Maze Day • Night Walk

For a dear friend and father— Dr. Fred Stricker, beloved by all having had the privilege to meet him.

this post is in honor of Meredith's dad, who left us in 2010, and we celebrate his life today May 18, his birthday, AND the 32nd anniversary of the first performance collaboration between M and I -
Night Walk-
I leave you with the Navajo Shooting Star Chant as I prepare fr the next and final INFUSION this Friday:

[round each bundle of feathers or plants, depending on form of ceremony. When the bundles are ready (and the number of the bundles increases with each night of the rite, five on the first, seven on the second, nine on the third, etc., and there is usually an uneven number) the Medicine Man takes up a bundle and presses it to the patient’s right foot, singing as he does it, and pulling the slip-knotted cord loose at the same time. He then takes another bundle and does the same on the other foot, then on the knees, thighs, breast, back, hands, shoulders, head and mouth. When this is finished, he takes up all the cords together and draws them from one hand to the other over these different parts of the patient’s body and sometimes waves the feathers round and over the patient’s head. The patient drinks an infusion of herbs and inhales some incense and the rite is over. The details vary but the form is always similar.

The body painting at night I have seen only in the Star Chant. It was on the fourth night and ended the ceremony of Hotchonji as they sang all night**, which always happens at the end of any ceremony, even a short one. The fact of a night’s wakefulness is most important for the patient’s healing.]

Please sing** like this for me—and if you find yourself awake at night, you'll know your wakefulness has a purpose… thank you each and everyone for all your deep caring, watchfulness and kind loving wishes!