Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

"I received my education from my culture. My teachers were my grandmothers, and I am really thankful for that."

Mary One Spot, SARCEE

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by Spirit Dancer

"I received my education from my culture. My teachers were my grandmothers, and I am really thankful for that."

Mary One Spot, SARCEE

Smiling as I recall my wise Grandmother nicknaming me Tommi when I was just knee high to a grasshopper. Telling the family this was not just a tomboy phase this one was going to outgrow.

She taught me so much, and now and then I recall the lessons, ~~" Always open the door for her, please and thank youand wear matching socks, and never wear holey underwear.

[Two-spirit]

Originally Posted by Spirit Dancer

"I received my education from my culture. My teachers were my grandmothers, and I am really thankful for that."

Mary One Spot, SARCEE

Hello,


AHO !....elders are great teachers to learn from..

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by Two-spirit

Hello,


AHO !....elders are great teachers to learn from..

Indeed Two Spirit
My mother is Cherokee and Choctaw
So we were exposed to both
tribal traditions. Very blessed indeed,
then exposure to our father's Polish traditions.

[gaea]

as the story goes My great grandmother full blood Cherokee was purchased by an Irishmen , to save her life and thus 2 daughters were born My grandmother 1/2 cherokee 1/2 irish....I look like her, she died when my father (bio) was a small child...his father german 100% ....

My Mother is 1/2 Cherokee(father full blood) and 1/2 Norweigan (mother full blood)

I have been more in touch with my native blood line than any other my entire life....history etc...I did not get the teaching through family I had to set out and learn on my own about me and where i come from and who I am...Im still learning.

The hardest part for me growing up was my sisters were all fair skinned and haired and i stuck out like a sore thumb in the family....i'm grateful for it now...my skin doesn't burn

One of my favorite memories if i may, when we were headed to California when i was a wee little one we stopped at a reservation(i do not remember which one) and suddenly i looked like someone i resembled other people and suddenly i felt at home as my little hand caressed the most beautiful baby doll i had ever seen my mother could be heard saying don't touch that put it down etc, and then i was in the arms of an elder she was aged and beautiful in my eyes and i was on her lap and she was speaking to me in a language my ears did not understand and yet my soul did, she brushed my hair with her hand then placed the doll in my arms...that doll was with me for several years after....

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by gaea

as the story goes My great grandmother full blood Cherokee was purchased by an Irishmen , to save her life and thus 2 daughters were born My grandmother 1/2 cherokee 1/2 irish....I look like her, she died when my father (bio) was a small child...his father german 100% ....

My Mother is 1/2 Cherokee(father full blood) and 1/2 Norweigan (mother full blood)

I have been more in touch with my native blood line than any other my entire life....history etc...I did not get the teaching through family I had to set out and learn on my own about me and where i come from and who I am...Im still learning.

The hardest part for me growing up was my sisters were all fair skinned and haired and i stuck out like a sore thumb in the family....i'm grateful for it now...my skin doesn't burn

One of my favorite memories if i may, when we were headed to California when i was a wee little one we stopped at a reservation(i do not remember which one) and suddenly i looked like someone i resembled other people and suddenly i felt at home as my little hand caressed the most beautiful baby doll i had ever seen my mother could be heard saying don't touch that put it down etc, and then i was in the arms of an elder she was aged and beautiful in my eyes and i was on her lap and she was speaking to me in a language my ears did not understand and yet my soul did, she brushed my hair with her hand then placed the doll in my arms...that doll was with me for several years after....

Gaea
Thank you for sharing this moment in your life, the elders say the soul holds the key that awakens when it is time. That moment was yours and in that time your soul shined and was kissed by those elders who went before you.

[Two-spirit]

Originally Posted by Spirit Dancer

Indeed Two Spirit
My mother is Cherokee and Choctaw
So we were exposed to both
tribal traditions. Very blessed indeed,
then exposure to our father's Polish traditions.

