Blessing of a Hopi Holy Man on May 2, 2001

Blessing of a Hopi Holy Man on May 2, 2001

as told by Tatonka Wawokie Wicasa

compiled from the collective remembrances of those present


I first met L-- on Thursday, June 14, 2001 at a restaurant in Provo, UT. We had first spoken on the phone the previous evening. During that conversation he told me of the vision he?d had about J--n and how his telling that vision to J--n led to his giving J--n the blessing.. I asked L-- to write up the experience, including as many details of the vision about J--n as he could remember because that needed to be included here. That night, June 13, L-- experienced again in its entirety the full vision about J-n. After telling me the details of the vision on Thursday, he told me he assumed the reason he reexperienced the entire vision was because I?d asked him to write the fullest account he could plus our planning to get together the following day.


L-- first met J--n, a 36 year old Hopi, on Tuesday May 1, 2001. The next day they met again for lunch at a small gathering of friends at a restaurant in Provo. During that time L-- told J--n of a vision that he?d had the previous night concerning J--n. L mentioned that on the way to the meeting while he was mentally reviewing the vision the Spirit told him he ought to give J--n a blessing. L-- also told me that he is extremely reluctant to give blessings because of the grave seriousness of such matters and always tries to get out of it.


What follows is what L-- told me on Thursday, June 14. The vision opens with L-- so high above the earth that he could see the earth?s curvature. As he looked down, he could see way below him an eagle soaring. He also saw way below the eagle a man sitting on top of a high mesa. As he looked closer, the man seemed to be a Shaman praying. He could see sand, dirt, and a scraggly tree and some ceremonial items around the Shaman sitting on the highest point of this small mesa top.


He became curious and drew closer to the Shaman to see what he was doing. He noticed the Shaman was very ancient. As he drew close, the Shaman turned to L-- and asked with great reverence, "Where do you come from? Why are you here?" L-- said these communications were a kind of mental telepathy as the Shaman was speaking a language L-- did not know. L-- replied, "I have a message for you and for your people." The Shaman then asked nervously, "Who sent you?" L-- replied, "The Father sent me. I come from the Council. You assemble the elders. I have a message."

Now the vision jumped ahead in time. L-- returned to the Shaman in his village and asked, "When will the elders meet?" The Shaman answered, "The elders don?t believe." L-- responded, "Go tell the elders that I have a message from the Father and it is about their sacred books. Tell them that if they will look at the book they will know that it is true."


The vision again jumped ahead in time and he is again with the Shaman. Now the Shaman says to L--. "I?m to take you to the elders.." Then they enter a purification sweat lodge and go through a purification ceremony. At the conclusion of the purification ceremony the Shaman leads him down a ladder into a Kiva.


L--, the Shaman, a Chief and J--n sit in the slightly raised center of the Kiva facing the elders seated on the floor in a semi circle at the kiva perimeter.


One of the elders, a spokesman, then asks the Shaman.. "Why have you called us together?" The Shaman answers, pointing to L--, "Father has sent us a message." The spokesman then asks L--, "How do we know that you speak true?" L-- answers, "Because your records speak of me. I?m the one who walks different. [L--?s right side is partially paralyzed. He walks on the ball of his right foot with a prominent limp and holds his right arm and hand as such folks typically do.] I?m the one who knows what to do with the stone." At this, the entire group goes completely silent. Not a word is uttered or a sound made. The Shaman looks at L-- with a look of triumph and says quietly to L--, "I knew that you were the messenger."

Shortly the elders begin to talk among themselves briefly. Then the spokesman speaks with much emotion to L--, "We have waited for this a long time. We must consult with the ancients."


The elders then went to a place in the kiva, rolled back a furry buffalo hide, and lifted up a trap door to a stairway of very ancient, worn steps going down. All went down the steps into a much larger room, perhaps 50 feet or more across. The ancient room appeared to originally be a natural cavern enlarged by men a long time ago. The same four, L--, the Shaman, the chief and J--n sit at the front while the rest of the elders build a huge bon fire. After the fire is lit they began dancing around the fire to the beat of a drum in the flickering firelight.


