The World Loves the Slow Prophet

There are two men, one is in robes and sitting on the beach, in a cross legged position (index finger touching thumb, hands facing upwards on either knee) meditating. The other is on a surf board, riding an 8 foot curl (a wave). Who is more spiritual?

They both are. What? No, how can that be? Surely it is the Zen Monk meditating and not the crazed surfing just seeking out one endorphin rush after another.

Nope they both are but the “World Loves the Slow Prophet” and most people would answer the Monk sitting crossed legged on the beach not the surfer? Why, why, why why? Well because the surfer is in the zone, he is at one with everything, he is in the moment, he is in the “Now “ to quote the quintessential slowest of slow Prophets, Eckhart Toile.

Oh, now look I’m dissing Eckhart. How dare I, he’s a lovely quiet man. Yes he is but he isn’t any more special, or wiser because of the way he talks, or how fast he doesn’t move. Am I making fun of or even (heaven forbid) mocking Eckhart? Oh yes I am.

Our society bestows all sorts of extra spiritual depth on the snail, the slug, the sloth like Monk the slow prophet but fails to recognize the depth in the coyote, the heyokahs (the scared clown). Maybe because one is easier on the eyes, easier to follow between long pauses between each word, it gives lots of time to figure out what the slow prophet is saying.

Or is our world just caught up with the archetype?

I once had the great pleasure of listening to Don Jose Ruiz tell this story:

“When I was younger I loved to where my hair long, down to my bottom of my back and I would always would where robes because I just loved to where robes. I was in a New Age book store in Hollywood looking for a book and everyone kept coming up and asking me so many questions. I felt very wonderful. That day I had so many insightful conversations and everyone wanted my wisdom.

Several months later I returned to the same book store in Hollywood and I was wearing blue jeans and I had cut my hair. Nobody came up to me for my insights or wisdom. I had become invisible and I did not know why and then it came to me…it was the robes, the long hair, and the look. That made me laugh.”

The Dali Lama, Eckhart, Deepak, and Reverend Desmond Tutu are all amazing slow moving monks but don’t miss out on the surfer sage, or heyokah prophet…they move faster which makes them harder to see and they are not quite as politically correct but they are cracker jack filled with wisdom...oh and they have a tendency to be loud, funny, irreverent and move quickly.
HeyokahHumor/Opposites
The Heyokah is a contrary clown who holds total wisdom and teaches the People through laughter and opposites. This Sacred Trickster is one who makes you wonder if what they are saying, or doing is actually correct, thereby making you think and figure it out for yourself. When people are made to think on their own, the wobbly beliefs that have been a rubber crutch for them in the past are tested. If the rubber crutch gives way and they end up on the ground on their rump, a lesson was learned. If they stop and think, test out a teaching for themselves and it stands in good stead, the wobbly belief becomes a Knowing System for their lives.
This Divine Trickster is called Heyokah by the Plains Tribes and Koshari by the Hopi and Pueblo Indians. Many Tribes have Trickster Teachers who dress in costume for Ceremony and wear regular clothing in daily life. Their jokes do not stop just because it is not a feast day. All Heyokahs operate through opposites. The Heyokah's purported wisdom, imparted to a seeker, could be the exact opposite of the answers the person would find for the Self. The laughter surrounding the results could be a lesson for the entire community.
The Heyokah is known for creating lessons at the expense of another's seriousness. Laughter is the ultimate lesson that breaks the bonds that destroy balance in people. If the Heyokah is successful, all is taken in good fun, and the bonds of old habits, no longer helpful, are broken. The Medicine Ally of the Heyokah is Coyote. The Heyokah is a master at Coyote Medicine and can use the joking part of Coyote's nature to trick others into enlightened states of understanding. Occasionally the Coyote Medicine will backfire and zap the Heyokah in a blind spot. If this happens, the true Heyokah will take it in stride and laugh at the backfire, learning from the lesson along with others.
Native People understood the value of being good sports. In earlier times it was not considered "losing face" to have the Heyokah play a trick on someone. In fact it was an honor to be singled out for a trick that contained a valuable spiritual lesson. Each Tribal Member was a valuable part of the whole, and many times the joke had consequences for more than one person. Everyone seeing the actual prank or talking of it later could relate those events to personal situations and grow from the lesson. All are forced to reflect on how they would react if they were the person the joke was played on. The Heyokah is able to master the art of balancing the sacredness with irreverence.
The Application
If the Trickster has appeared on your horizon, you are in for a barrel of laughs. You may be doing exactly the opposite of what you need to be doing and are about to get busted for it. Stop leaking your creative energy on other people's problems or high drama. Stop being so serious and crack a smile, or Coyote will dog your dreams. Remember that some days you are the fireplug and some days you are the Dog. That goes for everyone, so don't let getting pooped on get you down. Learning through laughter or opposites can be fun.
The keynote to the Heyokah is to lighten up and start balancing the sacredness with irreverence. If you are just being stubborn, it may be time to create a contrary lesson that will force you to crack up, crack a smile, or trick you into going into the crack in the universe to find out what's really important!(C)
http://www.planetdeb.net/spirit/heyokah.htm