The Story of the Salmon


A young girl, who was daughter to the chief sat crying. She cried because no one could give her what she wanted, a great shining fish. Neither her father, nor the wisest elders of the clan could give her the great shining fish, none of them had ever even seen such a fish. As his daughter continued to cry they soon discovered that she was making herself very ill, and soon because of it, the chief ordered a great council fire to be gathered.

All of the tribal elders and medicine people sat around the fire as the most respected of them began to speak. “The child cries for a thing which she has seen in her dream walks. Many fish have we in our great waters, but none resemble the one of which she speaks. This fish may prove to be good medicine for our tribe that is being sent by our Creator. He looked at those gathered around the fire, “Perhaps one of you may know where such a great gleaming strong fish with such medicine may be found.”

Only one of them stood turning to address his Chief and the council,”The Raven, who lives among the cedars, is my good friend. She is very wise and knows many things that the wisest among us know not. Allow me to return with her to this Council Fire, in order for her to share her wisdoms.”
They all agreed to this and the chief gave his permission. Soon the warrior gathered his things and traveled to the cedars to find his wise friend. Raven seated on his shoulder began to speak, but only the ones of true medicine could follow her words. “What the girl is asking for is the giant fish, known as Salmon. In this full moon, they can be found far from here at the mouth of a mighty river, which flows into the other side of the lakes here.. Because those of your clan are considered friends, I will fly swift and far to gather one of these fish and return it to your village.”

Before the counsel could thank her, the Raven was high in the air flying far and fast until her keen eyes saw far beneath her, many Salmon swimming together at the mouth of the river. The Raven dived quick as a hawk and, by chance caught the little son of the Salmon Chief in his talons. Rising high in the air, with the fish held firmly in her claws, the Raven flew toward the distant village of her friends.
Salmon Scouts that were leaping high from the water in great flashing arcs, saw the direction that the Raven was flying. A school of Salmon, led by their chief soon began to swim rapidly in pursuit. As quickly as the fish swam, the fast-flying raven reached the village far ahead of them where Raven placed the great fish before the little daughter of the chief, she smiled, and cried no more.

Then the Raven told the clan that many Salmon would be sure to swim into the river to the village in pursuit, to try and rescue the young Salmon which he had caught. They all decided to have the people of the clan to weave a huge net. This they did quickly so that when the Salmon came, all of the fish were caught in it. To hold them prisoner, a long, strong leather thong was passed through their gills. One end of the thong was tied to a big rock and the other end was fastened to this great totem pole, which then grew as a tall cedar.

Ever since, it has been called the ‘Nhe-is-bik’, or tethering pole. On this pole – a totem pole – there was carved a mighty Thunderbird, an Indian Chief, a Raven and a Salmon, carved in that order from the top of the great cedar pole. Year after year, from that time, the Salmon have passed on that side of the river and continue to this day. They are held as sacred with the people and the story continues to be shared.

Blessings
~ bear Medicinewalker

 

Music from Charlie Wayne

 

the Story of White Calf Buffalo Woman and the Sacred Pipe as shared by bear Medicinewalker

The story of White Calf Buffalo Woman was handed down long ago and is shared to this day. I revisited it once again this morning and had validation I needed to share it once more from an unlikely source that I was participating in earlier today. The reason I was reminded was that often people only remember part of the story, or even tell part of the story…. But it resonated so loudly today as Women (and Men) are rising everywhere and calling out their abusers. They are finding voice that will allow them to heal.

Why some might say does this have anything to do with the true teachings of White Calf Buffalo Woman? Well because she came to the people as Teacher/Prophet/Ancestor to teach All the Sacred way to Pray and walk the earth as Human… and we must remember that once again for so many are lost as they walk their journey among the chaotic world we live in today.

The story begins …

In the time of the Ancestors, two young men had left their village to hunt. As they walked to the hunting grounds they came upon a beautiful young maiden dressed in white buckskin. Upon seeing her, one of the hunters looked upon her and recognized her as a Sacred Being and immediately lowered his eyes. The second hunter did not and moved towards her with lust in his eyes, desiring to only take her as a woman.

White Buffalo Calf Woman beckoned the lustful hunter to her. He was happy to comply and quickly moved to her, but as he did a whirling cloud of dust arose engulfing them and causing them to be hidden from view. When the dust settled, nothing but a pile of bones lay next to her. She then moved towards the respectful young hunter, explaining that she had simply fulfilled the other man’s desire, allowing him, within that brief moment, to live a lifetime, die and decay.

White Buffalo Calf Woman then instructed the young man to go back to his village and instruct them to prepare for her arrival for she would teach them of the way to pray, the way to live as Sacred. The young hunter obeyed.

