Issue date: Saturday, December 9, 2006
------------------------------------------------------------
P A R A N O R M A L I N S I D E R
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Readers:
The Wisconsin Janesville Gazette reported on Nov. 27th that
a lightning strike has killed a baby white buffalo named
Miracle's Second Chance. The young male buffalo, born in
another lightning storm just back in August of this year,
was truly a 'second chance' for both his owners and for
the countless people around the world who believe that
appearances of the extremely rare white buffalo fulfill the
Native American legend of being bringers of peace to man-
kind.
White buffalo calves are considered highly sacred to
America's indigenous peoples, especially to the Lakota,
Dakota, and Nakota Sioux Nations and the Cheyenne. As
representations of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman,
these rare animals are venerated as symbols of hope for
mankind, and have gained similar reverence amongst people
from many cultures throughout the world.
Both this baby and the 'original' Miracle, a female white
buffalo born in Aug. 1994, were born and lived at a farm
owned by Dave Heider and his family in Wisconsin's Rock
County. Miracle, the first known white buffalo to be born
since 1933, died of unexpected but natural causes in 2004.
Not surprisingly then, there was much rejoicing when
Miracle's Second Chance made his entry into the world this
year. "How many times in a lifetime does lightning strike?"
Heider said to The Janesville Gazette after the second
birth. The two buffalo were not genetically related but
the similarities between them were remarkable.
The Heiders' entire herd seemed to be aware that this new
baby buffalo was special, like his predecessor. As they
did with Miracle, the entire herd kept Miracle's Second
Chance in the center of the circle for protection and
other mother buffalo protected him from over-exuberant
roughhousing by other calves in the group.
------------------------------------------------------------
The lightning storm on Nov. 26 killed 2 buffalo cows and
3 calves, likely all the result of one strike on the farm.
"I suppose it's going to be a great loss to a lot of
people," Heider says. Heider's farm has become something
of a tourist destination as a result of the two white
buffalo, with thousands having visited the first Miracle
and many more having inquired about visiting Miracle's
Second Chance. The Heiders, although they are not First
Nations people, have considered both of their white buffalo
to be special gifts to mankind. The Heider farm actually
sits on lands that are considered sacred grounds by the
region's indigenous people. In honour of the important
message these special buffalo are said to bear, the Heiders
had opened their farm to the thousands of visitors from
around the world who came to visit, free of charge, and
share in the wonder of the white buffalo.
About the tragedy of the death of Miracle's Second Chance,
Heider was quoted as saying sadly, "It's just coincidence,
I guess, that lightning struck twice. He was born in a
storm and died in a storm."
There are a handful of other white buffalos in various U.S.
locations at present, with an even smaller number of these
being 'true' white buffalo, which is to say they are not
albinos, and not cross-bred. Some experts have said that
only one in ten million buffalo is born white although
others say the odds are not quite so small. Spirit Mountain
Ranch in Flagstaff, Arizona, is home to a family of these
rare creatures. The genetic condition that produces white
buffalo causes the buffalo to be born with white fur that
eventually changes in colour, sometimes more than once,
within the next year or two as the animal matures. Albino
buffalo on the other hand remain white their entire lives
and usually have hearing and vision problems associated
with the albinism. Bison who have been crossbred with
cattle can sometimes produce white offspring if it runs
in the cattle's background.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Legend of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman
The White Buffalo Calf Woman, is a 'Wakan' (sacred) woman
of supernatural origin who arrived miraculously to give the
Lakota people their 'Seven Sacred Rituals'. Her story has
existed for at least 2000 years and the legend has many
variations, but the core message is the same. White Buffalo
Calf Woman was sent by the Great Spirit to teach the people
how to pray and to ensure peace and harmony on earth to
the end of the ages. It was she who gave the Lakota the
'chununpa' (sacred pipe), their most important tool in
worship.
According to legend, one day long ago, two young men were
out hunting when they spied a beautiful maiden dressed in
brilliant white buckskin, appearing seemingly out of
nowhere. One young man knew immediately that this beautiful
maiden was a holy one and respectfully lowered his eyes
while his companion, overcome with lust, announced his
intention to assault the maiden. In spite of the respectful
young man's warnings, the second passion-crazed young man
pressed forward and reached out to embrace the vision,
whereupon he and the maiden were quickly enveloped in a
thick cloud of dust. Moments later, the dust settled to
reveal only the maiden standing there, a pile of bones and
writhing snakes at her feet. White Buffalo Calf Woman asked
the astonished young brave left standing to go back to the
village and tell his people to prepare for her arrival. She
explained that she came with a message from Wakan Tanka,
the Great Spirit.
Once she had settled in at the camp, White Buffalo Calf
Woman presented the people with a sacred bundle containing
the sacred pipe and she carefully taught the tribal leaders
and their people how to worship, pray and live in peace and
reverence. The sacred rituals she disclosed were the Sweat
Lodge Ceremony for purification; the Naming Ceremony for
naming children; the Healing Ceremony for the body, mind
and spirit; the Adoption Ceremony for making of relatives;
the Marriage Ceremony; the Vision Quest for communing with
the Great Spirit and one's Power Animals; and the Sundance
Ceremony to pray for all the people.
She explained that prayerful worship and reverence for
the pipe would take the people to the end of time. White
Buffalo Calf Woman added that within her very being there
were four ages. At each age she would look in on the people
and at the end, she would return.
After sharing her gifts with the people, this beautiful
holy being made her farewells and walked away into the
distance, promising to return. As the people watched their
revered teacher walk away into the distance, they were
amazed to see a shimmering light form around her and
envelop her. Before their eyes, the Wakan's form dissolved
and disappeared, only to emerge once again from the light
as glowing white buffalo calf. The calf trotted off to the
top of a hill where she paused and bowed once to each of
the four directions before disappearing from view.
The sacred bundle White Buffalo Calf Woman is said to have
brought for the Lakota people is still kept in a sacred
place on a Cheyenne River Indian reservation in South
Dakota. This holy relic is kept by a man known as the
Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, Arvol Looking
Horse.
------------------------------------------------------------
Question About Shamanism
Dear Paranormal,
I was wondering if any one of you guys believe in
Shamanism. It pretty much has to do with spirits and such.
My dad was one, and a lot of my relatives I know are
shamans also. They use Shamanism to heal people and to
please spirits that are bothering relatives. I've seen it
work so I pretty much believe in it and I just wanted to
know what you guys thought about it.
Sincerely
Vue Lee
**************************************************
Answer:
Yes, Shamanism has existed since prehistoric times and
across almost every known culture. It is still practiced
by indigenous peoples around the world, especially Native
American, Latin American, Hawaiian, and Eskimo cultures,
as well as in various areas of Siberia, Mongolia, Africa
and Asia.
Shamans are believed to be able to diagnose illness and to
heal, to control the weather, to prophesy, to interpret
dreams and to travel to other planes. Traditional shamans
function in trance and ecstatic states accessed through
the use of hallucinogenic substances and/or autosuggestion,
dancing and chanting, lucid dreaming and OBEs, and they
work with power animals and the spirit world to effect
their magick. Shamans have also been called Witch Doctors,
Medicine Men and Curandero.
Shamanism has been embraced by many New Agers, who believe
that it is a path to spiritual enlightenment,
transcendence, healing and connecting with nature as well
as spirit. Shamans usually come by their vocation through
heredity or spontaneous trigger events, such as near death
experiences or other major mystical experiences, thought
to be arranged by the spirit world. Native North Americans
who undertake vision quests may also develop their
shamanistic abilities when they return from their travels
to the other worlds.
Until next time, wishing you all magic and miracles...
Carpe Diem!
Zsuzsana
------------------------------------------------------------
End of PARANORMAL INSIDER - Another Gopher Central Publication
http://www.gophercentral.com
Copyright 2006 by NextEra Media. All rights reserved.
All editorial content by Zsuzsana Summer, www.arcanamatrix.com