Prayer…We all do it at some point, whether we want to admit it or not. Today’s card that fell is appropriate, the Prayer Tie! It is time for all to take time to recognize the place the world around us is in. it is time we all stop and take a moment to recognize we all can use a prayer, a positive thought or two now and then. Even for people who do not believe in the power of prayer, I want you to think of positives, and with that said there is proof that positive energy can and does make a difference.
You don’t have to be a poet, a NY Times Best Selling Author, a reporter or anyone else other than You… You don;t have to stand in front of millions of people, or on television or radio… you can do it silently or out loud. It’s simple, reach down into the core of You and pull out a positive to share with the Universe around You, then watch as it spreads igniting other positives.
Today is about honoring the “POWER” of just that, the positive!
I was taught to use Prayer Ties a long time ago… what are they you ask? Well Prayer Ties are meant to create a sacred object, that contains your desires and prayers. remembering that your prayers are important. Originally placing tobacco infused with our prayers and intent for positive changes, within brightly colored cloth, tying them with white cotton string, and then placing them into trees to be gently swayed on the Sacred Winds and lifted to the Universe and Creator to hear and see.
Our People have made Prayer Ties by wrapping sacred herbs into a cloth while praying to Creator. Once the Prayer Ties are completed they are burned in a respectful and reverent ceremony, assuring that the prayers and intent are sent up to the heavens and carried to the Creator in the smoke.
Making Prayer Ties is not about precision or doing it right, it is all about the intent of positive change.
I challenge you all this day or within this season, no matter what your background or ritual, to stop and put together a Prayer Tie together and place it in a place of respect, gratitude and honor… so that others will ask what they are, and then you can tell them it is about positive change and honoring those who have walked before us.
So today go about your days inspiring and doing Positives… ignoring the negatives of the world, for a positive can empower many good things including remembering who and what we are meant to be and how we are meant to walk… unconditionally as Human, with faults and imperfections, yet perfect in our individuality. For without each and everyone of us, the world would be incomplete.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing the Native culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…” Mitakuye O’yasin ~bear Medicinewalker
“Big & Rich – That’s Why I Pray available on I tunes used as Creative commons.
Transform the negatives into positives! That is the message that the Butterfly brings us today. It is easier to sit and wallow in the muck than it is to move from it, yet that is what we must do. Give ourselves that little extra push today to get moving in the right direction. Sure sometimes it is hard, but you will find that if you can think it …you can accomplish it. so go ahead and push…you will be glad at the end of your day that you did…after all time is a gift so make each and every moment of it yours and put your mark on the world!
The Butterfly is connected to the elemental Air. It represents to many cultures the story of Transformation. It teaches us how to shift, change and move with whatever life brings to our paths. This helps us to learn how to work through events and situations that we encounter in our lives so that we can move through changes in what appears to be effortless with grace allowing our Sacred Hoops to come into and stay balanced.
Butterfly shares with us the gift of understanding that we all have purpose, we are all part of a grander plan, that we all exist to complete the balance needed in the world we live in. Without each of us inputting our energies, our purposes… other things would not come to fruition. Such as the pollen that is collected when they land in a grouping of flowers, when they move from place to place they assist the species in continuing to exist. We too are much like the Butterfly, for without each of us to contribute our efforts, our knowledge sharing it with our young people, with each other… ideas and cultures would eventually cease to exist.
Butterfly teaches us that we need to quiet our minds to hear the echoes of our souls, to look around you and appreciate all that is Sacred. Teachings are also about how we move through our lives transforming and constantly changing. As we are seeded into the womb where we begin our earth journeys growing and nurturing to prepare to enter the world, we are much like the Butterfly in the cocoon until we emerge slowly transforming into what and who we are to become.
Throughout our lives this occurs as we move through the changes in our life. So don’t fight the changes, rather honor the process of it as your Soul grows and expands into all that it can be… the beautiful soul that is an intricate part of the Human Race.
So today take time and honor who you are, remembering that you and all that you are is meant to be for a purpose and wonderful reason…. Take a moment to breathe, take a moment to revel in becoming understanding that you are important to all life!
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing the Native culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…” Mitakuye O’yasin ~bear Medicinewalker
“Join Me as I continue the Sacred Hoop Project into this Year 2016…the year of Truths!”
Looking back on what was written last year …I felt the message should once again be put forth …so with you all I share…
I sat wrote on this Memorial Day Weekend 2015, I was guided to write something a little different from the norm. First however I will begin with the traditional and share what Memorial Day is and how it all began.
Originally called Decoration Day and the idea was established in 1868 and born due to the horrific death tolls resulting from the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead.
“The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” ~ General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it was NOT an anniversary of any particular battle.
So it became a day of observance for those who lost their lives here in a country that lay divided and torn from a war, a war that pitted family against family, a war that drenched the soil with the blood of many.
