Native Words of Wisdom 2

We have come to a time when we should be together...there should not be divisions amongst people, there should be peace among men...in saying this, I would pray Great Spirit blesses anyone who hears these words and open their heart to the truth."
Last Cry, Native American Prophecies

There are many clans and many nations, we are a sovereign people. But always, as the Hopi say, "Under it all, every blanket is made from the wool of sheep." 

So we are made from the same stuff, we just look different on the outside. 

That is our individual culture expression. But we are woven together just like that blanket. We are one family, born to Mother and to Father. 

We are one tribe - we are called Human Beings.
Last Cry, Native American Prophecies

We return thanks to the moon and stars, which have been given to us their light when ti sun was gone. We return thanks to the sun, that has looked upon the earth with a beneficial eye. Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of her children.

Iroquois

                                                               Black Elk

The Life of an Indian...

...is like the wings of the air, that is why you notice the hawk knows how to get his prey. The Indian is like that. The hawk swoops down on its prey; so does the Indian. In his lament he is like an animal...for instance, the coyote is sly; so is the Indian...the eagle is the same. That is why the Indian is always feathered up....he is a relative to the wings of the air.

Black Elk

The American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of the forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas...he fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers; he belongs just as the buffalo belonged.

Chief Luther Standing Bear

Luther Standing Bear

Dreaming that you are an animal...

...or possibly part animal, it's a sign that the characteristics of this particular animal are important to you. If you dream you are the same animal on a number of occasions, it's an indication that this animal may be your totem animal.

Spirit & Dream Animals

We Indians live in a world of symbols and images, where the spiritual and the commonplace are one. To the white man symbols are just words, written in a book. To us they are a part of nature, part of ourselves - the earth, the sun, the wind and the rain, stones, trees, animals, even little insects, like ants and grasshoppers. We try to understand them, not with the head, but with the heart...and we need no more than a hint to give us the meaning.

John Lame Deer

Spiritual Food...

...becomes a sacramental sign when it is offered on behalf of the spirits of the deceased. It is called spiritual food because it has a purpose beyond feeding our bodies...through this symbolic offering one brings blessings to deceased relatives and friends.

Meditations with the Lakota

Relationship to the Earth and the Spirit World, Lakota Spirituality relates one both to the world of visible creation and to the world of spirits...it is a centering of ourselves in creation through a relationship to the four directions, the foundations of the universe, and the place where the spirits dwell. Through this spirituality we learn to live in harmony with all the creatures, it also puts us at ease with the spirits through accepting their presence and through the offering of spiritual food.

Meditations with the Lakota

Your Animal Totems

Many people consider human beings to be superior to the other forms of life on our planet. These people have not stopped to consider that all forms of life are important...all living things are the creation of the Universal Life Force that gives consciousness, intellect, and spirit to all her creations.

 Appreciation of this helps s recognize the sanctity of nature and enables us to revere all forms of life...the fact that we can learn from other forms of life has been known for thousands of years.

We all are aware of how the American Indian considers all life as relations, even a passage in the Bible demonstrates this as well..."But ask now the beasts and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee. Or speak to the Earth and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee" (Job 12:7-8).

~Many young Native American men were sent out to find their totem animals. They abstained from food for four days and spent their time asking the Earth Mother and the Power above to protect them, and to provide them with a spirit helper.

Spirit & Dream Animals

We must take the lessons of life that are written upon the Whispers of the wind, and learn from them so that we may walk and grow in harmony with the Great One. 

We must learn to love all things, deny ourselves, and serve others so the Master will hear the greatness of our humbleness, as He walks in the Garden of Life. 

We must love our Earth partners, not in words, but in deeds and show that our spirit desires to be likened upon the Great Spirit. We must gain the courage to pray through all things and worship even when we feel that we have nothing to offer. 

Through trials, we will find our Wind Spirit will grow and either rise upon the currents or sink into the valleys if left unfed.

We must learn the lessons of life through all things and then pass the gifts of life to those that follow in our footsteps, for they will need them even more, as Mother Earth and Father Sky continues to be darkened by the progress of the Nothing. 