As the dance progressed, L-- asks the Shaman, "What are they doing?" The Shaman explains, "Inviting all of the ancients to come and participate." The elders began passing around some kind of drink. Suddenly the room begins to fill up. Many of the new arrivals are dressed very anciently. The entire cavern fills up with people. There were far more there in the spirit than there were living. L-- could tell the difference but does not recall how.

Then the spokesman says to L--, "You must smoke the pipe." The pipe that is brought out is very large, about 3 feet long. Both the bowl and stem are made entirely of a metal that L-- had never seen before. In the firelight the metal displays shifting colors like those in a rainbow. He doesn?t recall any decorations on the pipe or the design of the pipe bowl. The Spokesman of the elders announces, "The ancients earned the right to begin." and then, "The father of the ancients will begin." This father was a huge, massive personage wearing gold bracelets. Smoking the pipe took a long time. The pipe was handled and passed very reverently. Each would inhale very deeply and then hold it, then exhale slowly and fully, wreathing his head in smoke. Each would take what seemed like 2-3 minutes. All exhaled fully before passing the pipe to the next in a very reverent way. L--?s impression was that this had not been done for a long, long time. All smoked the pipe, first the ancients, then those in the flesh, then the chief, J--n and finally the Shaman.


After the Shaman received the pipe, he stood and called forth the father of the ancients. The two then did an elaborate ceremony which L-- can not recall in detail. After this ceremony, the Shaman holding the stem with both hands and the father of the ancients holding the bowl with both hands, jointly presented the pipe to L--. L-- understood this to be the highest honor they could give. L-- doesn?t recall clearly but thinks that they may have offered it to him several times before finally presenting it to him. [The Sioux way of offering a pipe at a Sun Dance is to offer it three times and place it into the recipient?s hands on the fourth time.]


L-- explained that he smoked the pipe in the same way and that with his first puff he flipped into an alternate or vision state of massive awareness. As he came out of this vision state the spokesman said, "We are ready to hear the message from the Father."


L-- addressed the assemblage in these words, "I am a messenger sent by Father from the Council. The time of the restoration of your people is at hand." Then L-- turns, indicates J--n, and continues, "Before your people are restored they must be gathered together. If he passes the test this man will be instrumental in bringing them together." The rest of what he saw himself saying in this vision L-- remembers very little of. He does remember that he would first quote verbatim from their books, then give evidence that the things quoted were true, and finally explain in detail what would happen. This went on for quite a while with many quotes from their books. He does remember this one small piece: "Your prophecies speak of grandfather awakening. I?m here to bring you the message that grandfather is even now awakening and when he awakens the white man will be removed from his position of power." [L-- believes the grandfather here mentioned to be Mt. Ranier, but this may not be correct.]

After delivering his message, the vision ended.


When L-- first told J--n of this vision, on Wed. May 2, J--n sat quietly with a growing expression of surprise in his eyes. It was shortly after relating his vision to J--n that L-- was again directed, this time more emphatically, to give J--n a blessing. Such a blessing had not been within the contemplation of any of those present at this small gathering. However, after the instruction received was presented and discussed all agreed to proceed. They drove up Provo Canyon and proceeded on foot to a spot at the base of Squaw Peak on the southwest face of Mt. Timpanogos. Those assembled included J--n, L?, 3 men, 4 women and two youngsters.


As the group approached the spot where the blessing was to be given J--n and two of the women saw an eagle swoop about ten feet over the top of the group and fly away. All saw a band of clouds came around the south side of Timp and go north across the west face of Timp some distance above the spot. This cloud band did not block off the sun and the top of Timp could be seen above it. J--n, who is a member of the Fog Clan, which is part of the Water Clan, said to one of the women, "This is cool. I can see my warriors up there."


