We often wonder why we must come in contact with some phases of life that seem so unrelated to how we think and plan. It seems we should be able to proceed without stopping all along the way to contend with things that really have little kinship to what we're trying to do.
But no matter how we question and analyze, situations and events continue to present themselves for solving. It takes a great deal of wisdom to know the difference between that which we must do and that which we must refuse serious consideration. This very thin line is the deciding factor in the victory of defeat of any plan.
Like a well-written story, sometimes the smallest incident hidden among our experiences can play a very big part at some later time. It is difficult to know just which parts of the puzzle will fall into place to complete a picture we seek.
We must take one step at a time, being sensibly aware of the thoughts we store in our minds. For "as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is." As long as we dwell on all the unnecessary activities we will never have the time for the important things. If we seek the wisdom of the one Creative Mind we have much less chance of being led astray by the glitter of unimportant things.
"Everything's so simple, and we make everything so complicated. That's why we're confused."
Vickie Downey, TEWA/Tesuque Pueblo
The Creator designed a very simple set of Laws for us to follow. If we follow these simple things, we'll be happy. If we don't follow these simple things, our lives become complicated. For example:
Respect Mother Earth
Love one another
Be truthful
Give to your brother and sisters
Be gentle with each other
Be happy
Following these simple Laws will have great rewards.
Everything in the world cannot be judged by one mistake. When we have fallen short or someone seems to have failed us, we can leave it there where it happened. There is no use in stirring old trouble into every new thing we do. There are things that seem to break our hearts, pain that goes on and on. But we can work through. If we are strong and don't let our hands grow weak and slack, our work will be rewarded. We grieve for the loss of things, or persons, ache for what we cannot do, but there is a day when the sun finally shines. We can make it. Time heals more quickly when we decide to let it. It is written that any man can make a mistake, but none but a fool will continue in it. This is a new day; live it fully.
~ The Great Spirit Chief who rules above all will smile upon this land....and this time the Indian race is waiting and praying. ~
All of us have at sometime questioned our normalcy as human beings. We wonder why we did this or that, why we reacted to something so violently, or why we failed to react at all. An American author, Katherine Fullerton Gerould, has written, "The only glory most of us have to hope for is the glory of being normal." And for all our questionable actions sometimes, normal people must be those who have felt not only the high points but the low points of their emotions.
It is not the fact that people run the gamut of their emotions that make them normal, but that they have had the ability to right themselves before they could impose upon the rights of others.
The persons who never lose their tempers, nor shed tears, nor refuse to respond to other people, but stay day after day in light, shallow experience, have never known what it is to come into the center of the calm so richly appreciated.
All of us have made mistakes in behavior, some in ignorance, but more in bad taste. Perfection belongs to a higher Source. It is ours to strive for, and our mistakes are to use in the growing-up process.
"We must relearn how to cry. A strong man cries; it is the weak man who holds back his tears."
Archie Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA
Indian men and other men should really meditate on this Elder's saying. So many men have been taught it is unmanly to cry, to show emotions or to feel. When people cry, the Elders say there are two types of tears â?? one type will taste salty; the other type will taste sweet. One is caused by pain, and the other is caused by the release from the pain, or joy tears. A strong man knows himself and knows his relationship with the Great Spirit. The release of tears is a spiritual act. Our bodies are designed to cry. We should honor our bodies and use them as the Creator intended.
Great Spirit, Grandfather, today, teach me to cry.
The winner carries with him the quiet knowledge that though he has heard every argument, faced every opponent, felt every criticism, there is no turning back and no accepting defeat. An outraged Crow warrior spoke to those who were withholding foods and goods that belonged to his people, "I am not a chief, but I am a warrior. I see that my chiefs all hang their heads down awaiting some reply from their father (the commanding officer), as they do not know what to do nor say. But I know what to do! Hold up your head when you speak to chiefs and warriors, look them in the eye! Goods were promised here and they will go no further!" And the goods went no further. Even a loss would simply be a delay to this Crow. It is a matter of how deeply we believe in what we are doing. Telling a winner that something won't work - just won't work.
~ Hold up your head when you speak to chiefs and warriors! ~
Don't try to tell me what your enemy looks like. My enemy is lazy, a procrastinator that spends most of the time talking me out of success. My enemy says friends are fickle and true ones are most infrequent. Faith, I'm told, is not enough to carry me over barriers. And I'm not loved so much as others, but that's all right because what good is love?
The day is dreary, my enemy says, and the flowers at my feet will soon wilt. I shouldn't smile at anyone today because they won't smile back at me.
This will be one of those days when everything goes wrong, my enemy tells me, and if I do anything right someone else will get the credit. I should watch the clock and realize how long the day is and how weary I am.
Don't tell me about your enemy, I have one of my own. But the fact that I know my enemy makes all the difference. M enemy lies to me and wants to destroy me. So I'll refuse to give my enemy power this day by giving a special measure of love to my friends and knowing that everything is exactly opposite of what my enemy tells me.
"Come forward and join hands with us in this great work for the Creator."
Traditional Circle of Elders, NORTHERN CHEYENNE
The Elders have spent years learning to pray and communicate with the Great Spirit. Their job is to pass this knowledge to the younger people. The Elders have told us we are now in a great time of Healing. The Creator is guiding the younger people to help them figure this out. We must get involved and participate. We should pray and see what it is the Great Spirit wants us to do. We need to sacrifice our time and do what is our mission â??to help the people and be of maximum use to the Creator. Every person is needed to accomplish this great Healing.
A herd of Jersey cows feeding in the meadow is reason to think wealth. Their milk is rich and they give lots of it. But there alongside of them is a patch of coreopsis - golden flowers by the thousands. They come again every year and bloom profusely even when a stretch of dry weather persists. Wealth includes many different things to fill many different needs. The Cherokees call it, nu we hna v I, and to them the most important wealth is that which feeds the spirit - whether it is a field of coreopsis, a bank of oxeye daises or a clean, flowering creek for good fishing. The cows, the milk, the provision for what we need to live are all important, but the Creator was generous in the necessary things - and then he gave us lots of little extras. The extras may be flowers or moonlight when the whippoorwill calls, or music. But it fills a need almost too deep to explain.
~ I want to roam the prairies. There I am free and happy. ~
There comes a time when we have to turn a firm and deaf ear to those people who have no other intention than to disturb our peace of mind. There comes a time when we have to turn ourselves about in our very tracks and ignore the bitter complaining voice of experience.
There comes a time when we have to get angry with ourselves for allowing bad to become worse when there is Someone bigger than we are who can handle everything.
There comes a time when we have to make a decision and to be so firm that it leaves no doubt in our minds that we know what we must do - and then do it.
There comes a time when we have to hear music and feel peace, or we have no foundation for living.
There comes a time when we must learn to appreciate and be thankful or lose all that matters to us.
There comes a time when we recognize the many faces of God as true blessings and give thanks.
"Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors, ?the dreams of our old men, given them in the solemn hours of night by the Great Spirit; and the visions of our sachems, and is written in the hearts of our people."
Chief Seattle, DWAMISH
Our Spiritual ways have carefully been given to chosen people. Slowly, through our past generations, through past conflicts, our Elders prayed for guidance, which the Creator provided. Then it was passed down to the next generation through culture, ceremony and oral traditions. Our Indian religion has been tested and is about how we should behave and treat other people, animals and the earth. This knowledge is written in the heart of every person. We can find this knowledge by looking inside ourselves.
My Creator, today, when conflict occurs, I will look inside myself for the answers.
Evening walks have a beauty all their own as the sun moves through one phase after another, coloring and shading the fields and woods. Although the air is still wintry at times, the calendar says it is spring - good enough to stir up anticipation. The sunset changes from pale pink touched with gold to lilacs and purples and deep blues. The hills along the horizon have the deepest colors, all shades of Indian, gi ga ge, to match the read earth, the red skin. Above the darkening shadows, clouds like long tresses of silky hair spread out to the evening star. Everything gives way to that last bit of color, the burning embers that fire the distant hills - and then the velvet hour. Silence reigns. A coyote's long, thin wail tells the world that night has fallen.
~ I know every stream and every wood.....like my fathers before me, I lived happily. ~
Life offers us a great deal of stormy weather. In the beginning we are quite strong about it, taking things in stride and moving confidently along. The things that test us seem to give us extra strength we didn't know belonged to us. And quite suddenly there is an awareness that enough is enough. But life doesn't know it, and the storm goes on and so do we.
Even though we are quite willing to give as long as we have to give, there seems to be no more stretch to the strength, either spiritually, mentally, or physically. We question how much longer, how many more times we shall be able to reach into our bag of reserves to borrow another ounce of strength.
Of course, the first thing we must do is take our minds off the thing as we do not want it, and begin to think steadily about how we do want it. It allows our creative minds to find the answers. It may mean we will have to wait a while in the dark, but when the light comes, it is radiant.
