By Suzanne Bishop, MS (Graphic for this story is from a Paleolithic cave painting, digitalized with color.) Interesting video here: https://youtu.be/T5gdpX7gNoM

   I am currently back home in Pittsburgh, returning from a trip that has so many layers it is hard to describe honestly and fully. I recently attended the Pine Ridge Higher Consciousness Conference located on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It was graciously hosted by Chief Dallas and his wife Becky on their land (All Nations Gathering Center) and healing center. The realities that unfolded on the way there, during and returning are profound for me and I would not change a thing about this often times igniting and trauma triggering trip.

I made an effort to reunite with my brother, on the way to the conference in Illinois. It was wonderful to speak with Don, to witness how well he is doing in all ways. I found out an interesting thing about myself: At the age of two, after my younger brother was born I fought for attention from my mother by spontaneously taking my clothes off. A family legend I did not know about until now. Too funny right?

My next stop visiting family was to visit my half brother’s wife in Iowa, a recent widow. I enjoyed so much meeting her after 25 years. Family stories bonded us and I understood my half brother much better. You see, for my mother’s own reasons for discounting me, abusing me, neglecting me I discovered my father had his own reasons for doing the same to my half brother. We immediately bonded after I seemed to answer the question as to why now deceased Jack experienced the trauma he did from my father. Both of my parents experienced trauma in their own formative years, with the right ingredients to pass along that trauma. I now know I can no longer carry my mother’s weight, her trauma is not mine anymore. That is a piece I learned first hand about inter-generational trauma and how it plays out with very real people.

  Now, about my experience at the All Nations Gathering Center on Pine Ridge, and time spent in and around Pine Ridge Reservation. First of all I could feel all of the ancestors there on the beautiful and sacred Sioux land both Indigenous and White. They welcomed me, many said we just have to ask them for help in birthing the New Earth. Our ancestors are here to help.  Was it a mirage that a fellow participant and me knelt down to pat an injured dog, a dog who stood directly in front of the humble gate door where one enters the sacred Wounded Knee Monument? Dogs are often known in various spirituality and cultures to guard the gates of death and cemeteries. This one was injured, most likely an internal infection from a coyote bite perhaps. I stood and supported this black dog, sent love and came into his energy field. He was there to support all of us and provided guiding light whether we noticed him or not. To me there was an invitation to unite as we all dance in our own way toward the loss of our current false humanity, our unique selves, to reclaim in a brand new shiny way that of our true nature and selves. Our success in birthing this New Earth, which is here now, does require we accept help from our ancestors through dreams, meditations and prayers. This connecting with our ancestors both terrestrial and Star Nations is a way to bring in our right to live in our destiny which is the wealth of living in a true multi dimensional reality. I myself only feel my way into the idea of a New Earth, a new reality. Everyone may have their own reality. My reality of The New Earth include authenticity, respect, and complete alignment with Source. My guess is that we will not recognize ourselves due to our witnessing our true beauty.

Yes, you can’t make this stuff up. My first night I spent sleeping in a tepee generously set up by Chief Dallas, Becky and their supportive help. As my head touched my pillow, armed with my garlic (to keep bugs away) I saw my pillow imprint a hand. That hand touched my hand with so much love and strength. Looking back I needed that protection and care as my healing unfolded. This was an invitation from my own ancestors for me to accept the help they wanted to provide. I accepted with joy.

Yes, I did learn a lot from the various presenters, but for me it was the apparitions, the healing I was granted if I only had the bravery to step into them. And I did.

I left Pine Ridge Reservation going south to travel through the southern tip of South Dakota not knowing exactly why, but I was traveling east so I was in the correct direction. Many synchronicity occurred to help me along my path. My path was clear.

  I learned as I traveled through this sacred land that I would follow my plan that I designed many lifetimes ago. I would travel straight through America’s heartland and begin to understand by having honest and open conversation with locals in small towns in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The portal that I felt on the hill on Wounded Knee was opened to all and there is an arc that travels over and through middle America to land at Serpent Mound. My next destination was Serpent Mound. I just knew I had to reach that destination, something was there for me. I traveled straight through, with a few rest stops to sleep.

I was guided the entire trip to Pine Ridge and back. When I simply could not get my money from PayPal due to their system being down once I arrived to Serpent Mound, I gave up getting a paid for campsite at a state park and ended up being led to a free camping area called Adam’s Lake very close to the actual Serpent Mound. It was simply beautiful. As I said earlier I seemed to be led to really understand middle America by having conversations along the way. At this free campsite was a husband and wife who I immediately felt safe with. It turns out he was a former prisoner, a former Meth addict and his wife was in recovery from trauma and addiction. Now, many would run, but I have a firm belief in my protection and like I said earlier I trust my heart and guidance from my own ancestors. As I camped there for two nights, they went out of their way to help me pitch my tent after driving nonstop across America, made sure I felt safe. I sat and heard their stories. I heard about their family traumas, their struggle with addiction. The husband was an admitted Aryan. His wife was part Cherokee and had an open spirituality. I learned first hand how people become who they are. Local police came by on my last night there. Police asked them to leave, due to a misinterpreted law on that campground to not camp more than 14 days in a row.  I pleaded with the police to please let them camp one more night as they made me feel safe. Yes, I was asking the police to please let the currently down and out former addicted family to stay because they made me feel safe. Life has many lessons. Police let them stay. I presented a camp coffee percolator as a gift for their hospitality, upon leaving.

We all are a result of our experiences. We choose our paths based on those experiences. I softened a little hearing their stories and they did too as they heard my stories. We came from different worlds, but yet were touched by one another on a level that transcends who we think we are. When we meet in the New Earth I am suspecting that we will meet our more authentic selves. This Old Earth is just a preview and a practice for our future that is The New Earth. But required for all of us, on our own terms, is a renewal of spirit to include the other on transcendent terms based on real knowledge and acceptance of the other’s true alignment with Source. The falsity of what or who we identify with no longer serves us, knowing our neighbor no matter what they affiliate with is a baby step toward the New Earth. Understanding one another will bring us closer toward the unity we seek. Unity brings in our peace, and living truly in alignment with our higher selves.

And, our ancestors are here to help us step into our New Earth. They whisper–”Just ask.”

To connect with All Nations Gathering Center please link here: https://www.allnationsgatheringcenter.org/

***As an inspiring author dedicated to writing down the bare bones of my many spiritual experiences I try to be fair and ethical in my sharing of my reflections, and responses to my world. This short story is a very personal review of my experience to Pine Ridge Reservation and my travels back home, and the coming forth of new awarenesses of our New Earth, its multiplicity, and inherent beauty.  For more info on the origin of the Ghost Dance prophecy and symbolic meaning to the originators of the Ghost Dance the link is here.  And here.

Blessings–Suzanne