Devils Tower earth mandala
a meditation and prayer
for the land that
all beings be free.
Everywhere I look ants march out of their underground labyrinth through a small dark hole in the center of perfectly round mounds of fine dirt.
This patch of land was bare, save the grass in the center. I clear away the debris to make my own dirt circle, keeping the grass in its center. I find a stake in the dirt and placed it on the top, east side like a sundial. I collect materials and place them while meditating on the Land and praying for all beings to be free. In the end I removed the stake, because the cardinal directions are marked now with flowers, rocks, and leaves from the area.
There are numerous stories about the Tower passed down through American Indian culture. Although popular culture would label them myths or legends, a more appropriate term would be oral histories, or in many cases sacred narratives. These stories helped to connect people with the Tower site. Sacred narratives are told today with a reverence to the beliefs and people of the past.
Each tribe had their own oral history, and in many cases multiple histories exist from the same tribe. Many of the stories contain similar elements. They are preserved today by the the traditions of American Indian culture and the work of historians passed.
