Ancient Egypt’s Integral Vision

Nature’s All-Encompassing Network

Difficult as it may be for us at Lucky Six Farms to piece together the spirituality of those who built the Pyramids and Sphinx, we can safely say their prime beliefs revolved around Nature’s all-encompassing network, a worldview where our familiar Cartesian dichotomy of mind and matter, observer and observed held little valence. The West has been fascinated with ancient Egypt’s metaphysics since an archaeological team spearheaded by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter pried open Tutankhamun’s tomb late in 1922. Much of this, of course, reflects only faddish inebriation with things exotic, but a more profound interest is also evident. Freethinkers of most major Faiths have wondered at the subtle ties binding Egypt’s multifaceted Divinity to every manifestation of life - human, animal, and vegetative. Perhaps it is only happenstance, too, that the world religious centers of Jerusalem, Lhasa’s Potala, Giza’s Sphinx and Pyramids, plus our own Madre Grande Monastery in Dulzura lie within a scant two degrees of a single latitude line. In any case, few other high civilizations have seen men and women so intimately woven within the variegated strands of Nature’s network.

Nature’s Network - Many Masks Of The Holy

Dry academics never tire of emphasizing ostensible manifestations of ancient Egypt’s radical polytheism. Yet, they rarely note the facility with which even the most diverse animal-headed entities changed places with one another when appropriate occasions arose. Nor do they devote much attention to the frequent, fulsome, and remarkably insightful interchanges between worshippers and the transcendent objects of their veneration. Unlike many in our post-modern West who remain alienated from a distant and seemingly aloof Godhead, the average Egyptian, at least until the Roman period, felt their Gods’ almost conversational accessibility. The conceptual dynamic underlying such close relationships is not difficult to grasp: ancient Egypt saw humanity as an integral part of Nature, so the Gods showed themselves in whatever guise necessary to ratify the whole. Just as actors don a plethora of role-based “masks” in a drama, the Egyptian deities revealed their wisdom through the faces of Nature.

Nature’s Network - Approaching The Highest

Historians have consistently remarked on the prevalence of sacred aromatics throughout the temple precincts of ancient Egypt. Clearly, these herbal substances were compounded with great care, for they were not only material proofs of reverence but also - and simultaneously - carriers of human intent directed toward the ultimate sources of vitality and universal power. Because our beliefs reflect very similar truths about the underlying structure of reality, we always formulate our products with the very same prayerful love. Perceiving such energetic Natural currents can be easier than you might think: simply try any of our smudge sticks, cones, essential oil, or hydrosol for yourself!

By Alan Beck

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Our Origins, Our Destiny

Humanity Versus Nature

“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and Nature shall not be broken” - Leo Tolstoy

I confess that, even quite some time before becoming a staffer at Lucky Six Farms, I saw serious problems in the way Western civilization viewed itself vis-a-vis Nature. It was not that I particularly enjoyed entertaining a deviant world-view, for, given the importance of societal sanction, what normal individual could possibly rejoice in his evident alienation? Nor was my feeling derived from a desire to be different or stand out from the crowd, as I always displayed a propensity for shyness and diffidence which kept me far removed from my peers’ many social whirls. No, the conviction sprang rather from a deep-rooted sense that our razor-sharp, Cartesian separation of the universe into subject and object, mind and body, noumena and phenomena embodied a Faustian lapse. Our materialist/reductionist understanding had indeed unlocked many wondrous secrets but at a hideous cost: we had thus, in the most literally Biblical sense, gained the world but lost our collective soul (KJV Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36, Luke 9:25). In grasping Nature by the throat, we had violated our most profound relationship to Her.

