Synchronicity and Taos

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Synchronicity is a meaningful coincidence of two or more events, where something other than the probability of chance is involved.

-Carl Jung

Some say it is the Sacred Mountain—the Taos hum—the collective unconscious—an abundant spiritual presence.  A fortune teller this morning told me it was a heightened intuitive awareness.  Let me explain.

The themes for my research—the reasons for coming to Taos—include: DH Lawrence and the array of personalities invited into Taos by Mabel Dodge Luhan; the special spiritual nature (from all spiritual traditions, especially the unique blend of native beliefs and Catholicism) of this place called “The Roof of the World” by natives; the Spanish conquistador history; the archeological mysteries buried under a city that sets on a volcanic field next to the Rio Grande rift that is tearing the world apart.

Since we have been here synchronicity has guided and informed our inquiry.    A few examples:

• Two years ago, we met Art Bachrach, owner of the local Moby Dickens bookstore, author of DH Lawrence in Taos and an involved member of the Friends of the DH Lawrence Ranch. We discovered that Art was the colleague, advisor and mentor of our California friend, Bob Nelson, while at Columbia—a friendship that has only deepened in preceding years.  Art is now in a rehabilitation center where we visit him.

• On our journey to Taos from Santa Fe on the High Road (September 14) we happened onto Nambe Pueblo. As we began to walk into the St. Francis church, Mr. Garcia, the Lieutenant Governor, assured us that there had been a death in the family, but would we return for their special feast days.  Later he called us to give us the schedule for the vespers, bonfires, processional and dancing on Oct. 3-4.  We went.

• On our second night in Taos, our friend and owner of this home, Emily Nelson and her daughter Heather invited me to a midwifery benefit dinner.  There I met and eventually became friends with Dolly, the wife of the former mayor of Taos and current director of the Millicent Rogers museum, as well as a couple who led me to novelist Lucinda and artist Kat.

• The day we arrived, we noted that a 40-year celebration of the return of Blue Lake (see the Blue Lake post) and the Sacred Mountain would occur over the coming weekend.  We had followed the saga and meaning of the Blue Lake since Carl Jung had visited here in 1925. What a rich beginning to our research.

• Lucinda told me about the long-time caretaker of the DH Lawrence Ranch, Mary, whom I met at a performance by Roberta Myers of the three women in DH’s life (Frieda Lawrence, his wife; Mable Dodge Luhan, the intellectual socialite who invited the luminaries to Taos; and Lady Brett, who followed the Lawrences to Taos and lived here the rest of her life).  At lunch two days later, Mary regaled me with stories of the Ranch and gave me several pertinent documents re. Lawrence.

• Meanwhile, we pursued the means by which Morgan and I could get into the DH Lawrence Ranch that is now closed.  After five phones calls, two other gems appeared: another Mary at the UNM campus in Albuquerque (who make calls to open the Ranch) and Bill Haller the President of Friends of the DH Lawrence Ranch, who volunteers to go with us to the Ranch. Never have I met an individual so devoted to Lawrence—since the days that he first read Women in Love while in the Peace Corps.

• Giovanna Paponetti stood in front of the Community Theater and had an extra ticket to sell. As we talked, we learned that she had just written a book entitled Kateri Tekakwitha, Native American Saint, and was giving a book talk in a few days.  We attended the book talk, became friends and invited her to breakfast at our house.  She told us of an immense altar screen in St. John’s church in the San Juan pueblo (now returned to its native name, Ohkay Owingeh). We went to the pueblo 40 miles south and entered with a native woman from the village, Clovis, and her husband (who are scientists in San Jose, CA). Clovis had been born in the village and was married in this church, but never saw the screen. We followed them into a community bazaar and were introduced to her family and Sylvia, the sister of Alphonso Ouray, the famed anthropologist and author of The Tewa World.  I had just located this rare book on native beliefs that discloses secrets for which he was ostracized from his own tribe. Note that pueblo tribes are Tewa or Tiwa, but do not understand each other’s language.

• Heather Nelson is a friend of Mary Bishop, an archeologist who generously came to the house and describes for us the terrain of this region, the laws relating to archeological finds, and discoveries so far.  She recommended several contacts, chief among them the Taos Archeology Society.

• A few days ago, we attended the monthly meeting of the Taos Archeology Society. I sat pondering how to break in to this large illustrious group when—at the end of the meeting—I hear “Dr. Lambert!” and there appears Ann Acrey, a former student of mine from Cal State Hayward. Her partner is the President of the society.

• Morgan was in a local electric shop to order light bulbs and stood listening to the stories of Roland who has worked at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house for 40 years. We look forward to that conversation, especially the stories related to the times when Dennis Hopper (“Easy Rider”) personified the hippie movement here. In June, his funeral took place in the near by St. Francis de Assisi church (which Yahoo Travel identifies as the #1 place to see before you die).

• We have made personal connections with the curators of the Fechin, Kit Carson, Blumenshein, and Millicent Rogers museums—interviews still to come.  Meanwhile, we are attentive to local issues and the upcoming election.

A good month—we’ll see what November 2 reveals. More next week, Linda

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Effigia Okeeffeae – O’Keeffe’s Ghost

Sunday, October 10th, 2010

“There are times in my own life when, half deliberately, I take a kind of restless action to uncouple from the familiar in the midst of ordinary life, just in order to see.”

Maxine Greene~

Why do people seek out Ghost Ranch?  Clearly to find the essence of Georgia O’Keeffe, the artist who repeatedly painted the landscapes there from every angle.  To stand in the middle of the Ranch and pivot your consciousness is to experience a natural museum hung with her paintings, edge to edge. She believed in amplifying meanings—the oranges are more orange, the golds more gold, the reds more red. The hills become thighs and shoulders; the ancient trees, sensuous statues.

Yet, there is an even more dramatic reason for finding Ghost Ranch, ten miles west of Abiquiu, Georgia’s finally home. It is the site of the most stunning paleontology discoveries in the Western Hemisphere.  Dinosaurs lived there 210 M years ago and are now yielding their secrets to even the most earnest amateur.  The Hayden Quarry is the site of the recent paleontology class that we visited last week.  For more information, see Science, July 2007, or Dinosaurs Alive! (IMAX movie).

Georgia O’Keeffe had a way of hanging around when the digging got interesting in the past, thus one of the sleek yellow and lime green dinosaurs is dubbed, Effigia Okeeffeae.

Both Cairo Diary and Etruscan Evenings have stunning archeological finds. I am in hot pursuit of more striking discoveries—but will they be dinosaurs or early man? Who knows?

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