In indigenous traditions there are many stories about the power of music and how it is linked with the Divine manifestation, not only on this Earth, but in the entire Universe.
This time I chose to share with you a story from the Toltec tradition (Mexico) that inspired me a lot. A beautiful story to tell around a campfire and dream of the magic and wisdom of the old world, projecting into the present to create a new better world.
This story is about the god Kokopelli and his magic flute.
“It was an autumn night and we were sitting around a fire high in the mountains at Mesa Verde when I first saw the figure of Kokopelli approaching our village. He had a large hunchback and had been playing his flute in complete harmony with the sound of the mountains. We immediately notice in that figure the God Kokopelli, with his flute, hunchback and pronounced phallic features.
His flute was made of bone and he played it through his nose. According to the elders, the nostrils had magical powers, as the spirit entered and left the body through them.
The stories I heard about our visitor were that he was a spirited Toltec who arrived in Aztlán from the heart of Mexico. Aztlán was the birthplace of the mighty Aztec Nation before it built its capital in the middle of a lake, on an island known today as Mexico City. The northern border of Aztlán was south of Colorado and covered the entire Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico. Aztlán's northern border was populated by the peaceful Pueblo Nations. We Pueblos were farmers and inhabited the slopes of the mountains. We depended on the Thunder Beings and the Whirling Rainbow to feed the Three Sisters (Corn, Pumpkin and Beans) that ensured our survival.
The music, soft and inspiring, echoed off the canyon wall. Mesa Verde was filled with dwellings high on the hillside, the bright fires were burning and all the People watched in wonder, watching Kokopelli transform the enchanted music of his nose flute into a miraculous potion that fed the hearts of young and old alike.
Kokopelli had no hunchback, as his hunchback was sitting next to him and must have been his bag of holy and healing objects that he had brought to trade. His flute seemed to glow in the firelight and he used the reflections of the fire and the sound of his music to mesmerize the whole audience. We had had a year of drought and there was little hope that it would rain again. The feathers on Kokopelli's headdress were bright and macaw red, giving the illusion that the body was bathed in the Eternal Flame of passion and creativity. The Fire of fertility that crowned his head also radiated from his body as he bowed unsteadily before the tribal fire. When he finished playing his flute, he wrapped it like a child in a shiny cloth and offered it to the Great Star Nation. His words reached the farthest corners of the village.
“This flute carries the music of the Stars to the Great Mother Earth and summons the Thunder Beings to come and make love to her,” shouted Kokopelli. – This union will give the People a child that will one day lead them back to the stars, through the inner Earth from which they all came.
A gust of icy mountain air passed through my body, up the gorge, and into the embers of the tribal fire, causing a whirlpool that exploded, filling the night sky with sparks that resembled the stars. The murmurs of admiration that issued from the mouths of the People echoed through the dark night. Suddenly, the light the Thunder Beings shed was enough for everyone to see the masses of Cloud People who had already gathered in the skies, in response to Kokopelli's call. Once more the People shouted, amazed at the magic performed by this God, Kokopelli. Even the babies, who were already asleep, woke up to enjoy Kokopelli's magical show. Certainly the long-awaited rain would come to feed the Three Sisters (Corn, Pumpkin and Beans) and the People would be able to survive. Kokopelli recommended that everyone take their clay pots and collect rainwater for future use. The Thunderers shouted that the rain was going to start.
The Fire Rods created a great play of lights before the Rumbling Thunder broke the silence of the night. Aside from this sound, all you could hear was the running of feet in yucca fiber sandals going up and down stairs in search of the pots. Only one young woman was left standing near the main square. She looked up and watched in amazement as the lightning lit up the night sky, while the others around her kept running back and forth. Kokopelli looked at her face so amazed, beautiful, innocent and approached her, still holding the flute as if she were a child. The young woman was so serene that she caught Kokopelli's attention.
– Why didn't you go get your pots? – he asked.
- They're already up there. – She replied.
Kokopelli asked her name, and she replied:
– They call me Snow Flower of the White Corn Winter Clan.
– Why are your pots up there already, Snow Flower? – he asked.
“Because your flute called to me as soon as you started up the gorge and revealed to me that you would bring the rain. – She replied.
Kokopelli was intrigued. At that, she looked at him and smiled. Kokopelli smiled back at him. She had just gotten her message.
– So it's you! – he exclaimed.
The Eagle Clan Shaman began to summon the People for a prayer of Thanks. At that same moment, the first beings of the Rain People began to touch Mother Earth's breasts. Kokopelli took Snow Flower by the hand and led her gently to the Bonfire. All the eyes of the People watched the couple, who were heading towards the center of the village. When the prayer was over, Kokopelli placed his flute in Snow Flower's arms, as if she were a baby. This gesture meant that this woman would share his music and his seed from now on.
Magic was in the air and the child of this union would use the Raven's Magic to help the People rediscover their way back to the stars. According to legend, the Pueblos came opening the way to the inner world, shortly after the Creation. Meanwhile, the spirits of their Ancestors returned to the inner world until it was time to walk the Earth again. Kokopelli revealed to the People that there was a time before Creation when each person was a spark of the Eternal Flame of the Great Spirit, who had fallen to Earth to seed the Mother with her fertile thoughts, ideas and actions. Kokopelli also revealed that they would all become Fireflies in the Great Sky Nation, on the day that Toltec and Pueblo blood merged into one blood.
The Aztecs say that nine months later Snow Flower gave birth to a boy, who became a great spiritual leader of the Eagle Clan. His Healing Magic consisted of uniting his mother's affection with his father's Fire power. That place, called Mesa Verde, has been abandoned for centuries. Therefore, a question remained in the air: had these People left Mother Earth to go and live in the Great Star Nation? If this is true, Kokopelli's fertility and abundance continue to shine in our world every night of the year to this day.”
Hancoka Olawmpi (Midnight Song)
