Because I am not with you every second of the day…does not mean you are not in my heart always… because I remain silent doesn’t not mean I do not understand…because I walk my path does not mean I will not share it with you, or be happy to walk with you on yours…
I will always walk with you and assist… But I can not walk for you…
I will always take care of you…but sometimes I am the one that needs care.
I would do all for you…but that too requires balance and sometimes it means others need to put efforts into that sacred balance … My thought is that we are strong enough to compliment each other and yet strengthen and help balance each others weaknesses…so they no longer are weakness.
That is the Journey… that is why we are all here…it is called Life
This morning when I crawled from bed, the first thought I had in my mind was sorrow, sorrow at the loss of Robin Williams. I guess I am a little confounded at the fact he is been with my thoughts all week. Yet considering he has been part of our lives for so long, I realize now how far he crept into my heart.
When I got onto the computer this morning however I saw a clip of Jimmy Fallon, the Tonight Show paying tribute to Robin. I sat and sobbed, not so much for the fact that he was gone… rather for the fact that a human being such as Robin could feel that empty…that lost…that alone, and still have given so much of himself to the world simply to make us laugh and smile, to help us forget the pain of every day life.
To me his mind was not of this time, never has been and yet it attempted for a long while to slow down and adapt to the now, containing so much knowledge, just as his heart felt so much emotion. That kind of intelligence was priceless but takes a special kind of person to carry it, and he was that kind of person.
I did not know him personally, but no matter who we are Robin Williams managed to reach deep within our souls as if we were the only person he was there for. So this tragic day also hit home with me because 25 years ago my sister passed from cancer. Perhaps that is why the day and the event is so sharp for me, I am unsure. I know that they are on the next part of the journey, and I have this picture in my head of Robin standing in front of god with his hands held together in front of him and that quirky look he would get, saying, “Hey Big Guy… did you hear the one about the Rabbi and the Nun…?
I love you Robin Williams and I hope you have the peace and laughter in your heart that you gave to so many while you walked the Human. I will continue to hold your family and friends in my prayers and perhaps one day I will meet you on the other side but for now… stay well Sweet Prince.
Sometimes…life is about the everyday things that happen to us…and we only realize that when we stop and take a moment to breathe it all in…
With the cool air of the Fall Winds knocking on our doors, I decided to head to the river to reconnect and ground with Creator and All that is Sacred. Needing some human solitude and taking the time to watch the hawks and eagles play on the air currents above me as I fished below them on the Ausable River.
Tossing my fishing poles and tackle into the back of the truck, I started the engine. Now mind you it is running, but sounds like a stock car at a NASCAR race, so sneaking off or in anywhere is not an easy thing to accomplish by any means, but to the river I headed determined to get even closer to life in a simple way.
Arriving at the river out at one of the dams, all one has to do is take a deep breath in to understand what I mean about the reconnection to All that is Sacred. The smell is fresh, it is water, it is air, it is the grandmother and grandfather trees that tower over the rivers edge from long ago, it is the sweetgrass along the edges of those very trees and water, it is the warmth of the sun on your face that sets all your nerve endings tingling and yelling how good it is to be alive.
Grabbing the gear I set out to the rivers edge only to realize today I was not to be alone. There was two older gentlemen fishing at one end of the dock and at the boat launch a short distance away was a gal with her boyfriend that were around the same age as I am. They all looked up as I walked into the shared area and I nodded and waved in acknowledgement. I had hopes for a quiet morning so I set about fiddling with my fishing poles. However Creator had other things in mind.
Not five minutes after I put my line into the water, one of the older gentlemen decided to walk over to where I was. I looked up and smiled, but said nothing. Soon he was telling me about his friend that he was with, his best friend in life. They had been friends since they were both 7 years old and had lived through everything life had to throw at them all these years. “More like brothers,” he said to me, “been coming up this way for over 70 years just to reset our clocks.” He then reached in his pocket and pulled out his new dang gummed new fangled phone (which I totally share his sentiments at some of the technology out there) to show me some of his photos of his friends and family as they have fished this year and what they had all caught. Quickly reminding me it is all in the angle you take the picture to make the fish look bigger.
They left gathering their things shortly after that, but before going up the path toward their truck, they wished me a good day looking at each other with a big grin and saying how important it was for them to be here and reconnect with nature, to take time to remember what is important in life. After they left I settled back in to being in my own little world… which lasted all of three seconds.
“Omg, I got one… I got one…” the woman just a short distance away yelled, “I need help getting the hook out.” Her boyfriend down a little further yelled back at her saying his pliers were in the truck. I grabbed my hemostats and walked over and handed them to her. She thanked me and I once again went about my business. Next thing I know her boyfriend walks over and starts talking all things fishing and hunting with me. He is a big burly gentle guy…with a quick smile and a big heart. His girlfriend was laughing and told me she hadn’t been fishing in years. They were having fun… catching sunfish and some bass but hey had to leave to head back down state. They said how they didn’t want to leave the area to go back to work and life, how refreshing it was to just be in that moment with nature. Not long after, they to head out thanking me, for what I am not sure, but waving as they headed out. Being invisible for a bear is sometimes hard thing to do, but that is okay for everything for a reason. So I was then left to my own human devices to fish and soak in all that is around me for the next few hours.
A storm was heading in, I could both smell and feel it so I packed up to head back to my little lake. As I started the truck I was thinking to myself that it would be so great to be able to just step through time to younger years that I spent here in the woods at the river, listening to Billy Joel, rod Stewart, Aretha some Motown and oh yes a little Doobie Brothers on the truck radio. So I turned the radio on, and low and behold I got just that… not sure how that worked but apparently we have a request line directly to those that are in the know.
So I stepped through time with a little help from above and drove the short 15 miles back to my home. Watching out the windows everything seemed brighter more colorful, the wildflowers on the side of the road were gently rocking in the breeze to the music as if saying all is good bear all is good. As I took a turn I could smell the sweetgrass, the incoming rain and the cedar trees as they waved as I drove by. Childhood memories, people who have walked through my life, events of my life all played as a movie in my minds thoughts. Reconnecting me the entire time to what is important.
Arriving back at the house the rain began to fall…I looked back up at the sky and thanked the Creator for all that is Sacred, for the stories that were shared with me that day and for guiding me to taking the time to remember.
So my wish for you all, is to take time from your busy lives to reconnect with life, each other and to All that is Sacred. For it is what is truly important.
Native American naming traditions date back to our Ancestors. They are often similar but the customs sometimes were slightly different tribe to tribe. The names would often be inspired by nature itself, whether it was the Winged Ones, the Four Leggeds, the Elementals, or an event that was taking place at the time of birth.
Tribes place great power to their names only using them during times of ceremony or special events, and not using that name to refer to people at any other time. (Thus calling them Mother, Father, Son etc. in place of that name.) Some tribes what is called a “naming trail” when a child is given one name at birth and later on in life is given another through Vision Quests, from a Tribal Elder then even farther into the earth walk a name that represents their life. It is even shared that Chief Sitting Bull was called “Jumping Badger” as a young boy, and nicknamed “Slow Jumping Badger ” because of the extra time he took in doing things.
The Cherokee often took no surname until around the time of the Civil War. If they served during that war the army required two names and either “gave” them a name or they chose one for themselves.
In today’s world we often name our children for people who are related/not related to show respect or to remind us of how special someone was in our own lives.
Why you might ask am I writing about this today? Well it is because someone asked me the other day to tell them how I received my name…my Native American name. So I thought I would share it with you all as well.
For a good number of years I worked at Detroit’s Children’s Hospital in Michigan as a Decentral Tech in the I.C.U., Hemoc and Cardiac units for the most part. One year we had a young man who was 13 years old, entered the ICU on a Sunday afternoon as a critical patient due to a car accident. He had been a passenger in the rear drivers’ side of the car, a car which had been struck by a drunk driver. His injuries were severe and he was placed on life support. As I came to know the family over the next months, I learned more of my culture and a whole lot about Faith and the Medicine way of the Native American Ancestors. The family was old school, living the “Red Road” the way our Ancestor’s did, and the way that we should as we each walk this earth today and forward. For me those months were transforming and humbling.
After 5 months in the I.C.U. and countless brain activity scans, the medical world felt it was time to remove the life support systems. His Grandfather thought otherwise, and while they fought with the red tape, he continued to practice traditional customs and prayers, all of which I came to be part of without even realizing. I had unknowingly become a warrior for this young man.
Working afternoons I often would complete my required work and then would be able to assist in whatever way the unit needed me to. For this family I came to assist being mediator for herbal remedies and topicals that were being used by the grandfather on his grandson. We had many long talks, and we had both come to agree that the boy was between worlds. It was the Creator’s way of allowing him to heal. For that to continue to occur, everyone needed to have that same Faith that he would awaken from the coma when the time was right. During the 6 month in ICU the time was right. He awoke much to the medical staff’s disbelief…he indeed awoke. I recall looking over at his grandfather when it happened, the twinkle that lit his eyes and the smile that he and I shared with each other. Words were not needed. Within a couple weeks he was moved to the rehab floor.
A few more months went by and I had lost touch with the family since they were not on the units I worked, until one afternoon I ran into the young man’s grandfather in the elevator. We smiled and hugged each other. When the elevator arrived at the floor he was getting off on he reached over and took my hand in his, he asked me to come with him for a moment. So we got out together and walked the halls, he stopped at the door to one of the rooms and said he had someone he wanted me to meet.
As we stepped into the room I saw a typical teen sitting on the edge of the bed rough housing with his little brother, laughing with delight. The Detroit Tigers baseball game was playing in the background. It was a family…and a happy Sunday afternoon, much different from so many months ago when I had first met them all. I stayed for a few minutes and excused myself to return to work. The Grandfather walked out with me and asked if I would be able to return the next day, for he said he had one more thing he wanted to share with me before they left. I agreed and went back to work promising I would return the next day.
When I got there the following day, I never expected what happened. They all had a part of their traditional regalia on, and as a way of thanking me the grandfather (who I found out that day was a medicine man himself), honored me by bestowing me with a name. I was also now part of the family… he named me “Medicinewalker” telling me that it was for the fact I walked with the right medicine spiritually and physically in this world and beyond. I will never forget that day…that family…or the Elder that shared so many teachings with me. it was a true gift.
So when you read a name from history, or hear someone speak a name out loud, no matter what culture, race or religion, take a moment to understand that there is reason, respect, and above all else a story behind it. So with that said….Honor it no matter how strange you may think it is, for it was a gift that is as unique as the individual that carries it.
The Wolf fondly calls them Oscar’s…but they are known far and wide as the Great Blue Herons. They visit me here at the lake and I am often astounded at how patient they are at fishing for their suppers. They will take steps so carefully you never actually can see their legs move at times as they stand stoically watching at the waters edge. This is a story I was told long ago, and realized I had never ’til now shared it with you all. It also involves shhhh now don’t say it out loud unless you leave them a gift outside today…the Cherokee Little People…
The Cherokee Little People live among us, in gardens, lush forests and woods, along our marshes. They live in harmony with nature. Enjoying life, the Cherokee Little People love to play and laugh interacting with each other and sometimes the world around them. Every now and then however they do get bothered by occasional Winged Ones (birds) who can play havoc on village life. Because most often the Winged Ones (birds) are larger than the Little People and it causes them to worry that they might be mistaken for food.
One day in the day of our Ancestors, a Cherokee Hunter, whose name has long been forgotten, shared a gift with the Little People. He taught them how to craft little bows and arrows in order to defend themselves against birds and creatures of the outside world that meant them harm. They were very grateful to this friendly hunter and honored him with a great feast! Over the next hundred years the Cherokee Little People lived next to the marshes through out the countryside in harmony with the world around them.
One day a flock of Blue Herons came. The long legs of the Heron caused the arrows to fall short and they did not scare the Great Blue Herons away. The long beaks of the Great Blue Heron frightened the women and children and they fled, screaming into their homes at the sides of the marsh.
However the tiny warriors stood their ground facing their fears they held for these enormous creatures. The Great Spirit looked with admiration at how these Little Men were facing the challenge so bravely and using the skills they had been taught so long ago. So a punishment was chosen for Blue Heron as a result that they had terrorized the great nation of the Cherokee Little People.
This is the reason why the Blue Heron feeds alone and is never seen in flocks to this day. So as the Great Blue Heron steps into our lives it brings with it messages of self-reflection, and as it has to feed alone…so must we take the time for self in order to face fears, understand and use our gifts that we possess for the highest good, and be in harmony with our world for all is Sacred.
Heron medicine teaches us about the power of knowing ourselves so that we can discover our gifts and face life’s challenges. That we begin learning to accept all of our feelings and opinions, and accepting all the emotions and thoughts that accompany them. It is about following our intuition and taking that empowering step into self-realization.
This Sacred Water bird shares with us to not blame others or point a negative finger at the situations of life, instead claim responsibility for our own actions and to face the enemy within us all. Find a balance in our inner truths, work on our inner weaknesses, and develop the strengths needed to understand what it is we need to feed our own spiritual being. .
Mitakuye O’yasin (We are All Related)
~bear Medicinewalker
This was shared to me by an Elder who asked me if I knew how the Raven became black. since my response was no this is what Black elk Shared with me…and now in turn I share with you..
Long ago, during the very beginning of the world, Gray Eagle was the guardian of the sun, the moon, the stars, fresh water and fire. Gray Eagle hated people so much that he kept these things hidden. The peoples lived in darkness, without fire and without fresh water.
Gray Eagle also had a beautiful daughter, and when Raven saw her he instantly fell in love with her. At that time Raven was a handsome young man so he came up with a plan to change himself into a snow-white bird. As the snow-white bird he pleased Gray Eagle’s daughter and soon she fell madly in love with him. So much so that she invited him to her father’s lodge.
Raven was surprised when he he entered the lodge for he saw the sun ,the moon, the stars and the fresh water hanging on the sides of Gray Eagle’s lodge walls, he knew instantly what he should do, what he had to do. So carefully watching for his chance to seize them when no one was looking, Raven stole all of them along with a spark of fire. Then he flew upward and out of the lodge through a smoke hole above.
As soon as Raven got outside, he hung the sun up in the sky. It created so much light that he was able to fly far out to an island in the middle of the ocean. As soon as the sun set, he fastened the moon up in the sky and hung the stars around in different places. With the moonlight there to help guide him, he continued to fly carrying with him the fresh water and the spark of fire he had stolen. Soon the water fell to the ground and there it became the source of all the freshwater streams and lakes around the world.
Still the Raven flew on holding in his mouth the spark of fire. The smoke from the fire blowing back over his white feathers coating them black. Soon his bill began to burn and he had to drop the fire spark. When it landed and struck the rocks below, it sparked brighter and created fire. That is why even today if you strike two stones together with a stick, it will spark and fire will burn and share its warmth and glow.
Raven’s feathers never became white again after they were blackened by the smoke from carrying the spark of fire.
I was asked to share the The Seven Grandfather Teachings once again, so I happily will oblige.
