Tag: Native American

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Let’s Talk about Connections ~ bear Medicinewalker

Let's Talk about Connections ~ bear Medicinewalker

Connections I want to take some time this morning and speak of Connections.
Everything that is…is somehow at some point connected. And often many of us take that for granted. I know I have ni the past. And when I come to realize that I am …I slow down and stop to stand still for a moment and think about how connected everything in life is.

Elementals… Water-Air- Earth one can’t exist without the other…all powerful in their own right, and all part of us in some rhyme or reason.

What is a connection? Well defined in the dictionary it is;
Definition of CONNECTION
1: the act of connecting : the state of being connected: as
a : causal or logical relation or sequence c : a relation of personal intimacy (as of family ties)
d : coherence, continuity
2a : something that connects : link
b : a means of communication or transport
3: a person connected with another especially by marriage, kinship, or common interest
4: a political, social, professional, or commercial relationship: as
a : position, job
b : an arrangement to execute orders or advance interests of another
c : a source of contraband (as illegal drugs)
5: a set of persons associated together: as
a : denomination
b : clan

Wow connections… I would say that defines a big part of us as Humans, whether we accept it or not…we are all very connected.

Now when we look at being connected we have to think also how we interact with everything in our world. We have Air…we breathe air… air is life for many things here. Wouldn’t be here if we couldn’t breathe the air. Yet stop and think how different our air smells between a city…and a country spot. We have all been there; we have all heard the remark of wow… the air smells so fresh. The smell of fresh grass in a meadow, water running in a River, Birds that sing their cries in the trees,,, all carried to us through the air…it sustains life.

Earth is what we walk on…run on… drive on…work on… it grows our food, it changes and grows, evolves with us. Through all our changes …good or bad. the earth keeps up right along with us. Many times we are destructive of her, yet I wonder if we took a moment or two to remember who She is…if we would do some of the things we do to her? Yet she continues to sustain life. Water makes up the majority of our bodies as humans. It is the liquid that descends from the clouds as rain, forms streams, lakes, and seas, and is a major constituent of all living matter . It also sustains life… We need to remember even after we forget, to honor these elementals as Sacred…for without them we would not be. Because of them we are all connected.

I call to the sacred winds…to carry my words
To the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of the North, the south, the east, the west, Above …below and within…

I call to the sacred winds to carry my words to the Winged ones…the Four Leggeds…the Plant People…the Crystal Keepers, the Thunder Beings, the Angelic Realm…Mother Mary and Magdalene…my Brother Christ and all the nations that love us.

I thank you for all the many blessings that you have shared with us today and beyond and I ask that you hear our prayers whether spoken our held silently within our hearts.

Today I ask that you hear our prayers as we stand humbly before you, small and human.
Help us to remember we are all but a tiny part of a great universe, that we are all connected as one…

Bring us the strength we need to walk our paths without ego or judgment…
Allow our hearts to hear what our ears are missing
Teach us how to allow forgiveness for others and ourselves
Fill our being with the unconditional love that you so freely offer all.
I call that we be reminded we are all no better than or less than one another.

Guide us through our days, to help us with our humanness…that we learn to reconnect with others in a gentle and positive way. Offering smiles when they are needed without thought, shoulders or ears to help ease another…and words that will uplift or soothe.

Keep our children safe and strong in this troubled world… I ask that on this day and days to come…guidance is shared with our children to help them as they walk their paths. Help open their eyes so they can learn and see the right way of things, teach them to respect all life no matter how small, open their ears and minds so that they may understand things that are being taught to them in a good and gentle manner…open their hearts so that when the harshness of the world falls at their feet, they can cope and handle it with compassion and understanding.

I ask that today and all days ahead, that we honor all connections as Sacred. That we share respect with all that is, no matter if we are aware of the impact of those connections or not. That we are guided to care for these elementals, by replenishing, replanting, using only what is needed. And remembering that they are each sacred gifts that we depend on for life itself. They connect us all to each other.

