The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito

[Malaclypse 666]

Beneath the tallest tower of Pueblo Bonito, the Temple of Eris "proper",

and beneath the Temple's "Annex", the biodome it is anchored upon,

lies a small hemispherical chamber, accesible only by a rough wooden ladder extending through the chamber's ceiling.

This is "the Kiva". It is a place for ritual, for meditation, for purifying "sweats", and for lively discussions of matters spiritual, metaphysical, and Discordian.

Mal was very fond of ancient Amerindian spirituality. The Hopi, the Anasazi, and later the Chacoans and Pueblo peoples were all intimately connected with their environment, with the nature spirits, and with their "Ancestors".

Mal prepared to enter the Kiva. He stripped down to his cargo shorts, more for comfort than anything. During a "sweat", even those would be replaced by a light cotton loincloth. He lit a smudge stick, a long, thin bundle of sage collected from Reggie's plantation, and moved the smouldering bundle around his body, allowing the smoke to "purify" his body, and to calm his mind.

Mal then lit a hand-made cigarette, lifting the cigarette towards the "East", and letting the smoke rise. He repeated the motion in the other "cardinal" directions, offering the sacred tobacco to the spirits.

He descended the ladder. The chamber itself was plain and un-adorned. A rough bench ran along the full perimeter of the circular chamber. The only other visible features were a small firepit in the Kiva's center, a pile of seasoned hardwood cut into lengths, and another pile consisting of porous rocks, volcanic in origin. These were the "grandfathers", rocks which would be heated to incandescence in the firepit, and then removed to be slowly doused with water, producing thick clouds of enveloping steam within the small chamber.

Mal lit another bundle of sage, and slowly walked around the circular chamber, allowing the sweet smoke to waft into the entire space.

It was done. The Kiva was purified and prepared. This would be a place to meditate, to teach, and to learn.

While the Temple above was dedicated to their Goddess Eris alone, and was often filled with the sound of formal Discordian rituals, the Kiva was meant to honor other Deities and Spirits as well. The Universe is alive, and manifests Itself in myriad ways and guises.

Doc might say that Mal was "covering his bets". Perhaps. But Mal was of the belief that one can never have too many guides on the journey to Enlightenment.

Eris didn't seem to mind.

(//While not a "watering hole" in the traditional sense, the soul needs sustenance every bit as much as the vehicle. PM me for an invitation. I'll consult my Pineal. M.)

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