Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

"Times change but principles do not. Times change but lands do not. Times change but our culture and our language remain the same. And that's what you have to keep intact. It's not what you wear - it's what's in your heart."





--Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

[Spirit Dancer]

Life Transitions
The Death And Rebirth Of Self
Sometimes a part of us must die before another part can come to life. Even though this is a natural and necessary part of our growth, it is often painful or, if we don’t realize what’s happening, confusing and disorienting. In fact, confusion and disorientation are often the messengers that tell us a shift is taking place within us. These shifts happen throughout the lives of all humans, as we move from infancy to childhood to adolescence and beyond. With each transition from one phase to another, we find ourselves saying good-bye to an old friend, the identity that we formed in order to move through that particular time.

Sometimes we form these identities in relationships or jobs, and when we shift those areas of our life become unsettled. Usually, if we take the time to look into the changing surface of things, we will find that a shift is taking place within us. For example, we may go through one whole chapter of our lives creating a protective shell around ourselves because we need it in order to heal from some early trauma. One day, though, we may find ourselves feeling confined and restless, wanting to move outside the shelter we needed for so long; the new part of ourselves cannot be born within the confines of the shell our old self needed to survive.

We may feel a strange mixture of exhilaration and sadness as we say good-bye to a part of ourselves that is dying and make way for a whole new identity to emerge in its place. We may find inspiration in working with the image of an animal who molts or sheds in order to make way for new skin, fur, or feathers to emerge. For example, keeping a duck feather, or some other symbol of transformation, can remind us that death and rebirth are simply nature’s way of evolving. We can surrender to this process, letting go of our past self with great love and gratitude, and welcoming the new with an open mind and heart, ready for our next phase of life.

[Spirit Dancer]

"Praying is what has brought us old people through life. We've all gone through hard times. We've all done our share of bad things. But through our prayers and faith in the Creator we get together again and we try hard to live right."





--Paula Weasel Head, BLOOD



As we go through life we find ourselves on track one day and off track the next day. We gain consistency through prayer. Prayer is our connection to the Great Spirit. Prayer is our channel for knowledge and wisdom. Prayer is how we keep our sanity. The Elders say we should walk in prayer.


Great Spirit, teach me to walk in prayer. Help keep my faith strong.

[Spirit Dancer]

Residing At The Helm
Being Your Own Village
Simple survival requires us to be in possession of many skills. The pursuit of dreams requires many more. Most individuals rely on the support of a village, whether peopled by relatives or community members, to effectively address the numerous ways we need assistance. This can mean anything from asking favors of acquaintances and leaning on loved ones for support to paying a skilled artisan to handle specialized tasks. However, each human being is born with the capacity to be their own village. We embody many roles throughout our lifetimes, all of which are representative of our capacity for self-sufficiency and self-determination. In different moments in our lives, we are our own counselor, janitor, caregiver, cook, healer, teacher, and student. Our willingness to joyfully take on these roles grants us the power to maintain control over the direction our life's journey takes.

In times past, human beings learned all of the skills needed for survival. Today, the majority of people specialize in a single discipline, which they hone throughout their lives. Thus, many of us feel uncomfortable standing at the helm of our own existence. We question our ability to make decisions concerning our own health, happiness, and welfare, and are left feeling dependent and powerless. But the authority to take ultimate responsibility for our lives is simply a matter of believing that we have the necessary faith and intelligence to cope with any circumstance the universe chooses to place in our path. Proving that we can each be our own villages through action enables us to accept that we are strong enough to exist autonomously. Cooking, cultivating a garden of fruits and vegetables, undertaking minor home repair, or adopting a healthier lifestyle can help you reassert your will.

Being your own village does not mean embracing isolation, for a balanced life is built upon the dual foundations of the inner and the outer villages. Rather, being your own village is a celebration of your wondrous inner strength and resourcefulness, as well as an acknowledgment of your innate ability to capably steer the course of your life.

[Spirit Dancer]

Sharing In Ceremony
Modern Uses for the Native American Talking Stick
We all want to be heard, to be able to speak freely without interruption and voice our opinions without fear of judgment. The talking stick has assured Native Americans a means of just and impartial hearings for centuries.

The ceremonial talking stick is used commonly in council circles to designate who has the right to speak. While some nations may use a feather, peace pipe, or some other sacred instrument, the object commands the respect of all. The holder of the talking stick may speak as long as they want while everyone else remains silent and listens respectfully. In honoring the power of words, the speaker, is expected to speak truthfully, from the heart. If the speaker feels they cannot honor the talking stick with words, they should refrain from speaking so as not to dishonor themself.

