Black Elk's 4th Ascent

On May 24, 2021, I created Mystic Visions Publishing’s first website blog. The idea was to introduce the reader to Black Elk’s Great Vision of the Flowering Tree (the tree of life) and the People’s Hoop. At nine years old (1872) Black Elk stood at the summit of Harney Peak (as of 2016 it was renamed Black Elk Peak), Wakáŋ Táŋka (Great Mystery, God) showed Black Elk a hoop wide as daylight and starlight made of many hoops of his people, all his people.

Black Elk saw his people come together from the four corners of the world, the blacks, whites, reds, and yellows, and stand in the people’s hoop around the flowering tree (tree of life). This all took place toward the end of the Fourth Ascent, a place we all stand together at this moment in time.

As of this writing, some politicians, professors, teachers, etc. etc. will have us believe there is systemic racism throughout the United States and even globally. As a participant in the world order from the mid-1940s through to the present, I cannot, nor will I agree with the idea of systemic racism today. To make such a claim is to divide the people of the four corners of the world. It pits, the black, White, Red and Yellow race of people against each other.

The idea of creating discord among the people is to keep us divided. When one creates such a division within the masses, it stifles ideas, communications, and ongoing relationships. This world is very close to the end of the fourth ascent, keep in mind it was Wakáŋ Táŋka that showed Black Elk the people’s hoop, ‘wide as daylight and starlight made of many hoops of his people’. The people stood together in this great hoop, black, white, red, and yellow people standing at the foot of the flowering tree. It is not a good idea to hedge your bet against the great Wakáŋ Táŋka after all, this spirit gave Black Elk the Great Vision in 1872 (four generations ago).

When growing up in Reno Nevada and the Bay Area of California, racism was not apparent to me. There were no drinking fountains, bathrooms, restaurants, and the like stating, no Blacks allowed. After joining the Army’s 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell Kentucky in 1962, I began to see visible signs of racism within the surrounding towns and cities. It became very uncomfortable when visiting these areas where local whites use the ‘N’ word to describe a people of color. The utter disrespect for the black community was very disturbing for me; in the military there were no signs of this sad racist thinking.

In my next blog, I am going to tell a story about Swift Strike III, named for military maneuvers conducted during the summer of August 5-17, 1963. Swift Strike III was the largest peace time war games since WW-2 and was conducted throughout North and South Carolina. As war games go, I became separated from E-Company. Through this chaos, I came across a black soldier named Daniels, a fellow paratrooper from the same Company; traveling together we moved through both states attempting to rejoin E-Company. During this time we both experienced small changes in racist thinking coming from the locals.

More to come!