I thank all those who have walked with us and answer our calls…this day and in days to come…and honor you …AHO

So my wish to you all today is that you look around you and see how many gifts that we have received from the elementals. The air we breathe, the beverages we drink, the foods we eat, the paper we write on, the electricity that powers our tools… and that we give back. We plant seeds of awareness to others as gentle reminders of what a great gift we have been given and share in. And that through that our connections with each other, that awareness becomes stronger. That we care for all life in a gentle and giving way, returning and continuing the cycle of giving and replenishing.

May your day be bright and filled with faith. For it is way past time we remember we are all related.

Mig’wetch

~bear Medicinewalker

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Snow Moon as told by bear Medicinewalker

snowmoon

Long ago and far to the north, winter nights were very long, dark and bitter cold. Nights were so long, dark and cold that all the Four Leggeds and their friends could barely gather enough food to survive the season. No matter how quickly they tried to gather nuts and seeds, the darkness covered them before log and stopped all their efforts. On such a day Squirrel decided that something had to be done. Her first stop would be a visit to her friends the field mice.

“Oh, we do not know what to do,” said Father Mouse. “We have so many children to feed, and the winter nights are so long and dark.”

“I will help you my little friends,” Squirrel replied.

Next Squirrel went to see Porcupine to ask him if he too had been having trouble finding food during the long dark winter.

“Oh, yes,” said Porcupine,“ nothing can be done it has always been this way.”

“I don’t believe that,” said Squirrel. “There must be something that can be done.”

“It’s best to leave things as they are for you never know what could happen if you try and change things,” said Porcupine. With a bristle of quills, he scurried off through wintery wind and snow.

Squirrel sat and thought for a bit and then decided to seek out Owl. Owl rested by day and flew the woods at night, with eyes bigger than all the other animals. Perhaps Owl would know a way to bring light to the winter forest.  Squirrel climbed high in Owl’s maple tree and waited for Owl to wake.

“What brings you to me Squirrel?” asked Owl.

“All of the small woodland animals need to hunt by darkness as well as day. The northern winter nights are far too dark for us. If we could only find a little light to help us see we could gather our food with ease”

Owl agreed to ponder on this problem. He lifted his feathery head and then buried it into his shoulders to think. He thought all day long, while Squirrel shivered on the windy branch. Finally, he startled with thought, “I will talk to the Sky Father and see if he can bring the stars closer to us during the winter time.”

Squirrel flicked her tail in excitement and hope as she raced down the tree to her spot in the woods. A few days went by and then Owl flew in and landed at Squirrel’s burrow.

“Tell our small friends that the Sky Father has decided he will bring the stars closer to us at night. But first, he must clear all the clouds from the sky. We must all prepare for a strong and terrible blizzard.” With that said, Owl flew off to his tree.

All the animals worked as quickly as they could to forage all the nuts, berries and seeds that they found. Then they gathered and huddled in a hollow log and watched as the huge storm clouds gathered in the sky above.

For three days the Sky Father gathered the storm clouds in the sky, stacking them in huge towers. The animals shivered below, waiting. On the third day, the storm arrived. The blizzard howled through the woods. The animals were frightened, all except Squirrel for she believed in what Owl had promised.  When the storm died away, a huge snowdrift had blocked the hollow log so that the animals could see nothing but the wall of snow and the darkness from inside the hollow space. They were scared and disappointed, thinking that only hunger and darkness awaited them.

Brave Little Squirrel made her way through all her friends and turned to them, “Wait here, I will tunnel out and see if the stars are closer as the Great Sky Father promised.”

Squirrel dug and dug, pushing through the cold and wet snow finally reaching the top. When her head popped out through the snow, she gasped in surprise. The winter stars hung so low in the evening sky, it seemed that she could almost touch them.

A large, antlered moose stepped forward and bowed his head, “I have been sent to help you, if you little animals can gather all the snow you can and push it into a giant snowball, I will then carry it cradled in my antlers across the highest mountain ridges, where it will shed light on even the darkest winter nights.”

So they all worked together with the help of the moose and the Sky Father to create the first Snow Moon. Now despite the cold and the long nights of darkness, all are happy in the winter when the stars come close and the moon shines bright like a great snowball in the sky.