Today it is observed in almost every state on the last Monday in May ensuring a three day weekend for Federal holidays, though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19th in Texas; April 26th in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10th in South Carolina; and June 3rd (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee, the stain remaining in a split that remains still, North and South, the United States.
I honor all those that have fought for this country and what it is supposed to stand for, Freedom and Honor, Unity and Grace. But I take it a step further and honor those that walked before us and fought many battles on the soil we all now stand on, build our homes, our lives and communities, our Ancestors from all nations that helped to build this country. Ancestors that without their sacrifices we would not be here today.
I honor the immigrants that came through Ellis Island bringing with them the skills that built our country. Brick layers, wood carvers, creative people, the thinkers, the entrepreneurs, the men, women and children that did the hard work, work that most of us today would not even dream of having to do. That fought battles of violence every day just to survive. The Irish, the Polish, The Italian, the German and oh so many more, leaving their own families and homelands due to discrimination and war, to the many that were killed, the fact you were treated less than human, I remember and honor them all.
I honor my Ancestors, the Original People, the Native People that honored our lands and lived in balance until they too were ravaged by wars and violence. To the many that were killed, the fact they were treated less than human, I remember and honor them all. I honor them more for pushing us to be better in the world today, to honor where we came from and to never forget the people that are one with the Great Mother Earth, their teachings and keeping that as the foundation for life.
I honor the Chinese mine workers who came and worked the mines out in the western states and became a forgotten story in history. The violence they endured because they did not speak English, because their skin was a different color, their sacrifice in order to help forge this country into its future. To the many that were killed, the fact they were treated less than human, I remember and honor them all
I honor the Africans that were taken from their homelands and their families brought to this soil as slaves and also to be treated less than human. Many names lost in history their lives unable to be recognized individually, to the many that were killed, the fact they were treated less than human, I remember and honor them all.
I honor the Japanese Americans that were outcast during the war and sent to camps, their lives torn apart and destroyed. All because they came to America to build a better life for themselves and their families, to the many that were killed, the fact you were treated less than human, I remember and honor them all.
To all the People that have come here and sacrificed to build this country in order to make a better life , to the many that were killed, the fact they too were treated less than human, I remember and honor them all.
So today, I ask that you all take a moment from your day as you remember loved ones that have fallen in conflict, that you take another moment to add to it all the countless other people that have done the same here on our own lands, in our own country. While you are doing that add prayer that we all learn from what history shows us all…that no matter what color our skin is, it took Warriors of the Rainbow to get us to this place we stand today in our own lives, countless sacrifices that go far back in this country’s history.
And if we do nothing else today… honor that … think of that…and be thankful for what it has allowed us to be, have and live today. Then take it a step further and realize that each of us has the ability to bring about change… to set aside hate, bigotry, racial discrimination, and judgment. To become better people, better humans, to honor what has been provided to us by our Ancestors. Make their sacrifices count… for if they were alive today, I feel many would shed tears that many things still have not changed.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing the Native culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…” Mitakuye O’yasin ~bear Medicinewalker
“Join Me as I continue the Sacred Hoop Project into this Year 2016…the year of Truths!”
James Horner and the Boys choir of Harlem Closing song from “Glory” available on Itunes
Today some very strong medicine jumps out at us… the Medicine Wheel speaks to us about the keeping and care of the Sacred Hoop. Both our personal one and the one of the World that surrounds us all. It is a universal symbol, that shares with us the natural order of things, not only the cycles that we travel through as we walk the human, but the way all things change and evolve along side us.
Whether it be the Winged Ones, the Four Leggeds, the Plant People, the Crystal and Rock Keepers, the Swimmers or Creepers we all evolve together in the harmony that we were born to. The four lines in the Wheel speak to us of the four directions, the four colors to the cultures and the four parts of our human, the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual being. To understand the Medicine Wheel is to understand self.
This is what we need to understand, that the strengths, the creative, the spiritual, the faults, the imperfections all lie with in each of us. They are all part of who we are, constantly evolving. As a wheel is circular and continues in a constant state of birth to death constantly moving through change, so are we. To understand that about ourselves is how we are to attain balance.
To understand that we are All Connected, that we All Imprint on the world, the energy that we exist in is to understand the nature of how things co-exist. That there has to be opposites for balance…light and dark. rain and heat, night and day, birth and death… All a intricate part of the Human experience.
Ask yourself what is it that you need to day to add to the positives in your own life, what is it you need in order to set your mind to in order to keep the negative at bay? So today, look to yourself and think about how each word, each action, each breath you take is part of a bigger Hoop, then think what it is You need to do to put your own Sacred Hoop into a place of balance with all that is Sacred honoring who you are meant to be.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing Culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…” Blessings ~bear Medicinewalker
“Join Me as I continue the Sacred Hoop Project into this Year 2016…the year of Truths!”
