Sweetgrass….ahhhhh that glorious fresh scent that brings a multitude of memories to me instantly. It is the lustrous grass that my horses found one spring as soon as we let them into the pasture that contained it, we went to investigate and they almost had it all mowed down. We all laughed; for even the four leggeds understand how good it is.
It’s associated with the element of Air. The botanical name is Heirochloe odorata, currently growing mainly in the plains across the United States and on up into Canada. The plant can induce a soporific effect and have been used in meditation and shamanistic rituals with the belief that it has some mild psychotropic properties.
Native People believe that Sweet grass is the first plant that covered the Great Mother Earth. It is viewed as Sacred; we often use this plant for religious purposes such as making incense and calling spirits as well as to aid us during fasting. Drawing in positive vibrational energy along with purification it drives away the negative spirits and energies while the sweetness draws in the positive energies and spirits to assist us and guide us in the right ways.
When we use Sweetgrass for smudging drawing in positive energies it changes the energy of one’s space and being. Traditionally you will see the Sweetgrass twisted into braids and sometimes in smudge packages…I have braids in the rooms of my home and among my sacred objects. I often add clippings into my own smudge mixture with the White Sage, for it adds purification to the intention and space.
Sweetgrass can instantly change the energy surrounding one’s physical body and environment while improving our emotional state, bringing it to a renewed perspective. It draws the feelings of abundance and uplifts our spirits as it invades our senses. It also provides a positive energy to our auric fields and is useful as we perform energy work or healing practices.
Used when you need to balance or are in need of comfort, it will bring calmness and peace to your thoughts. I have found it to immediately give me a sense of empowerment, of clarity, and the ability to refocus my thoughts in order to gain a better perspective from a more positive place.
Here’s to all of you, Blessings for today and beyond
The Hopi people believe there are two forms of everything on the planet: physical and spiritual. The word “katsinum” means spirit, and this is where the word “Kachina” comes from.
The story of how the Kachina came to the Hopi people starts off long ago in a village of our ancestors. Drought had taken hold of the lands and people for many years. Slowly as the food stores ran out the people began to die. When it was thought that all hope was lost, the Kachina Spirits saw the people suffering and took pity on them. They decided to show themselves and materialized in human-like form to teach them how to grow food, bring rain and heal the sick through prayers of song and dance.
At first the people were very afraid of the Kachina’s, thinking they maybe evil because they had never shown themselves before. So the villagers they began to gather their weapons to drive them away. The Kachina’s however, blessed the people through song and dance; and produced gifts of food for them and helped to heal the sick, they brought the rains back the thirsty crops. So, thankful to the Kachina’s the Hopi people asked them to become a part of their tribe. And it became so and in the village they all lived together for many years.
As time passed the people began to get lazy. No longer hungry or dependent on the weather to assist them with their crops, they began to neglect their sacred way of life. Fields were choked with weeds, husbands and wives became promiscuous, and elders who could no longer care for themselves were forgotten. Children were left alone crying and dirty, and their homes began to crumble.
The Kachina’s seeing that because they had with the Hopi people, things came to easy to the villagers and they soon forgot how to be humble, how important the need for prayer and honor were. So they decided that it would be best to return once again to where they had come from, thus allowing the people to return to the rightful way of life.
The people realizing what was about to happen begged the Kachina’s to stay, but their pleadings were denied. However before leaving the villages, the Kachina’s agreed to teach the Hopi people once again how to prepare offerings, ceremonial dress, songs and dance for how to harnessing the power of the elements. Only then, once they understood how to once again be humble …to honor the cycle would the Kachina spirits deliver their prayers to higher deities to bring rain, bountiful harvests, health and happiness to all the people of the world.
Now I will share with you the story of the Blue Kachina…
“This story of the Blue Kachina is a very old story, I was told this story when I was in my teens by grandmothers that attended a gathering I was at. I was intrigued and remember it well.
“It was said that first the Blue Kachina will start to be seen at the dances, and would make his appearance known to the children while the night dance was occurring. When this happens it will warn us that the end times are very near. Then the Blue Star Kachina will physically appear in our heavens which would mean again that we are in the end times.
It is foretold that in the Final days we will look up in our heavens and we will witness the return of the two brothers who helped create this world in the birthing time, the guardian of the North and his Brother the guardian of the South. In the final days the Blue Star Kachina, who is Uncle to the two guardians will return to be with them and they will return the Earth to its natural rotation which is counter clock wise.
If we look to the many petroglyphs within the Mayan and Egyptian pyramids we also can see evidence it this story. The rotation of the Earth has been manipulated by not so benevolent Star beings. The twins will be seen in our North Western skies. They will come and visit to see who still remembered the original teachings flying in their flying shields. They will bring many of their star family with them in the final days.
The return of the Blue Star Kachina will be the alarm clock that tells us of the new day and new way of life, a new world that is coming. This is where the changes will begin. They will start as fires that burn within us, and we will burn up with desires and conflict if we do not remember the original teachings, and return to the peaceful way of life.