When White Buffalo Calf Woman arrived with the sacred bundle (the prayer pipe) she taught the People of the seven sacred ways to pray. These prayers are through ceremonies that include the Sweat Lodge for purification; the Naming Ceremony for child naming; the Healing Ceremony to restore health to the body, mind and spirit; the adoption ceremony for making of relatives; the marriage ceremony for uniting male and female; the Vision Quest for communing with the Creator for direction and answers to one’s life; and the Sundance Ceremony to pray for the well-being of All People.

When the teaching of the Sacred Ways was complete, White Buffalo Calf Woman told the people she would again return for the sacred bundle that she left with them. Before leaving, she told them that within her were the four ages, and that she would look back upon the People in each age, returning at the end of the fourth age, to restore harmony and spirituality to a troubled land.

She walked a short distance and looked back towards the people and sat down. When she arose they were amazed to see she had become a black buffalo. Walking a little further, the buffalo laid down, this time arising as a yellow buffalo. The third time the buffalo walked a little further and this time arose as a red buffalo. Walking a little further it rolled on the ground and rose one last time as a white buffalo calf signaling the fulfillment of the White Buffalo Calf prophecy.

The changing of the four colors of the White Buffalo Calf Woman represents the four colors of man–white, yellow, red and black. These colors also represent the four directions, north, east, south and west.

The sacred bundle that was left to the Lakota people is still with the People in a sacred. It is kept by a man known as the Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, and today that man is Chief Arvol Lookiing Horse 19th generation keeper of White Buffalo Calf Woman and spiritual elder of Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people of the Dakotas tells of the White Buffalo prophecy and caring for Unci Maka Grandmother Earth.

So let us go back to our roots of who we are supposed to be…who we are supposed to walk as in this Human world, and remember we are all equal, we all need to walk with Respect, Honesty…share Wisdom’s that have been passed down to us by the Ancestors, to Love each other, to have Humility, to rise with Courage, to Own our Truths as positives and as Sacred…

May we All learn to walk in Peace…from this moment forward.

Blessings to You All
bear Medicinewalker

 

“Prayers from Within” by Award Winning Musician Jan Michael Lookingwolf available at http://www.lookingwolf.com/

Grandmother Spider Steals the Sun


In the beginning there was only blackness, no one could see anything. People kept walking into each other and stumbling around blindly. Soon they gathered to discuss the problem, “What we all need is to be able to see.” They all agreed but were not sure what to do, they needed to find light.

Fox said he knew others on the other side of the world who had plenty of light, but they were too greedy to share it with anyone. Possum said he would be glad to steal a little of it. “I have a bushy tail, I could hide the light inside all that fur.” It was agreed and decided he could try to get some light for them all, so he set out for the other side of the world. There he found the sun hanging in a tree and lighting everything up. He quietly crept over to the sun taking from it a tiny piece of light and stuffing it into his tail. But the light was too hot and it burned all his fur. Soon the people discovered his theft and took back the light, and ever since, Possum’s tail has been bald.

“I will try,” said Buzzard. “I know better than to hide a piece of stolen light in my tail, I will place it on the top of my head.” He flew to the other side of the world and swooped straight into the sun seizing it with his claws. He then placed it on his head, where it proceeded to burn all his head feathers off. The people seeing him on fire and trying to steal what was theirs, grabbed the sun away from him, and ever since that time Buzzard’s head has remained bald.

Grandmother Spider said, “I will try!” So she set about the task of making a thick walled pot out of clay. Next she spun a web reaching all the way to the other side of the world. The fact that Grandmother Spider was so small, none of the people in the village of the sun even saw her coming. Quickly Grandmother Spider snatched up the sun and placed it in the bowl of clay carrying it back home along one of the strong strands of her web. Now her side of the world had light, and everyone rejoiced.

Grandmother Spider brought not only the sun to the Cherokee, but fire with it and she taught the Cherokee people the art of making pottery!

 


Blessings
~bear Medicinewalker

 

 

 

When It’s Time to Celebrate Yourself!


So this today I am writing about as I am on a self imposed sabbatical for a few weeks.  Oh and why am I doing this? Well the answer is simple, should be simple for all of you as well, I am celebrating me! Why? Well why not?

We all need to take ownership of us… meaning the good stuff that we have accomplished, the other stuff we need to accept and work on, and all the in-between!  We SHOULD be proud of ourselves and the ability we all have to change what needs to be changed, understand we are all but human and all our blessings in our lives.  Who we are is important, as we imprint on the entire world around us.

We need to also remember that we need to rest, do things for ourselves so we can replenish our minds, bodies and our spirits. If we don’t do that, who the heck will? It is not selfish to take care of yourself, nor should we put ourselves last. We must embrace the idea of we all matter in the bigger scope of things. I hear all the time from people that it really doesn’t matter what they do or say… my reply always is, But it certainly does matter!