~ bear Medicinewalker

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Traditions …Thoughts from bear Medicinewalker

Traditions

Tradition, an important piece of a puzzle that helps define who we are…
“In our modern world today, we may seem like drowning men because of the loss of much of our spiritual tradition.”
-Thomas Yellowtail, CROW

My spiritual tradition shows us the way to live in harmony, balance and respect. The tradition taught me how to behave and how to conduct ourselves. The spiritual way taught me to pray and to purify myself. Handed down from generation to generation were the teachings about a way of life that many have forgotten. A way that many now seek to remember and learn. The relationship to Mother Earth and to each other is very clear. The Modern World does not relate to spirituality but to materialism. If we do not allow spirituality to guide our lives, we will be lost, unhappy and without direction. We are spiritual beings trying to be human, not human beings trying to be spiritual. And it is time to not only remember this…but to embrace it as well

It will bring us back to balance.
Definition of TRADITION
1a : an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom)
b : a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable
2: the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction

So if we stop and take a look into our own histories…our own histories, we will perhaps be surprised as to what we find, what we remember… whether it is an aunt or uncle that shared a story, or a Grandparent that taught us a skill or way of life… it is through those teachings that our traditions and histories are passed down from generation to generation.

If we choose to embrace this as part of who we are, and remember that the spiritual and the words from those that have walked before us, is what shows us the way to finding our own balance our own empowerment.

So take a moment and join me in offering prayer…

I call to the sacred winds…to carry my words
To the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of the North, the south, the east, the west, Above …below and within…

I call to the sacred winds to carry my words to the Winged ones…the Four Leggeds…the Plant People…the Crystal Keepers, the Thunder Beings, the Angelic Realm…Mother Mary and Magdalene…my Brother Christ and all the nations that love us.

I thank you for all the many blessings that you have shared with us today and beyond and I ask that you hear our prayers whether spoken our held silently within our hearts.

Today I ask that you hear our prayers as we stand humbly before you, small and human.
Help us to remember we are all but a tiny part of a great universe, that we are all connected as one…

Bring us the strength we need to walk our paths without ego or judgment…
Allow our hearts to hear what our ears are missing
Teach us how to allow forgiveness for others and ourselves
Fill our being with the unconditional love that you so freely offer all.
I call that we be reminded we are all no better than or less than one another.

Guide us through our days, to help us with our humanness…that we learn to reconnect with others in a gentle and positive way. Offering smiles when they are needed without thought, shoulders or ears to help ease another…and words that will uplift or soothe.

Keep our children safe and strong in this troubled world… I ask that on this day and days to come…guidance is shared with our children to help them as they walk their paths. Help open their eyes so they can learn and see the right way of things, teach them to respect all life no matter how small, open their ears and minds so that they may understand things that are being taught to them in a good and gentle manner…open their hearts so that when the harshness of the world falls at their feet, they can cope and handle it with compassion and understanding.

I ask that today and all days ahead, that we look to our Ancestors and our Elders for guidance… that we remember stories of long ago, that we are guided to that reconnect of spiritual of family …of tradition. For within it all is a part of who we are as people, humans…allow that to help us bring balance not only to ourselves…but to the world around us.

I thank all those who have walked with us and answer our calls…this day and in days to come…and honor you …AHO
So my wish to you all today is that you look to the past generations, remember or learn the traditions. Study the rituals of prayer and celebrations… embrace the cultures …the family…and when you do may you find a peace and joy in your hearts that will instill balance to your world…
May Your day be filled with blessings from this moment and beyond.

Mitakuye O’yasin
~bear Medicinewalker

Grandfathers Tears  by Steven Rushingwind and available on Itunes and at http://www.steverushingwind.com/

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So what is a Teacher? as shared by bear Medicinewalker

teachers

Teachers… lessons …Nature ….these are things that are always present in our life whether we realize it or not. So what is a Teacher?

Definition of TEACHER
1: one that teaches; especially

With that in mind one can look at many things in life, and many people as teachers. Of course there is school… and I am sure when all of us think about it, or think back on it, we can dingle out individuals that made a difference with us. That urged us to be better, more daring, more dedicated to learning. That made a difference to us in some way that perhaps altered a small part of our life.

