On New Year’s Day I participated in a peace hike on the Oregon coast. This annual event commemorates the tragic history of the indigenous peoples of the area. We hiked a trail dedicated to the memory of a blind Coos woman named Amanda who suffered many injustices during the reservation years in the 1860s. The gathering serves as a heartfelt remembrance of those who lost their lives, and the loss of a way of life tied to the land. It is a celebration of the resilience of their descendants and the culture that survived.
The opening ceremony included drumming, songs, and story telling by tribal and local community members. Tribal representatives recounted Amanda’s story, originally recorded in the diary of a soldier who marched captives forcefully separated from their lands and families over rugged terrain to the prison camp set up in town. Tribal members spoke of the importance of keeping the remnants of their culture alive through strong connections within their community, between generations, and through mutually beneficial and supportive interaction with neighboring coastal tribes.
One tribal member held up a rainbow flag and shared the meaning of the rainbow to native peoples. I was curious to hear what he had to say, because in astrology it is a symbol of the sign of Aquarius. He spoke of the different colors of the rainbow representing the diversity of people, of different tribes, of ways of living and self expression. The different colors joined in a rainbow symbolize diverse people and cultures coming together as one. It is a sign of the union of all people, connected like one big family. As a symbol of harmony, peace and balance, it represents inclusion of all people and encouragement and support for their unique self expression.
More than just tolerating diversity, archetypal Aquarius values and celebrates diversity of thought, form and expression. It does not accept a hierarchical separation of people, where individuals at the top have more rights and advantages than those below. Aquarius promotes a society built on a horizontal network of unique individuals. It includes all as equal members and participants. Aquarius promotes the coming together of people to share values, advance a common cause or accomplish a goal. It does so in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration that emerges from unity consciousness. Like the colors in a rainbow, we are all connected to each other and are all one.
“Just as each snowflake is unique, so is each person. Your primary purpose in life is to experience life from one individual, unique point of view. You are in expression of Infinite Being as it experiences itself from all possible viewpoints.”
– Owen Waters