Humanity As Child Of Nature

Heralded absolutely nowhere as a theologian, I will certainly not presume to exposit the importance of the idea I have outlined above. But if we remain resolutely unable to see an unequivocal manifestation of the Divine in Nature, how can we then blithely proclaim the sanctity of our Creator’s primordial and most persistent efforts? Both science and every major faith view humanity as an integral component of Nature. Yet the former has come to believe this connection renders us into no more than complex yet thoroughly moribund mechanisms, like outre automatons so popular during the 18th Century. Heralding consciousness as an illusory and insignificant epiphenomenon to its steam-engine universe, post-modern science denies even the transcendent faith of its founding geniuses, luminaries like Cardan, Dee, Gauss, Leeuwenhoek, Leibnitz, Newton, and scores of others, equally notable, in every corner of the globe. During our present era, it is becoming increasingly clear that unless humanity begins to view itself as a child of Nature, it stands to choke off the most vital sources of not only its spiritual but also its material nourishment.

Nature And Humanity Reconciled

By producing certified organic and wildcrafted sacred aromatics, we hope to play a role in the ongoing reconciliation of humanity with its lovingly powerful Mother Nature, a process which more and more people are coming to recognize, respect, and accomplish. As this new year dawns, may those who read this blog - newcomers, the merely curious, seekers, and established clients alike - consider our unique offerings as helpful tools to bring about real positive change and a better world for all.

By Alan Beck

 

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The Book of Nature

Science Pro And Con

Science has underscored the value of concrete experience. For that, we certainly owe it a profound debt of gratitude. What a pity, then, that its message for post-modern society has been distorted into a dogma of simple-minded materialism. Originally a tool to better understand definitive regularities of our universe, science gradually mutated into a doctrinaire, hidebound theology sans spirit that throttles fully as much creative thought as it encourages. Courageous geniuses who boldly blazed science’s trail over the course of centuries - often against hideous opposition - firmly rejected such narrow reductionist blinders. Bacon, Galileo, Cardan, Dee, Newton, Leibnitz, Gauss, Ramanujan and a thousand other luminaries of science and math lovingly embraced the numinous and openly sought guidance from the Divine.

What Has Science Wrought?

Patronizing pundits and the popular press never tire of excoriating those who question their reductionist line. Yet, a growing number of people from every walk of life understand there is indeed much more to life than what can be quantitatively weighed and instrumentally measured. Their respect for Nature’s innermost secrets may be well concealed today, but it has not been lost. Nor is their desire to actively probe phenomena for deeper truth. Experiment yields profound insight only when firmly guided by wisdom. Those who mistakenly believe they serve science by summary rejection of processes beyond linear mechanism do a great injustice to their own cause. At Lucky Six Farms, we work directly with the holistic wonder of Nature: it forges our everyday reality. And glowing testimonies from our clients and customers speak to the daily experimental verification of those eminently natural truths.

The Science Of The Psyche

Our products are not stamped out by the cold cookie-cutters of commercialized industry. Rather, they result from our reading the vibrant, living book of Nature, day by day, season by season, year by year. That is why our pure, energizing White Sage essential oils, hydrosols, smudge bundles, cones and whole leaves consistently bring people into harmony with both their external environments and their internal selves.

By Alan Beck

Art, Nature & Sacred Sage

The Why Of Sacred Sage

Sacred sage was little thought of at the turn of the twentieth century. But the few decades that followed turned our familiar universe upside-down while highlighting conceptual vistas rarely dreamed of for centuries. During those early years of the last century the predominant Western view of how we fit into our universe underwent a sea change. A veritable avalanche of novel and surprising findings from an array of disciplines stunned the public and set even the most complacent citizens on edge. The world was no longer solid or simple; it could no longer be taken for granted or its paradigms filed away in the dusty drawer of common sense. While staid science was riven by quantum theory, relativity, and higher-dimensioned geometry, the art world took its first tentative steps into abstraction, plumbing phantasmagoric revelations from primordial archetypes. Many of the most original thinkers, like Arp, Kandinsky, and Klee became vivid articulators of society’s dawning vision. All agreed that the real processes of creation are the same in art and nature. Hitherto recondite topics like sacred sage suddenly began to acquire a new valence

New Science, New Lifestyle

So radical was this revised understanding that a century later we are still integrating it into our lifestyles. Scientific alchemy had changed our perspective. Vital components of this effort may be observed throughout the globe in ecological movements, New-Age thought, religious eclecticism, and burgeoning respect for traditional forms of Earth-centered spirituality. Both Lucky Six Farms and its land leaseholder Madre Grande Monastery have their roots in this expansive, radiant awareness.