As we all get older…we must open our mind sets and remember that we all are teachers. No matter what age we are, there is someone looking to learn what we know. I remember watching a video of babies playing, and how they watched each other and learned together how to place the blocks in a manner that they could build them into something. When they worked together to learn, and they would accomplish something, they would giggle and laugh with each other and squeal in delight. For they learned, they taught each other to build something.

I want to learn, I want to understand…statements that are often on peoples minds when they talk with me. They want to learn how to be more spiritual, to walk a balanced path. The Red road… and often the path there is about how we choose to live, its about the choices we make in our daily lives, choices that hopefully will guide us to Honor the Sacred, to walk in balance with the life that is around us, to be more accepting of our own shortcomings, our own faults…and know that it is okay to be imperfect.

Teachers, in recent weeks I have seen and heard about teachers who forget that they are also students as they walk forward. We are all on a learning path, to experience life and all the lessons around us. Ahhhh Lessons, we all hate them at times don’t we? Yet they are needed for often we don’t listen or hear. We don’t want to, because it involves change or acceptance.

So what are lessons?
Definition of LESSON
1 : a passage from sacred writings read in a service of worship
2a : a piece of instruction
b : a reading or exercise to be studied by a pupil
c : a division of a course of instruction
3a : something learned by study or experience
b : an instructive example c : reprimand

Well we all know why we don’t like them, because many times it involves work. Work on ourselves to be better, to change, to move ahead sometimes in order to let go of things that don’t serve us or are not good for us anymore, difficult things to do sometimes. We need to build more confidence in ourselves… we are all no better than or less than each other. We need to remember as teachers we are also students, and that sometimes we walk as both. I know I do. I surely don’t know everything. It is about remembering to be humble, it is about adding your own energy to what we do, think or feel and knowing that is okay to do so. That is why we are called Individual, unique.

I believe the greatest honor for a teacher of any kind, at any level is when a Student can take what they are taught, expand it and move ahead on their paths. So people its time to take control of what we can control, our choices… our own lives. Not that of those around us, but our own. Clean our own house so to speak, set things to order, set Your boundaries. Realize your own potential… find yourself, own your POWER…

Let us join in sending healing energies and prayer this day…
I call to the sacred winds…to carry my words
To the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of the North, the south, the east, the west, Above …below and within…

I call to the sacred winds to carry my words to the Winged ones…the Four Leggeds…the Plant People…the Crystal Keepers, the Thunder Beings, the Angelic Realm…Mother Mary and Magdalene…my Brother Christ and all the nations that love us.

I thank you for all the many blessings that you have shared with us today and beyond and I ask that you hear our prayers whether spoken our held silently within our hearts.

Today I ask that you hear our prayers as we stand humbly before you, small and human.
Help us to remember we are all but a tiny part of a great universe, that we are all connected as one…

Bring us the strength we need to walk our paths without ego or judgment…
Allow our hearts to hear what our ears are missing
Teach us how to allow forgiveness for others and ourselves
Fill our being with the unconditional love that you so freely offer all.
I call that we be reminded we are all no better than or less than one another.

Guide us through our days, to help us with our humanness…that we learn to reconnect with others in a gentle and positive way. Offering smiles when they are needed without thought, shoulders or ears to help ease another…and words that will uplift or soothe.

Keep our children safe and strong in this troubled world… I ask that on this day and days to come…guidance is shared with our children to help them as they walk their paths. Help open their eyes so they can learn and see the right way of things, teach them to respect all life no matter how small, open their ears and minds so that they may understand things that are being taught to them in a good and gentle manner…open their hearts so that when the harshness of the world falls at their feet, they can cope and handle it with compassion and understanding.

I ask that today and all days ahead we all remember we are teachers. Guide us to putting our best out there so others can learn form it. Allow us to share what we know with each other freely and with openness. Teach us to recall we are all also students, and fill our lives with things that will enrich our lives, help us to walk in balance, find joy, keep the faith and never loose Hope. Teach us to find our own Power and to embrace that in a good and positive way.