People of all cultures and ethnicities have embraced the simple power of the talking stick. Educators use the talking stick to assure every student free speech. It is a particularly useful tool in conflict management. When everyone has a chance to speak without interruption, it helps to defuse heated arguments, over-talking, and shouting.

Although talking sticks are traditionally made with feathers and cured leather, you can make your own by gathering an interesting looking stick from your yard and decorating it with good intentions. What it looks like is less important than the importance you give it while making it.

Around the campfire, the talking stick is often passed to share stories. One person starts the story and then passes the stick for the next person to continue, until the stick comes full circle. It's important however, particularly with children, that anyone who wishes to "pass the stick" and not talk, be given the same respect as the speakers.

The talking stick even has found a place in corporate circles, serving as an equalizer where executives and workers are given equal time and respect. Workers are able to learn new ways to communicate with each other, identify barriers that prevent them from being a high performing team and to create their vision for the future.

In the home, couples and families might keep the talking stick in a convenient place such as the family room or dinning room where it serves as a reminder to speak honestly and listen respectfully. In addition to helping resolve conflicts, the talking stick can be brought out to encourage the sharing of happy thoughts, memories, and to help with healing.

[Spirit Dancer]

"The honor of the people lies in the moccasin tracks of the woman. Walk the good road.... Be dutiful, respectful, gentle, and modest my daughter... Be strong with the warm, strong heart of the earth. No people goes down until their women are weak and dishonored, or dead upon the ground. Be strong and sing the strength of the Great Powers within you, all around you."





--Village Wise Man, SIOUX



The Elders say the Native American women will lead the healing among the tribes. We need to especially pray for our women, and ask the Creator to bless them and give them strength. Inside them are the powers of love and strength given by the Moon and the Earth. When everyone else gives up, it is the women who sings the songs of strength. She is the backbone of the people. So, to our women we say, sing your songs of strength; pray for your special powers; keep our people strong; be respectful, gentle, and modest.


Oh, Great One, bless our women. Make them strong today.

[StrongButch]

Grandfather teach us love,compassion and honor. That we may heal the earth. And heal each other.

[Spirit Dancer]

Tearing Down To Rebuild
Rethinking Complaining
We all know someone who has elevated the process of complaining to a high art. Sometimes funny, sometimes exhausting, these people have the ability to find a problem just about anywhere. In its more evolved form, complaining is simply the ability to see what’s not working, in one’s own life or in the external world, and it can be quite useful if followed to its natural conclusion—finding a solution and applying it. However, many of us don’t get that far, and we find that complaining has become an end in itself. In small doses, this is not a big problem, but if complaining has become a huge part of our identities, it may be time to take a good look at how we are spending our energy.

Complaining is a person’s way of acknowledging that they are not happy with the way things are. In a metaphorical way, when we complain or criticize, we are tearing down an undesirable structure in order to make room for something new. But if all we do is tear down, never bothering to summon the creative energy required to create something new, we are not fulfilling the process. In fact, we are at risk for becoming a stagnant and destructive force in our own lives and in the lives of the people we love. Another issue with complaining is that we sometimes tend to focus on other people, whom we can’t change, as a way of deflecting attention from the one person we can change—ourselves. So transforming complaining into something useful is a twofold process that begins with turning our critical eye to look at things we can actually do something about, and then taking positive action.

When we find ourselves complaining, the last thing we need to do is get down on ourselves. Instead, we can begin by noticing that we are in the mode of wanting to make some changes. But rather than lashing out at somebody or an organization, we can look for an appropriate place to channel this energy—not our neighbor’s house, but possibly parts of our own. Finally, we can ask ourselves the positive question of what we would like to create in the place of whatever it is we want to tear down. When we do this, we channel a negative habit into a creative process, thus using our energy to change the world around us in a positive way.

[Spirit Dancer]

"You could study the ancestors, but without a deep feeling of communication with them it would be surface learning and surface talking. Once you have gone into yourself and have learned very deeply, appreciate it, and relate to it very well, everything will come very easily."





--Ellen White, NANAIMO



Inside of every human being are our ancestors, and these ancestors still live. Today, the white man calls this DNA, but there is more than DNA. We have the ability to go inside of ourselves and learn from the ancestors. The ancestor teachings reside in the place of the center. The ancestors are waiting for us to come there so they can share the ancient teachings. It is said, "Be still and know".


