Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by Two-spirit

Hello,

100% native american twospirit here..Good to see there are others here that are the same..

I'm half White Mountain Apache and half Navajo( dine').living out here in Rhode Island..

Wanting to chat and make friends with people who have the same intrests as myself...

Love going to powwows,dancing in them, and attending Native outtings.I hope all of you are well and healthy when you are reading my post..

Keep well,
Little Feather

Welcome to the site Little Feather
Glad you're here!

[cinnamongrrl]

I need to ask a serious question.... I keep having repetitive dreams about bears. Usually they are trying to hurt me....but last night I had a dream about one that seemed friendly... I'm wondering if maybe the bear is like a totem animal...or a spirit guide in Native American culture. And if so, what is it trying to tell me? Because I do get the impression that there's a reason for these dreams... Any help on the subject would be much appreciated

[StrongButch]

What kinda bear was it ? I cannot tell you what your dream means. But I can tell you I carry a bear claw in my pocket and sing with bear dancers. If you let me know where you live perhaps I can find a medicine person to talk to you about your dreams and the proper way to approach them. Please feel free to contact me.

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by cinnamongrrl563

I need to ask a serious question.... I keep having repetitive dreams about bears. Usually they are trying to hurt me....but last night I had a dream about one that seemed friendly... I'm wondering if maybe the bear is like a totem animal...or a spirit guide in Native American culture. And if so, what is it trying to tell me? Because I do get the impression that there's a reason for these dreams... Any help on the subject would be much appreciated

Hi Cinnamon
I sent you a PM

[Spirit Dancer]

"Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts."





--Don Talayesva, HOPI



Human beings function from choice. We can choose to stuff things, or we can choose to let go of things. If we choose to stuff things, then we will feel a heaviness, or sorrow, self pity or fear. Sometimes we feel the need to cry. Sometimes we are taught it is not okay to cry. The creator designed the human being to cry. Crying is a release. This release allows us to let go of thoughts that are not helping us so we can open to new thoughts that will help. Crying is natural for women and men.


Grandfather, if I need to cry, let me realize it's a natural process and help me to let go

[Spirit Dancer]

Small Steps To Big Change
Making Big Change Easier
When we decide that it's time for big changes in our lives, it is wise to ease into them by starting small. Small changes allow us to grow into a new habit and make it a permanent part of our lives, whereas sudden changes may cause a sense of failure that makes it difficult to go on, and we are more likely to revert to our old ways. Even if we have gone that route and find ourselves contemplating the choice to start over again, we can decide to take it slowly this time, and move forward.

Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are merely indicators of the need for change and are useful in getting us moving in the right direction. But it is possible that once we try out what seemed so ideal, we may find that it doesn’t actually suit us, or make us feel the way we had hoped. By embarking on the path slowly, we have the chance to look around and consider other options as we learn and grow. We have time to examine the underlying values of the desire for change and find ways to manifest those feelings, whether it looks exactly like our initial goal or not. Taking small steps forward gives us time to adjust and find secure footing on our new path.

Life doesn't always give us the opportunity to anticipate or prepare for a big change, and we may find ourselves overwhelmed by what is in front of us. By choosing one thing to work on at a time, we focus our attention on something manageable, and eventually we will look up to see that we have accomplished quite a bit. Forcing change is, in essence, a sign that we do not trust the universe’s wisdom. Instead, we can listen to our inner guidance and make changes at a pace that is right for us, ensuring that we do so in alignment with the rhythm of the universe.

[Spirit Dancer]

Clinging To The Core
When Our World Falls Apart
There are times when our whole world seems to be falling apart around us, and we are not sure what to hold onto anymore. Sometimes our relationships crumble and sometimes it’s our physical environment. At other times, we can’t put our finger on it, but we feel as if all the walls have fallen down around us and we are standing with nothing to lean on, exposed and vulnerable. These are the times in our lives when we are given an opportunity to see where we have established our sense of identity, safety, and well-being. And while it is perfectly natural and part of our process to locate our sense of self in externals, any time those external factors shift, we have an opportunity to rediscover and move closer to our core, which is the only truly safe place to call home.

The core of our being is not affected by the shifting winds of circumstance or subject to the cycles of change that govern physical reality. It is as steady and consistent as the sun, which is why the great mystics and mystical poets often reference the sun in their odes to the self. Like the sun, there are times when our core seems to be inaccessible to us, but this is just a misperception. We know that when the sun goes behind a cloud or sets for the night, it has not disappeared but is simply temporarily out of sight. In the same way, we can trust that our inner core is always shining brightly, even when we cannot quite see it.

We can cling to this core when things around us are falling apart, knowing that an inexhaustible light shines from within ourselves. Times of external darkness can be a great gift in that they provide an opportunity to remember this inner light that shines regardless of the circumstances of our lives. When our external lives begin to come back together, we are able to lean a bit more lightly on the structures we used to call home, knowing more clearly than ever that our true home is that bright sun shining in our core.