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Excerpted from The Introduction to The Color of Light: Daily
Meditations for All of Us Living With AIDS, by Perry Tilleraas.
There is an old native North American Indian tradition called Heyoehkah. The Heyoehkahs, or sacred clowns, were people within the tribe who "did things differently," challenged people's thinking, shook them up. Their function was to keep their people from getting stuck in rigid ways of thinking and living. They were also known as "contraries" because they lived backwards. They walked backward, danced backward, everything they did was contrary to the norm. By their living, they symbolized the shadow of the Creator God, reminding people of their spiritual center.
For gay people, the role of a sacred clown is especially important: not only are sacred clowns often gay, the role of contrary is a sacred symbol of the role we play among society as a whole.
There has been a sacred clown response to AIDS. When the normal response was to react with fear and panic, there were people dancing backward, responding with love and confidence.
When, every day, the world began repeating a death mantra, our sacred clowns danced the dance of life. They talked about living with AIDS, surviving, healing, recovering. When normal reaction to a diagnosis was isolation, our sacred clowns dragged us into a community. When the world wanted us to be victims, they drew circles of light around themselves and stood in their power.
Whenever it got dark, they turned toward the light. Whenever people said there is no hope, they said there is always hope. Whenever people said this isn't about us, they stood up and said, "This is about you. This is about us all. Our planet is sick. Earth has acquired an immune dysfunction. We are all living with AIDS."
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