There are many things that stay our feet along the way, but faith that this too will pass can make that way serene.
"In our modern world today, we may seem like drowning men because of the loss of much of our spiritual tradition."
Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
Our spiritual tradition shows us the way to live in harmony, balance and respect. The tradition taught us how to behave and how to conduct ourselves. The spiritual way taught us to pray and to purify ourselves. Handed down from generation to generation were the teachings about a way of life. Our relationship to Mother Earth and to each other was very clear. The Modern World does not relate to spirituality but to materialism. If we do not allow spirituality to guide our lives, we will be lost, unhappy and without direction. We are spiritual beings trying to be human, not human beings trying to be spiritual. It is said, Know thyself.
To be convinced that we are not alone in whatever place or situation we find ourselves is to have wisdom - exceptional wisdom. But when that wisdom is there and nothing can shake it, a need to share is strong. Everybody doesn't have the gift because everyone doesn't want it. Some can't even believe that anyone else has it. So, we should never try to convince them. If we are convinced, then, that is sufficient evidence, and other things will add to it as we go along. The Great Spirit speaks to us in sweet languages, so unique we cannot miss the import of what is said. To receive such a gift can change a situation from deep fear to one of total contentment and love.
~ I heard the mockingbird singing in the moonlight. I knew that moment that I would get well. ~
In this day of emphasis on right connections with the right people, in the right places, at the right time, we must have truly extraordinary qualities to become successes on our own.
They who have worked hard and achieved success often carry a double burden by wrongful accusations of being privileged characters. Perhaps some to whom doors automatically open because of right connections seem to be privileged characters, but they, like dictators, have a limited existence.
Having connections may help us on the ladder of life, but it will never keep those rungs steady beneath our feet. Only our own greatness keeps us tall, sun-crowned. We must have something to give, something to offer before we can expect to be truly privileged characters. And then, we will have earned the right to our privileges. We are somewhat like God, blamed for much we don't do and seldom given credit for the good we have done.
Whatever the future, the world still needs citizens like those J.G. Holland wrote about nearly a century ago: "God give us men. The times demand strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and willing hands.....Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog, in public duty and in private thinking!"
"Sacred sites and areas are protection for all people - the four colors for man - and these sites are in all areas of the earth in the four directions."
Traditional Circle of Elders, NORTHERN CHEYENNE
The Elders say that values come from the Mother Earth. Different places and areas around the Earth have different values. The Water people live in harmony and know the values that correspond to that particular part of the Earth. The Desert people know the values of the desert and respect and live in harmony with that part of the Earth. The Woodland people know the values of their part of the Earth and live in harmony. If you live in harmony with the Earth, you will live a life that is full of values. We should have great respect for the Mother Earth.
Grandfather, today, let me learn values from Mother Earth.
Few sounds in nature are harsh. Even the rolling thunder that rumbles across the sky has solemn beauty. The wind makes whistles in the treetops and wild birds warble like rivulets of water that make harps among the shallows. The frenzied crash and blare come from man. The woods comfort with their sounds. A tiny yellow warbler with black wings sits in the redbud tree and makes the sound of an astral flute, a clear call for peace and harmony. If the bird wants a tranquil place - how much more we need it. A wet-weather spring feeds the ground from beneath, giving ferns moisture and life. In the rainy season the water flows and the delicate fronds mingle with the water creating a swishing sound. Surely we can absorb the serenity to heal and soothe our souls.
~ Creator of the world, Maker of all men; Lord of lords, my eyes fail me.....for the sole desire to know thee. ~
Prisoners never love their jails. And the same holds true for all kinds of prisoners, whether they be dogs on leashes or human beings tied to responsibilities. If they are there of their own free will and because they have a sense of belonging, the connecting link is made of love.
Responsible people with an assignment, and the feeling that it is theirs alone, will do it to the best of their ability and see it through. But if they must be watched and directed in every step, then it is a jail and the first thought is how to get out.
Freedom to be an individual with the right to make even small decisions is a precious possession. Freedom to come and go can build faith and trust within people, to make them stick closer than brothers. The rigid rules and constant prodding of a free spirit will force them to find that freedom.
We simply cannot keep another in bondage without being in bondage ourselves. To hold humanity by invisible force is to keep constant watch. And even beneath that watchful eye there will be a continual search for escape.
Anyone completely dependent upon others must always bear their will-O-the-wisp attitudes and the rising and lowering of the emotional tides. However, it is presumptuous of anyone to believe they can possibly be completely independent of others. Without other people, we cannot exist.
But to believe we are doing our best for anyone except ourselves is to build on sand. Of course others inspire us. They give us reasons to be better. They give us the benefit of their experience, but we seldom learn from that. We demand experience of our own. So consequently, we err and make it right. We mar and erase. And sometimes we try and fail, but always it is up to us to decide whether we do better or worse.
We can despair easily if allowed to become completely and utterly dependent upon others. They are human and they make mistakes. But we must know some measure of forgiveness the same as we must know some independence, if only in the spirit. And if the spirit is free, then all else shall be too.
"If anyone has children, they better teach their children to follow the traditions that we're leaving behind because it is later than we think with all that's going on."
Juanita Centeno, CHUMASH
The habits, attitudes and beliefs that carry the human through the trials of life are developed at a very young age. If we are taught respect at a very young age, the odds are we'll be respectful through our whole lives. If we are taught to dance at a young age, we'll dance our whole lives. If we are taught to sing the traditional songs while we are young, we'll sing those songs through out whole lives. And weho do we drum and sing songs to? Our children. This is how we keep it going.
Great Spirit, today, teach me to teach the children.
Innocent people tend to fall in line behind a person with the magical quality of arousing devotion - even when they do not see the ultimate destination. They simply follow. Their glee is being in a parade makes it seem to bystanders that they are left out if they do not follow too. As painful as it is to admit it, this is the vanguard of massive ignorance. Know what the parade is all about. How sad if we thought we were in the line to get freedom and discovered we were in the slavery line. We have to think for ourselves, as words deceive us unless we know what they mean. Our enemy is not always flesh and blood, but a da lo nu he di, which means deceit in Cherokee, and trouble in any language. Make it a point of knowing what and who can be trusted. There are many sources but only one Great Spirit.
~ Too many have strayed from the path shown to us by the Great Spirit. ~
How much voice do we really have in our own affairs? How free are we to speak out on the things we know and believe and want to say? How much voice to we have in public affairs?
How much goes unsaid because it may be bad for business, or it might make us look foolish? How often we should speak up but think it is none of our business. How quiet we are when someone's unethical hand does wrong.
What is it that inhibits us? Our own fears. Fears of our own ignorance, fear of losing, fear of the bugaboos we know lurk somewhere, but just aren't sure where.
Who are the people who are free of fears? They are the individuals who govern themselves in such a manner as to have thought out their own ideas enough to be able to speak freely for themselves.
Ethics would seem to be something to ignore if you wish to be successful in business. Many people strive harder today than at any other time to divide their lives so that being seen in church is good taste, and being unethical in business proves they are shrewd. Being successful isn't nearly as important as proving that they've gotten that way by the clever undoing of their opposition.
There was a time when building a better mouse trap by the most efficient methods gave us satisfaction, but too often these days we are impressed because someone is smart. Not smart with intelligence, but smart with the cunning that goes along with the jungle code of getting before someone gets you.
The person who tries to get ahead by ethical methods, and by wanting only to provide something better than is already in existence, must also be equipped to withstand ridicule.
Frankly, the race of the tortoise and the hare is still on, and while the hare is tearing around showing off its ability to be a fast runner, the tortoise is making progress, and never losing its way.
Socrates, being asked the way to honest fame, said, "Study to be what you wish to seem." Success takes time and moral discipline, but our successes will be as human beings first, and then the crown of success in business will sit easily and firmly.
"Tell the people not to cry. Tell them to be happy."
John Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA (told to his son, Archie, as he died)
Our Elders know about the two Worlds, the Physical World and the Spiritual World. Many times, before we pass to the Spirit World, our relatives, who have gone there before us, will come for us and they will help us. The Spirit World, the Elders say, is a good, happy and harmonious place. When we die, it means we have only entered another world. We will all see one another again.
Great Spirit, allow me to understand both the Spirit World and the Physical World. Today, let me be happy.
Nothing ever remains quite the same - but a time comes when we have to follow new guidelines and think new thoughts and do new things. It does not take a superhuman, but it does take a believer - a worker with ears to hear and eyes to see - not just the physical but the spiritual. We cannot take for granted that any other human can have accurate perception and spell things out for us. The miracles are not all in other heads, other hands, other methods. There must be a burst of inner fire that sparks a miracle, that opens a door to a greater life, a greater calm. We are never so blind as when we close ourselves off by our critical views, our hardened hearts, our failure to perceive the greatness of gentle things. O friend, look away from lack and need and pain. Alter your vision and it will alter life.