So goes the Circle Of Life and in it's simplicity, contains all the vastness of the Universe.

 ONEIA (forever) 

Chief Dan George

                                                     Chief Dan George                                   

I stood looking at a world that is exactly as other eyes have seen it millenniums ago...I wondered what they must have thought as they received their visions of potential future events. They stood there as I I now do trying to understand the visions of a very bazaar future reality...did they think themselves mad..?

I stood there naked in the moonlight, having made it through the other side of a labyrinth. I found myself struggling to make my new eyes see, to allow my consciousness to touch and comprehend a new reality.

I was struggling to see through veils of illusion, painfully tearing through the bondage of cultural and genetic programming that leaves one blind to what is illusion and what is truly real, and at times it is very difficult to differentiate between dream states. 

There are no borders in the dream time, as there is no space between ones thoughts...

The Hopi Prophecy keeps coming to mind.."in that time man will find that he lives in two worlds...", our lives have certainly become a testament to that.

Last Cry, Native American Prophecies

There is no need to go out and find your spirit animal...they may find you, in fact you already have an idea as to who it might be. If you collect miniature elephants, for instance, your subconscious mind is telling you that your spirit animal is probably an elephant. 

Perhaps you have always been fascinated with foxes, or owls, or turtles...this could well indicate your spirit animal. (any animal you have an affinity with, or dream about, or have a curiosity about, is probably your spirit animal, we can have several, and they can also change as our needs change...you can also ASK different spirit animals to help you in situations that seem out of your control.  

Different animals have different gifts. 

Spirit and Dream Animals

Shapeshifting

There is a number of ways to look at animal spirits, you might decide, like the Aborigines with their "Dreamtime", there are real spiritual beings who exist to help you whenever necessary. 

You might choose to think of them as animal archetypess created by your subconscious mind. 

No matter how you can view these animal spirits, you can become so close to them that you will be able to sense, feel, touch, and smell them.

You may be able to temporarily become the animal...this is known as "shape shifting"...once you accept spirit animals into your life, you will be able to make use of the animal wisdom that will come to you through your dreams.

Spirit and Dream Animals

                                              

                                             
      

Red Cloud, Oglala Sioux, Nebraska, 1822-1909

...was a medicine man who became an important warrior chief

"When the white man comes to my country, he leaves a trail of blood behind him."

We realize that we cannot survive or live without our "relations". 

We also realize that they cannot live without us...evidence of this belief system can be found in Native myths, legends and stories. Here we can find reference to the animals and birds as "people". 

The Bear is our Grandfather, Rattlesnake our aunt,Beaver our cousin, Eagle our uncle, Deer our sister, and Buffalo our brother. They are not only our "relations" but are also our teachers, protectors, guardians, supernatural aids, and sources of power and knowledge.

Earth Spirit, Native American

When the first Europeans came to this country, they saw us praying to the Sun, moon, Stars, Rivers, and Lakes; to the Trees, and Plants; to the Wind, Lightening, and Thunder; and even to the Birds, Animals, Fish, Snakes, and Rocks....they called us pagans, heathens, and savages. 

For some strange reason they developed the idea that we did not believe in God, although in many different tribal languages there were references to a Great Spirit, the Great Creator, the Maker, the Great Mystery, or the Great Invisible One.

The truth is that not only did the American Indians worship God, but they also respected and communicated with that which God had created.

Spirits of the Earth, Native American

Black Kettle, Cheyenne, South Dakota, 1803-1868~

He narrowly escaped death at the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, took part in discussions at the Medicine Lodge Council of 1867, and died a year later in battle.

I once thought that I was the only man that perservered to be a friend to the white man, but since they have come and cleaned out our lodges, horses, and everything else, it is hard for me to believe white men any more.

There are many misconceptions about the Indian ways...we do not worship beasts and we do not worship stones.

 We honor them, and we honor the consciousness that is within them...because we are all "Mitakyue oyasin" - we are one with all things, even unto the Universe. We are connected to all life by a web of light, this light is invisible to most. 

But the medicine people can see it, if their medicine is real. We see it in everything - all of life is connected. We are all brothers and sisters with the Eagle, the Rabbit, the Tree people, even the stones. 