Scents And Sensibility

The White Sage we organically cultivate is a direct product of Nature’s artistry. Taking our cue from her painstaking aesthetic, we craft our essential oils, hydrosols, smudge bundles and cones so that the original purity of the plant spirit is consistently retained and enhanced. As artists working hand-in-hand with Nature, we can confidently promulgate her energizing power even as we share her benevolent intent.

By Alan Beck

Back to the Future

Our Holistic View

A holistic perspective on life is, in reality, the most thoughtful and mature. Bombarded by manipulative exhortations to compartmentalize all facets of existence and even ourselves, we forget how to prioritize needs, wants, and goals. For example, our immediate environment carries enormous influence on the way we feel and the work we accomplish. Beautiful surroundings tend to elevate our thoughts and inspire creativity, while ugly areas often lower expectations, arousing anxiety and base instincts. But do such obvious effects imply even more significant connections between the spaces where we live out our lives and the most profound roots of our being? Most of us at Lucky Six Farms would enthusiastically reply in the affirmative. How can we justify such an uncompromisingly holistic approach?

Our Holistic History

We wild-craft authentic White Sage only in the tiny region of the world which is its natural home: the stark, rocky high deserts of extreme southern California and northern Mexico. In the past, remote tribes throughout the Continent sought out White Sage as a rare commodity, exchanging valuable goods to obtain even small amounts. Recent archaeological work has shown human society in these celestially austere White Sage grounds goes back at least ten-thousand years. We didn't have to wait for these findings to be scientifically confirmed, though. Our active continuity with Native American culture is evident every day we walk this land, laboring to bring forth the purifying power which emanates from it and testifies to its heritage.

Our Holistic Products

Lucky Six Farms understands that past and present, ancient wisdom and modern insight, dynamically unite in every one of our products. Our essential White Sage oils, hydrosols, smudge bundles, cones, and whole leaves are as dramatically effective today as they were a hundred centuries ago. Energizing the mind as it calms the body, White Sage is a signal child of this remarkable region of North America. We feel privileged to extend its blessings, venerable as Mother Earth herself, to every corner of today's complex world.


By Alan Beck

Touching Nature

Removed From Nature, We Become Lost

Modern lifestyles appear to thwart our wish to get closer to Nature, to fully participate in the supportive cycles of our Earth. This desire is anything but superficial or faddish. In fact, it springs directly from our most profound intuition about just who and what we really are. Urban bustle, apartment, condo, or large-scale community demands, highly processed food, etc. may seem to take us uncomfortably far from the planetary Mother at the foundation of all life. To exacerbate our predicament, a plethora of syndicated voices prod us to become more like robots: mechanistically compartmentalized, free from any hint of moral accountability, and readily directed toward any end. Fortunately, unique channels to the vibrant heart of Nature still exist for those who insist on retaining that vital human connection.

Organic Products Bring Nature Back

Organic, wild-crafted products offer one route to fostering and supporting our Divinely sanctioned relationship with Nature. When such products also carry a unique spiritual valence, we can use them to fully touch the Source, the ancient, living energy from which we derive our being. In fact, this is the sole reason Lucky Six Farms White Sage Products were created, and why we make them available today. We believe that sincere motivation coupled with sensitive, painstaking work can make Nature accessible even in adverse environments.

