On September 3rd, there were about 75 dancers gathered at Penn Treaty Park for the giant drum circle on a beautiful and cool afternoon. Dancers from as far away as New York, North Carolina and even Mexico were there to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Philly-based Cuicati Cenzontle (Singing Mockingbird) group. Community and camaraderie of was on display for the myriad of First Nations tribes in attendance.

  A sweat lodge was on the agenda following the meal they supplied after the circle dance. They were at it for more than two hours and the breaks were short and infrequent. It was called an Aztec Dance and the costumes were worn by just about every participant, including plenty a lot of colorful and brilliant head dressings.

  The celebration was not limited to the weekend. The following Sunday, members of the Iroquois and Lenape tribes hosted another drum circle near Harrisburg.

  It seemed that most of the dancers and drummers were aware that Penn Treaty Park is an especially sacred space because of the honest and fair treaty the Englishman, William Penn, made with the Lenape Chief Tamanend in 1682. I personally go to that sacred space frequently. It’s a wonderful place to take in the joys of life; dogs chasing Frisbees, groups of people fishing, kids riding bikes and swinging on swings, family picnics; Penn Treaty Park features diversity and camaraderie every day.

  When I do my silent meditation there, the qi (energy or grace) seems very apparent. If the spirit of the Native Americans who lived here really does live on, (and the nobility of some of the noblemen does so too) it seems only logical that they are well satisfied with what became of the land they both experienced. The reverence and fortitude of the drummers and dancers have likewise found a gloriously spiritual place to pound out the beat and dance up a storm. On most Fridays at 6PM, you can find about a dozen of them there and everyone, old or young, is welcomed to join them.

  The day before the big circle event, a different kind of event was taking place at Penn Treaty. It was the second time I had witnessed a crew of adults there who were mentally challenged. They and the caretakers who watched over them, really seemed to enjoy being out in nature. Only one was disabled enough to have to be fed, but she seemed very content. A sprint down to where the sliding board was seemed to be the highlight of their stay. At times I think of the spirit of these challenged types, about how pure the absence of guile or pretence makes them.

Spirits everywhere. May all of us humbly seek the will of our Creator as we venture forward being guided by the benevolent spirit deep inside our hearts. •