as he puts it,
“When I find something that works, I use it.” In the opening of a typical
network cleansing, Mike likes rattles and sound because that lets the animal
or spirit powers “know we’re here.” Then medicine cards are selected for
each of the compass points, usually in this order: East-for beginnings,
birth, dawn, the spirit path; South-for experience gathering (childhood);
West-for introspection and sorting of experience (maturity); North-for the
result of the experiences, wisdom (the elders).
If, as Peter Russell believes, consciousness is the root of matter and,
therefore, in essense, ‘creates’ matter, then all matter, including computers
and networks, have a kind of consciousness. So, where do those bits and bytes
go when your computer crashes? Mike believes that they pile up in the
invisible spirit realm and that they need to be cleaned up from time to time.
In the actual cleansing part of the ceremony, the user of the bit vacuum (a
device of Mike’s creation made of floppy drives, ram chips and a bar-code
wand) sucks up the bits from around all the computers or network connection
points; these move into a coil of wire that is grounded in an electrical
outlet. (After the vacuuming, this wire with its load of idle bits, is thrown
away-it has become a kind of psychic toxic waste.) Then a ‘spirit knife’ is
used to scrape the network wires and connections clean. Lastly, raptor
feathers, collected on Mike’s backcountry Sierra outings, are used to smooth
the connections and ‘polish’ up the network. Sometimes these feathers are
left in key places to become on-going organic antennae for the network.
When Mike performed the ritual cleansing for PLANETWORK’s T-1 connection at
the San Francisco Presidio, the ritual team invoked a quartet of animal
powers to shepherd the event. In the East, Beaver, the structural engineer of
nature, was called forth to help establish the foundation for the network. In
the South was the Mountain Lion, for non-authoritarian leadership to assist
in overcoming adversity. In the West, Fox provided a camouflage to gain
intelligence in order to promote cooperation. And, finally, for the result in
the North, Turkey, represented potlatch, the sacred gift, and community
sharing. Anyone present at PLANETWORK felt these powers at work.
Native Americans believe that Black Bear is the guardian of the West. The
Bear clan is believed to be in charge of the seasonal changes. Bears are
healers that preside over basic emotions such as fear, anger, jealousy,
avarice, and vengeance. We need the tremendous strength and wisdom of the
Bear in these troubled times:
Please Great Bear, help us to remember that is it through the power of
introspection and solitude that we can integrate the experience of change.
Help us to find you in our lives and to keep you alive. Give us your courage
and your powers of transformation. You who have fed us and guided us in the
darkest night, please help us again. We have lost our way.
Cate’s complete article, from which these comments are excerpted, can be
found at www.mindjack.com
