The Hopi Prophecies

"This is the First Sign: We are told of the coming of the white-skinned men, like Pahana, but not living like Pahana -- men who took the land that was not theirs. And, men who struck their enemies with thunder."

"This is the Second Sign: Our lands will see the coming of spinning wheels filled with voices. In his youth, my father saw this prophecy come true with his eyes -- the white men bringing their families in wagons across the prairies."

"This is the Third Sign: A strange beast like a buffalo but with great long horns, will overrun the land in large numbers. These White Feather saw with his eyes -- the coming of the white men's cattle."

"This is the Fourth Sign: The land will be crossed by snakes of iron."

"This is the Fifth Sign: The land shall be criss-crossed by a giant spider's web."

"This is the Sixth sign: The land shall be criss-crossed with rivers of stone that make pictures in the sun."

"This is the Seventh Sign: You will hear of the sea turning black, and many living things dying because of it."

"This is the Eighth Sign: You will see many youth, who wear their hair long like my people, come and join the tribal nations, to learn their ways and wisdom.

"And this is the Ninth and Last Sign: You will hear of a dwelling-place in the heavens, above the earth, that shall fall with a great crash. It will appear as a blue star. Very soon after this, the ceremonies of my people will cease."

"These are the Signs that great destruction is coming. The world shall rock to and fro. The white man will battle against other people in other lands -- with those who possessed the first light of wisdom. There will be many columns of smoke and fire such as White Feather has seen the white man make in the deserts not far from here. Only those which come will cause disease and a great dying. Many of my people, understanding the prophecies, shall be safe. Those who stay and live in the places of my people also shall be safe. Then there will be much to rebuild. And soon -- very soon afterward -- Pahana will return. He shall bring with him the dawn of the Fifth World. He shall plant the seeds of his wisdom in their hearts. Even now the seeds are being planted. These shall smooth the way to the Emergence into the Fifth World."

Growing Sustainable Infrastructure

At this point in my life I am interested in sustainability and sound infrastructure. To that end I am engaged in several ongoing projects.

The first is LittleFoot, my low-tech homestead in Trinity County. On 4.4 remote wooded acres, with only a single one-room cabin, LittleFoot is as simple as simple gets. My motto: Simple doesn't break. So, no utilities or plumbing at the homestead. Rooftop rainwater catchment and water tanks are on the drawing board, as well as a treehouse, fenced garden, and an additional road and building pad. Everything up there - the cabin and the furniture in it, even the land itself - was bought at bargain basement prices or obtained for free.

The second project is an orchard at my parent's place. Fencing has begun, with fruit trees forthcoming. Avocado trees, a walnut tree, a fig tree and apple trees are all on the wish list. I am pushing my parents to eventually add chickens, milk goats and rabbits.

The third project is my pickup truck. I have placed a deposit with a local garage to get a high performance K&N air filter and a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system installed on it. These two gizmos will increase power and fuel economy, while reducing emissions.

In addition, I have purchased a rice cooker, a juicer and a food dehydrator in the last 6 months, and these three machines all make significant contributions towards greater health and self-reliance.

More to come†