The CLown Chakra

"It was believed among the Lakota and other tribes that if you had a dream or vision of birds, you were destined to become a medicine man; but if you had a vision of Thunderbird, it was your destiny to become something else; heyoka, or sacred clown. Like Thunderbird, the heyoka were at once feared and held in reverence. They were supposed to startle easily at the first sound of thunder or first sight of lightning. Thunderbird supposedly inspired the "contrariness" of the heyoka through his own contrary nature. He alternates strong winds with calm ones. While all things in nature move clockwise, Thunderbird is said to move counterclockwise. Thunderbird is said to have sharp teeth, but no mouth; sharp claws, but no limbs; huge wings, but no body. All of these things suggest Thunderbird (and the heyoka) have a curious, paradoxical, contrary nature. You could become heyoka through a vision of the Thunderbird, or just of lightning or a formidable winged being of power. (Steiger 1974)

While clown societies were found throughout the Plains, the heyoka, or sacred clowns, were usually few in number, but were found in almost every clan. Heyoka were contraries, often speaking and walking backwards. They acted in ridiculous, obscene, and comical ways, especially during sacred ceremonies. They were thought to be fearless and painless, able to seize a piece of meat out of a pot of boiling water. They often dressed in a bizarre and ludicrous manner, wearing conical hats, red paint, a bladder over the head (to simulate baldness), and bark earrings. The heyoka was thought to usually carry various sacred items - a deer hoof rattle, a colored bow, a flute, or drum. His "anti-natural" nature was thought to be shamanistic in origin -- and as a contrary, he was expected to act silly and foolhardy during battle (although this was found more among warrior clown societies such as the Cheyenne Inverted Warriors.)

However insulting or sacrilegious heyoka actions might be, they were tolerated, since it was assumed they were acting on the higher and more inscrutable imperatives of the Great Mystery. Heyoka were freed from all the ordinary constraints of life, and thus were usually not expected to marry, have children, or participate in the work of the tribe. Despite their bizarre acts (such as dressing in warm clothes during summer or wearing things inside out), they were trusted as healers, interpreters of dreams, and people of great medicine. Whenever they interrupted the solemnity of a ceremony, people took it as an admonition to see beyond the literalness of the ritual and into the deeper mysteries of the sacred. Like the flash of lightning, the heyoka's sudden outbursts and disturbances were thought to be the keys to enlightenment - much like the absurd acts of Zen masters in Japan. (Hultkrantz 1987)"

My mum sent me the above info in an email a couple of days ago. It came completely out of the blue, but it felt divinely timed considering The Fool/Crazy themes which had started to circulate The Sync Whole. Check out Mad Moon for one example.

After reading my mums fascinating email about the Heyoka I hopped on over to The Sync Whole and found Jims new video awaiting me.

At the very end of the video Jim leaves us with these pearls of wisdom:

Sync don't Swim

Die to Live

These are the words of a 21st century Heyoka, without a shadow of a doubt. It's the twisted backward WE3 spinner logic of the Synchromystic that we all take for granted around these parts. The Clown takes the paradoxical nature of the Universe and develops it into an unorthodox teaching tool. It's the most potent weapon The Fool/Crazy has at his/her disposal. Hidden in amongst the word games and riddles there are grains of Truth, or 'keys to Enlightenment', which help others to remember who they really are. I think this is why we naturally warm to the antics of The Fool. Although Synchromystics don't walk and talk backwards like the tribal Heyoka, they are a backwards kinda people. But then I suppose you gotta go backwards before you can begin to move forward.

The point of writing this post was to remind myself that synchronicity isn't meant to be taken too seriously. It's a silly Fools Game which some choose to embrace with open arms, and others choose to reject. Neither choice is wrong. It simply boils down to personal preference, and that's the beauty of free will.

The fun part for me is that this Game has absolutely no rules. You're free to make them up and bend them in any way you see fit. This flexibility and lack of constraints drew me in like a moth to a flame. Deep down I knew I was going to get burned, but then I guess if you want to live, you must die first.

This isn't an elitist Game where you have to become a special member before you can play. It's a Multi-player without limits, a free-for-all, and it's open to everyone whose wishes to be part of the joke. Despite our numerous differences, this Game of Sync has helped me come to terms with the fact that we are all ONE beneath the Fool Moon.

If you open up the CLown Chakra, embrace your inner-Heyoka, this soon becomes abundantly clear.

Game ON.