~ O, great blue sky; see me roaming here. I trust in you, protect me! ~
The setting of the sun on an old year is a kind of summing up time. What have you accomplished? What were your goals? Will they be higher in the new year?
Whatever your personal plans and whatever the reasons back of them, there are common everyday kinds of people that should be kept in view. They have positive outlooks, and are best recognized when sincerely listening to a child's words.
You will see them when they steady the elderly, you will know them by their kindnesses. You will not often hear their prayers as they are for their God. But you will know they are to be depended upon and that they will not tire of these things, for it is their natural role.
Think about these people when you set your plans. They are good to remember. Your success or failure depends upon these people being you.
"The old Lakota was wise. He knew that man's heart away from nature becomes hard; he knew the lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to a lack of respect for humans too. So he kept his youth close to its softening influence."
Luther Standing Bear, OGLALA SIOUX
When we live in nature it's like constantly being in school. We are in an environment that is always teaching. We are constantly being reminded hat there are laws, Natural Laws, which are running the universe. Once we know these laws and we drift from them, we start to live our lives in a different way. Soon we become discontent, selfish and disrespectful. Then, we get in trouble. If our lives have become this way, it can be reversed by going back to nature to be among our teachers.
Be strong, be of good courage - so much we worry about will never happen. Put things in order, change what needs to be changed, but begin at once to count the wi Tsa to li gi, the blessings that the Cherokee knows must be told again so we will not forget. Forget the past by which so much of life is marked. Painful things happen - and we take a little of all of it with us. This is a new day, iga, a new time to be renewed. The more we let yesterdays unhappiness slide away, the sooner we come into the fullness of the present. Sorrow will fade. The new hour will bring new experiences, new jobs to do, and even a few negatives may line up to be counted. Don't do it. We can begin at once to call for what we want. We will coax all the sweetness out of every hour and it will sing for us like a bird.
A new galaxy of shining promises made to oneself are resolutions made with the utmost faith that self is listening and will carry out the plans.
But self is as unpredictable as a child playing in the street; it may dart in any direction, according to the mood and to whatever catches its attention. At the first signs of a challenge, self may race back and lean hard upon the old ways of doing things, no matter how wrong it might be. Resolutions do very little to change a way of living. They are easily made and easily forgotten. There may be a sincere desire to keep a resolution, but if self has not changed inwardly, little can depend on the outward change.
It is said that we promise according to our hopes and perform according to our selfishness. Failure to keep our promises to others is a disappointment, but failure within oneself is disaster.
A little performance is worth a host of promises on any day that starts a new year.
"People think other things are more important than prayer, but they are mistaken."
Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
An Elder once said the most important thing you can do in the course of a day is to pray. If we get up late or oversleep, which is more important? Rush to work without praying or pray first and then go to work? The Elders say it's more important to pray. If we get angry, should we act on our anger or should we pray first? The Elders say it's more important to pray first. If, during the day, we face indecision, what should we do? PRAY. If, during the day, we become irritated or we experience fear, what should we do first? PRAY. The Warrior who prays first will lead a different life from those who pray last.
It seems to me that the rulers of the Cherokees have sufficient intelligence to see the utter imbecility of placing any further reliance upon the Supreme Court....
Governor Wilson Lumpkin Georgia, 1831
April 1 - Daily Feast
In ages past, our old ones were the storytellers. This was the way things were passed along to the generations that followed. For this reason the aged people made it a point to remember every detail so they could relate it at a later time. They were the word and picture carriers making history and spiritual values alive and important. In recent times we have made our old ones think they are not so important. We spoof their stories and make them feel foolish. The truth is that we are ignorant of what is precious and how to a da li he li tse di - appreciate age. Rigidity can creep in and set even the young mind if there are no soft memories, no laughter, no times too deep for tears. Age is grace - a time too valuable to waste.
~ We can get over being poor, but it takes longer to get over being ignorant. ~
It is always amazing to hear someone scoff at the serious things. Perhaps they only scoff because they can't recognize anything really serious outside their own personal problems....Or maybe they are just afraid to acknowledge anything they don't understand.
Whatever it is that keeps people thinking in such a limited area adds to the residue of dullness in their minds. And until they can mature enough to believe in something worthwhile, they continue to add layer after layer of residue to the mind.
It is not surprising that some people believe themselves in possession of all knowledge to the point that they feel free to ridicule those who are still in the process of thinking things out. We can never truly judge another's reasoning. We can only see the results and with time it may be the person will break through that accumulation to wisdom and kindness that is so necessary in tolerating others' opinions and beliefs. Then will the residue diminish and there will be a renewal of the spirit.
"With children we always have to think about seven generations to come but yet unborn."
Janice Sundown Hattet, SENECA
What we do today will effect the children seven generations form now. How we treat the Mother Earth will affect the children yet to be born. If we poison the water today, our children's children will be affected by the decision we made. Our children are the gateway to the future. Let us conscientiously think about the children and the seven generations to come.
My Creator, I thank you for my ancestors, seven generations ago.
What we know in our heads is not always workable until we get it down in our hearts. The heart is the very core of us - the spirit, the vital u li s go li yv. Some call it the subconscious, the file room of our experiences and beliefs - the substance of who we are. Sometimes we file things in this inner-storage that are not to our benefit - fear for the most part. And fear is the subtle destroyer of the human spirit. But there are other things there as well, some of it information we neither remember nor even know we have recorded. Like old files, it needs to be cleaned out. But how can we clean out what we do not know we have? By self-monitoring, by plumbing the depths in writing, drawing out our own thought the way we prime an old pump to draw up water. It takes honesty spiked with a good sense of humor. Getting to know oneself is worth the effort.
~ Again....I recall the great vision you sent me. It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives. ~
Frequently quoted American editor and author Christian Nestell Bovee wrote that sensitiveness is closely allied to egotism - indeed excessive sensitivity is only another name for morbid self-consciousness.
He wrote that the cure for it was to make more of our objectives and less of ourselves. And it isn't easy to make less of ourselves.
Everyone at some time has felt extreme sensitivity toward people and surroundings. It is a sensitiveness that does not always have a good effect - seemingly for no reason at all we exercise no control over the emotions. It can be frightening to realize that we are quite as capable of destroying as we are, at other times, of building.
It is written in the essays of Aristotle that there are right things to say and a right way of saying them; and the same is true of listening. So often we make a casual remark, not mean to be tactless, but somehow it turns out that way. When there is a desire to appear witty, or clever, at someone else's expense, there should be no pride in the results.
And when we listen to someone's casual remark and take offense, we must examine our own thoughts. If we allow our minds to run in channels of vulgarity and mockery, then we can also expect to interpret others' words to mean the same things.
We can so easily read the wrong things into others' conversations, and in our own efforts to express ourselves say such foolish things that we lose the priceless gifts of relaxation and fun of conversing with other people. And for these reasons we must cultivate the art of speaking and listening with the warmest heart - which harbors nothing that is not right.
It is a good idea in the most sensitive times to recognize them for what they are and to make a pact within one's self to by pass this time for serious thought and decision making. This, above all, should be a time for relaxing against the wind of oversensitivity. To resist it only strengthens it, and to look at it clearly and coolly will take away its mystery and its heat.
It is well to remember that the too-sensitive person is not the true self, but the one with the marvelous mental attitude most certainly is - wait for that person!
"We know that in all creation, Only the human family Has strayed from the Sacred Way."
OJIBWAY Prayer
How have we gotten so far off track? What has happened to us? What is happening to our family? How did it happen so quickly? Every individual needs to answer these questions for themselves. What do we need to do to start living the Sacred Way again? Pray! Today I will start praying. I pray the Creator will lead all Native People to a great healing. I pray we'll be free from alcohol and drugs. I pray we will return to the culture, to spirituality and to unity.
My Mother, help us to heal ourselves. Make us strong again.
Why must we judge ourselves by what someone else is saying? They only think. Is it possible to fit our lives into the narrow confines of theirs? Let us search our souls. We have spiritual connections uniquely our own - deeper in many ways than those of people who want us to be like they are. But there is no way we can be like another person. We can only be better people in our own way. We know right from wrong, regardless of how the world-at-large has tried to condition us. Nothing can keep us from hearing our own voices of common sense - nothing, that is, but the noise and clamor of outside voice. And yes, maybe some are inside. But they have no good purpose; they mean to destroy. We need not dally with trouble. We can refuse to be a part of anything that was not a gift of Galun lati - the Great Spirit.
~ To fight is to forget ourselves as Indians in the world. ~
Remember all those times when you made three trips to the other room to get something, and before you got there you had already forgotten what it was? Didn't the thought of age dimming your member enter your mind at those times?
