The Night Keepers serve us all, to protect, to share insight with us during our Dream walks. Within our settled state we are inspired to move farther, reach higher, to be what our Soul’s purpose is upon this Earth. They walk together… the White Wolf bringing with it the knowledge of the Creatures of Earth,
The Prophet teaches us to set aside ego, to embrace our Soul’s journey bringing enlightenment and peace to ourselves and others that will follow by example. With them they will connect our souls to the possibilities available on our paths. They will bring forth loved ones that have transitioned and still connect to us but in different ways. In order to ensure our human side to understand there is more to our soul than just this path here on earth.
Take time before you retire to slumber to set intentions of growth of self and to accept the knowledge from the divine energies which swirl around each of us as we walk the Human. Allow yourself the freedom in that moment to energize yourselves to the positive vibrations we are meant to walk with, knowing and understanding we all have purpose, we all are equals even with the differences we have. As we all are meant to be in this time and space. That we are all connected by a great energy that reaches our souls as a golden thread of continuing to link us forever with the here and there and the in-between. We simply need to be open to it in order to thrive in positives that help the world we live in to become unconditional.
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.
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/
Over the years, the following words have stayed with me. I will be the first to admit it is not an easy path to walk, but like you all… I am human too. So it is good to remind yourself often of the important things, the things we need to do, the way we need to walk. If we expect others to be and do better then we must help to guide them through example, through understanding, through the unconditional. For we hold the power within each of us, the power to Change the World.
So with that thought…check egos at the door as we walk the code together.
Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.
Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy – and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.
Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.
Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.
Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.
Respect all things that are placed upon this earth – whether it be people or plant.
Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.
Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.
All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.
Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.
Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us. They are part of your worldly family.
Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.
Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.
Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will within this universe.
Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self – all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.
Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.
Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others – especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.
Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.
Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others. Share your good fortune with others.
So keep that list close, remind yourselves each day…and always remember you are not alone for we all walk the same way, one footstep at a time.
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!
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!
I call to All from every corner of the World to Join in Prayer on this Day of Winter Solstice!
I call to all those hidden in the Shadows to step into the Light
As we enter into the Season of Frost may we remember all the many things that have happened in our lives. May the Good, Bad and Indifferent resonate within so we may holster that energy and allow it to empower each and everyone of us to grow stronger, gentler, empathetic and filled with compassion for others.
It is time to step into our power and become the best version of self. It is time to flush out those shadowed spaces and allow positives of the future to find us.
As I stand and look to the sky, I see Possibilities. I feel Hope, I feel Faith all is not lost, that somehow we will find our true paths and allow it to empower our very Souls. Shadows and negatives will never go away, but we need to understand that we can help attain and keep a balance, but only if we work together.
May the Blessings of the Season’s Solstice find you and lift you to a place of Understanding and Love.
So it is said, so may it be so. ~ bear Medicinewalker