Charles first arrived on Finnish soil in 1989 as he was accompanying his legally adopted mother Carolyn Tawangyama, Third Mesa Traditional Hopi Elder, on her way to USSR to join in with ‘Grandmothers for Peace’. That was a peace initiative co-sponsored by Raisa Gorbachov. Charles has returned to Finland many times since that. He has maintained a consistent dedication to the Four Winds Community, and in his words it is one of the ‘great prides of my life’! In these past few years, he has been called the ‘Grandpa’ of Four Winds. Charles tells us about his path:
“I have been ‘adopted’ spiritually by a number of elders from different First Nations both in USA and Canada. These wonderful elders seemed to acknowledge that I was to receive instructions to carry their teachings and messages out to the greater world. These travels of 44 years range in spread from the shores of USA to Australia, South Pacific, through South America, Mexico, South Africa, Canada, Egypt, Bali, Bermuda, Bhutan, Nepal, Tuva, India. Wherever I have gone, I have shared inspired teachings from First Nations and in turn I have been deeply inspired by those with whom I have met.
The mythologist Joseph Campbell inspired me to follow my visions. That led me to create a family based community with experiments concerning a ‘return to the Earth’. We met yearly on the turnings of the seasons, exploring what might happen when we turned our attention to being children of Mother Earth. Much of that structure has informed the Four Winds structure. Many Native Elders who supported my original vision participated in these gatherings and became ‘adopted’ by many families through the USA and Canada.
It was within my destiny to become somewhat legendary. I fulfilled a prophesy of one Canadian First Nation – I was sent to the Hopi Nation and became instrumental in delivering The Hopi Prophesy at the UN. Numerous Native Elders began to call me their ‘son’. Out of my original vision another vision was born – the revival of the Shoshone Nation’s Naraya, a dance of spiritual renewal for the People. We are presently in our 28th year of Celebrating that long time tradition.
I became known as ‘the Wizard’ as my innate passion for Sacred Ceremony and Sacred Theatre blossomed. The ways and the workings of the approachable forces of Life and the Ancient Spirits fuelled all these engagements. I have dedicated my life to being present for the awakenings of my ‘family’ as we give attention to being children of the great spaceship called The Earth.”