There's really no need to waste time thinking that deep. It is not the case of a scattered memory, but a skittery mind, jumping from one subject to another with only circumstances to remind you.
And haven't you awakened sharply in the middle of the night because suddenly you remembered something you should have done, or something you must do? Age again? No, it was the only time your subconscious mind ever found you quiet enough to remind you of something you wanted to remember.
Life would be so much more orderly if we took several minutes night and morning to sit completely away from outside sights and sounds to recall the important things. As long as we are able to see and hear the activity about us we have difficulty thinking soundly. The conscious mind is capable of carrying just so much, and then the debris must be cleared away before the "filed away" things in the subconscious can be remembered.
"You can pray for whatever you want, but it is always best to pray for others, not for yourself."
John Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA
When you are selfish and you pray, you are requesting things to flow only to you. When you are selfless, you are praying for things to flow to others. The old ones say this is the highest form of prayer. Praying this way is according to the Natural Laws.
Great Spirit, today, let my thoughts be about others.
Our choices have brought us to this place. Other people affected us to some degree, but never so much as what we chose to do and how we choose to react. We are at the point the Cherokees call the hour of tsu du go at nv, the place where we decide who is to sit at the forefront of our lives to guide the way. The hardest part is to stop thinking dilemma and start thinking and talking solutions. There is no room in problem solving for self-pity, not even revenge. Past events may have been wrong, but now we have to see it as change, not always our doing, but we have to handle it anyway. It is here that we decide to be happy, to be examples so that younger ones will want to follow. It is a worthy thing to be a good example. We may never know who will be watching.
~ Convince the world by your character that Indians are not as they have been shown. ~
It doesn't seem that a simple thing like going fishing could have such excellent results when the world suddenly seems too much. It is a very difficult thing to worry when your mind is fixed intently on a little red and white plastic float bobbing in the water.
Just taking one's mind off the general routine of living for even a short time is like a much needed and appreciated vacation. We seldom recognize the need for getting away from the monotony of following each day with another day exactly like it. We lose the value of the hours and minutes and lump them all together and plod along expecting miracles to come someday and save us.
The effort we have to give is in releasing the problem and concentrating on something beautifully simple and uncomplicated. Living doesn't seem so ominous when we can go fishing for a little peace and quiet, and sidetrack the things that weigh so heavily on our minds.
Good health is such a blessing. We don't all realize how much we aid or harm our own health. In fact, we give much more thought to being careful not to get wet than being careful not to get angry. And it is said that anger can lower resistance to colds much quicker than getting wet.
It is a proven fact that to feel love builds a resistance to illnesses while resentment and hate can destroy both mind and body.
Longfellow once wrote that joy, temperance, and repose would slam the door on the doctor's nose. There's no doubt but that most doctor's noses are safe. But they, too, would be glad if more patients would exercise their abilities to lift themselves out of much of their ill health by knowing some measure of joy rather than self pity, some healthy thoughts and less thought of self.
We lower our resistance to ill health in many ways, but none works against us as surely as worry, anxiety, and care, plus our inability to recognize the fact that we are our own greatest enemy.
"As we plunge ahead to build empires and race for supremacy we should stop and listen to [the female] song of life. For without the female there is no life."
Women are created with the ability to produce life. Women have a special tie to the Earth Mother. They have something in common. They are the source of life. The Earth Mother gives songs to the Woman to sing. These songs are about life, about beauty, about children, about love, about family, about strength, about caring, about nurturing, about forgiveness, about God. The World needs to pay attention and listen to Her. She knows.
Power of some kind affects everything we do. But this power is not political or electronic so that one little glitch can wipe it out in seconds. The real power is what the Cherokee calls adadolisdi - which is prayer. Quicker than lightning, it if is handled the right way it can do anything. Born of spirit, this power is dynamite. It does not rely on outside currents of energy to keep it going, but thrives on self-generated faith that is properly fed and well-kept. We have no idea how dynamic this inner power is until we begin to rely totally on things and people outside ourselves. It is then that we feel the lack of joy needed to connect us to powerful adadolisdi, the language of love and worship. We can overcome the impossible with fire and nettle. We can grow in stamina with every breath - when we learn to use the power that is within us.
~ We may quarrel with men about things on earth, but we never quarrel about the Great Spirit. ~
Surely there is nothing so peaceful to the eye as the quiet, soft-hued hills resting in the autumn sun. We think if we could only get to those hills we could walk in the warmth of that sunlight and feel that peace in every nerve and muscle.
But so frequently we are unable to follow our wills. We are forced to sit where we are. And the very thought of being bound to this spot sometimes makes us restless, perhaps beyond reason. It creates a feeling of panic, that life will never be peaceful.
And then we look up into the limitless sky and see the depths and immensity of the universe, and we know that nothing binds us. That is, unless we want to be bound.
If we were to go to those hills, there would be others in the distance that would look as inviting. To hunt for peace outside ourselves is to ever be in search, and so to be bound again. But to loose that infinitely beautiful truth that peace is never there or there - but here, within me.
Most of us are lovers of familiar things. We love the routine of living, the security of knowing what is going to happen at a certain hour on a certain day. We love the knowledge that we will continue to love others even though we may not like what they are doing at the moment. We find great peace in knowing others will continue to love us even when we've been foolish.
The exciting and livable life is not always one of being on the go, being in entertaining places. The real life of life is not spangles that glitter and one continual round of gaiety.
Life is contentment, living in depth with a genuine love for work seasoned with recreation and freedom to worship where we choose and to pursue our talents as we please.
English author Samuel Johnson tells us that the fountain of content must spring up in the mind; and they who have so little knowledge of human nature as to see happiness by changing anything but their own dispositions will waste their lives in fruitless efforts.
"Be good, be kind, help each other." "Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."
"Everybody should pray together, cheer along, root along. That brings the circle together. Everything is together."
Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
Life on the Earth can sometimes be very complicated. Sometimes we think we are alone in our problems. Sometime we even withdraw. Then the problems become even more difficult. We need to watch out for one another, to care for one another, to pray together, to encourage one another; and we need to support one another. Behaving in this manner will bring the circle together.
Great Spirit, today, let me support my brothers and sisters.
These are times when it pays to take a second look - to really pay attention to those things that cross our paths. We may have already missed a wonderful experience by hasty judgment. When quick judgments are made from a limited point of view, the good qualities of anything are hidden. It is essential to look beyond first impressions if we are ever to find a rare jewel. Even Galun lati is helpless to send us blessing if we are dull of spirit and incapacitated by our own smart minds. In our "expert" attitudes, we sometimes allow the very things that would make us peaceful and happy pass by without lifting a hand. Wisdom is being able to see quality in the rough - and then being gentle and patient enough to shape it to perfection.
~ How can we trust you? When Jesus Christ came on earth, you killed him and nailed him to a cross. ~
We all develop our own ways of centering our lives on something. In our minds we each have a design of what we think we are capable of being. If we want to be what we think we are capable of being, then we must hold our design firmly in our minds until it is secured as the focal point.
Each life must have that focal point, that center of interest where all phases of life come together. A focal point gives strength and meaning to the smallest details of everyday living.
Dimension and depth belong to the life that is centered. Though it may take many forms we must always have a "home" to return to, knowing that here are the roots, the things that really matter.
There must be a blending of our lives with others. But to be happy with one's self, that focal point must be steady and true before we can feel contented that "all's right with the world"
"Women. They have the power of generations. Women have the power to have children and not to have children."
Cecilia Mitchell, MOHAWK
The Woman is not only the key to life; she is also the key to future generations. An Elder once joked that the Woman only needs the man for one night. We need to look at and respect the power of the Woman. She is special and we need to treat her that way.
Great Spirit, today, let me show the greatest respect to our Women.
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
We often wonder why we must come in contact with some phases of life that seem so unrelated to how we think and plan. It seems we should be able to proceed without stopping all along the way to contend with things that really have little kinship to what we're trying to do.
But no matter how we question and analyze, situations and events continue to present themselves for solving. It takes a great deal of wisdom to know the difference between that which we must do and that which we must refuse serious consideration. This very thin line is the deciding factor in the victory of defeat of any plan.
Like a well-written story, sometimes the smallest incident hidden among our experiences can play a very big part at some later time. It is difficult to know just which parts of the puzzle will fall into place to complete a picture we seek.
We must take one step at a time, being sensibly aware of the thoughts we store in our minds. For "as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is." As long as we dwell on all the unnecessary activities we will never have the time for the important things. If we seek the wisdom of the one Creative Mind we have much less chance of being led astray by the glitter of unimportant things.
Mar 22, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 22
"Everything's so simple, and we make everything so complicated. That's why we're confused."