How Does it matter? Well there are people in our lives, situations in our lives, communities on our lives… all that without us the dynamic would be different. Take for example if you are a healthcare worker in a hospital, there are people that depend on you to give them care. Garbage Collectors, yes you read it right… if we didn’t have them filling those jobs what would happen to the garbage we create? How about musicians? Well don’t know about ya’ll but music feeds my soul when sometimes other things won’t. What of teachers? Need I explain that? Teachers share lessons with us, lessons no matter if they are good teachers or not so great teachers, they teach us how to think for ourselves and save things that resonate with us on our walk.

The list goes on and on too many examples to list them all. So when you stop[ and think about yourself, even in darker times… remember that your light is inside of you. How bright it burns is up to each of us.

If we choose to ignore tasking care of ourselves, we can not bee there for things that pop up that need to be tended to. We were taught growing up that we take care of everything and everyone before taking care of ourselves. That can not be farther from the truth. We must take care of self, our minds, our physical and spiritual sides. No one else is gonna do it better than us. When was the last time you took a look in the mirror and said, “Hey Great Job!”?????

So life is a great novel that is being written about each and everyone of us. Only thing we need to remember is that we are all the authors of those stories. Each second of our lives, we have the ability to do our best. When our best doesn’t work, we need to take a break and recognize we need to not feel guilty of wanting to take care of self.   

I have an acquaintance that I swear she has wings on her feet. Always giving of herself, always trying to make the world better, very little of taking care of herself just because. Like it’s a internal drive that pushes her constantly moving. Then all of a sudden the “stop button” happens. It’s the Universe’s way of saying enough! Stop and care for You! Funny upon writing those words I realize there are a few of my friends going through this all at the same time.

Seriously though, we are all needed. There is great chaos in the world at this time. The world is very shadowed.  It causes so many to feel drained and fill with anxiety. When it does take stock in yourself, celebrating how you are an amazing soul doing there best in a very harsh crazy but wonderful world!

Simply breathe!

Blessings to you all!
~ bear Medicinewalker

Celebration by Kool and the Gang

A Time Of Prophecy

We are living in an unprecedented time. We are bearing witness to many ugly and hateful things. Things that many are unable to understand how it is we are to assist in bringing back balance to the world. Violence is a common day occurrence. It is one of the Worlds darkest hours. War, Hate and much more circle us all, pulling us in an a seemingly tight grasp we are All trying to break away from. 

It is time for us all to listen and take pause as to how we must be instruments of balance. No easy feat for sure, but we can if we work together attain what it is we seek.  We must look to our Past to find our Future. There were many Prophecies among the Tribal Councils over the years. A foretelling of the times we live. Read and take to heart the messages that we all should remember and embrace.

An Elder from the ‘Cree’ tribe, whose name was named ‘Eyes of Fire,’ who prophesied that one day, due to the White race, we would be witness to a time fish would die in the streams, the birds would fall from the air, the waters would be blackened, and the trees would no longer be, mankind as we would know it would all but cease to exist.

‘There would come a time when the ‘keepers of the legend, stories, culture rituals, and myths, and all the Ancient Tribal Customs’ would be needed to restore us to health. The key to survival, will be the ‘THE WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW. all the peoples of all the tribes would form together a New World of Justice, Peace, Freedom and Creators Healing Grace. Brining in a Balance of All on the Great Mother Earth.

Warriors will have many tasks ahead of them. There will be terrifying mountains of ignorance to conquer and they shall find prejudice and hatred. They must be dedicated, unwavering in their strength, and strong of heart. They will find willing hearts and minds that will follow them on this road of returning everything to balance and harmony.

The Anishinabe Nations, from the Great Lakes area, speak about the Seven Fires Prophecy. The Voice of the Ojibway, 1988.

The Seventh Prophet that came to the people long ago was said to be different from the other prophets. This prophet was described as ‘young and had a strange light in his eyes’ and spoke …

“In the time of the Seventh Fire New People will emerge. They will retrace their steps to find what was left by the trail. Their steps will take them to the Elders who they will ask to guide them on their journey. But many of the Elders will have fallen asleep. They will awaken to this new time with nothing to offer. Some of the Elders will be silent because no one will ask anything of them. The New People will have to be careful in how they approach the Elders. The task of the New People will not be easy.

“If the New People will remain strong in their quest the Water Drum of the Midewiwin Lodge will again sound its voice. There will be a rebirth of the Anishinabe Nation and a rekindling of old flames. The Sacred Fire will again be lit. It is this time that the light skinned race will be given a choice between two roads. If they choose the right road, then the Seventh Fire will light the Eighth and final Fire, an eternal fire of peace, love brotherhood and sisterhood.

A purge is occurring each moment we breathe, I ask all of those among us that are strong, that are peaceful Warriors… Warriors of Change step up and walk with Us as the Rainbow Warriors we signed on to be before time, all time.

