March 14, 2012
I woke up at 6:25 a.m., began my morning meditation at 6:28 a.m., and completed it twenty minutes later, at 6:48 a.m.
After meditation, I intentionally went back to sleep and didn’t wake up again until the sun appeared over the horizon at 7:45 AM. I went back to sleep to see if the meditation would inspire some dreams. I had so many dreams I couldn’t keep up with them all.
The most significant dream involved finding a stone about the size of a coffee cup lid. I held the stone up next to a painting, and suddenly the stone disappeared. The texture of the stone matched the pattern of the painting perfectly. When I tried to grab the stone, it vanished and melted into the painting. I spent the rest of the day figuring out what the dream meant.
I started my morning with a strawberry smoothie at Starbucks and ordered an orange mango smoothie before leaving at 9:30. I must have been pretty hungry from the previous workout. Afterward, I headed west down Interstate 20.
My first destination of the day would be Rock Eagle Effigy Mound. The exact address was 350 Rock Eagle Road, Eatonton, GA 31024. I knew I was on the right trail when I saw the 1-2-3 numbers listed in the zip code. Located at the 33° 25′ parallel, I was greeted by the next kiosk when I arrived.
Before I approached the structure, I took a moment to invoke the ancestors. I asked for enlightenment, wisdom, and guidance and gave thanks for the opportunity to visit such a sacred space. I followed the path around the fenced-in rock formation until I came to the next tower.
I climbed the steps to the tower’s third level and took the following photo. I was amazed at the size of the structure and couldn’t help but wonder why the ancient people had built such a monument. It was only visible from above. The phrase, “History is sometimes meant to be a mystery.” came to my mind.
I performed a small, private ceremony in the tower and left a token of appreciation behind. Moments later, I drove away and circled back around through the Rock Eagle 4-H Center.
That’s when I witnessed three deer crossing the road before me. I had been searching for a message from nature to explain what had happened during my visit to Rock Eagle, and the deer sighting provided some insight.
Deer offers the following messages:
- gentleness,
- listening,
- gratitude,
- alternative
- paths,
- appreciation.
I exited the 4-H Center and continued on Highway 129 toward Macon, Georgia.
My next destination was the Ocmulgee National Monument at the 32°50′ parallel, 1207 Emery Highway, Macon, Georgia 31217. Again, I noticed the numbers in the zip code. I arrived an hour later and discovered that the National Park Service maintained the park. I felt an instant connection since I had been working on a project for the NPS for the last year.
I explored the grounds after watching a 17-minute film on the monument’s history. Once again, I invoked enlightenment, wisdom, and a spiritual connection to the land surrounding the memorial.
The first mound I came to was the Ocmulgee earth lodge. I bent down and entered the lodge, but I was disappointed to find the floor covered in carpet and the interior protected by a glass wall. Although I could appreciate the park’s effort to preserve the lodge, I could not connect spiritually to this space.
Ocmulgee Earth Lodge
I left there and walked a half mile to the Great Temple Mound.
I reached the top of the 55-foot-high plateau, walked to the center, and laid down a stone I had retrieved from the Town Creek Indian Mound two days earlier as an offering.
I immediately looked straight up into the sky and took the following photo. I couldn’t help but notice the pink edge in the clouds next to the sun.
I left the plateau and climbed back down to the base of the temple, and that’s when I noticed a lot of turtles gathered on a log in a nearby pond. I wanted to look closer, so I took the trail that cut around the back of the park.
By the way, Turtle offered the following wisdom:
- the earth,
- navigation,
- new ideas,
- self-reliance,
- non-violence.
- patience.
Suddenly, I was alone and felt very connected to nature. I started paying close attention to every little movement and sound. That’s when I noticed a small shadow of a bird on the ground at my feet. I turned to see if I could locate the bird and was drawn upward to the sky. That’s when I noticed a hawk directly above me. I had searched for a hawk while I was on top of the temple, but it wasn’t until I was on the wooded trail that the hawk appeared.
This hawk circled directly overhead for about 30 seconds and then flew away. The Hawks visit was all that I needed. I returned to the Visitor’s Center, got in my van, and drove around to the mortuary lodge, or “Funeral Mound.” This location is where I asked for permission to take another stone to carry to my next destination. I looked around and noticed the hawk sitting atop a nearby Pine Tree. I had the eerie feeling that it was following me. I walked towards the tree to take a photo and captured the following image of it as it flew away.
I thanked the hawk for watching over me, departed Macon, and headed north to McDonough, Georgia, just south of Atlanta. I arrived in McDonough right before sunset. I did the usual Outback, Starbucks, and L. A. Fitness routine, parked my van in a Comfort Inn parking lot, and drifted off to sleep around 10:30 PM.
Before I fell asleep, I realized that my dream early in the morning about the painting and the stone probably had something to do with my impressionistic-style journey and the rocks I was carrying from temple to temple.