Fascinating. This places the actual physical center near the sacred
site of Bear Butte--the place where Crazy Horse and Geronimo achieved
siddhi--and one of the most powerful sacred sites I've ever
experienced. Ritual activity in this area goes back over 10,000 years
and is sacred to the Sioux and the Cheyenne. It's their "Mt. Sinai".
If you are ever in this area, it's worth the day hike or better, an
overnight. It will blow your mind.
There were still medicine men taking initiates in for the 3-day and
night vigil and fast/visioning when I was there last--consequently
you can only approach the summit by one path, as completely
surrounding the path are hundreds of old magical circles in stone
that various shamans had sat in over history. The trees all along the
path are all strewn with cloth used to hold offerings to the Great
Spirit. Bear Butte is unique in that to the east of it lies the high
plains and to the west the Black Hills, so Bear Butte stands like a
lone sentinel and gateway to the Black Hills.
This is also where the cave where the sacred arrows were received.
Unfortunately the US military used the cave for target practice in
the last century and it is damaged but visitors to this day still
spontaneously catch the smell of burning sweet grass.
On Jan 19, 2007, at 1:09 AM, allanrosenzweig wrote:
"top, 'first-class' intelligentsia" know their Geography and American
History. KS has not been the center since 1959.
http://Brahmasthan.us