Vickie Downey, TEWA/Tesuque Pueblo
The Creator designed a very simple set of Laws for us to follow. If we follow these simple things, we'll be happy. If we don't follow these simple things, our lives become complicated. For example:
Respect Mother Earth
Love one another
Be truthful
Give to your brother and sisters
Be gentle with each other
Be happy
Following these simple Laws will have great rewards.
Great Spirit, let me lead a simple life.
Mar 22, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 22 - Daily Feast
Everything in the world cannot be judged by one mistake. When we have fallen short or someone seems to have failed us, we can leave it there where it happened. There is no use in stirring old trouble into every new thing we do. There are things that seem to break our hearts, pain that goes on and on. But we can work through. If we are strong and don't let our hands grow weak and slack, our work will be rewarded. We grieve for the loss of things, or persons, ache for what we cannot do, but there is a day when the sun finally shines. We can make it. Time heals more quickly when we decide to let it. It is written that any man can make a mistake, but none but a fool will continue in it. This is a new day; live it fully.
~ The Great Spirit Chief who rules above all will smile upon this land....and this time the Indian race is waiting and praying. ~
CHIEF JOSEPH
Mar 22, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
All of us have at sometime questioned our normalcy as human beings. We wonder why we did this or that, why we reacted to something so violently, or why we failed to react at all. An American author, Katherine Fullerton Gerould, has written, "The only glory most of us have to hope for is the glory of being normal." And for all our questionable actions sometimes, normal people must be those who have felt not only the high points but the low points of their emotions.
It is not the fact that people run the gamut of their emotions that make them normal, but that they have had the ability to right themselves before they could impose upon the rights of others.
The persons who never lose their tempers, nor shed tears, nor refuse to respond to other people, but stay day after day in light, shallow experience, have never known what it is to come into the center of the calm so richly appreciated.
All of us have made mistakes in behavior, some in ignorance, but more in bad taste. Perfection belongs to a higher Source. It is ours to strive for, and our mistakes are to use in the growing-up process.
Mar 23, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 23
"We must relearn how to cry. A strong man cries; it is the weak man who holds back his tears."
Archie Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA
Indian men and other men should really meditate on this Elder's saying.
So many men have been taught it is unmanly to cry, to show emotions or to feel. When people cry, the Elders say there are two types of tears â?? one type will taste salty; the other type will taste sweet. One is caused by pain, and the other is caused by the release from the pain, or joy tears. A strong man knows himself and knows his relationship with the Great Spirit. The release of tears is a spiritual act. Our bodies are designed to cry. We should honor our bodies and use them as the Creator intended.
Great Spirit, Grandfather, today, teach me to cry.
Mar 23, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 23 - Daily Feast
The winner carries with him the quiet knowledge that though he has heard every argument, faced every opponent, felt every criticism, there is no turning back and no accepting defeat. An outraged Crow warrior spoke to those who were withholding foods and goods that belonged to his people, "I am not a chief, but I am a warrior. I see that my chiefs all hang their heads down awaiting some reply from their father (the commanding officer), as they do not know what to do nor say. But I know what to do! Hold up your head when you speak to chiefs and warriors, look them in the eye! Goods were promised here and they will go no further!" And the goods went no further. Even a loss would simply be a delay to this Crow. It is a matter of how deeply we believe in what we are doing. Telling a winner that something won't work - just won't work.
~ Hold up your head when you speak to chiefs and warriors! ~
CROW WARRIOR
Mar 23, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Don't try to tell me what your enemy looks like. My enemy is lazy, a procrastinator that spends most of the time talking me out of success. My enemy says friends are fickle and true ones are most infrequent. Faith, I'm told, is not enough to carry me over barriers. And I'm not loved so much as others, but that's all right because what good is love?
The day is dreary, my enemy says, and the flowers at my feet will soon wilt. I shouldn't smile at anyone today because they won't smile back at me.
This will be one of those days when everything goes wrong, my enemy tells me, and if I do anything right someone else will get the credit. I should watch the clock and realize how long the day is and how weary I am.
Don't tell me about your enemy, I have one of my own. But the fact that I know my enemy makes all the difference. M enemy lies to me and wants to destroy me. So I'll refuse to give my enemy power this day by giving a special measure of love to my friends and knowing that everything is exactly opposite of what my enemy tells me.
Mar 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 25
"Come forward and join hands with us in this great work for the Creator."
Traditional Circle of Elders, NORTHERN CHEYENNE
The Elders have spent years learning to pray and communicate with the Great Spirit. Their job is to pass this knowledge to the younger people. The Elders have told us we are now in a great time of Healing. The Creator is guiding the younger people to help them figure this out. We must get involved and participate. We should pray and see what it is the Great Spirit wants us to do. We need to sacrifice our time and do what is our mission â??to help the people and be of maximum use to the Creator. Every person is needed to accomplish this great Healing.
Creator, whisper what you want me to do.
Mar 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 25 - Daily Feast
A herd of Jersey cows feeding in the meadow is reason to think wealth. Their milk is rich and they give lots of it. But there alongside of them is a patch of coreopsis - golden flowers by the thousands. They come again every year and bloom profusely even when a stretch of dry weather persists. Wealth includes many different things to fill many different needs. The Cherokees call it, nu we hna v I, and to them the most important wealth is that which feeds the spirit - whether it is a field of coreopsis, a bank of oxeye daises or a clean, flowering creek for good fishing. The cows, the milk, the provision for what we need to live are all important, but the Creator was generous in the necessary things - and then he gave us lots of little extras. The extras may be flowers or moonlight when the whippoorwill calls, or music. But it fills a need almost too deep to explain.
~ I want to roam the prairies. There I am free and happy. ~
SANTANA
Mar 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
There comes a time when we have to turn a firm and deaf ear to those people who have no other intention than to disturb our peace of mind. There comes a time when we have to turn ourselves about in our very tracks and ignore the bitter complaining voice of experience.
There comes a time when we have to get angry with ourselves for allowing bad to become worse when there is Someone bigger than we are who can handle everything.
There comes a time when we have to make a decision and to be so firm that it leaves no doubt in our minds that we know what we must do - and then do it.
There comes a time when we have to hear music and feel peace, or we have no foundation for living.
There comes a time when we must learn to appreciate and be thankful or lose all that matters to us.
There comes a time when we recognize the many faces of God as true blessings and give thanks.
Mar 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 24
"Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors, ?the dreams of our old men, given them in the solemn hours of night by the Great Spirit; and the visions of our sachems, and is written in the hearts of our people."
Chief Seattle, DWAMISH
Our Spiritual ways have carefully been given to chosen people. Slowly, through our past generations, through past conflicts, our Elders prayed for guidance, which the Creator provided. Then it was passed down to the next generation through culture, ceremony and oral traditions. Our Indian religion has been tested and is about how we should behave and treat other people, animals and the earth. This knowledge is written in the heart of every person. We can find this knowledge by looking inside ourselves.
My Creator, today, when conflict occurs, I will look inside myself for the answers.
Mar 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 24 - Daily Feast
Evening walks have a beauty all their own as the sun moves through one phase after another, coloring and shading the fields and woods. Although the air is still wintry at times, the calendar says it is spring - good enough to stir up anticipation. The sunset changes from pale pink touched with gold to lilacs and purples and deep blues. The hills along the horizon have the deepest colors, all shades of Indian, gi ga ge, to match the read earth, the red skin. Above the darkening shadows, clouds like long tresses of silky hair spread out to the evening star. Everything gives way to that last bit of color, the burning embers that fire the distant hills - and then the velvet hour. Silence reigns. A coyote's long, thin wail tells the world that night has fallen.
~ I know every stream and every wood.....like my fathers before me, I lived happily. ~
TEN BEARS
Mar 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Life offers us a great deal of stormy weather. In the beginning we are quite strong about it, taking things in stride and moving confidently along. The things that test us seem to give us extra strength we didn't know belonged to us. And quite suddenly there is an awareness that enough is enough. But life doesn't know it, and the storm goes on and so do we.
Even though we are quite willing to give as long as we have to give, there seems to be no more stretch to the strength, either spiritually, mentally, or physically. We question how much longer, how many more times we shall be able to reach into our bag of reserves to borrow another ounce of strength.
Of course, the first thing we must do is take our minds off the thing as we do not want it, and begin to think steadily about how we do want it. It allows our creative minds to find the answers. It may mean we will have to wait a while in the dark, but when the light comes, it is radiant.
There are many things that stay our feet along the way, but faith that this too will pass can make that way serene.
Mar 26, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 26
"In our modern world today, we may seem like drowning men because of the loss of much of our spiritual tradition."
Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
Our spiritual tradition shows us the way to live in harmony, balance and respect. The tradition taught us how to behave and how to conduct ourselves. The spiritual way taught us to pray and to purify ourselves. Handed down from generation to generation were the teachings about a way of life. Our relationship to Mother Earth and to each other was very clear. The Modern World does not relate to spirituality but to materialism. If we do not allow spirituality to guide our lives, we will be lost, unhappy and without direction. We are spiritual beings trying to be human, not human beings trying to be spiritual. It is said, Know thyself.
