Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

Lakota Instructions for Living

Friend do it this way - that is,
whatever you do in life,
do the very best you can
with both your heart and mind.

And if you do it that way,
the Power Of The Universe
will come to your assistance,
if your heart and mind are in Unity.

When one sits in the Hoop Of The People,
one must be responsible because
All of Creation is related.
And the hurt of one is the hurt of all.
And the honor of one is the honor of all.
And whatever we do effects everything in the universe.

If you do it that way - that is,
if you truly join your heart and mind
as One - whatever you ask for,
that's the Way It's Going To Be.

Passed down from White Buffalo Calf Woman

[Spirit Dancer]

"For me writing has become prayers that say, `Great Spirit, return to us our freedom, our land, and our lives. We are thankful for the present from which we learn how to be thankful for the past, and how to be hopeful for the future."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
We Native people have really been tested. This testing is having our land taken from us, our culture challenged, and our way of living altered. Gratefully, we have not lost our spirituality. Our spirituality has been the key for our people making it through all of these tests. Our prayers are strong. Indian people have also been able to adjust to change and still keep their culture and spirituality. Today, we should be grateful to the Creator for the present and for the lessons of the past. May our future be guided by the Great Spirit.

Great Spirit, thank You for Mother Earth and Father Sky. Thank You for my life.

[Spirit Dancer]

Like the elephant, we are unconscious of our own strength. When it comes to
understanding the power we have to make a difference in our own lives, we might
as well be asleep. If you want to make your dreams come true, wake up. Wake
up to your own strength. Wake up to the role you play in your own destiny.
Wake up to the power you have to choose what you think, do, and say.

[TIMBERWOLF]

The Creator designed us to learn by trial and error. The path of life we walk is very wide. Everything on the path is sacred - what we do right is sacred - but our mistakes are also sacred. This is the Creator's way of teaching spiritual people. To criticize ourselves when we make mistakes is not part of the spiritual path. To criticize mistakes is not the Indian way. To learn from our mistakes is the Indian way. The definition of a spiritual person is someone who makes 30-50 mistakes each day and talks to the Creator after each one to see what to do next time. This is the way of the Warrior.

[TIMBERWOLF]

Prayer of Renewal

Beginnings, fresh and clean, Part of the Sacred Wheel
Each morning is a new opportunity,
To share our love, our Souls, and Spirits,
With those who choose to Walk this Path along with us,
To learn the lessons of the Wheel, and grow closer,
To The One Who- Created- All.
Each day is fresh and unblemished, clean and pure.
Look around, Rejoice in the New Beginning,
The Sun rises again, our hearts beat within our bodies,
We draw fresh Breath, and re-enter the World.
Set aside the pain of past days, each day begins afresh,
Build upon the past, its lessons and joys,
Be strengthened by the love within,
Reach out in love to those around us.
For each day is a gift, given but once.

KiiskeeN'tum- She Who Remembers -Mohawk

[Daywalker]

Hey there...I wanted to share an Article from yesterday about a woman
who is ending her Journey, and oh...what a Journey is has been.

A friend of mine is in close Relations with her
and asked for prayer and energy for Wilma Mankiller:


Ex Cherokee Chief Mankiller Diagnosed with Cancer:

Oklahoma - TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) - The husband of former Cherokee Nation
principal chief Wilma Mankiller says Mankiller has been diagnosed with
advanced pancreatic cancer. Charlie Soap, Mankiller's husband, made the
announcement Tuesday in a news release issued by the American Indian tribe.
Soap says the 64-year-old Mankiller has stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer
but offered no other details. He asked that the public respect the family's
privacy. Mankiller served as the tribe's chief from December 1985 until retiring
in 1995. In September, Northeastern State University in Tahlequah named her
as its first Sequoyah Institute Fellow. Mankiller says in a statement that she is
"mentally and spiritually prepared" for dealing with the cancer.




Also, there is a Group on Facebook that I joined that showcases,
and invites folks to submit Native American Photos from all Tribes:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/NATIVE-AMERICAN-INDIAN-Old-Photos/10150102703945578?ref=mf

Pilomaya

[Spirit Dancer]

Daywalker
Thank you for sharing this information and the facebook link as well. It's greatly appreciated.

Originally Posted by Daywalker

Hey there...I wanted to share an Article from yesterday about a woman
who is ending her Journey, and oh...what a Journey is has been.

A friend of mine is in close Relations with her
and asked for prayer and energy for Wilma Mankiller:


Ex Cherokee Chief Mankiller Diagnosed with Cancer:

Oklahoma - TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) - The husband of former Cherokee Nation
principal chief Wilma Mankiller says Mankiller has been diagnosed with
advanced pancreatic cancer. Charlie Soap, Mankiller's husband, made the
announcement Tuesday in a news release issued by the American Indian tribe.
Soap says the 64-year-old Mankiller has stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer
but offered no other details. He asked that the public respect the family's
privacy. Mankiller served as the tribe's chief from December 1985 until retiring
in 1995. In September, Northeastern State University in Tahlequah named her
as its first Sequoyah Institute Fellow. Mankiller says in a statement that she is
"mentally and spiritually prepared" for dealing with the cancer.




Also, there is a Group on Facebook that I joined that showcases,
and invites folks to submit Native American Photos from all Tribes:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/NATIVE-AMERICAN-INDIAN-Old-Photos/10150102703945578?ref=mf

Pilomaya