Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

"Silence and self-control permeate the entirety of our lives."
--Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

[StrongButch]

All birds,even those of the same species,are not alike,and it is the same with animals and with human beings.The reason The Creator does not make two birds,or animals,or human beings alike is beacause each is placed here by The Creator to be independent, individuality and to rely upon itself Sioux Nation

[StrongButch]

The beauty of the trees the softness of the air,the fragrance of the grass,speaks to me The summit of the mountain,the thunder of the sky,the rhythm of the sea,speaks to me The strength of the fire,the taste of salmon,the trail of the sun,and the life that never goes away,they speak to me And my heart soars Chief Dan George

[Spirit Dancer]

Bounded by Wellness
Send Healing to Yourself

So often we are busy sending love and healing to others that we forget to send healing to our ourself.


Most people, when given an opportunity to aid someone in need, are eager to do whatever they can to be of service. Those of us who have chosen to make healing the world a vocation are grateful for any occasion to send light and love to people in our immediate spheres of influence and beyond. As we apply our passion and our principles to this altruistic endeavor, we often forget to send ourselves the same bountiful gifts of wellness, though we ourselves may be in dire need of it. We overlook ourselves, not because we forget, but because we fear that focusing on the self is an indicator of selfishness. It is moreover much more difficult to heal oneself than to heal others because the seeds of uncertainty are more easily banished when we act on another's behalf. When we send healing light to ourselves, it is important that our intentions and our self-trust be stronger than ever to counteract doubt.

As we bless ourselves in this way, we serve as both an active channel and a passive destination. This should not change the way we interact with the valuable energy we wish to receive, however. Though we may be tempted to consciously direct or influence the manner in which light impacts our lives because we know ourselves most intimately, we should not try to control its path. When we draw the white light of protection and purity to our bodies, taking it into ourselves with each inhalation, our belief in the fact that it will naturally move toward areas of dysfunction will ensure that it flows through every muscle and organ. And when we fill our spaces with this light, our environments are cleared of all the negative energy that can sap our strength and our spirit. Surrounded inside and out with healing light, we feel safe and protected, healthy, relaxed, and content just as those who regularly receive such loving gifts from us do.

If you sincerely believe that there is a part of yourself that exists independently of upset and illness, the love and light you send yourself will help you connect with it. You will see the affirmative impact of this connection almost immediately when you include yourself in the recipients of your healing gifts, as life's frustrations become more tolerable and your bliss becomes ever more palpable.

[StrongButch]

Listen to all the teachers in the woods Watch the trees,the animals and all living things-youll learn more from them than books

[girl_dee]

i love the energy in this thread.

yes you can read all the books you want, stack them to the ceiling, but unless you are present with nature and spirit, you are missing the gift.

[StrongButch]

I share these words with you in honor of my father who left here 10 yrs ago tommorow Do not stand at my grave and weap; I am not there I do not sleep I am a thousand winds that blow; I am the diamond glints on the snow I am the sunlight on the ripened grain; I am the gentle autumn rain When you awaken in the morning hush, I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight I am the soft star that shines at night Do not stand at my grave and cry I am not there I did not die

[StrongButch]

The promise of Tommorow:The promise the Creator gives us comes with every new day;The gift of breath,the gift of life,Opportunities in vast array,How we count our blessings,through the choices life can bring?Is it through joyful lessons?Or in the fears to which we cling?Are we learning to show gratitude,for the victories over human pain?By honoring feelings,choices,We grasp the will we have regained Can we change our focus,with no need to defend?Acknowledging joy and sorrow,without judging foe or friend?Tommorow promises the fullness of every human way to know How we master each challenge Determines our balance Reflecting how we grow Jamie Sams

[Spirit Dancer]

Moving through Darkness
The Places We Go

Often it takes something major to wake us up as we struggle to maintain an illusion of control.


In life, most of us want things to go to the places we have envisioned ourselves going. We have plans and visions, some of them divinely inspired, that we want to see through to completion. We want to be happy, successful, and healthy, all of which are perfectly natural and perfectly human. So when life takes us to places we didn’t consciously want to go, we often feel as if something has gone wrong, or we must have made a mistake somewhere along the line, or any number of other disheartening possibilities. This is just life’s way of taking us to a place we need to go for reasons that go deeper than our own ability to reason. These hard knocks and trials are designed to shed light on our unconscious workings and deepen our experience of reality.

Often it takes something major to wake us up, to shake us loose from our ego’s grip as it struggles to maintain an illusion of control. It is loss of control more than anything else that humbles us and enables us to see the big picture. It reminds us that the key to the universe lies in what we do not know, and what we do know is a small fraction of the great mystery in which we live. This awareness softens and lightens us, as we release our resistance to what is. Another gift gleaned from going to these seemingly undesirable places is that, in our response to difficulty, we can see all the patterns and unresolved emotional baggage that stand in the way of our unconditional joyfulness. Joy exists within us independently of whether things go our way or not. And when we don’t feel it, we can trust that we will find it if we are willing to surrender to the situation, moving through it as we move through our difficult feelings.

We can take our inspiration from any fairy tale that finds its central character lost in a dark wood, frightened and alone. We know that the journey through the wood provides its own kind of beauty and richness. On the other side, we will emerge transformed, lighter and brighter, braver and more confident for having moved through that darkness.

[Spirit Dancer]

"Every thing or living being that exists in this world, be it trees, flowers, birds, grasses, rocks, soil of the earth, or human beings, has its unique manner of existence - its essence, its spirit that makes it what it is. That is what is meant by connectedness."





--Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

[clay]

this is the calmest, most serene, and comforting space on the Planet for me...I am able to look deep inside myself here, "feel" all that abounds me in nature, and I can see the forest for the trees!!! Thanks, my sister spirit, Spirit Dancer..for who you are,. all that you give, and for your gentleness!! fondly Clay

[Spirit Dancer]

"Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking."

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."

Black Elk - Oglala Sioux

The growing and dying of the moon reminds us of our ignorance which comes and goes- but when the moon is full it is as if the Great Spirit were upon the whole world.

-Black Elk, Oglala Sioux

[girl_dee]

[PaPa]

You have noticed that everything as Indian does
is in a circle, and that is because the
Power of the World always works in circles,
and everything tries to be round.....
The Sky is round, and I have heard
that the earth is round like a ball,
and so are all the stars.
The wind, in its greatest power, whirls.
Birds make their nest in circles,
for theirs is the same religion as ours....

Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves.

Black Elk (1863-1950)
Oglala Sioux Holy Man

[Spirit Dancer]

Stronger than You Know
Getting Ourselves Worked Up

Often we get anxiety for no reason as we are almost always stronger and more capable than we believe ourselves to be.


Our capacity to cope successfully with life's challenges far outstrips our capacity to feel nervousness. Yet in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to an event that we believe will test our limits, we can become nervous. While we may have previously regarded ourselves as equal to the trials that lie ahead, we reach a point at which they near and our anxiety begins to mount. We then become increasingly worked up, until the moment of truth arrives and we discover that our worry was all for nothing. We are almost always stronger and more capable than we believe ourselves to be. But anxiety is not rational in nature, which means that in most cases we cannot work through it using logic as our only tool. Reason can help us recognize the relative futility of unwarranted worry but, more often than not, we will find more comfort in patterns of thought and activity that redirect our attention to practical or engaging matters.

Most of us find it remarkably difficult to focus on two distinct thoughts or emotions at once, and we can use this natural human limitation to our advantage when trying to stay centered in the period leading up to a potentially tricky experience. When we concentrate on something unrelated to our worry—such as deep breathing, visualizations of success, pleasurable pursuits, or exercise—anxiety dissipates naturally. Meditation is also a useful coping mechanism as it provides us with a means to ground ourselves in the moment. Our guides can aid us by providing us with a focal point wholly outside of our own sphere.

The intense emotional flare-up you experience just before you are set to challenge yourself is often a mixture of both excitement and fear. When you take steps to eliminate the fear, you can more fully enjoy the excitement. Though you may find it difficult to avoid getting worked up, your awareness of the forces acting on your feelings will help you return to your center and accept that few hurdles you will face will be as high as they at first appear.

[Spirit Dancer]

"In the Indian way, we are connected to that flower if we understand its spirit, the essence of its life."
--Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA



Great Spirit
This day allow my steps to be slow so I may
enjoy the beauty you've created,
reminding each of us that your presence is indeed here.
RG ©

[StrongButch]

Dancing the Dream : Where are the dances of Oneness, That I knew before my birth? Do I surrender my wholeness,In order to walk the earth? Did I choose forgetting to make life real? Did I inhabite a human body,So I could learn how to feel? I am here to dance the dream In my sacred human form To celebrate my uniqueness And ask no other to conform Dancing through lifes lessons,I will learn to move with grace While I dream of remembering The potential of the human race Jamie Sams

[Spirit Dancer]

Evolving Commitment
Spirituality in the Workplace

A career can coexist with the development of the soul when we approach each with balance and determination.


We do not need to deny our spiritual selves while focusing on being at the office, even though working while walking the path of ascension can be extremely challenging. Commitment to a career can coexist peacefully with commitment to the development of the soul when we approach each with balance and determination.

Careers can tend to take up a great deal of time you might otherwise devote to your own awakening, so make the most of the free hours at your disposal by using your breaks to walk in nature or write in your journal. If you schedule healings, bodywork, and other therapeutic activities on Friday, you give yourself the gift of an unhurried and restful weekend of rejuvenation. You can create a spiritually aware workspace by adorning your desk or office with sacred objects such as a Buddha or a candle that have meaning to you. If decoration is not permitted in your workplace, your supervisor may allow you to display a small item associated with your life path if you explain its significance. Your workplace may not always meet your best expectations, but living with imperfection can also be a wonderful spiritual exercise. Remember that you can strive for excellence in your own existence without asking your coworkers to exemplify perfection. They, too, are human beings doing all they can to grow in spite of that humanity, and they can support you when your path becomes difficult.

In many companies, there is a spiritual reality tied in closely into the corporate culture. It is your choice whether you want to integrate the spirit of your workplace into your own divine practices or participate in this reality on a superficial level. However you proceed, realize that the spiritual values you hold dear need not be at odds with the energy of your place of employment. As an employee, your spiritual self is one of the diverse strengths you bring to the table. Simply by approaching projects, goals, and interpersonal relations in the workplace with intention, you can pursue individual fulfillment while also doing your part to gently promote a healthy and harmonious working environment.

[Spirit Dancer]

When you are in doubt, be still, and wait;
when doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage.
So long as mists envelop you, be still;
be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists
-- as it surely will.
Then act with courage.

Ponca Chief White Eagle (1800's to 1914)

[StrongButch]

I asked once,What exactly is my destiny in this life?What am I to accomplish? Answer was,As in all lives your destiny is to simply Love