On Foundation

The basement, the cellar, the foot of the structure. What is the foundation of a soul? The body? The heart? Or perhaps the experiences that shape the core of the individual. My grandmother comes to mind. There was something foundational in dropping by her house for fresh baked bread after school then sitting with her on the front porch not saying much of anything.

The foundation is the basis upon which something stands or is supported. It is the ground upon which something is built. In the experience of the physical body, the foundation is the skeleton. The bones are raw material upon which viscera is attached. The bones of the skeleton remain longer than the rest of the physical body. Martha Graham talks about the "feet" or foundation of the skeleton being the jaw bones just below the ears, the hips and the heel bones. Remaining aware of these six points as we move through space allows for a more foundational, balanced experience in the physical body. 

Fool’s Crow, Native American healer and visionary bridged the gap between the bones of the physical body and the spirit world when he spoke of “becoming a hollow bone” during healings.

In his becoming a hollow bone, Fools Crow believed that he went through four stages.

First, he called in Wakan Tanka to remove everything that would get in the way, such as doubt, questions or reluctance. Then he recognized himself as a clean vessel or tube, ready to be filled with hope, possibilities, and energy. He experienced the power as it came surging into him. In the fourth stage, as a hollow bone, he transferred the power to others, knowing that as they are emptied out, the Higher Powers will keep filling them with even greater power.

Perhaps Fool’s Crow’s “hollow bone” is a foundation for the spiritual body. The image of “being” a hollow bone frees up space and allows one to open to the universal flow. The feeling of emptiness created through  meditation is a similar concept. Letting go of discursive thought and simply being is a foundation for the soul.

The foundation of the tree is the strong root structure commingling with soil and attaching firmly to the terra. It is the roots and the ground that act to hold the tree upright. For humans, the gentle yin and yang of polarity allow us to move fluidly through space. Foundation is internal and external.

Ken "Bear Hawk" Cohen author of the critically acclaimed classic, Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing (Random House, 2003), is a  health educator, a traditional healer, and scholar of indigenous medicine. He speaks of the Earth as a foundation in the excerpt below, which is a translation of a vision he had in 2001…

"The wars will not cease until human beings learn the lesson of simplicity. Two-leggeds are removing the bones of their ancestors, the plant people whose ancient bodies are coal, oil, and gas ["fossil fuels" created when carbon in vegetation is compressed underground for millions of years]. These bones are sacred. When you mine coal, oil, or gas, you rob the graves of your ancestors.
"When you stand on the ground, you stand on your plant elders. They support you, and their energy is the source of feeling centered, rooted, and in touch with nature. As two leggeds pull up their own roots, they become incapable of making wise decisions, whether in the Middle East, the United States, or elsewhere. If they hoard resources or continue to disrespectfully excavate, burn, and consume my body, conflict will continue or get worse."

And at the core of foundation, again I am reminded of Grandmother and my early experiences. The lessons of kindness in the garden. The gentle way old hands knead bread. And the profound reverence for the magic of the natural world.