Grandfather, lead me to spirituality.
Mar 26, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 26 - Daily Feast
To be convinced that we are not alone in whatever place or situation we find ourselves is to have wisdom - exceptional wisdom. But when that wisdom is there and nothing can shake it, a need to share is strong. Everybody doesn't have the gift because everyone doesn't want it. Some can't even believe that anyone else has it. So, we should never try to convince them. If we are convinced, then, that is sufficient evidence, and other things will add to it as we go along. The Great Spirit speaks to us in sweet languages, so unique we cannot miss the import of what is said. To receive such a gift can change a situation from deep fear to one of total contentment and love.
~ I heard the mockingbird singing in the moonlight. I knew that moment that I would get well. ~
LONE WOLF
Mar 26, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Mar 27, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Mar 27, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Mar 27, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
In this day of emphasis on right connections with the right people, in the right places, at the right time, we must have truly extraordinary qualities to become successes on our own.
They who have worked hard and achieved success often carry a double burden by wrongful accusations of being privileged characters. Perhaps some to whom doors automatically open because of right connections seem to be privileged characters, but they, like dictators, have a limited existence.
Having connections may help us on the ladder of life, but it will never keep those rungs steady beneath our feet. Only our own greatness keeps us tall, sun-crowned. We must have something to give, something to offer before we can expect to be truly privileged characters. And then, we will have earned the right to our privileges. We are somewhat like God, blamed for much we don't do and seldom given credit for the good we have done.
Whatever the future, the world still needs citizens like those J.G. Holland wrote about nearly a century ago: "God give us men. The times demand strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and willing hands.....Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog, in public duty and in private thinking!"
Mar 28, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 28
"Sacred sites and areas are protection for all people - the four colors for man - and these sites are in all areas of the earth in the four directions."
Traditional Circle of Elders, NORTHERN CHEYENNE
The Elders say that values come from the Mother Earth. Different places and areas around the Earth have different values. The Water people live in harmony and know the values that correspond to that particular part of the Earth. The Desert people know the values of the desert and respect and live in harmony with that part of the Earth. The Woodland people know the values of their part of the Earth and live in harmony. If you live in harmony with the Earth, you will live a life that is full of values. We should have great respect for the Mother Earth.
Grandfather, today, let me learn values from Mother Earth.
Mar 28, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 28 - Daily Feast
Few sounds in nature are harsh. Even the rolling thunder that rumbles across the sky has solemn beauty. The wind makes whistles in the treetops and wild birds warble like rivulets of water that make harps among the shallows. The frenzied crash and blare come from man. The woods comfort with their sounds. A tiny yellow warbler with black wings sits in the redbud tree and makes the sound of an astral flute, a clear call for peace and harmony. If the bird wants a tranquil place - how much more we need it. A wet-weather spring feeds the ground from beneath, giving ferns moisture and life. In the rainy season the water flows and the delicate fronds mingle with the water creating a swishing sound. Surely we can absorb the serenity to heal and soothe our souls.
~ Creator of the world, Maker of all men; Lord of lords, my eyes fail me.....for the sole desire to know thee. ~
INCA HYMN
Mar 28, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Prisoners never love their jails. And the same holds true for all kinds of prisoners, whether they be dogs on leashes or human beings tied to responsibilities. If they are there of their own free will and because they have a sense of belonging, the connecting link is made of love.
Responsible people with an assignment, and the feeling that it is theirs alone, will do it to the best of their ability and see it through. But if they must be watched and directed in every step, then it is a jail and the first thought is how to get out.
Freedom to be an individual with the right to make even small decisions is a precious possession. Freedom to come and go can build faith and trust within people, to make them stick closer than brothers. The rigid rules and constant prodding of a free spirit will force them to find that freedom.
We simply cannot keep another in bondage without being in bondage ourselves. To hold humanity by invisible force is to keep constant watch. And even beneath that watchful eye there will be a continual search for escape.
Anyone completely dependent upon others must always bear their will-O-the-wisp attitudes and the rising and lowering of the emotional tides. However, it is presumptuous of anyone to believe they can possibly be completely independent of others. Without other people, we cannot exist.
But to believe we are doing our best for anyone except ourselves is to build on sand. Of course others inspire us. They give us reasons to be better. They give us the benefit of their experience, but we seldom learn from that. We demand experience of our own. So consequently, we err and make it right. We mar and erase. And sometimes we try and fail, but always it is up to us to decide whether we do better or worse.
We can despair easily if allowed to become completely and utterly dependent upon others. They are human and they make mistakes. But we must know some measure of forgiveness the same as we must know some independence, if only in the spirit. And if the spirit is free, then all else shall be too.
Mar 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 30
"If anyone has children, they better teach their children to follow the traditions that we're leaving behind because it is later than we think with all that's going on."
Juanita Centeno, CHUMASH
The habits, attitudes and beliefs that carry the human through the trials of life are developed at a very young age. If we are taught respect at a very young age, the odds are we'll be respectful through our whole lives. If we are taught to dance at a young age, we'll dance our whole lives. If we are taught to sing the traditional songs while we are young, we'll sing those songs through out whole lives. And weho do we drum and sing songs to? Our children. This is how we keep it going.
Great Spirit, today, teach me to teach the children.
Mar 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 30 - Daily Feast
Innocent people tend to fall in line behind a person with the magical quality of arousing devotion - even when they do not see the ultimate destination. They simply follow. Their glee is being in a parade makes it seem to bystanders that they are left out if they do not follow too. As painful as it is to admit it, this is the vanguard of massive ignorance. Know what the parade is all about. How sad if we thought we were in the line to get freedom and discovered we were in the slavery line. We have to think for ourselves, as words deceive us unless we know what they mean. Our enemy is not always flesh and blood, but a da lo nu he di, which means deceit in Cherokee, and trouble in any language. Make it a point of knowing what and who can be trusted. There are many sources but only one Great Spirit.
~ Too many have strayed from the path shown to us by the Great Spirit. ~
SEQUICHIE GRANDFATHER
Mar 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
How much voice do we really have in our own affairs? How free are we to speak out on the things we know and believe and want to say? How much voice to we have in public affairs?
How much goes unsaid because it may be bad for business, or it might make us look foolish? How often we should speak up but think it is none of our business. How quiet we are when someone's unethical hand does wrong.
What is it that inhibits us? Our own fears. Fears of our own ignorance, fear of losing, fear of the bugaboos we know lurk somewhere, but just aren't sure where.
Who are the people who are free of fears? They are the individuals who govern themselves in such a manner as to have thought out their own ideas enough to be able to speak freely for themselves.
Ethics would seem to be something to ignore if you wish to be successful in business. Many people strive harder today than at any other time to divide their lives so that being seen in church is good taste, and being unethical in business proves they are shrewd. Being successful isn't nearly as important as proving that they've gotten that way by the clever undoing of their opposition.
There was a time when building a better mouse trap by the most efficient methods gave us satisfaction, but too often these days we are impressed because someone is smart. Not smart with intelligence, but smart with the cunning that goes along with the jungle code of getting before someone gets you.
The person who tries to get ahead by ethical methods, and by wanting only to provide something better than is already in existence, must also be equipped to withstand ridicule.
Frankly, the race of the tortoise and the hare is still on, and while the hare is tearing around showing off its ability to be a fast runner, the tortoise is making progress, and never losing its way.
Socrates, being asked the way to honest fame, said, "Study to be what you wish to seem." Success takes time and moral discipline, but our successes will be as human beings first, and then the crown of success in business will sit easily and firmly.
Mar 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 29
"Tell the people not to cry. Tell them to be happy."
John Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA (told to his son, Archie, as he died)
Our Elders know about the two Worlds, the Physical World and the Spiritual World. Many times, before we pass to the Spirit World, our relatives, who have gone there before us, will come for us and they will help us. The Spirit World, the Elders say, is a good, happy and harmonious place. When we die, it means we have only entered another world. We will all see one another again.
Great Spirit, allow me to understand both the Spirit World and the Physical World. Today, let me be happy.
Mar 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 29 - Daily Feast
Nothing ever remains quite the same - but a time comes when we have to follow new guidelines and think new thoughts and do new things. It does not take a superhuman, but it does take a believer - a worker with ears to hear and eyes to see - not just the physical but the spiritual. We cannot take for granted that any other human can have accurate perception and spell things out for us. The miracles are not all in other heads, other hands, other methods. There must be a burst of inner fire that sparks a miracle, that opens a door to a greater life, a greater calm. We are never so blind as when we close ourselves off by our critical views, our hardened hearts, our failure to perceive the greatness of gentle things. O friend, look away from lack and need and pain. Alter your vision and it will alter life.