I learned of these teaching through the Anishinaabe’ people here where I live… it is a teaching that reaches within to my very core… and I would like to now share it with you…
Many Anishinaabe’ view the Seven Grandfather Teachings as traditional knowledge that represents what is needed for everyday life and survival, or simply put to walk the Red Road… a Good way of life. The origin of the teachings is unknown but my elders have shared that they are important and have long been a part of the language and handed down through generations of the People. These teachings have become known as the “Seven Grandfathers” once the Anishinaabe slowly began to control their own education during and after the American Indian Movement. As Our Elders began to retell stories they had heard as children it was realized once again that it was a connection from the present to a past when these values were a way of life.
The Ojibwas or Anishinaabe’ story of the Seven Grandfathers’ Teachings was passed down from parent to child for many generations. The story goes…
The Creator gave the Seven Grandfathers, who are very wise, the responsibility to watch over the people. The grandfathers saw that the people were living a hard life. There was all kinds of illnesses and bad things around. The Messenger was told, “Go down there, look around and find out what is happening. Bring back someone who we can tell about what life should be, with the Peoples” He left immediately and went to all places in the North, South, West and East. He could not find anyone. On his seventh try, while he was looking, he saw a baby. The grandfathers were happy with the choice made by the helper.
So the messenger brought the baby back to where the Grandfathers were sitting in a circle. He was still very tiny and wrapped inside His cradle board. One of the grandfathers looked at the baby very carefully. “This is the one. Messenger, pick up the baby. Take him all over; teach him carefully the way the People should lead their lives.” The Messenger picked him up and they traveled around the earth.
Seven years later they returned to the Grandfathers. By then He was a young man. The Grandfathers noticed that this boy was very honest. He understood everything that was taught. One of the grandfathers took a drum and started singing. Each of the grandfathers instilled within the boy a teaching telling him “These are the ones you will take with you, and share with the Peoples.”
The boy, because of all the time he had spent with the Grandfathers, was now an old man. So he returned to the Earth and gathered all the people around and shared his story of the journey to the seven grandfather’s lodge. He explained how to use the gifts and that it was now up to the people to try to follow the path of a good and healthy life using the seven grandfather’s teachings.
He shared each of these teachings and explaining that they must be used with the rest, and that you cannot have wisdom without love, respect, courage, honesty, humility and truth. You cannot be honest if you only use one or two of these, or if you leave out one. And to leave out one is to embrace the opposite of what that teaching is.
Now to the Teachings…
The Beaver teaches us WISDOM
The ability to make decisions based on personal experience and knowledge and to cherish that knowledge is to know WISDOM.
We can acquire more knowledge by being open to others and applying these teachings to our own lives, and in turn it is also about the ability to value your own knowledge and share it with others.
The building a strong foundation in our lives is about the teachings shared with us by the creator and how we in turn use and share these gifts in our lives. The Beaver’s example of using his sharp teeth for cutting trees and branches to build his dams and lodges expresses this teaching. If he did not use his teeth, the teeth would continue to grow until they became useless, ultimately making it impossible for him to sustain himself. The same can be said for human beings. One’s spirit will grow weak if it is not fulfilling its use. When used properly however, wisdom’s shared help bring about a peaceful and healthy life.
The Eagle teaches us LOVE.
Love must be unconditional. To feel true love is to know the Creator. Therefore, it is expected that one’s first love is to the Creator, the Great Spirit. Creator is considered the parent to all children, and the giver of human life. Love given to the Great Spirit is expressed through love of oneself, and it is understood that if one cannot love oneself, it is impossible to love anyone else.
To know LOVE is to know true peace. To be able to get along with others, sharing and being kind, willing to show that you care for others/self through sharing, being helpful and understanding the feelings of others; doing something that makes the day better for someone. To be accepting of each others’ differences.
The Buffalo teaches us RESPECT.
Respect is the condition of being honored. The Buffalo, through giving its life and sharing every part of its being, showed the deep respect it had for the people. No animal was more important to the existence of People than this animal, and its gift provided shelter, clothing and utensils for daily living. Native people believed themselves to be true caretakers of the great herds, and developed a sustainable relationship with the Buffalo resulting in a relationship that was a true expression of respect.
