...And We Will Have Snow

Chapter 4: Naga and Juan

Ryan and Rosita flew on to Veracruz, and not many more weeks went by before they were back at Coon Island, official members of WBI.

Their reports became daily highlights, Rosita reporting to Naga and Juan, Ryan to Dema and Cern. Rosita raved about Marian's aquaponic system and her microclimate gardens. She told them about the wonderful variety of medicinal plants Marian had growing there (and the way the new ones Juan had helped her smuggle in from Mexico were thriving). Ryan reported on his experience learning to pilot the hydrofoil boat. "Its feel changes dramatically when the hull lifts free of the water. Even more than when a hydroplane boat starts planing. It responds like a much lighter boat. But that can fool you, because it still has the same inertia. I'm getting better at it though. Soon I hope Jack will let me snuggle it into the cave."

It was not long before they were settled in and well enough accepted to invite Naga and Juan for a formal visit. It didn't hurt that they were both already informal contributors, Naga for her part in writing that initial paper, and Juan for his help in bypassing official restrictions on plant imports.

Dema thought it was quite ironic that Pup the coyote, who Juan had long since urged to return to the wild to father his own pups, had served as back-country courier from Juan's friend in Nogales, Mexico to the post office in Nogales, Arizona. She recalled Pup fondly for the role he had played in her Nogales drug bust for the DEA. That time it had been Juan himself who had called on her to help stop the traffic in illicit plant derivatives. Now that she was no longer a full-time agent for the DEA, Dema could openly consider with Juan that it was the quantity and intended use of the derivatives, not the qualities of the plants themselves, that determined where to draw the line.

It seemed to Dema that Naga and Juan were already committed to this new venture, and were leaning toward making this trip more than a quick visit. So she convened an evening meeting in the sitting room, their usual venue for weighty discussions. Everyone already knew what it was for, it was time to clear the air. Dema started simply, by asking Naga to summarize her impression of what WBI was all about.

"Good question," she said. "They don't seem to have a web site, and our invitation is strictly informal, so I've seen nothing in writing. But from what Rosita tells me I think the mission statement might be summed up as intelligent adaptation to change."

"Meaning climate change?"

"Yes, I think. But not so much concerned with the particulars of what that might be. More about the human response to it."

Kore spoke, with the voice of Sedna and the shamanic lore that dwelt in her. "We know that human adaptability is mental more than physical. Physical evolution of humans has been toward flexibility, not specialization. Specialization is mental, cultural. So is adaptation to change."

Juan said. "This is true. But there are limiting factors. Humans cannot adapt in an absence of understanding. The human tendency is to lock onto a cultural reality and force all thought, all sensory data, into its mold, rather than to remain open to differences and accept new resonances. This is a form of negative feedback. It establishes precedents that create desirable consistencies and cultural stability. But such stability in the face of external changes in reality are not of long term value."

Naga nodded her understanding and said, "Recent neurological studies have opened a path to shaman-like awareness. They show that the human brain is adept at finding patterns in neurological inputs, that the form of the input is less important than the patterns it contains. It is in this way that the tactile inputs of Braille translate directly into language. Similarly, visual images can be detected through the skin via arrays of nerve stimulators, even the patterns of digital signals can be decoded when transmitted to the brain via nerve patterns. The ability of the human mind to process inputs isn't limited to inputs from the five common senses. It can adapt to a much broader range of sensory awareness."

Juan delivered the clincher. "Through my shaman link to Rosita, I sense the presence of a wise spirit, perhaps another shaman, behind this venture. We see this invitation as an opportunity to help improve understanding of the real source of human adaptability. The inherent shaman ability to sense the world more broadly is often valued precisely for its capacity to guide a culture through times of change. The role of the shaman is dual: promoting cultural precedent where it is a stabilizing factor, but overriding it when it is obsoleted by environmental change. It is the shaman's duty to be the guiding hand."