Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

Life as It Is
Making Life Work for You

Running your life and your household is a bit like running a business for which some things can easily be delegated.


Sometimes we have so many varying responsibilities in our lives, ranging from work obligations to caring for children to running a household, we feel we cannot possibly make it all work. We may feel overwhelmed in the face of it all, ending each day feeling hopelessly behind schedule. However, regardless of how frustrating this can be, these are the parameters that make up our lives, and we owe it to ourselves to find a way to make it work. Rather than buckling under the pressure of an impossible to-do list, we might take a moment to view the larger perspective.

Like the president of a large organization, we must first realize that we cannot do every job ourselves. The first step to sanity is learning how to delegate some of the responsibility to other people, whether by paying someone to clean our house or trading childcare duties with another parent. In addition, we might find places where we can shift our expectations in ways that make our lives easier. For example, expecting ourselves to create a healthy home-cooked meal every night after a full day of work, errands, or caring for an infant or toddler may be a bit excessive. We might allow ourselves to order in food once in a while without any guilt. Accepting the adjustments needed to make our lives work is an essential ingredient to being at peace with our situation.

At the end of the day, we must come to terms with changing what we can and accepting what we cannot change. Sometimes the laundry piles up, a sick child demands more of our attention than usual, and we temporarily get behind with our schedule. Accepting this momentary state of affairs and trusting in our ability to get back on track when the time is right, we gracefully accept our life as it is, letting go of perfectionism and embracing life as it stands.

[Spirit Dancer]

"If those bad words come, I let them come in one ear and go out the other. I never let them come out of my mouth. If a bad word comes in your ear and then comes out of your mouth, it will go someplace and hurt somebody. If I did that, that hurt would come back twice as hard on me."

Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

[SoNotHer]

This is awesome.

Originally Posted by Spirit Dancer

"If those bad words come, I let them come in one ear and go out the other. I never let them come out of my mouth. If a bad word comes in your ear and then comes out of your mouth, it will go someplace and hurt somebody. If I did that, that hurt would come back twice as hard on me."

Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

[Spirit Dancer]

"The law is that all life is equal in the Great Creation, and we, the Human Beings, are charged with the responsibility, each in our generation, to work for the continuation of life."

Traditional Circle of Elders

[Spirit Dancer]

Growing Pains
Difficult Times

We can also benefit from times of constriction and difficult to help us grow and learn.


It can be very challenging to maintain a positive attitude and a measure of faith when you are in the midst of difficult times. This is partly because we tend to think that if the universe loves us we will experience that love in the form of positive circumstances. However, we are like children, and the universe is our wise mother who knows what our souls need to thrive better than we do. Just as a young child does not benefit from getting everything she wants, we also benefit from times of constriction and difficulty to help us grow and learn. If we keep this in mind, and continue to trust that we are loved even when things are hard, it helps us bear the difficult time with grace.

This period of time in history is full of difficulty for a lot of human beings, and you may feel less alone knowing you are not being singled out. There are extreme energy changes pulsing through the universe at every level and, of course, we are all part of the growing process and the growing pains. It helps if we remember that life is one phase after another and that this difficult time will inevitably give way to something new and different. When we feel overwhelmed we can comfort ourselves with the wise saying: This too shall pass.

At the same time, if you truly feel that nothing is going right for you, it’s never a bad idea to examine your life and see if there are some changes you can make to alleviate some of the difficulty. Gently and compassionately exploring the areas giving you the most trouble may reveal things you are holding onto and need to release: unprocessed emotions, unresolved transitions, or negative ways of looking at yourself or reality. As you take responsibility for the things you can change, you can more easily surrender to the things you can’t, remembering all the while that this phase will, without doubt, give way to another.

[Spirit Dancer]

“Oh Great Spirit Father, who sits on high beyond the heavens,
Creator of all life below, please hear my spiritual prayer.
For I seek guidance in a world where few can lay claim to eternal peace.

Grant me the vision to see beyond tomorrow's horizon, yet still
accept my daily trials, that must and will be faced to survive.
Give me the strength to rise each day and breathe the breath of life
that you have provided for me.

Touch my spiritual soul, so that I may use every moment to spread
your sacred message of love and peace for all mankind.
I ask only the privilege to speak my native tongue, and learn
the ways of my people, from generations of old.

Help me to understand and accept that we are of one body, and
God, as each spirit flows, from one to another in a sacred hoop.
Let the trails that bore my ancestors blood and tears, and the
chains that bound their freedom serve as reminders to all,
of our hate and savagery against one another, and ensure its
trust that we as a people choose never to repeat such ignorance.

Grant Mother Earth the strength to endure all injustices that have
been placed upon her, and cleanse her red clay body to renew her
growth for new generations to thrive. Shelter, clothe, and feed
the masses, for all owe you their daily prayers.

Embrace my mind and grant me the wisdom to seek and receive
my ancestral birthright.

Guide my feet down the passage of forgiveness, of those who have
severed my tribal ties, and help me to bind them once more.
Teach this child, oh Great One, the true lesson of life, its sacred
message of love, to spread freely beyond self, and among my
brothers and sisters throughout the duration of my earthly existence.

May your morning sun awaken this weary body, and your night
moon allow it to meditate and rest.

May your spirit continue to heal and instill within me the meaning of
this spiritual prayer, and trust that I use it to serve you well.”

- Choctaw Prayer

[Spirit Dancer]

May the sun
bring you new energy by day.
May the moon
softly restore you by night.
May the rain
wash away your worries.
May the breeze
blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world
and know its beauty all the days of your life.

Apache blessing

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by Spirit Dancer

May the sun
bring you new energy by day.
May the moon
softly restore you by night.
May the rain
wash away your worries.
May the breeze
blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world
and know its beauty all the days of your life.

Apache blessing

Just perfect. and the power of the dance to you.