Prior to giving the blessing L-- told J--n that this was his last chance to opt out of his mission. J--n replied that he had already made his choice a long time ago. L-- also explained that the blessing had to be given in front of witnesses because the contents of the blessing had to be witnessed.


L-- began the blessing in the traditional LDS way, "Brother J--n, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the authority of the Holy Melchezidek Priesthood which I hold..." L? then told me, "I immediately felt that I must state my position and authority and stopped for guidance. I then said, "No, more than that, by the power and authority given me before the world was I am sent to give you this blessing and you are preordained to receive it." L-- spoke without hesitation and with power and authority as the words flowed.

I confer upon you all the keys and powers you will need to fulfill your calling.


The times of the Gentiles has been fulfilled and the judgements are about to commence. The Church of the Gentiles has not fulfilled its covenants and obligations before the Lord. They have broken the everlasting covenant with the Lord. They have performed abominations before the Lord and in the name of the Lord and He is offended by them. All the keys, powers and priesthoods held by the Gentile LDS church are now removed and placed upon your shoulders.


The Gentiles have chosen the way of the Gadianton robbers and have joined the secret combinations and will reap the rewards of their choices.


You will see heaps of bodies in the streets from the destruction of the Gentiles and when you see this death and destruction you will cry but the Lord wants you to know that what you behold is a just judgement from the Lord and you need not fear. You must witness these things as part of your calling.

You were chosen before the world was to be a leader. You will be a leader in the gathering of the Children of Israel, both of your people and the remaining gentiles. J--n had interceded with the Lord on behalf of the world not to destroy the world. J--n was of the chosen seed of Levi and had those keys of that priesthood and the keys of the gathering. He would lead the children of Israel out. He would gather ALL of Israel and unite them. He would lead his people and this people (whites). He would teach and bless the house of Israel. He would teach many thousands of whites.


The Lord will show you what needs to be done and how to do it as the need arises. You will also be given the words you need to speak as you are speaking.

The native Americans will unite and become a great people. The land would go back to the way it was.
You shall have the gift of discernment which will enable you to know those who will deceive. He would discern those who claimed to be friends and were not.
His mind would be opened henceforth to receive greater understanding. His spiritual experiences and learning would increase.
He would have empathy with women and with Mother Earth. Mother Earth would bring forth a child which is the kingdom of God. Her travail is about to begin. The child is just in the process of now being born. They would try to destroy that child before it was born. J--n was cautioned to be ready for great adversity and trials.
The ancients and spirit warriors were there and would always be with him and protect him. Grandfather, an old BIG indian, was there too. [I assume he is the father of the ancients mentioned above in the vision.] There were many more of them present than there were people in the flesh.

Some time before the blessing was given one of the women saw in vision the judgment on the whites in Utah. There was blood in the streets. She saw Christ treading the wine vats alone. They were mowed down in the streets. He stomped them all out and then redeemed them. She saw this all over again during the blessing.
As they were driving out of Provo Canyon another woman?s son called on her cell phone to tell her that he had seen three rainbows over Squaw Peak during the time of the blessing. There were two smaller rainbows side by side, one over Provo Canyon and one over Squaw Peak, and a third larger one overarching the two. He also said there were no storms in the area at that time.

According to Indian legends Mt. Timpanogos and the heart within it is the heart of Mother Earth. Inasmuch as J--n?s mission is often expressed as "gathering the hearts" it is certainly no coincidence that this blessing was given on the slopes of that mountain. For those unfamiliar with the area Mt.. Timpanogos is on the east side of Utah Valley. The top of it closely resembles a sleeping woman lying on her back with her head to the north and feet to the south. There is a large visitors?s center up Provo Canyon on the northern face of Timp run by a Park Service that takes tours into Timp Cave to the large formation that very closely resembles a heart.