The 12 Many Friends first appeared to me in 1978 while we were living in San Antonio, Texas.

Our experiences from meeting Peter in 1971, had not really prepared us for the peculiar encounter with the Twelve. In those days, Jan had what I would affectionately call an irritating snoring problem. You know, the kind that leaves the partner on the horns of a dilemma…. On the one hand, loving the person you’re in bed with … and on the other, being ready to kill for a quiet night’s sleep.

So, it was not unusual that this particular night I was awakened by his “loud breathing.” You can imagine my surprise when I saw standing at the foot of our bed, 12 colorfully dressed individuals. They were in two rows with six on each row. The one on the bottom row, left -hand corner did the talking. He said they had come to teach me about herbs.

I told myself I was just imagining all this and quickly pulled the covers up over my head. Still, there was this sense that these beings were still present. Ever so slowly I peeped out from under the covers … and sure enough, they were still there!

Deciding to test this “fantasy,” I told them that if they were really there, to make Jan stop snoring. Instantly, he fell silent. Well, I didn’t know where to store this in my Diary! The deal I made with them was that someday, when the kids were grown, and life had mellowed into that “gardening” sort of state, I’d get back to them. That was the last I heard of them until 1990, when a group of Peter students, after hearing the story, agreed to sit with me and make contact.

They call themselves the Twelve Many Friends, and it’s much more than herbs they came to teach me. The spokes-person for the group is Many Tongues. Each one of them provides a different “feel” to me when I resonate for them. What started out as the Herb Study group has evolved into the Awakening Tribe.

Many Tongues:
Represents the power of communication. Many Tongues gave us the gift “to always say who you are, without reservation,” in Sanctuary.

Many Hands:
Represents the energy of doing and accomplishing. Many Hands’ gift in Sanctuary was the “gift of doing the good deeds that say who you are.”

Many Feet:
Represents our connection to Earth and to the past. For Chaco, Many Feet said: “dance, feet will know. Walk, skip, and jump. Caress your feet in quiet time, decorate them. “ For Sanctuary, Many Feet gave us “the gift of happy travels, so that your feet, where ever they take you, will always say who you are.”

Many Laughs:
Many Laughs pokes fun at us a lot, and if there is lots of joking going on, we can be sure he is very close. Many Laughs represents the energy in joy, in not taking things so seriously all the time. For Sanctuary, he gave us “the joy of you, the tickle of you. Peace and love are nothing without joy. May your hearts always find the gift of laughter.”

Many Winds:
Many Winds is the energy of life and breath. By being attentive to our breathing, we can tune into the song of our body. For our Gathering of the Ways at Chaco Canyon, Many Winds told us to pay attention to the flight of the birds, absorbing the information in the patterns of the cycle of flight and return. While spinning, think of stirring air and wind. In Sanctuary, Many Winds gave us “the movement of the wind, the flow of time, the flow of space, that always, always, says who you are. May the wind always carry you in all that you do, in all that you are.”

Many Knowings:
Represents enlightened awareness. Awareness can be developed by paying attention. Many Knowings told us that while we were at Chaco Canyon, a great energy would come, which would be interpreted differently by different people. This energy presented itself physically as a great wind that blew most of the time we were there. Some of us flew on it, some huddled before it, some cursed it, and some did all of that and then some. In Sanctuary, Many Knowings introduced us to “the keeper of all of your knowings, the stories of the past and the stories of the future. All that say who you are. You are all that has come before, and all that is yet to be. This is our gift to you.”

Many Dances:
Represents moving energy for purposes of connecting with other energies and for connecting with the Self through mind and body. For the Gathering of the Ways at Chaco Canyon, Many Dances instructed us to ask for the Dance of Chaco Canyon in our quiet time. Lassiter feels that this dance is the Dance of Flight, or Bird Dance. Many Dances’ gift to us in Sanctuary is found “where the heartbeat of the Universe is your heartbeat, where the movement of all things is in the harmony of You. All things move as you move. All hearts beat as your heart beats. Know this in all that you do. This is our gift to you.”

Many Visions:
Represents spiritual vision. For Chaco Canyon, Many Visions instructed us to ask for a vision in quiet time; saying that we might use sacred elements, fire, leaves, or berries, if we desired and found these things helpful. The gift of Many Visions in Sanctuary is found where “you hold the visions, the visions of who you are, and knowing who you will be, and knowing what All is. The vision to See, the vision to Know, the vision to Be. This is our gift to thee.”

Many Endings:
Represents the energy of endings, which are also transformative new beginnings. In Sanctuary, Many Endings said: “Our gift to you is for you. For all things, the end and beginning form the circle. And the circle becomes the spiral. And the spiral is never, ever ending. The movement through beginning, ending, circle, cycle, spinning, spiral. This is our gift to you.”

Many Spirits:
Represents spirit. Take time to journey into the bubble of spirit by choosing a symbol that is all-encompassing and entering into it. Play in this bubble in dreamtime, remembering it upon awakening. This was intended to provide comfort during the Chaco Canyon Gathering, for times when the energy got really intense. The gift of Many Spirits in Sanctuary: “our gift to you, the spirit, the spirit of All. You are the Spirit of All. Our gift to you is knowing this, moving into the spirit of you, and the Spirit of All. When you see, or touch, or hear, or smell, or taste, these are spiritual gifts. The Spirit of All, this is you. This is our gift to you.”

Many Silence:
Silence is the passageway beyond time and space, and as such, is sacred. It is a time for no time. Find the “on” and “off” knobs in your head, and carve out a space for silence. This is helpful in all times, but was especially so during the trip to Chaco Canyon. Many Silence’ gift for Sanctuary is found “in that part of Sanctuary where our gift can Be. We are the spirit of the mountain. Many Silence is the spirit of the cave. Many Silence is there with you in the room. Our gift to you is the gift of knowing without hearing, of seeing without eyes, of sensing, without touch. It is in the Silence, that most things are said. It is in the Silence, that things Are. It is in the Silence, that you Are. It is the silence that says most loud, who you are. This Knowing is our gift to you.”

Many Flows:
Represents the flow of Oneness. For Chaco Canyon, Many Flows instructed us to spin and breathe, saying the 12 would be with us as we traveled into dream-like states, and that we should meditate on many colors and shapes of kites. In Sanctuary, Many Flows said “our gift to you is all of these gifts together, to move with you, to merge with you. The Oneness is our gift to you. The strength of this. The knowing of this. The being of this. This is our gift to you.” Go to the Calendar.