As Above - So Below ... Look Out Sheep, it's gonna blow

We can only take so much. Same for below. Same for above. This story is remarkable for its association to the presence and sentience of place to human collective unrest. At some point ... it's all too little and too late.

Chris Brummitt,
Canadian Press Published:
Monday, May 15, 2006
MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia (AP) - Clouds of deadly hot ash, rock fragments and volcanic gas surged down Merapi's slopes Monday, as activity at the towering mountain intensified to its highest level yet, officials and eyewitnesses said.

One of the eruptions sent an avalanche of debris and ash rolling almost four kilometres down the mountain's western flank, said Ratdomopurbo, the region's chief vulcanologist. It was followed by several other huge explosions on the crater. Some people who earlier refused to leave the danger zone fled Monday in public minivans or trucks.

Villages near the peak resembled ghost towns, with only a few young men to be seen. Houses, some dusted with ash, were deserted and shops closed.

"I am panicking this time," said Katimi, a mother of three who had taken refuge in a mosque earmarked as an evacuation point. "Merapi appears angry."

The deadly clouds of ash, gas and debris, known to vulcanologists as pyroclastic flows, are the biggest worry for emergency services, said Sugiono, one of the scientists on a team monitoring the volcano 24 hours a day.

He said a glowing dome of lava being formed by magma forced to the surface was poised to collapse and could a trigger a surge in the clouds.

Locals call the clouds "Wedhus Gembel," or "shaggy sheep clouds," because they resemble tightly curled balls of wool as they avalanche down the mountain at speeds of more than 100 km/h.

"If you get stuck in them, then you have no chance," Sugiono said.

Many mystic beliefs are associated with the mountain, and some Javanese also believe increased activity at Merapi is a sign of impending political upheaval.

On Sunday, holy men burned incense and floated offerings of rice, fruit and vegetables in a river that runs down the volcano's slopes - a special ceremony they believe will ward off an eruption.

The belief that a volatile Merapi foreshadows political instability dates back centuries.

It erupted in 1965 - a year before an aborted coup that ushered in Indonesia's long-ruling dictator Suharto - and activity also increased ahead of the 1997 Asian economic crisis.

I fell in to a burning ring of fire
I went down,down,down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns,burns,burns
the ring of fire
the ring of fire.
J. Cash