~ O, great blue sky; see me roaming here. I trust in you, protect me! ~
PAWNEE
Mar 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
The setting of the sun on an old year is a kind of summing up time. What have you accomplished? What were your goals? Will they be higher in the new year?
Whatever your personal plans and whatever the reasons back of them, there are common everyday kinds of people that should be kept in view. They have positive outlooks, and are best recognized when sincerely listening to a child's words.
You will see them when they steady the elderly, you will know them by their kindnesses. You will not often hear their prayers as they are for their God. But you will know they are to be depended upon and that they will not tire of these things, for it is their natural role.
Think about these people when you set your plans. They are good to remember. Your success or failure depends upon these people being you.
Mar 31, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 31
"The old Lakota was wise. He knew that man's heart away from nature becomes hard; he knew the lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to a lack of respect for humans too. So he kept his youth close to its softening influence."
Luther Standing Bear, OGLALA SIOUX
When we live in nature it's like constantly being in school. We are in an environment that is always teaching. We are constantly being reminded hat there are laws, Natural Laws, which are running the universe. Once we know these laws and we drift from them, we start to live our lives in a different way. Soon we become discontent, selfish and disrespectful. Then, we get in trouble. If our lives have become this way, it can be reversed by going back to nature to be among our teachers.
Great Spirit, teach men, again, the Natural Laws.
Mar 31, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
March 31 - Daily Feast
Be strong, be of good courage - so much we worry about will never happen. Put things in order, change what needs to be changed, but begin at once to count the wi Tsa to li gi, the blessings that the Cherokee knows must be told again so we will not forget. Forget the past by which so much of life is marked. Painful things happen - and we take a little of all of it with us. This is a new day, iga, a new time to be renewed. The more we let yesterdays unhappiness slide away, the sooner we come into the fullness of the present. Sorrow will fade. The new hour will bring new experiences, new jobs to do, and even a few negatives may line up to be counted. Don't do it. We can begin at once to call for what we want. We will coax all the sweetness out of every hour and it will sing for us like a bird.
~ We can't go back. The bridge is gone. ~
STRONG EYES
Mar 31, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
A new galaxy of shining promises made to oneself are resolutions made with the utmost faith that self is listening and will carry out the plans.
But self is as unpredictable as a child playing in the street; it may dart in any direction, according to the mood and to whatever catches its attention. At the first signs of a challenge, self may race back and lean hard upon the old ways of doing things, no matter how wrong it might be. Resolutions do very little to change a way of living. They are easily made and easily forgotten. There may be a sincere desire to keep a resolution, but if self has not changed inwardly, little can depend on the outward change.
It is said that we promise according to our hopes and perform according to our selfishness. Failure to keep our promises to others is a disappointment, but failure within oneself is disaster.
A little performance is worth a host of promises on any day that starts a new year.
Apr 1, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 1
"People think other things are more important than prayer, but they are mistaken."
Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
An Elder once said the most important thing you can do in the course of a day is to pray. If we get up late or oversleep, which is more important? Rush to work without praying or pray first and then go to work? The Elders say it's more important to pray. If we get angry, should we act on our anger or should we pray first? The Elders say it's more important to pray first. If, during the day, we face indecision, what should we do? PRAY. If, during the day, we become irritated or we experience fear, what should we do first? PRAY. The Warrior who prays first will lead a different life from those who pray last.
Great Spirit, teach me to pray first!
Apr 1, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Ka-wa-ni
April
Tsi law'nee
Flower Month
It seems to me that the rulers of the Cherokees have sufficient intelligence to see the utter imbecility of placing any further reliance upon the Supreme Court....
Governor Wilson Lumpkin
Georgia, 1831
April 1 - Daily Feast
In ages past, our old ones were the storytellers. This was the way things were passed along to the generations that followed. For this reason the aged people made it a point to remember every detail so they could relate it at a later time. They were the word and picture carriers making history and spiritual values alive and important. In recent times we have made our old ones think they are not so important. We spoof their stories and make them feel foolish. The truth is that we are ignorant of what is precious and how to a da li he li tse di - appreciate age. Rigidity can creep in and set even the young mind if there are no soft memories, no laughter, no times too deep for tears. Age is grace - a time too valuable to waste.
~ We can get over being poor, but it takes longer to get over being ignorant. ~
JANE SEQUICHIE HIFLER
Apr 1, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
It is always amazing to hear someone scoff at the serious things. Perhaps they only scoff because they can't recognize anything really serious outside their own personal problems....Or maybe they are just afraid to acknowledge anything they don't understand.
Whatever it is that keeps people thinking in such a limited area adds to the residue of dullness in their minds. And until they can mature enough to believe in something worthwhile, they continue to add layer after layer of residue to the mind.
It is not surprising that some people believe themselves in possession of all knowledge to the point that they feel free to ridicule those who are still in the process of thinking things out. We can never truly judge another's reasoning. We can only see the results and with time it may be the person will break through that accumulation to wisdom and kindness that is so necessary in tolerating others' opinions and beliefs. Then will the residue diminish and there will be a renewal of the spirit.
Apr 2, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 2
"With children we always have to think about seven generations to come but yet unborn."
Janice Sundown Hattet, SENECA
What we do today will effect the children seven generations form now. How we treat the Mother Earth will affect the children yet to be born. If we poison the water today, our children's children will be affected by the decision we made. Our children are the gateway to the future. Let us conscientiously think about the children and the seven generations to come.
My Creator, I thank you for my ancestors, seven generations ago.
Apr 2, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
April 2 - Daily Feast
What we know in our heads is not always workable until we get it down in our hearts. The heart is the very core of us - the spirit, the vital u li s go li yv. Some call it the subconscious, the file room of our experiences and beliefs - the substance of who we are. Sometimes we file things in this inner-storage that are not to our benefit - fear for the most part. And fear is the subtle destroyer of the human spirit. But there are other things there as well, some of it information we neither remember nor even know we have recorded. Like old files, it needs to be cleaned out. But how can we clean out what we do not know we have? By self-monitoring, by plumbing the depths in writing, drawing out our own thought the way we prime an old pump to draw up water. It takes honesty spiked with a good sense of humor. Getting to know oneself is worth the effort.
~ Again....I recall the great vision you sent me. It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives. ~
BLACK ELK, 1912
Apr 2, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Frequently quoted American editor and author Christian Nestell Bovee wrote that sensitiveness is closely allied to egotism - indeed excessive sensitivity is only another name for morbid self-consciousness.
He wrote that the cure for it was to make more of our objectives and less of ourselves. And it isn't easy to make less of ourselves.
Everyone at some time has felt extreme sensitivity toward people and surroundings. It is a sensitiveness that does not always have a good effect - seemingly for no reason at all we exercise no control over the emotions. It can be frightening to realize that we are quite as capable of destroying as we are, at other times, of building.
It is written in the essays of Aristotle that there are right things to say and a right way of saying them; and the same is true of listening. So often we make a casual remark, not mean to be tactless, but somehow it turns out that way. When there is a desire to appear witty, or clever, at someone else's expense, there should be no pride in the results.
And when we listen to someone's casual remark and take offense, we must examine our own thoughts. If we allow our minds to run in channels of vulgarity and mockery, then we can also expect to interpret others' words to mean the same things.
We can so easily read the wrong things into others' conversations, and in our own efforts to express ourselves say such foolish things that we lose the priceless gifts of relaxation and fun of conversing with other people. And for these reasons we must cultivate the art of speaking and listening with the warmest heart - which harbors nothing that is not right.
It is a good idea in the most sensitive times to recognize them for what they are and to make a pact within one's self to by pass this time for serious thought and decision making. This, above all, should be a time for relaxing against the wind of oversensitivity. To resist it only strengthens it, and to look at it clearly and coolly will take away its mystery and its heat.
It is well to remember that the too-sensitive person is not the true self, but the one with the marvelous mental attitude most certainly is - wait for that person!
Apr 3, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 3
"We know that in all creation, Only the human family Has strayed from the Sacred Way."
OJIBWAY Prayer
How have we gotten so far off track? What has happened to us? What is happening to our family? How did it happen so quickly? Every individual needs to answer these questions for themselves. What do we need to do to start living the Sacred Way again? Pray! Today I will start praying. I pray the Creator will lead all Native People to a great healing. I pray we'll be free from alcohol and drugs. I pray we will return to the culture, to spirituality and to unity.
My Mother, help us to heal ourselves. Make us strong again.
Apr 3, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
April 3 - Daily Feast
Why must we judge ourselves by what someone else is saying? They only think. Is it possible to fit our lives into the narrow confines of theirs? Let us search our souls. We have spiritual connections uniquely our own - deeper in many ways than those of people who want us to be like they are. But there is no way we can be like another person. We can only be better people in our own way. We know right from wrong, regardless of how the world-at-large has tried to condition us. Nothing can keep us from hearing our own voices of common sense - nothing, that is, but the noise and clamor of outside voice. And yes, maybe some are inside. But they have no good purpose; they mean to destroy. We need not dally with trouble. We can refuse to be a part of anything that was not a gift of Galun lati - the Great Spirit.