Badger shows up today to remind us that we all must trust in our abilities utilize them to take on challenges that show up in our journeys. It is time to step away from our hiding places we have created and show the world what we are made of. Remember what is important to us and who we are as unique individuals that have a place in this world. The message is loud and clear… walk your own path to the beat of your own drum. Have faith in yourself and your talents and abilities. Know that you handle any challenge that shows up. Who cares what others say. Come out from hiding and start taking names and numbers.
Aggressiveness and the willingness to fight for what you want in this life and that is what Badger has to teach us. Just how to temper it and apply the right kid of pressure when needed and when to make a stand.
Badger teaches us to use our healing abilities to push forward in positives in life and to aggressively move the obstacles that are in our way even if we are the ones that have placed them there.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing the Native culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…” Mitakuye O’yasin ~bear Medicinewalker
“Join Me as I continue the Sacred Hoop Project into this Year 2016…the year of Truths!”
Today we are reminded to hold our own Medicine as Sacred! Do Not allow anyone to make you feel that you are less than… or that you can not accomplish, or are not worthy and in return do the same with others. Give people the benefit of the doubt, not jumping to conclusions and accusation. Today is about stepping into your own power, your own medicine and owning it! This doesn’t mean that you are better than, it simply means that we all are an important part of the world, we all imprint and spark changes. So today ignite life’s positives. Perhaps remember a teaching of long ago and review it to make sure you are still using it wisely. Make sure that your footprints are gentle as you walk your paths. Stand strong, share the unconditional with others that cross upon your journey today and days ahead. Be the teacher that we are all meant to be…the human that is experiencing life and it’s many miracles.
A Medicine Bag ( also called a Medicine Pouch) is traditionally a small pouch filled with talismans such as stones, herbs, found objects, personal memorabilia and its purpose is protection, to remind us of our human and All that is Sacred and to assist us in healing and keeping our Sacred Hoops in balance. Native Americans have carried these bags for centuries, but in recent years, they’ve also become popular in our modern day culture but most are unaware of the intent/purpose of them.
Traditionally a medicine bag or bundle contains something from the plant, animal and mineral kingdoms and from the life of a person. Meant to be kept close to your person so that the spiritual power surrounds you and becomes one with your energy. In a sense it becomes one with who you are. What goes onto the bag is your personal medicine, things you draw “power” from that will aid you as you walk your paths. If you receive one as a gift, the maker or person gifting it should add something of their own to help you on your journey.
Understand that a traditional Medicine Pouch is Sacred. The bag should not be opened by anyone else. It is up to the individual whose bag it is if they choose to take items out in order to share with others the story behind them, or to use them for healing purposes. Each item is considered Sacred and is meant to assist its owner with power and spirituality while they walk the Human. Allowing others to access the bag and it’s contents, ‘steals’ the power and lessons its intent for the owner.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing the Native culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…” Mitakuye O’yasin ~bear Medicinewalker
“Join Me as I continue the Sacred Hoop Project into this Year 2016…the year of Truths!”
“Pathways” from Pathway to Destiny: Songs of Healing and Contemplation by Louie Gonnie. Available at http://canyonrecords.com/shop/
Today the Horse comes to share some insights with us all. reminding us to knock the gate open, push through the boundaries that we have set up around us in order to feel safe. Whether we fenced ourselves in due to pain and hurtful things the world laid at our feet or not…it is time to knock down those fences in order to let positives reach us once again. It is so much easier to lock ourselves up when pain and conflict enter our lives, but in doing so we create a pattern or cycle, and by closing ourselves off we also keep the negatives in with out a way to be released. That will throw anyone off balance. So we must allow our faces to feel sunlight once again, breathe in the fresh air… and begin again to move forward. Don’t allow yourself to stagnate, open to the positive possibilities that are out there and invite them in!
Horse brings with it the joy of wide open spaces and the ability to move freely about. It shares that it is time to open the barn doors and venture out into the world to experience what the Universe is offering for all of us if we are willing to open to it in positive ways. They help to guide us swiftly and sure footed to the next part of the path we are to reach.
However in doing so Horse also shares that the herd is important. The ones that are within our Sacred Hoop…family…friends… that they are there to assist us as we move forward and not stay in the old ways, with things that need to be let loose. Mend fences and move forward with everything, but truly mend them do not just go through the motions, for if you don’t take the time needed you will loose the positives that are part of that same Sacred Hoop.
Horse tells us to awaken our souls and honor our true self, our true dreams and aspirations. Feel the wind, feel the earth beneath you, feel the sun share its warmth and energy, feel the water as it nourishes and cleanses. Allow your senses to be in a place of all that is Sacred.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing the Native culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…” Mitakuye O’yasin ~bear Medicinewalker
“Join Me as I continue the Sacred Hoop Project into this Year 2016…the year of Truths!”
Jonny Lipford and Rhythm of the Rainhorse available at http://www.jonnylipford.com
