Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Whispering Rainbows?



DISCLAIMER: This is a weird one.

I walked around for hours yesterday, looking at the scattered leaves, twigs and acorns left in the wake of Irene's very civilized visit to the District. I saw more earthquake damage, too: bricks missing from chimneys, shingles gone, here and there, from the roofs of beautiful houses. No matter how much I enjoyed the shake and rinse we experienced last week, it did wreak minor havoc in our usually very well ordered lives.

When I'm seeking a shamanic wavelength, I tend to wander, let my feet take me where they will. Yesterday they took me directly inside the American Indian museum. Should say I really love the exterior of the museum, the gardens and fountain especially. I also love the cafeteria, but not so much the museum itself. It was designed to honor the objects on display, which are not "artifacts" as they would be if it was designed like most museums. What that means is the contents of the building are not curated in the traditional way. I find it hard to connect with any of the exhibits.

One thing I LOVE about the museum is the Rainbow People. There are prisms set in the big skylight above the main room that catch and separate sunshine into its component colors. The rainbows move with Brother Sun all around the interior, up the stairs to the second and third level. Hanging out with these rainbows is always a magical experience, the most enjoyable part of being at the museum unless I'm having lunch.

Yesterday I swear I could hear whispering inside the museum, whether it was from the Rainbow People or the spirits of the Indians who hang out there I can't say for sure. (Could also be my imagination, you never know!) What my spirit guides told me is that the hurriquake "peeled away layers of history," revealing and making accessible the deep history of this landscape, i.e. the stories and wisdom of the people who lived here first.

Kind of an interesting thought. Back out on the national mall, I closed my eyes and listened carefully. When I'm out there between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, I almost always "hear" echoes of Lincoln's second inaugural address, Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech, I even hear the "thousand points of light" speech made by George Bush, Sr. when he was elected. I hear FDR, and if I listen hard enough, sometimes I even "hear" the voices of our founding fathers.

It was quiet on the mall yesterday, to my shamanic ear anyway. Wow. Apparently it takes an earthquake AND a hurricane to make our federal ancestors shut the hell up. Sweet.

Today I'll be back out there, with my new camera, a super zoom version of the old crappy point and shoot I used before the iphone. I'll be listening with my inner ear, you'd better believe it.


These are likely to be the last of the iphone pics I publish for awhile. Yesterday I found a super zoom camera on sale at a ridiculous price. Browsing turned to buying rather quickly. It is GREAT to be using a real camera again, a much nicer one than the old crap camera, way better than the iphone. Ahh!

13 comments:

jeanette from everton terrace said...

I didn't go in that museum on our last visit but I thought the outside was fabulous. Strangely, my mother didn't care for it - we usually have more similar tastes.

ellen abbott said...

It is a wonderful building but it seemed to be less a museum honoring those people than a history of their destruction.

Reya Mellicker said...

Ellen really? I find the general spirit of the museum to be very life enhancing, supporting the idea that Indians are everywhere, among all of us, that they weren't wiped out. Wow.

The Bug said...

I didn't find this at all weird. Maybe I'm getting used to weird after reading your blog for so long :)

P.S. I love this line: Apparently it takes an earthquake AND a hurricane to make our federal ancestors shut the hell up. Sweet.

ellen abbott said...

well, we were trying to see a lot in one day and we spent most our time at the museum on the second floor (right?) where the exhibits were mostly (as I remember) about the results of indian vs white men. Third floor (?) as I recall had exhibits about the cultures of the individual tribes and we didn't spend nearly as much time there as I would have liked. Had I known I would have gone there first.

Cyndy said...

I love walking around feeling the history of a place and the things you say along those lines always activate my imagination even further. It's nice to know that the voices I sometimes hear inside my head might not be just inside my head, hahaha! But most of the time a mere vibe is all I get and that's fine with me.

I want a zoomier camera too! I can't wait to see your next batch of pix.

Washington Cube said...

And if anyone can work magic with that new camera, it will be you.

Reya Mellicker said...

Thanks, Cube.

Ellen, any time I'm on the second floor, the only thing I do is go to the gift shop and buy smudge sticks. So I didn't even know. I have an odd relationship with the museum.

Dana - ha!! So glad you're a part of my world.

Lynne said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE those cool photos! So the rainbow pics were taken with the iPhone? What kind of new fancy camera did you buy? I love looking at things through Reya's lens.

Lynne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lynne said...

That delete was me. Blogger is messing with me: it posted my comment twice.

Jo said...

I have no idea about the voices, but I love to picture you inside and outside of the historic spots in DC. Somehow, I find it comforting that you're there, listening.

I also love that you found a camera you love...can't wait to see the 'hood through the new lens!

Reya Mellicker said...

It's not a fancy camera at all - a super zoom point and shoot, just a few rungs up the food chain from the old crappy camera I used. Because a few years have passed since I bought the crappy camera, of course this far superior camera costs less than I paid for the crappy one.

Got some great shots today!

Jo I love it that YOU listen. I think it helps to pay attention. I don't know how but I think it does.