Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

May the sun
bring you new energy by day.
May the moon
softly restore you by night.
May the rain
wash away your worries.
May the breeze
blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world
and know its beauty all the days of your life.

Apache blessing

[AtLast]

I am not Native American but have found that the solace, peace, and inner balance that many native spiritual practices bring me changed my life for the better. I claim no expertise in any of these practices. I'm simply grateful I opened myself up to differing ways of experiencing spirit in my life.

I have had a pretty rough year and a half on several fronts and could not have landed on my feet without what I have been able to integrate in my life through native American spiritual teachings.

I'm going on a personal pilgrimage of calm next week to some geographic areas that are sacred to CA Native people that have opened up to me a place to reflect and chant, to commune. Places to honor the Native stewards that keep them sacred so that someone like me can be humbled by the very different holiness that surrounded my childhood.

[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
Scientists are finally realizing what the Elders have taught for thousands of years - everything is connected. Because everything is interconnected, whatever you do to any one thing, you do to everything. If you poison any part of the earth, the poison eventually affects everything else. If you poison the plants, the birds will eat the plants, which poisons the birds. The birds are eaten by humans which poisons the humans. The humans will have babies who could be deformed because the plants were poisoned. We must learn to live in harmony with the earth. We must learn to think good things. Every good thought is felt by everything, which causes everything to be happy.

Creator, let my thoughts only be good thoughts.

[Spirit Dancer]

Unfortunately, all is not beauty and peace. I don't believe I've ever met a person
who hasn't been challenged or wounded by something. Difficulties present choices:
we can either waste away from our wounds or use them to grow our souls.
My husband, for example, is a survivor of the Second World War. As a child,
he suffered through six years of bombings, near-escapes, and concentration camps.
Part of his soul work has been the gradual transformation of this deep well
of grief and pain. As he heals himself, he also participates in healing that terrible idea
of war in others. I have always said that no one heals alone--we heal through and for one another.

Joan Borysenko

[Spirit Dancer]

Atlast
Welcome, i'm happy that you find comfort and sloace in Native ways.
One doesn't have to be Native to feel drawn and derive a healing and comfort from their practices. I hope the remainder of your year is better and your commune brings the peace you desire.

Originally Posted by AtLastHome

I am not Native American but have found that the solace, peace, and inner balance that many native spiritual practices bring me changed my life for the better. I claim no expertise in any of these practices. I'm simply grateful I opened myself up to differing ways of experiencing spirit in my life.

I have had a pretty rough year and a half on several fronts and could not have landed on my feet without what I have been able to integrate in my life through native American spiritual teachings.

I'm going on a personal pilgrimage of calm next week to some geographic areas that are sacred to CA Native people that have opened up to me a place to reflect and chant, to commune. Places to honor the Native stewards that keep them sacred so that someone like me can be humbled by the very different holiness that surrounded my childhood.

[Andrew, Jr.]

AtlastHome and Spirit Dancer,

I agree with you. Native American Spirituality does bring comfort to me as well. It reminds me of my Buddist ways. It makes me so very happy.

Andrew

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by Andrew, Jr.

AtlastHome and Spirit Dancer,

I agree with you. Native American Spirituality does bring comfort to me as well. It reminds me of my Buddist ways. It makes me so very happy.

Andrew

Same here..It is a force and a consciousness. I used to take the Ex and our daughter to all the American Indian events we could get too. The kiddo is Shoshone and Cherokee and Irish...., and was a very spiritual child who needed to be away from the rat race, and loved to just Be In Nature..And she loved to dance at the Pow Wow's. We visited and camped on a reservation and got to stay in a real wigwam when she was 7.It was awesome

The Ex is Shoshone and well, she just loved getting away from the house,,

. Thanks for this thread.

[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
Everything on our Earth is alive. Every rock, every plant, every animal, every tree, every bird, every thought is alive. This is true because everything is made by the Great Spirit and the Great Spirit is alive. We need to slow our lives down each day and realize, consciously, that this is true. First we need to realize it, second, we need to acknowledge it, third, we need to appreciate it and, finally, we need to go on.

Great Spirit, let me see life through Your eyes. Today let me be alive

[Spirit Dancer]

There is in this world no such force as the force
of a person determined to rise.
The human soul cannot be permanently chained.
W.E.B. Du Bois

[Spirit Dancer]

do-hi, sv-hi-ye-yi, a-da-do-li-gi, tsv-gi-ne-li

Peaceful evening blessings my friends

[TIMBERWOLF]

Sitting Bull Hunkpapa Sioux

"I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man he would have made me so in the first place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans, in my heart he put other and different desires. Each man is good in his sight. It is not necessary for Eagles to be Crows. We are poor..but we are free. No white man controls our footsteps. If we must die...we die defending our rights."

[Spirit Dancer]

"We've got to learn what's going on today in the world, and we've got to get an education so we can survive."
--Jimmy Jackson, OJIBWA
Indian people have the ability to adapt. In these modern times, we Native people must walk two roads. We must get educated so our people don't lose. We need lawyers, doctors, nurses, foresters, scientists, educators, carpenters, welders. These skills are needed to help the people. While we are learning we need to remember to keep our culture, learn our dances, sing our songs, learn to speak our own language and maintain our culture for future generations.

Great Spirit, let my education never lack the meaning and value of Indian spirituality.

[Spirit Dancer]

"But each of us must find out for himself or herself what their gift is, so that they can use it in their life."
--Jimmy Jackson, OJIBWAY
The old people say, everyone has a song to sing. This song is the reason we are on this earth. When we are doing what we came on this earth to do, we know true happiness. How will we know our song? Pray. Ask the Great Mystery, "What is it you want me to do during my stay on earth?" Ask. He will tell you. He will even help you develop yourself to accomplish His mission.

Great Spirit, help me find my song and let me sing it.

[Spirit Dancer]

I release others from all blame
that I assign them.

They only play roles in my life that help me
become more awake and
aware of who I really am.

[Andrew, Jr.]

This morning on The Today Show, there was a segment on totem poles. It was amazing how you read them from the bottom to the sky. And each one tells a story. It is passed down from generation to generation. This is a lifelong skill that is such a gift of love. I was really amazed at the connection of the artist to the wood/tree - love and dedication.

[TIMBERWOLF]

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion;
respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.

Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.

Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled
with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep
and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

Chief Tecumseh (Crouching Tiger) Shawnee Nation 1768-1813

[Spirit Dancer]

"The Creator was responsible for the existence of everything, a part of the Creator's spirit exists in everything and thus all things are connected."
--Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA
The Creator designed nature, people, and all things as an interconnected system. Everything is connected to each other. This connection exists in the Unseen World. The same way our body parts are all port of the body - the parts are separate but also connected. If a part of our body is in pain, the rest of the body recognizes this pain as its own. In other words, the pain of one is the pain of all. This is also true of every interconnected system. Because we are connected, we should respect and take care of our Earth and each other.

Great Spirit, let me treat everyone, today, as if they were You

[Spirit Dancer]

The unrest you are experiencing is not individual psychological difficulty,
but rather part of a widespread spiritual awakening.
Carol Osborn

[Tommi]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYs5zyM9zk8&feature=related"]YouTube- Havasupai Indian Waterfall Relaxation Video[/ame]

[Andrew, Jr.]

Today I was watching a Native American show on TV. I don't understand why the Indians would fight amongst themselves. That truely baffles me. And then they would take in "white men" as their own.

Can someone explain this to me? Was this true to life or just Hollywood?