Blessings
~ bear Medicinewalker

Talk to the Animals


Talk to the Animals! If you are old like me you will remember the Movie Dr. Dolittle, Disney even made their own version with Eddie Murphy. However, I remember it in a different way as all my life I thought everyone could hear and talk with animals… all creatures for that matter. So much so my Mom started calling me Dr. Dolittle because I brought home every creature imaginable. From Bats and Frogs to Cats and Dogs, see I even rhyme the same! But seriously I always could hear and feel the emotions and thoughts they would share with me.

I often get asked, what does going on with my dog, or turtle? For me it is simple, because I see them and hear them… because all creatures matter to me. The thing is we can all learn a thing or two from the creatures of the world even the tiniest ant. So how can you hear them? Well the biggest challenge is to get out of your own way. What does that mean? It means that people in todays world are mostly wrapped up in self and don’t see the life around them. Sorta like they are missing the point, which is we need to find our compassion and empathy for all living things, not just the things that are about self.

Take the Elephants for example. Did you know that they are so intelligent and have emotions that match human feelings? Did you know they grieve and honor their members of their families? Do you ever stop and watch an anthill that ants created and wonder at how they are all working together to allow their community to thrive? So many lessons we could learn from them. There has even been instances when a animal takes in and cares for a creature of another species. It’s fascinating to say the least.

So how can you do it? How can you understand them talking or what they want? Well all you have to do is slow down long enough to understand their behavior, be willing to spend time with them and they will share with you many things. Some even have a sense of humor. What did I just say? Yes animas like to play, they also pout, grieve, love and dislike. We are all capable of it… it’s whether or not we want to take the time to.

Orcas for instance, they used to call them Killer Whales, I hated that name… they are Orcas an amazing creature that is fiercely protective of their pod, their young ones. They are the Guardians of the Oceans and Knowledge.
Their songs speak to us of healing from deep within our souls. Listen as they begin calling in positive vibrations of thought and sound. Orca’s guide us through the depths of our own emotions allowing us to explore and mend self more effortlessly by moving with the waves of life, rather than against. They help us access the Ancestor’s knowledge that is buried deep within our own DNA that is the key to all that is Sacred.

Orca shares about how we need to search your soul… looking inward is the only way that we can move forward in positive motions at this time. They teach us to understand self and give us a clear view to set our intention of what is needed in the situation for the highest good. Orca share that confronting our emotions that are out of control by making connections that are needed between our conscious and subconscious to bring about the balance we need in our Sacred Hoops.

Every Creature has purpose… has lessons that we can learn by listening and observing them as they go through their own daily lives. Another question I often get asked is, what is my totem? I am simply going to give you the response….”We don’t choose our totems. Our totems choose us!” This is one of the first basic concepts of Totems. Totems are hard to explain at times, but what we need to understand is what a totem is before we can comprehend what it means to follow their teachings. Once we understand the concept, it helps us to learn the messages they then have to offer and teach us.

Animals show up to us as a spiritual sign or entity. They come to share and teach the knowledge they hold to help and assist us with our own lives, how to relate to others and the world around us. Animals are not worshiped, we follow the teachings they offer, we incorporate the way they deal with life into our own to help us move in positive steps on our paths.  We don’t control them and often it is difficult to explain our draw or affinity to them… yet there is a deep connection inside of us that responds to them when the show up in our lives. Why is this… because it simply is.

So look at your lives, open your hearts and cherish the things the Creatures great and small share with us. Look to them to assist you with your own lives, and every now and then Talk to Them because they love to interact!

Blessings to all,

~bear Medicinewalker

Channeling the Spiritwalkers with bear Medicinewalker


I have been asked the story of the Spiritwalkers so I thought I would take some time to share with you all.

As an Artist and a Spiritual Reader when I work in any medium artistically, I allow spirit to work through me. I let the work or piece tell its own story. With wood, it leads me to pull the story from it, one that is buried deep within the grain. With clay it comes out as Spiritwalkers, spirit manifesting itself and bringing energy to each sculpture that is formed. I can try to create something I want, but that stops two seconds into the work, for Spirit says uh uh…

When I am done it whispers a name, and is very specific. Once a person finds it or is called to the individual piece, it then offers a blessings as it makes that connection with the person it is going to. No two are ever the same, they tell me what is needed to be added, perhaps a crystal or sweetgrass. some cedar or leather. I never know until it is completed. I then fire them and they are ready to share the knowledge they brought through with the ones they call to.

The energies can be felt from them are very different from each other, and for the most part they are extremely bossy with me to complete them. I know to some this may sound crazy, and there are days i wonder about it myself…But I can tell you that I have been schooled over and over again by these “Little People” of the Spirit world. And it has been given to me as one of the many things I am to share with the world.  New ones are being created and others have found their homes.

  • * I am currently working on new ones that will be available soon!
  • Blessings
    ~bear Medicinewalker
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