A young Maya man deep in prayer at the end of spring equinox, 2012

Fall equinox is upon us. During spring equinox, March 2012, I attended what turned out to be an open air worship service at Chichen Itzá (disguised as a tourist attraction for us gringos, who were welcome and plentiful in number).  I imagine there were 20,000 people present, yet it was peaceful and refreshingly orderly. It was more than an astronomical event. Some were even there to worship!  When the conquering Spaniards arrived with priests and soldiers, they built churches, but the indigenous declined to enter, reponding that Nature was their place of worship. so the priests initially removed the “third wall” of their edifices to welcome the locals in.

I’ve had a lifelong interest in spiritual expression and devotion. Some folks emote, others attend, write, sing, dance. While an excessively outward expression of self-absorption (such as many of the hyper-artsy contrivances of Burning Man) doesn’t engage me much, I still remain a curious onlooker, hoping to glimpse whatever might be transcendent. Here’s a link to a short essay on spirituality at Burning Man. While not written to be terribly uplifting, it at least allows for the possibility. (I’m edified by learning this):

CLICK:  http://lafrench.tv/2012/09/the-truth-about-burning-man/