Great Spirit, let me walk in the stillness.

[Spirit Dancer]

Opening The Door
Fighting Against Our Gifts
As human beings we often have a tendency to fight against using our natural gifts. Many stories of success start with an individual who is ignoring the call of his or her inborn abilities. There are many possible reasons for this resistance, from fear that the calling will be too difficult to a disbelief in the very work one is being asked to do. We may feel too small, too distracted by other people’s ideas about what we should do, or too uninformed. Whatever the case, the resistance to actualizing ourselves has very concrete consequences, and many of us have been called out of hiding by an illness or a twist of fate that unequivocally dismantled our resistance. In other the words, the universe knocks, and if we don’t answer it knocks louder.

For example, if you are meant to be a psychic or a medium, and you aren’t using that gift, you may get headaches. If you are meant to be a healer and are trying to be a lawyer, you may have trouble getting or keeping a job. This doesn’t mean that you can’t still be a lawyer, but perhaps integrating your gifts into your work is what is calling you. On the other hand, you may simply feel an underlying anxiety that you are not on the right path, doing the right thing. Pay attention to this feeling, and ask for guidance from the universe, being open to all its communications, from subtle internal yearnings to powerful dreams. As you begin to risk opening the door to your natural gifts, your life situation may shift in a powerful way. However, you may find that small steps in the right direction, such as taking a class or setting aside one night a week to paint or write, is enough for now.

The first step on the journey to our calling in life is to listen to our internal voices and respond to the knocking universe at the door. As we do, the symptoms and anxieties that have haunted us will fade into the background, replaced by opportunities, both big and small, to open the door to what we are truly here to do.

[Spirit Dancer]

"It is well to be good to women in the strength of our manhood because we must sit under their hands at both ends of our lives."





--He Dog, OGLALA LAKOTA



The women bring us into this life and nurture us as we grow up. When we reach our manhood, she supports us and sings the songs to help the family grow. The Elders say we must look at the woman in a sacred way. We must realize how special her powers are in brining forth life. The woman will bring balance to a man. The woman will help him see. It is said, behind every successful man is a supporting woman. Maybe we should examine how we are thinking about women. The Great Spirit says we should honor them. Are we respecting and honoring our women today?


Grandmother, Grandfather thank you for our women. Today, let me honor them.

[StrongButch]

The first peace,which is the most important,is that which comes from within the souls of people when they realize their oneness,with the universe and all its powers,and when they realize that at the center dwells the Great Spirit and that this center is everywhere,it is within each of us. This is real peace,and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals,and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true peace,which I have often said,is within the souls of us.

[Spirit Dancer]

"See how the boy is with his sister and the other ones of his home lodge and you can know how the man will be with your daughter."





--LAKOTA Proverb



Very early in our lives we form beliefs, attitudes, expectations, and habits. We will live by these habits when we are older. The Elders say to watch the boy with his sister. If he is respectful and treats her good, then odds are that's the way he will treat all women when he is older. Also, watch the young girl and how she treats her brother, for that will indicate what kind of woman she will be to her man. We need to teach our children to respect one another while they are young. The best way to teach them is to show respect ourselves.


Great Spirit, let me be a role model for the children.

[~ocean]

soo true ((((( spirit )))) this i know from sb ~

[Spirit Dancer]

Being A Container
Holding Space For Others
We have all been called upon at one time or another to help a loved one through a difficult time. When the help required consists of concrete actions, such as running errands or making phone calls, we know what to do. But sometimes we are called simply to hold space for the person as they go through whatever they need to go through. They may need to express anger or grief; they may need to talk or be silent. They may need us to hold their hand; they may need us to give them time alone. Whatever the case, when we hold space for someone, we offer ourselves up as a container for the overwhelming feelings they may be encountering due to their circumstances.

When we offer ourselves in this way, the more centered and grounded we are, the better. Our steadiness allows our companion to lean into us for support, as our presence provides an environment in which they can be free to move. We can also help by being responsive, allowing them to dictate the flow of action from talking to not talking, from anger to grief, and back again. By being aware and open, we can help them confront their feelings when that feels right, and back off from them when they need a break. Holding space requires humility, conscientiousness, and the ability to step out of the way, to honestly understand that this is not about us.

When we love someone in this way, we provide a space in which they can simply be. Able to feel what they need to feel without worrying about how they are being perceived. We can provide this offering in person, over the phone, or even from a distance, through meditation. However we do it, when we hold space for someone in need, we are offering a gift of the highest nature.