I thank all those who have walked with us and answer our calls…this day and in days to come…and honor you …AHO

So my wish to you all today is that you step into your roles as Teachers, to stay humble as we are all also students. But to reach out and honor what is shared with each and everyone of us, the amazing life of the world that exists around us. To challenge the teachers, to be inquisitive students, learn more so in turn you can teach more. Be examples of harmonious balance. Set boundaries, open doors… set the world on fire and make it a better place.

I send you all peace…today… and may the love that is in my heart reach and find you all today, and fill your life with blessings.

Mitakuye O’yasin
bear Medicinewalker

bear Medicinewalker

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the Spirit of the White Deer as shared by bear Medicinewalker

spirit of the White Deer

One day as is often the case, a young warrior fell in love with the daughter of a great Chief. Upon meeting the young warrior the Chief was not very fond of the idea of this young warrior with his daughter at all, so he created a price for the bride that he was sure that the young warrior would not be able to pay.

“Bring me the hide of the White Deer, for it is believed that animals that are all white are magical, as is my daughter. That is the price for my daughter’s hand in marriage, one white deer skin” The chief knew that an all white deer was very rare and would most difficult to find. The white deerskin was the best and most beautiful material to use in a wedding dress, so the Chief felt good setting the task to such a high level.

So the young warrior agreed and before leaving on the hunt went to his beloved, and spoke to her “I will return with your bride price in one moon, and we will be married this I promise you.” Taking his best bow and his sharpest arrows he headed out to find the rare and magical White Deer.

Three weeks went by, and the young warrior was often hungry and lonely until one night during a full moon when he saw a White Deer that seemed to drift in and out of his vision with the moonlight. When the deer came very close to where he was hidden, the young warrior pulled back the arrow on his bow and sent his sharpest arrow through the wind. The arrow sank deep into the White Deer’s heart yet instead of falling to the ground in death the deer turned and began to run toward the young warrior. His red eyes shining in the night with his horns sharp and menacing pointing as he grew closer to the warrior.

Soon a month had passed and the young warrior had not returned as he had promised his beloved. Soon the seasons began to pass the tribe decided that the young warrior would never again return. The Chief’s young daughter never took any other young man as a husband, for she deep inside her heart she held a secret. When the moon was full in the sky, she would look out over the meadows and she would glimpse a magnificent White Deer through the mist, and as it ran if one looked closely you could see the quill of an arrow in his heart. She lived hoping the deer would finally fall, and her warrior would one day return.

To this day the white deer is special to the Native Peoples for it speaks to us of all that is Sacred in the Hoop of Life.

Mitakuye O’yasin
~ bear Medicinewalker

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Cherokee Legend of the Cedar Trees as shared by bear Medicinewalker

legend of the cedar

 

A long time ago when the Cherokee People were new upon the Earth, they decided that life would be much better if night time did not exist. They prayed and offered smoke to the Ouga (Creator) that daylight would stay all the time and darkens would no longer exist. Creator heard their voices and agreed to release Grandmother Moon and her blanket of nighttime from its task. Father Sun rose and stayed focused shedding light in the sky from that point on.

Soon, the forests grew and were thick with heavy growth. It became difficult to walk and to find the pathways from village to village, home to home. The people worked in the gardens hours at a time trying to keep the weeds pulled so they would not over grow and smother the corn and other food plants. It became extremely hot never letting up from day to day. Soon it became very difficult to sleep which caused the people to become restless, short tempered and to begin arguing over small and insignificant things.

Not many days had passed before the People came to realize that they had made a mistake. They began to pray to the Creator. “Please, we have made a mistake in asking for continuous sunlight. Now we think that perhaps it should be night all the time.”

The Creator pondered on what had been asked and thought about how all things had been created in two’s to keep the balance… day and night, life and death, good and evil, times of plenty and those times of famine. However Creator loved the people and decided to give them once again what they asked for. He asked Father Sun to rest and Grandmother Moon to return.

So from that point daytime ceased and nighttimes blanket fell upon the Earth. Soon, the crops stopped growing and it became very cold. The people spent their time gathering wood for the fires trying to stay warm. They could not see to hunt meat and with no crops growing soon people were cold, weak, and very hungry, and many of died.