To honor all of the Creations is to have RESPECT. Respect for yourself. To treat others how you would want to be treated. Making sure your interactions with others are positive by showing positive manners, speaking kindly and honoring a person’s human right to be who they are. Accepting feedback as helpful and considering different outlooks on things.
The Bear teaches us COURAGE.
Courage is the ability to face danger, fear, or changes with confidence and bravery.
The Bear provides many lessons in the way it lives, but courage is the most important teaching it offers. Though gentle by nature, the ferociousness of a mother Bear when one of her cubs is approached is the true definition of courage. To have the mental and moral strength to overcome fears that prevent us from living our true spirit as human beings is a great challenge that must be met with the same tenacity and intensity as a mother Bear protecting her cub. Living of the heart and living of the spirit is difficult, but the Bear’s example shows us how to face any danger to achieve these goals.
We learn to deal with challenges positively without worry about the outcome. To work through and give all aspects of your life your best effort. Being able to accept responsibility for your behavior. Be willing to be a role model by standing up for your values/beliefs. Accepting challenges (conflicts) and learn from them.
The Sabe teaches us HONESTY.
Honesty is speaking and acting truthfully, and thereby remained morally upright.
Long ago, there was a giant called Kitch-Sabe who walked among the people to remind them to be honest to the laws of the creator and honest to each other. The highest honor that could be bestowed upon an individual was the saying “There walks an honest man. He can be trusted.” To be truly honest was to keep the promises one made to the Creator, to others and to oneself.
The Elders would say, “Never try to be someone else; live true to your spirit, be honest to yourself and accept who you are the way the Creator made you.”
HONESTY in facing a situation is to be true to self. It is not backing down when the situation seems too hard and you know that it needs to be dealt with to make your life better. By looking at what you do and realizing how it affects you and others either positively or negatively. To approach life situations and challenges with an open mind and heart.
The Wolf teaches us HUMILITY.
Humility is being humble and not arrogant Recognizing and acknowledging that there is a higher power than man and it is known as the Creator is to be deemed truly humble. To express deference or submission to the Creator through the acceptance that all beings are equal is to capture the spirit of humility. The expression of this humility is manifested through the consideration of others before ourselves. In this way, the Wolf became the teacher of this lesson. He bows his head in the presence of others out of deference, and once hunted, will not take of the food until it can be shared with the pack. His lack of arrogance and respect for his community is a hard lesson, but integral in the Aboriginal way.
HUMILITY is to know yourself as a sacred part of Creation. To be able to know that we are equal regardless of age, race or sex. Being able to be assertive, positively making your needs known, without becoming angry or withdrawn. Being able to listen to others with an open and non-judgmental mind.
The Turtle teaches us TRUTH.
TRUTH is to know and understand all the seven teachings have been given to us by the Creator and we are to remain faithful to them. To know truth is to know and understand all of the original laws as they were shared with us. It is said that in the beginning, when the Creator made man and gave him the seven sacred laws, the Grandmother Turtle was present to ensure that the laws would never be lost or forgotten. On the back of a Turtle are the 13 moon, each representing the truth of one cycle of the Earth’s rotations around the sun. The 28 markings on her back represent the cycle of the moon an of a woman’s body. The shell of the Turtle represents the body real events as created by the Higher Power, and serves as a reminder of the Creator’s will and teachings.
TRUTH is to know all of these things. Be true to yourself and your fellow man. Be able to speak the truth. This is considered the final and last teaching because to live this teaching, one must achieve and understand the first six teachings. By being honest with those around you with your feelings and behaviors; by loving yourself and others; by respecting others with what they say and do; by being humble – knowing that everyone around you deserves your respect as you theirs; by being brave when facing new challenges and by accepting your own and others wisdom.
These are the seven Sacred Teachings as were taught to me…and now I have shared them with you…it is not so much that you all don’t know these teachings from what ever background or culture you walk in. but I hope it has served all as a reminder of how we all need to walk as Humans.