Hi spiritdancer,
That is soo awsome you know each of yourr heritage.Being exposed to who and what you are just makes the inner spirit smiles..I hope u go and teach others each of your heritages..I enjoy doing that about my two tribes Im from..

[Spirit Dancer]

"The dances are prayers."





--Pop Chalee, TAOS PUEBLO



When we dance to the drum we pray to the Creator and attract the heartbeat of the earth. We never dance without reason; every dance has a purpose. We dance for rain; we dance for healing; we dance for seasons; we dance for joy; we dance for our children; we dance for the people; we dance for courage. The drum plays to the beat of the heart, to the beat of the Earth. The drum connects us to the Earth while we dance our prayers.


Oh, Great One, let my dance and prayer be heard by You.

[Spirit Dancer]

The Soundless Center
Silence Of The Heart
We spend a lot of time attempting to put the feelings in our hearts into words, to communicate to others our passions, our emotions, and our love. Often we are so busy trying to translate our heart’s roar into language that we miss the most profound experience the heart has to offer, which is silence. Every poem arises from this silence and returns to it. When all the songs have been sung, the soliloquies delivered, the emotions expressed, silence is what remains. As each wave of feeling rises and falls back into the silence, we have an opportunity to connect with the vast, open, powerfully healing wisdom at the soundless center of our hearts.

Our hearts may seem noisy and tumultuous so much of the time that we do not even associate them with silence. It takes a sensitive ear to tune in to the silence of the heart, but it is there in each one of us, so close and so large that we do not even notice it. We can begin to become aware of it in the same way we become aware of the negative space in a still life, the background of a photograph, or the open sky that contains the sun, clouds, moon, and stars. We are accustomed to tuning in to objects and sounds that are one-pointed, solid, and three-dimensional. Seeing and hearing the apparently empty space that contains these sounds and objects takes a little practice.

We can bring our awareness into our hearts by simply breathing into the general area of our heart. The first thing we may notice is feelings like joy or sadness and physical sensations like tightness or tenderness. We acknowledge these as we continue to breathe and focus, listening attentively. We surround these feelings and sensations with breath and recognize that they are contained and held in an immeasurable substance like water or air, intangible, ineffable, but utterly real. This is the silence of the heart, and the more we listen for it, return to it, and accept it, the more we bathe and purify ourselves in the soundless center of our being.

[Spirit Dancer]

Hope In Hardship
Anything Can Be Overcome
The journey that each human being makes through earthly existence can have hardship as often as it is touched by joy. When we encounter adversity, the stress we feel can erode our optimism, eventually convincing us that the issues we face cannot be overcome. In truth, there is no situation so dire, no challenge so great, and no choice so bewildering that it cannot be overcome. Though we may believe that all avenues have been closed to us or that our most conscientious efforts will come to naught, we are never without feasible options. The best course of action may be veiled in doubt, but it is there. When we are honest with ourselves with regard to this simple fact, we can overcome anything because we will never stop looking for a solution to the challenges before us.

Self-trust coupled with a sturdy plan is the ultimate antidote to adversity’s tendency to inspire disillusionment in the human mind. As difficult as the obstacle plaguing you seems, it is no match for the love of a supportive universe that has been a part of your life since the day of your birth and will be with you forevermore. Try not to be misguided by your fear as this gives rise to the notion that there are problems without solutions. If you believe in your capabilities and dedicate yourself to the creation of some form of resolution, you will be surprised to discover that paths that were once closed to you miraculously open. Even if all you can do is change your perspective to turn an impediment into an opportunity to grow, you will have found the hope that is an inherent element of all hardship.

Remember that your destiny is a product of your own creation. Even when it seems you have nowhere left to turn, there is a solution waiting for you. The only insurmountable obstacles are the ones you create in your own mind—and these can only exert power over you if you let them. Uncertainty will always be a part of your existence, but perseverance and mindfulness will never fail to see you through to the other side of hardship where joy can thrive. Try and remember that no matter what life places at your feet, there is absolutely no situation that cannot be resolved with time, love, and friendship.