Everything is alive, and that aliveness is the Creator, that is in all things.

Last Cry, Native American Prophecies.

Go and learn how they see Spirit and Creator. Then you can help them (the People) heal their minds, and that they might heal their own hearts...in your time a new world will be born. You will see many strange things. Judge no one for their ways of expressing spirit, for the Creator allows all beings to express in their own way.

Another part of your journey will be that somehow you are to help reconnect the people of the Condor with the people of the Eagle...if you and others succeed, then this land and its people may become one again. Many secrets will open that have been closed.

Last Cry, Native American Prophecies

Bear's Message for you

"Be strong...know what and where your boundaries are. You can love others, still disagree with their opinions, and say no to their requests. You don't have to justify your your refusals...my power is making a stand is unparalleled, and you must also stand up for what you believe in,

and who you are. Neither do you need to fear criticism or defend yourself when it is offered.. 

Treat others with respect, and demand the same from them. 

Trust your creative hunches - those urges to make music, write poetry, sculpt, or engage in any other forms of creative expression...turn inward to the loving darkness of your soul's den to find inspiration to birth such projects...let them blossom in the cave of your creative mind and manifest as your heart's desire....

~Power Animals~

A Prayer For The Wild Things

Oh, Great Spirit, we come to you with love and gratitude for all living things. We now pray especially for our relations in the wilderness ~ the four - legged, the winged, those that live in the water, and those that crawl upon the land. Bless them that they may continue to live in freedom and enjoy their right to be wild. Fill their hearts with tolerance, appreciation, and respect for all living things so that we all might live together in harmony and peace.

Power Animals

There is only the way of the people. We the people are the dream of the Earth, we are her gift to the Universe.

Learn to listen to your own heart, if you learn that, you will know the wisdom of the ages. Learn to speak your own words, and sing your own songs, while you learn to allow others to enjoy the same state of being. 

We must learn to respect all life - respect the planet, respect the insect, respect the rattlesnake, as well as the eagle, the rock, and the tree...we are all related, just different expressions of divine intelligence. It is all the song of creation...and the song is made up of many notes.

Last Cry, Native American Prophecies

Never let anyone tell you who you are...that is between you and the Creator. For the truth of what and who we are and our long journey to this present expression is something few remember...when we come to own ourselves, we first loose the images of what they expected us to be...and learn to follow our inner feelings of who we really are.

No matter what you have been, or what you have done, Creator sits evenly with all of us on that day of passing. All that matters is that you did, that you lived it all and drank from the cup of life...and danced to your own drumbeat.

Ghost Wolf of Last Cry

When the light from the heart of the eagle shines forth, it will illuminate the world, the heart knows how to feel. Allow your heart to be connected with the elements of nature - the air, the water, the earth...when you feel the connection, you are close to the Creator.

I thought of all the times I'd found feathers; always in nature, always bringing me a feeling of blessing fro the invisible spirit world that I know exists, because in those moments of connection "I feel it"...Let each place and each moment be sacred..."Simplemente sentir"...simply let yourself feel.

Sacred Messengers

By Shiju

The Sacred Sound of Water

What is it about the sound of water that attracts us, part of its magic lies in its relentless rhythm, the kind of sound that soothes and perhaps returns us to our pre-birth experience...we continue to love the sounds of water...the waterfalls trickling down hillsides, or roaring down hillsides, or the whooshing sounds of geysers erupting in Yellowstone National park. 

The almost silent sound of underground pools making their way through the depths; the whisper of creeks and rivers meandering through mountain meadows.

When I'm near the sound of water, I always pause and give thanks for something that calls me to a sacred sense of self...something that creates a connection with the...all of life.

Sacred Messengers, Native American

Spirits, ghosts, and interaction with them are seen by Indian people as a normal part of life on this earth...all things, living or nit, have a spirit that may manifest itself in the living, including insects, wolves, deer, eagles, even rock spirits. 

Helper spirits often manifest themselves in an object...to the Lakota, small round rocks may be charged with great power and attach themselves to a living person, returning to them even when discarded. 

