130 appreciative participants attended our second Peace with Nature Public Forum at Mohonk Mountain House on April 21, 2024.
The program featured Tiokasin Ghosthorse, a member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota, and John Briggs, author and Distinguished Professor at Connecticut State University. Bob Toth, former Director of the Thomas Merton Institute for Contemplative Living, was ill and unable to attend. The three men are co-authoring a book, Earth-Mind, which explores and translates the concepts of Indigenous Consciousness for a wide audience.
The event opened with Tiokasin’s flute playing, as a non-verbal way to gather people’s attention and begin to “shift views” without words. The vivid native American paintings of Joseph Kabance, of Woodstock NY, contributed intrinsically to the program’s theme, as well as to the energy and feeling of connection in the room.
Working with deep and experiential knowledge of Indigenous consciousness, the speakers shared and encouraged an understanding of the holistic mode of consciousness, long obscured by the human-centered, anthropocentric consciousness of the modern, object oriented, mainstream culture.
The presenters engaged the audience in thinking differently about how we can awaken holistic consciousness, and live with a renewed awareness of our relationship with the Earth, seeing humanity as an essential part of nature, and acting accordingly, for the benefit of the whole.
During group discussions attendees heartily engaged in discussions related to the topic, and had opportunities for Q and A with the presenters, enhancing our understanding of what it means to shift our view of life on Earth, and to consider a deeper way to be.
The attendance of 18 students from Tiokasin’s class at the New School for Social Research, as well as several students from the Earth School in upstate NY greatly increased both the diversity of the participants and the relevance of the discussions. Board members provided the students with a walk and brief exploration of Mohonk land and connection to Native American history before the program.
I find it painful to live within one dominant culture’s worldview when there are so many others. I valued learning and feeling a worldview that includes me and all beings. I appreciated both Tiokasin and John’s different ways of speaking about this, almost like John is speaking in words and concepts that our dominant culture can understand and Tiokasin is speaking from his heart and truth. Hearing the many ways intuition is valued, essential, necessary was deeply meaningful and affirming for me. My intuition feels supported, loved, more intact, and available.
—Forum Participant
A video recording of the forum is available at the Mohonk Consultations YouTube Channel:
