Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

"One of the things the old people taught me about the spirits was to never have a doubt."


Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

[Spirit Dancer]

This day--it truly is all we've got. There is nothing more in this life over which we have any control at all. While our actions today may affect our tomorrows, it's still true that we have control only over today's actions and thoughts and reactions. When you get right down to it, you could even say that we have only this moment, for we don't have control over any of our actions even half an hour into the future. There's just right now.

If you want to grow and develop as a person, you must take some sort of action today to make sure it happens. That means sitting down and reading a book that's important to you, or even planning to register tomorrow for a certain course or seminar. It may not take place for a while, but by making plans today you can guarantee that you'll be a part of it.

I think that we're not taught to appreciate this thing called "today." We tend to take it for granted, for here it is--it has come unannounced, and we haven't had to do anything for it to become part of our lives. It just came. We appreciate those moments that we've worked for--slipping into a hot tub after a long and difficult day, leaving for a nice vacation, receiving the raise at work--but we tend not to see our right now as the most important moment of our lives.

So we tend not to appreciate it. But it doesn't have to be so. We can look to this day as the beautiful gift that it is. It really does contain everything, and we can see it all if we train ourselves to do so. You are living in a beautiful new today right now, and you have the choice to look to it for the marvel that it is, or to take it for granted as just another day. Which do you think will help you the most?

[Spirit Dancer]

"The land is a sacred trust held in common for the benefit of the future of our nations."

Haida Gwaii - Traditional Circle of Elders

[Spirit Dancer]

"Humility is probably the most difficult virtue to realize."

Thomas Yellowtail, CROW

[Spirit Dancer]

The Pursuit of Conscious Wholeness
Earthbound




Our bodies are living, breathing expressions of our consciousness and should be treated as such.


Striking the right balance between our physical and spiritual aspects is one of the most challenging aspects of existence. We are dual beings by nature, spiritual entities bound to earth by physical bodies. In our lifetimes, we are charged with the duty of nurturing and tending both with equal devotion and love. Yet while both aspects of the self are deserving of honor and respect, there is a tendency for people who are more spiritually focused to ignore, avoid, or dismiss their bodies. Similarly, many individuals are entirely ensconced in the carnal realm and pay no attention to the needs of the soul. In both cases, an adjustment is in order. We are whole only to the degree that we embrace both sides of our beings.

If the soul is the inward manifestation of our consciousness, the body is the living, breathing expression of that consciousness. The physical self provides the home in which the spiritual self takes root and flourishes. Just as we must tend to the seed of the soul to ensure that it grows strong, so, too, must we care for the protective shell that is the body to make certain it is capable of playing its role in our development. Though there will no doubt be times in our lives when we feel more comfortable focusing on the spiritual self or the physical self, denying the fundamental importance of one or the other can lead to ill health, emotional distress, and a sense of incompleteness. Both facets of the human experience play a vital role in our well-being.

The body and the soul are the yin and yang of our current reality. They are, at this point of human evolution, irreparably bound together, and many spiritual teachers agree that the body is one of the greatest vehicles through which to access the soul. In fact, many believe that our spirit has chosen to be embodied as an essential part of our spiritual development. Consequently, it is the responsibility of each person on the planet to forge a marriage between the two, so that these disparate aspects bring out the best in each other, creating a vibrant, dynamic, and workable whole.