~ To fight is to forget ourselves as Indians in the world. ~
MONTEZUMA
Apr 3, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Remember all those times when you made three trips to the other room to get something, and before you got there you had already forgotten what it was? Didn't the thought of age dimming your member enter your mind at those times?
There's really no need to waste time thinking that deep. It is not the case of a scattered memory, but a skittery mind, jumping from one subject to another with only circumstances to remind you.
And haven't you awakened sharply in the middle of the night because suddenly you remembered something you should have done, or something you must do? Age again? No, it was the only time your subconscious mind ever found you quiet enough to remind you of something you wanted to remember.
Life would be so much more orderly if we took several minutes night and morning to sit completely away from outside sights and sounds to recall the important things. As long as we are able to see and hear the activity about us we have difficulty thinking soundly. The conscious mind is capable of carrying just so much, and then the debris must be cleared away before the "filed away" things in the subconscious can be remembered.
"Be still and know...."
Apr 4, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 4
"You can pray for whatever you want, but it is always best to pray for others, not for yourself."
John Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA
When you are selfish and you pray, you are requesting things to flow only to you. When you are selfless, you are praying for things to flow to others. The old ones say this is the highest form of prayer. Praying this way is according to the Natural Laws.
Great Spirit, today, let my thoughts be about others.
Apr 4, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
April 4 - Daily Feast
Our choices have brought us to this place. Other people affected us to some degree, but never so much as what we chose to do and how we choose to react. We are at the point the Cherokees call the hour of tsu du go at nv, the place where we decide who is to sit at the forefront of our lives to guide the way. The hardest part is to stop thinking dilemma and start thinking and talking solutions. There is no room in problem solving for self-pity, not even revenge. Past events may have been wrong, but now we have to see it as change, not always our doing, but we have to handle it anyway. It is here that we decide to be happy, to be examples so that younger ones will want to follow. It is a worthy thing to be a good example. We may never know who will be watching.
~ Convince the world by your character that Indians are not as they have been shown. ~
JOHN ROSS
Apr 4, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
It doesn't seem that a simple thing like going fishing could have such excellent results when the world suddenly seems too much. It is a very difficult thing to worry when your mind is fixed intently on a little red and white plastic float bobbing in the water.
Just taking one's mind off the general routine of living for even a short time is like a much needed and appreciated vacation. We seldom recognize the need for getting away from the monotony of following each day with another day exactly like it. We lose the value of the hours and minutes and lump them all together and plod along expecting miracles to come someday and save us.
The effort we have to give is in releasing the problem and concentrating on something beautifully simple and uncomplicated. Living doesn't seem so ominous when we can go fishing for a little peace and quiet, and sidetrack the things that weigh so heavily on our minds.
Good health is such a blessing. We don't all realize how much we aid or harm our own health. In fact, we give much more thought to being careful not to get wet than being careful not to get angry. And it is said that anger can lower resistance to colds much quicker than getting wet.
It is a proven fact that to feel love builds a resistance to illnesses while resentment and hate can destroy both mind and body.
Longfellow once wrote that joy, temperance, and repose would slam the door on the doctor's nose. There's no doubt but that most doctor's noses are safe. But they, too, would be glad if more patients would exercise their abilities to lift themselves out of much of their ill health by knowing some measure of joy rather than self pity, some healthy thoughts and less thought of self.
We lower our resistance to ill health in many ways, but none works against us as surely as worry, anxiety, and care, plus our inability to recognize the fact that we are our own greatest enemy.
Apr 5, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 5
"As we plunge ahead to build empires and race for supremacy we should stop and listen to [the female] song of life. For without the female there is no life."
Women are created with the ability to produce life. Women have a special tie to the Earth Mother. They have something in common. They are the source of life. The Earth Mother gives songs to the Woman to sing. These songs are about life, about beauty, about children, about love, about family, about strength, about caring, about nurturing, about forgiveness, about God. The World needs to pay attention and listen to Her. She knows.
Great Spirit, let me listen to Her songs.
Apr 5, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
April 5 - Daily Feast
Power of some kind affects everything we do. But this power is not political or electronic so that one little glitch can wipe it out in seconds. The real power is what the Cherokee calls adadolisdi - which is prayer. Quicker than lightning, it if is handled the right way it can do anything. Born of spirit, this power is dynamite. It does not rely on outside currents of energy to keep it going, but thrives on self-generated faith that is properly fed and well-kept. We have no idea how dynamic this inner power is until we begin to rely totally on things and people outside ourselves. It is then that we feel the lack of joy needed to connect us to powerful adadolisdi, the language of love and worship. We can overcome the impossible with fire and nettle. We can grow in stamina with every breath - when we learn to use the power that is within us.
~ We may quarrel with men about things on earth, but we never quarrel about the Great Spirit. ~
CHIEF JOSEPH
Apr 5, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Surely there is nothing so peaceful to the eye as the quiet, soft-hued hills resting in the autumn sun. We think if we could only get to those hills we could walk in the warmth of that sunlight and feel that peace in every nerve and muscle.
But so frequently we are unable to follow our wills. We are forced to sit where we are. And the very thought of being bound to this spot sometimes makes us restless, perhaps beyond reason. It creates a feeling of panic, that life will never be peaceful.
And then we look up into the limitless sky and see the depths and immensity of the universe, and we know that nothing binds us. That is, unless we want to be bound.
If we were to go to those hills, there would be others in the distance that would look as inviting. To hunt for peace outside ourselves is to ever be in search, and so to be bound again. But to loose that infinitely beautiful truth that peace is never there or there - but here, within me.
Most of us are lovers of familiar things. We love the routine of living, the security of knowing what is going to happen at a certain hour on a certain day. We love the knowledge that we will continue to love others even though we may not like what they are doing at the moment. We find great peace in knowing others will continue to love us even when we've been foolish.
The exciting and livable life is not always one of being on the go, being in entertaining places. The real life of life is not spangles that glitter and one continual round of gaiety.
Life is contentment, living in depth with a genuine love for work seasoned with recreation and freedom to worship where we choose and to pursue our talents as we please.
English author Samuel Johnson tells us that the fountain of content must spring up in the mind; and they who have so little knowledge of human nature as to see happiness by changing anything but their own dispositions will waste their lives in fruitless efforts.
"Be good, be kind, help each other."
"Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."
May The Creator walk with you.
Apr 6, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 6
"Everybody should pray together, cheer along, root along. That brings the circle together. Everything is together."
Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
Life on the Earth can sometimes be very complicated. Sometimes we think we are alone in our problems. Sometime we even withdraw. Then the problems become even more difficult. We need to watch out for one another, to care for one another, to pray together, to encourage one another; and we need to support one another. Behaving in this manner will bring the circle together.
Great Spirit, today, let me support my brothers and sisters.
Apr 6, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
April 6 - Daily Feast
These are times when it pays to take a second look - to really pay attention to those things that cross our paths. We may have already missed a wonderful experience by hasty judgment. When quick judgments are made from a limited point of view, the good qualities of anything are hidden. It is essential to look beyond first impressions if we are ever to find a rare jewel. Even Galun lati is helpless to send us blessing if we are dull of spirit and incapacitated by our own smart minds. In our "expert" attitudes, we sometimes allow the very things that would make us peaceful and happy pass by without lifting a hand. Wisdom is being able to see quality in the rough - and then being gentle and patient enough to shape it to perfection.
~ How can we trust you? When Jesus Christ came on earth, you killed him and nailed him to a cross. ~
TECUMSEH 1810
Apr 6, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
We all develop our own ways of centering our lives on something. In our minds we each have a design of what we think we are capable of being. If we want to be what we think we are capable of being, then we must hold our design firmly in our minds until it is secured as the focal point.
Each life must have that focal point, that center of interest where all phases of life come together. A focal point gives strength and meaning to the smallest details of everyday living.
Dimension and depth belong to the life that is centered. Though it may take many forms we must always have a "home" to return to, knowing that here are the roots, the things that really matter.
There must be a blending of our lives with others. But to be happy with one's self, that focal point must be steady and true before we can feel contented that "all's right with the world"
Apr 8, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 7
"Women. They have the power of generations. Women have the power to have children and not to have children."
Cecilia Mitchell, MOHAWK
The Woman is not only the key to life; she is also the key to future generations. An Elder once joked that the Woman only needs the man for one night. We need to look at and respect the power of the Woman. She is special and we need to treat her that way.
Great Spirit, today, let me show the greatest respect to our Women.
Apr 8, 2012