Vision Council calls to dreamers and doers from near and far

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By Tracy L. Barnett
For El Daily Post

The Call of the Sage, which will culminate on the week of Nov. 21-28 in the intentional community of Teopantli Kalpulli south of Guadalajara, is the newest manifestation of the 25-year-old Vision Council-Guardians of the Earth. This loose-knit network of visionaries, artists and activists have traveled the globe for decades, with their workshops and performances planting seeds for a culture of peace, one that draws on movements from permaculture to bioregionalism to the Rainbow Gathering and the human potential movement.

The Call of the Sage began as a whisper in the winds of a tiny village on the edge of the Primavera Forest. For two years it has gathered force and volume, and now the call is being heard in lands as far away as New Zealand, Germany, Australia and Slovakia. It has different sounds at different moments and for different people; it’s the early morning trumpet of the caracol, calling us to yoga, to the temazcal, to breakfast. It’s the strumming of the Celtic harp in the women’s teepee, it’s the insistent beat of the Navajo water drum from the temazcal, and the rattle of the Aztec concheras as they gather around the fire for their offering of danza.

It’s in the laughter of the children, young and old, discovering new ways to experience this thing we call life. It’s in the stories of the elders of many traditions, gathered in their teepee in an embrace of candlelight. At night it calls to us from the circus tent where we are screening thought-provoking and beautiful new films and from the stage with musical offerings from jazz to New Age to dubstep to rock and roll, from the folkloric ballets of local villages, young people calling us to a new consciousness that is at the same time very old.

The Call of the Sage, which will culminate on the week of Nov. 21-28 in the intentional community of Teopantli Kalpulli south of Guadalajara, is the newest manifestation of the 25-year-old Vision Council-Guardians of the Earth. This loose-knit network of visionaries, artists and activists have traveled the globe for decades, with their workshops and performances planting seeds for a culture of peace, one that draws on movements from permaculture to bioregionalism to the Rainbow Gathering and the human potential movement.

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From the Call of the Condor in the Sacred Valley of Peru, from the Call of the Hummingbird in Brazil, the Call of the Mountain in Colombia and the Calls of the Eagle, the Deer, the Stars and Quetzalcoatl in Chalmita, Mexico State, the goal has always been to use art and culture to shift human consciousness to one that is compatible with planetary and human survival. And in many individual and concrete ways, they have succeeded all along the way.

Beginning on Saturday Nov. 21, participants will join in setting up a ceremonial village that will be the base of our activities for the week. Meals, plenary sessions and the evening cultural presentations will bring them together; a packed schedule of simultaneous programming from nine separate “consejos” or councils will give them a wide range of choices during the day. Integral healing, environmental regeneration, indigenous traditions, art and culture, social movements, new thought and spirituality, sacred time, women’s space, yoga, elder’s council, young people’s council and children’s council will all be offering simultaneous activities throughout the day, with a parallel program in the schools and public spaces of the nearby village of San Isidro Mazatepec.

Most activities will be taking place in Spanish, though the group has a limited number of volunteer translators and is seeking more of them. The Vision Council is modeled on the idea of an “auto-gestionado” or self-organizing event; everyone is a volunteer, from the organizers who have worked ceaselessly for over a year, to those who have integrated into the process along the way, and to those who simply come and enjoy the event. The minimal cost of the event – a sliding scale that starts at $3,000 pesos for the week – covers food, basic infrastructure and the costs of bringing artists, elders and teachers to share their knowledge and talents.

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For foreign nationals living in Guadalajara, there are a few opportunities to connect with the brilliant, creative and flourishing underground and alternative cultures of Latin America; this is among the best. The Vision Council has been celebrated in Jalisco state only once before, in 1995, also in Teopantli Kalpulli. After this, nobody knows when, where or if the Call will sound again.

Take a moment of silence and listen. Perhaps you can hear it, too. The Call of the Sage is calling to you. Will you answer?

If you go

The XIV Vision Council-Guardians of the Earth “The Call of the Sage” will be held from Nov. 21-28 in the alternative community of Teopantli Kalpulli, on the borders of the municipalities of Tlajomulco and Tala, near the village of San Isidro Mazatapec, on the edge of the Primavera Forest.

Primitive camping and rustic dormitory-style lodging (bring your own sleeping bag and floor pad) is included in the sliding-scale price of $3,000 pesos for the week; limited bed-and-breakfast and hotel accommodations are also available in the vicinity. This includes an ample menu of high-quality vegetarian cuisine, much of which is based on regional harvests, with collaborating local organic producers as collaborators.

Transportation via bus is available from Mexico City direct to San Isidro Mazatepec.

More information is available at www.consejodevisiones.org/en and on our Facebook page (Consejo de Visiones – Guardianes de la Tierra – mostly in Spanish, but being translated to English on the page of The Esperanza Project. Inquiries in English are passed to English speakers.) Please check the Facebook pages for the latest info on programming, transport, etc.

Questions and comments can be directed at info@consejodevisiones.org or from the Facebook page Consejo de Visiones – Guardianes de la Tierra.


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