Once again they gathered and prayed to the Creator. “Help us Creator, we have made a terrible mistake. What you once created was perfect and as it should be, from the beginning. Please forgive us and make the day and night as it was before.”

Once again the Creator listened to the request of the people and soon day and the night became, as the people had asked, as it had been in the beginning. Each day was divided between light and darkness. The weather became more pleasant, and the crops began to grow again. Game was plentiful and the hunting was good. The people had plenty of food and there was little illness. Once again the people treated each other with compassion and respect. It was good to be alive.

The people gathered, thanking Creator for their lives and for all that was Sacred.

Creator accepted the gratitude, however, during the time of the long days of night, many of the people had died, and the Creator wanted the people to have a reminder of this time and the people that were lost. So Creator placed their Spirits in a newly created tree. And named the tree a-tsi-na tlu-gv {ah-see-na loo-guh} or Cedar tree.

So when you smell the aroma of the Cedars or gaze upon them as they stand strong among the forests, remember you are looking upon our Ancestors, and offer them thanks and tobacco.

It is the belief to this day that the wood of the great Cedar tree holds the Spirits of the Ancestors. Many carry a small piece of cedar wood in their medicine bags worn around the neck. It is also placed above the entrances to the house to protect against the entry of evil spirits, even some of our traditional drums are made from the Great Cedars…the Spirits of our Ancestors.

Blessings

bear Medicinewalker

 

Music by Wolfsheart http://bigcityindians.com/

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Spiritlands as shared by bear Medicinewalker

spiritlands 2014

Many lifetimes ago lived a young warrior whose bride died on the eve of their wedding ceremony. Her death
left a deep hole in this great warrior and the young man inconsolable. He was unable to eat or sleep. He
didn’t want to hunt pr participate with the tribe. You could find him simply sitting at the grave of his bride,

On a particular day he overheard some elders speaking about the path to
the spirit world. He carefully listened and memorized the directions to
the most minute detail. He had heard that the spirit world was far to
the south, so immediately he headed out on his journey. Several weeks
passed and he still saw no change to the earths ground to indicate that
the spirit world was near.

Finally he walked from the edge of the forest and saw the most beautiful plain he had ever seen. In the
distance was a small structure where an ancient Shaman lived who was a gate keeper to the realms. The
Warrior approached the Shaman asking for directions. The old Shaman knew exactly who this young warrior
was and whom he sought. He knew that his bride had passed by only a day
before, and in order to follow her, the Warrior would have to leave his
body behind and walk forward in his spirit form. The spirit world itself
could only be reached by crossing a large lake by canoes waiting on
this shore. However, the old Shaman warned him not to speak to his bride
until they were both safely on the island of the spirits.

Soon the Shaman recited some ancient chants and the Warrior felt his spirit leave his earthly form. Now
walking in spirit form, sitting along the shore sat a birch bark canoe that waited for their passage. Not a
stone’s throw away was his bride, entering her own canoe. As he made his
way across the water and looked at her, he saw that she duplicated his
every stroke. Why didn’t they travel together? And the Shaman’s voice
could be heard echoing across the waters, “A soul can only enter the
spirit world alone and be judged upon on their own life’s choices.”

Midway through the journey, a great storm rose on the great lake. It tossed and churned in a way the young
Warrior had never seen. Some of the spirits in canoes could be seen being swept away by the storm. There
lives proving them to be unworthy of the Spirit Land. Since both the young Warrior and his bride were good
people, they made it through the storms violence easily and soon the water calmed and rested and looked like
glass beneath a brightly lit sky.

The Spirit Land is a beautiful place where it is always blooming with vibrant colored flowers and cloudless
skies, never too warm or too cold. The young Warrior reached out to his bride on the shore gently taking her
hand in his. They had not walked ten steps together when Creator quietly spoke to them. He told them that
the young Warrior must return as he came, for it was not his time to be at the Spirit Lands yet. He was
instructed to carefully trace his steps back to his body, step back into it and then return homelands. He
listened to Creator’s words walking back towards his home. He did so joyfully and in his lifetime became a
great chief, holding in his heart that he would see his bride once again and they would reunite in the Spirit
Lands when time was to be.

 

Mitakye O’yasin

bear Medicinewalker

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