White Sage Reflects Nature’s Purity

Here at Lucky Six Farms, our Earth receives the old-fashioned respect she so richly deserves. Each White Sage plant is tended and harvested with loving care. Since we understand exactly how to work with, rather than against, Nature, no petrochemical fertilizers or poisons are ever needed. The remarkable inner effulgence of White Sage is thus carried over directly from field to packaged product: essential oils, hydrosols, smudge cones and wands are alive with the living potency granted by Nature herself. We at Lucky Six Farms want to insure that no matter where you live or what your lifestyle, the abundance of Nature is always within reach.

By Alan Beck

Tradition - Then and Now

Nature Is Personified In Tradition

Is tradition ultimately rooted in the essential character of nature herself? If not, then ultimately what is the true value of tradition? Both tradition and nature carry a great deal of weight for Native Americans, but some in our popular post-modern community appear to have lost the actual thread of their intertwined significance. For example, I was recently amused to read how a school administrator proudly announced a "new tradition" for cheerleader attire. Such a typically superficial - if not self-contradictory - approach to tradition is a far cry from our practice here at Lucky Six Farms. We believe authentic tradition honors and elevates the Divine power underlying all humanity. We believe human accomplishment, no matter how impressive, springs from nature. For us, then, tradition must always be profoundly rooted in nature, in the loving, living embrace of Mother Earth.

Nature Empowers The Living Flow Of Time

Our hands and hearts at Lucky Six Farms purposefully channel the energetic continuity of living time flowing across centuries. Our working roles extend and amplify nature. We honor Native American tradition by respecting and empowering White Sage in all its manifestations: essential oil, hydrosol, smudge cones, bundles, and whole leaves. Each of these products embodies the purifying Spirit of this unique herb, an herb that has long played a central role in virtually all First Nation ceremonies.

Choosing Nature Is Choosing The Tradition Of Life

Today, industrial giants spend millions so their agents may scour the globe to locate and economically exploit healing vegetation that indigenous peoples have traditionally employed in their own communities for ages. Wouldn't it be better if we had more respect for the original - the traditional - knowledge of these sacred herbs? The White Sage products of Lucky Six Farms are organically grown and prayerfully processed, so the tradition upholding its spirit always remains strong and vibrant.

By Alan Beck

Touching the Authentic Plant Spirit

Earth-Based Spirituality is Closer Than You Think

As many readers are acutely aware, authentic spirituality consists of more than attending weekly get-togethers. More than ever before in recent memory people are becoming aware of their intimate connection to nature and especially to the vibrant world of plants. There is, therefore, a justifiably increasing desire to open meaningful lines of communication with actual plant intelligences, the living plant spirits acknowledged and venerated by virtually all traditional cultures. However, materialistic paradigms offer us no help in this task; in fact, their narrow, reductionist approach to reality often derails even our most valiant efforts. This discourages some. Yet, accessing the profound spirituality of plants has never been easier!

Plant Spirituality is Intertwined with Yours

To efficiently overcome such pervasive conceptual obstacles, we must first reach out to deliberately touch plant spirits in our daily experience. The emotional and intuitive textures of our lives directly underlie who we are and our real relationships to our environment. When we make regular, practical use of a plant's power - and remain fully conscious of our debt to its service - we may begin to hold an authentic dialogue with the ancient, planetary dynamism, the supernal mind, from which that potency arises.

White Sage Spirituality

The ultra-pure products offered by Lucky Six Farms have long provided sensitive individuals and groups with the means to facilitate connection with the true spirit of White Sage. This is a particularly appropriate entity for those who wish to embark on a journey toward greater peace, understanding, and sympathetic resonance with all living things. White Sage expresses itself without interference or mitigation in Lucky Six Farms' product lines because they are produced and processed organically, with deliberate prayerful intention at every step. Soul-numbing industrial methods have been purposefully eschewed in favor of traditional approaches that honor the White Sage Spirit and leave it intact. Why not test this for yourself? The incomparable Spirit of White Sage opens its heart to you!


By Alan Beck