Alert Bay
Dawn came very gradually today, as the Sea Lion sailed through thick fog into Queen Charlotte Strait. The waning moon hung high in the east, and a small world of silken, calm water around the ship faded away in all directions. Shortly after sunrise the fog started to lift and break into moving vapor veils that rose like spirits from the sea. The early sunlight seemed to come from all sides, as it lit up the misty swirls in hues of silver and gold. For a short while, the world around us was like a stage upon which the spirits danced.
This serene and peaceful world was ruptured by the news of the destruction of the World Trade Center and of thousands of innocent lives. The shock of this revelation thundered through our minds, tearing great rends into our sense of reality. Have we been living in a deceptive dream? Is this kind of destruction, born out of hatred, the new order we have to accept for our lives? Are we in danger of losing our souls?
Later this morning we all sought comfort and solace. I found it in the U'mista Cultural Centre, alone with the art objects of what is for me an alien culture. The century-old stylized images of animals and human faces presented me with a compelling serenity, which had the power to reach deep into my soul. While the stability of our sense of who and what we are has been shaken to its foundations, these images provided me with a spiritual crutch. Their story of life holds fast. Their patience reaches beyond our sorrows and our happiness. Others found comfort in direct human fellowship as offered at the Big House ceremony, or in one another's embraces and tears.
This afternoon, nature offered all of us another way to begin recapturing our souls. We came upon an extended pod of killer whales including a cow with a very recently born calf. Some of the animals approached the Sea Lion very closely. They were all around the ship, feeding, resting, communicating or just swimming around. In their own majestic way, they showed us their life, which has a stability we can only dream of. We have survived a day of beauty and terror. We have learned a little more about ourselves. We are stronger facing the future.
Dawn came very gradually today, as the Sea Lion sailed through thick fog into Queen Charlotte Strait. The waning moon hung high in the east, and a small world of silken, calm water around the ship faded away in all directions. Shortly after sunrise the fog started to lift and break into moving vapor veils that rose like spirits from the sea. The early sunlight seemed to come from all sides, as it lit up the misty swirls in hues of silver and gold. For a short while, the world around us was like a stage upon which the spirits danced.
This serene and peaceful world was ruptured by the news of the destruction of the World Trade Center and of thousands of innocent lives. The shock of this revelation thundered through our minds, tearing great rends into our sense of reality. Have we been living in a deceptive dream? Is this kind of destruction, born out of hatred, the new order we have to accept for our lives? Are we in danger of losing our souls?
Later this morning we all sought comfort and solace. I found it in the U'mista Cultural Centre, alone with the art objects of what is for me an alien culture. The century-old stylized images of animals and human faces presented me with a compelling serenity, which had the power to reach deep into my soul. While the stability of our sense of who and what we are has been shaken to its foundations, these images provided me with a spiritual crutch. Their story of life holds fast. Their patience reaches beyond our sorrows and our happiness. Others found comfort in direct human fellowship as offered at the Big House ceremony, or in one another's embraces and tears.
This afternoon, nature offered all of us another way to begin recapturing our souls. We came upon an extended pod of killer whales including a cow with a very recently born calf. Some of the animals approached the Sea Lion very closely. They were all around the ship, feeding, resting, communicating or just swimming around. In their own majestic way, they showed us their life, which has a stability we can only dream of. We have survived a day of beauty and terror. We have learned a little more about ourselves. We are stronger facing the future.