[Spirit Dancer]

It is less of a problem to be poor, than to be dishonest.
Native American Proverb



Don't allow the grass to grow on the path of friendship.
Native American Proverb

[Spirit Dancer]

[Spirit Dancer]

"I don't think that anybody anywhere can talk about the future of their people or of an organization without talking about education. Whoever controls the education of our children controls our future, the future of the Cherokee people, and of the Cherokee Nation."





--Wilma P. Mankiller, CHEROKEE



The world has changed in the last 50 years. It will change even more in the next 50 years, and it will change even faster. We must educate ourselves to ensure our future generations will maintain the language and the culture of our people. We need to be concerned about our land because when our land goes away, so will our people. We need to be concerned about leadership, our families, and about alcoholism. We need to be concerned about what's going on around the world. We can only do this by being educated. Then we can control our future.


Great Spirit, please guide our children; let me know how I can help.

[Spirit Dancer]

Clearing A Spiritual Space
Smudging
Everything that happens within your home leaves a trace. The morning after a party, the tired-but-happy revelry from the end of the evening is still in the air; a morning argument is usually hanging around when you come home from work. Focusing your true intention to purify your space with a time-honored method can return a dwelling to its rightful place as your sanctuary. One such cleansing method is known as smudging. Smudging originated as a Native American custom, and the modern practice can reinvigorate your living space. The vital action of smudging is lighting an aromatic bundle of herbs and allowing it to burn away the negative energy that has been collected. You can celebrate a new phase in life by conducting a smudging ceremony, or improve someone's day by smudging the space around a friend. Offices and work spaces can benefit from smudging as well, allowing clarity of thought and improved productivity.

The essential object for smudging is the herb bundle. It can be purchased or made by hand. Using a match or candle, put the flame to the smudge stick. Then blow or wave it out, allowing the stick to smolder and the aromatic smoke to fill the room. If you don't have a smudge stick, you can also place loose herbs directly onto burning wood in an indoor fireplace or into a fireproof container with some charcoal. As the herbs begin to burn, the honored method is to use a feather to move the smoke around the person or place you are smudging. You may also use your hands. As you feel the space fill with the herbal scent, take time to consider the parts of your life that need cleansing. Imagine the smoke lifting away all the negative thoughts and emotions around you.

Tradition teaches that each smudging herb is used for a different purpose. So an important aspect of the ritual is finding the right herb for the moment.

* Sage is the most prominent herb and is used to purify and protect one's living area by removing negative energy.

* Sweetgrass is often burnt after smudging sage to welcome in the positive influences.

* Lavender restores balance and creates a peaceful atmosphere. It also attracts love.

* Rosemary is effective for gaining clarity about perplexing problems.

* Mugwort is celebrated for stimulating psychic awareness and powerful dreams.

* Bay leaf is used to protect against colds and flu.

* Cedar is burnt upon moving into a new home. It works as a purifier and as a way to attract positive energy.

The act of cleansing your space can help you to truly put the past behind you. As the herbal aromas gently enter a room, clearing out accumulated spiritual clutter, you'll be free you to enjoy your abode as the place of respite it was meant to be.

[Spirit Dancer]

Your Life Is Your Art
Toltec Wisdom
The Toltec wisdom tradition originated in southern Mexico thousands of years ago. It has reemerged in recent years through many teachers, some who consider themselves direct descendents of the ancient Toltecs. This tradition is not considered a religion, but a philosophy accessible to anyone open to its insights.

The Toltec believe that this life is a dream, and that the dream we are having, which we consider reality, is created out of our beliefs and thoughts. Therefore, it is malleable. We can change it by changing our beliefs and thoughts. Deconstructing our current view of reality and understanding how that view forms our experience of reality is the primary work involved on the Toltec path.

For example, if you grew up in a family with a history of depression or repression, the chances are your reality is very influenced by ideas that perpetuate those conditions. Many of the ideas we hold to be truth were passed on to us before we had the capacity to question them and they took hold in our consciousness by default. Once we begin to understand this, we can release thoughts and beliefs that cause suffering, knowing that they are not the truth.

You can begin this journey by examining the set of beliefs under which you currently operate. Notice if any of them make you feel restricted, unhappy, or depressed. This is your intuition telling you that something is not right. Question those beliefs. Trust your innate ability to know the truth when you see it. As we methodically dismantle our belief systems, we begin to experience newfound personal freedom, one of the key tenets of the Toltec Way. It is this freedom that enables us to see that we are artists capable of creating our own lives.