Do you remember the movie where Lucie gathers rocks everywhere she goes in the long, long trailer? That is the first image that comes to me when I think of sharing with you the story of the Hawk’s; White & Silver. This incredible couple is right at the very core of how we created Hawkwind and it is most important that we honor them as we continue to add to the tributes of the juice and love that has gone into the creation of this Sacred land that offers so much healing to so man.

It was a lazy, sunny afternoon as my daughters and I waded through the creek at Four Winds Village. We were gathering little stones and tossing them back to see who could make the most ripples, which is actually quite a metaphor for our live, together. Sitting on the shore was this happy little man surrounded by piles of stones that he stacked as his short, stout, partner would drag to shore. Some of the stones almost as big as her, she continued to drag them one after another, telling my girls every ounce of energy in them and how she was going to use them in the creation of her Medicine Wheel. Pretty soon, we were in the water waist deep with her, dragging our treasures to add to her collection. That night we all sipped tea together at the boarding house only to discover that our new friends maintained the bedroom at the other end of the hall. They too were there to play with Golden Eagle Bear and to assist Beautiful Painted Arrow in the creation of a new Sound Chamber. The “Toe Pusher” and her buddy were instantly our new best friends.

The “Toe Pusher” got her name as a very skilled reflexologist. My seemingly shy daughters spent night after night with their feet in her lap, while she told them stories and rubbed them into total relaxation. They would sleep like babies, after her loving hands had caressed them, and then it would be my turn. She would rub my feet while we planned and planned this wonderful center. Late into the night four, five or six of us would vision and dream of the amazing place we could build together. Silver Hawk would take notes and turn them into wonderful looking business plans. Golden Eagle Bear would draw the sketches of the building and I would throw in budget number and publicity information. This process happened weekend after weekend and kept us all quite thrilled at the intent of Sacred creation. Meanwhile White Hawk continued to get her art degree and paint beauty in every direction. Her art shows raising funds for Sacred projects, she taught me much about this Sacred path. AND, most of all she loved my daughters and played with them like an auntie as she helped me get them through puberty, based on her own experiences as a mother. She is one of the great wise women in my life, and for her I will always hold respect.

At some point we did not see each other for awhile, as she had gone down to Florida to finish her degree. Pictures of her lodge were shared and encouragement came each time I would waver on the development of the dream. Soon after we blessed Hawkwind, it was our honor to perform a wedding for the Hawks. Tarwater and I drove to meet them in their new home in North Carolina, and wove them together in the love that they had always carried for one another. It was one of the nicest weddings we have ever performed, and much to our delight they are still both alive and well and loving each other in New Mexico! Their art gallery thrive, as does the constant creations of White Hawk, always inspired by the Sacred. Please check out her Healing Center; www.whitehawksstudio.com and see where vision has grown for her....and when you stop in to see her, give her a big hug for me.

Today as I/we honor the Hawks, we honor the power of dreaming, and seeing better tomorrows. We honor that this lady healed the wounded feet of those who chose to walk a gentler path...HEY, SHE GOT ME OUT OF HIGH HEELS!!! We honor steadfast man, who says nothing negative when the wife demands to carry those rocks home over and over again. We honor the man who hears the vision and distills it into the working format that allows us to open healing centers and art galleries and to continue dreaming. Today we honor the wlak in the woods that became a place called HAWKWIND....do you hear their laughter in the wind. They called the plan SKY EAGLES HEALING CENTER, we are still waiting for that center to open, as well. And meanwhile, when I gather stones here to add to our Medicine Wheel, I always pause and make a prayer of gratitude for the Toe Pusher who is my friend!

Mitakuye Oyasin

Charla Hermann