These rocks belong to a class of spirits known as the "rock nation".It is the little pebbles found on anthills that aid the Yuwi'pi practitioners in their ceremony.

Walking in the Sacred Manner

Dreams form a large spiritual complex and are looked to for important insights about oneself, and other living people, often relatives. 

They are also seen as a source of contact and communication for those relatives now in the spirit world who may have help, advice, or warning to impart to the living. 

Dreams may then provide motivation for changing one's life.

Walking in the Sacred Manner

Black Kettle, Cheyenne, South Dakota, 1803-1868

...was a Cheyenne leader who tried to make peace with the white man...he narrowly escaped death at the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, took part in discussions at the Medicine Lodge Council of 1867, and died in battle a year later.

"I want you to give all the chiefs of the soldiers here to understand that we are for peace, and that we have made peace, that we may not be mistaken by them for enemies [ Address to Colonel John Chivington at Camp Weld, Colorado, September 28, 1864; two months later, Chivington would wipe out ( kill ) nearly half of Black Kettle's band at Sand Creek..The Sand Creek Massacre, by Stan Hoig]

When did time begin...what is time. How can we attempt description of the Creator of such mystery when we realize that "It" is too vast to describe...we are truthful people, we cannot be liars to ourselves and to those around us...the term "Great Mystery" leaves adequate latitude to avoid argument.

Growth comes with an increasing awareness of and respect for the Great Mystery in all people, and things, with an awareness that this force of mystery is at work in all events...growth comes through tolerance for the infinite variety of ways in which Great Spirit, the Infinite, may express itself in the Universe.

Rainbow Tribe

Ho. Ina Maka, Mother Earth...it is you who feed us, shelter us, heal us...and like unthinking children we squander your riches, taking without thought for the future. Mother we are ashamed of our ignorance and our greed...it is our wish to live in a holy way, in harmony with you and with all our relations. We commit ourselves to a new reverence for life, for you, and for ourselves and our place in the Universe...Mother, most of all, have pity on us that the people may live...for without you, we are nothing...Mitakuye oyasin..Ho. Hetch etu aloh...~?

Mother Earth Spirituality, Native American

Ho..."Wiyoheyapa ouye, power of the rising sun of the east...from you come wisdom and understanding, to you we sand a voice. You are the power of the red dawn and the home of the morning star...we call on you to bring forth new knowledge and understanding among the people that the earth and all our relations may live. It is a time of new ways, and we ask that those ways be right and holy...with each new day we pray to you for wisdom. And we know that with this gift comes the obligation to use it for good of all our relations...Mitakuye oyasin...Ho. Hetch etu aloh.

Mother Earth Spirituality, Native American

Entering, I place my blanket on the ground and build a smudge as an offering of smoke for the spirits...in my heart I reach out to them and share my willingness to take on their lessons and carry them forward. 

Many of these spirits are suffering for other people, and they need to find someone to take on this suffering, so they can move on. 

I reach out an embrace this suffering, offering to share the lessons with the people who have no food, those who are desolate in life. I will do this with much love and honour inside myself, and when I am done, I will take these lessons of the spirits with me, and pass it on to those who need to learn these lessons.

On The Red Road

A Star Whisper, by Leonard Crow Dog

I had a vision, it came from the morning star, a star whisper. I heard this voice saying, any understanding you ask from the morning star shall be granted to you, but ask with the sacred things, the drum, the sacred tobacco, the sacred sweet grass, and, above all, with the sacred pipe. 

Our dead sleep not...they tell me what I want to know. I have the power to see through things...I have only limited vision with the eyes I have in my head, but with my spiritual eyes I can see across oceans. 

The pipe is here to unite us, to remove fences people put up against one another...putting up fences is the white man's way. 

He invented the barbed wire of the heart. The pipe s a fence remover...sitting in a circle, smoking it the right way, all barriers disappear...walls crumble.

Leonard Crow Dog  (Kangi Shunka Manitou)

                                                                     

                                                    Leonard Crow Dog               

[Born in 1942, Leonard Crow Dog was spiritual leader of AIM (The American Indian Movement)..he published his family autobiography in 1995, in collaboration with writer Richard Erdoes.]