It is important to understand that these messages will be found upon every living thing, even within our bodies, even within a drop of our blood. All life forms will receive the messages from the Guardians… those that fly, the plants, even the rabbit. The appearance of the Guardians begins a period of seven years that we will have the opportunity to change, to remember and honor the old ways, the Sacred… Everything that we experience is all a mater of choice, and if we choose correctly we bring back together a world that will reunite, balance and a sacred way of life.
So my wish to you all today is that we take some time to honor the Ancestors, to think about choices that we make…and that we choose the right ones that will balance us and help us honor the Ancient Guardians…
“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!”
White Sagewho’s scientific name Salvia Apiana comes from the Latin root salvare, meaning “To Heal” therefor many use it when offering it up in prayer as well as using White Sage for medicinal purposes. The plant itself is actually a member of the mint family. Found mostly in the northwestern Mexico and southwestern United States and more commonly found on the coast of Baja and Southern California on the west border of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. It is said that the White Sage cleanses negative energies and evil spirits that may linger.
Today’s card White Sage falls to the table and speaks all about the Sacred Within each of us! Today we need to take the time to honor that and all that is Sacred in and around our lives. Time to recognize it and send thanks and gratitude up to the Creator and Ancestors, keeping us strong of mind, heart, body and keeping our intents positive.
It is simply time to change the path of the negatives that surround us in the world today by shielding ourselves with positives! Sometimes we need to look deep within ourselves to see the destructive cycles that we have placed ourselves in most of the time without even realizing it, and then set about releasing them. Thus changing our very thought patterns. Learn to look in the mirror and see the reflection understanding that we are in deed human and have flaws. But that those flaws do not mean we are unlovable, incapable, unwanted, rather they mean we have opportunity to grow, to expand to better ourselves, and heal.
So today begin by giving yourself the love you deserve… Self Love. All the time understanding and knowing that the Creator and the Ancestors that walked before us support and assist us if we are open to it. We simply have to believe and have faith. Life does not work by pushing the “Easy” button… it is all about the journey and the process we go through to make us whole, balanced and walking in positives.
Honor your family, your friends, all people and creatures that have walked with you and that have yet to enter your path. Honor your Guides, the Spirit that assist you each day. Honor the Elementals, the Directions, the Great Mother Earth and Father Sky. Honor Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun….This is what the Sacred Sage reminds us of, this is the tone it sets for us to follow. Remember it is not owned by anyone, it is one of the Great Mother Earth’s many gifts to us and it is up to all of us to keep all that is Sacred safe and thriving.
One of the most Sacred of herbs among many cultures and people, White Sage assists in clearing our energy fields, driving out the negative and strengthening the positives. Sage is held Sacred because of it’s effective purifying energies. It heals by bringing us back to balance cleansing the body and mind of negative spirits and impurities. Leaves are at times burned to drive away bad spirits, evil influences, bad dreams, bad thoughts, and illness.
Add some White Sage to your healing and prayer rituals and put yourself on a path to balance and honoring the Sacred Within!
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing Native Cultures 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!”
Swirling Smoke [The Spoken Word Mix]” from Pathway to Destiny: Songs of Healing and Contemplation by Louie Gonnie. Released: 2012. Available at http://canyonrecords.com/shop/
Before people were on the Earth, the Chief of the Great Sky Spirits grew tired of his home in the Above World because it was always cold. So he made a hole in the sky by turning a stone around and around. Through the hole he pushed snow and ice until he made a big mound. This mound was Mount Shasta.
Then Sky Spirit stepped from the sky to the mountain and walked down. When he got about halfway down, he thought: “On this mountain there should be trees.” So he put his finger down and everywhere he touched, up sprang trees. Everywhere he stepped, the snow melted and became rivers.
The Sky Spirit broke off the end of his big walking stick he had carried from the sky and threw the pieces in the water. The long pieces became Beaver and Otter. The smaller pieces became fish. From the other end of his stick he made the animals.
Biggest of all was Grizzly Bear. They were covered with fur and had sharp claws just like today, but they could walk on their hind feet and talk. They were so fierce looking that the Sky Spirit sent them to live at the bottom of the mountain. When the leaves fell from the trees, Sky Spirit blew on them and made the birds.
Then Sky Spirit decided to stay on the Earth and sent for his family. Mount Shasta became their lodge. He made a BIG fire in the middle of the mountain and a hole in the top for the smoke and sparks. Every time he threw a really big log on the fire, the Earth would tremble and sparks would fly from the top of the mountain.
Late one spring, Wind Spirit was blowing so hard that it blew the smoke back down the hole and burned the eyes of Sky Spirit’s family. Sky Spirit told his youngest daughter to go tell Wind Spirit not to blow so hard.
Sky Spirit warned his daughter: “When you get to the top, don’t poke your head out. The wind might catch your hair and pull you out. Just put your arm through and make a sign and then speak to Wind Spirit.”
The little girl hurried to the top of the mountain and spoke to Wind Spirit. As she started back down, she remembered that her father had told her that the ocean could be seen from the top of the mountain. He had made the ocean since moving his family to the mountain and his daughter had never seen it.
She put her head out of the hole and looked to the west. The Wind Spirit caught her hair and pulled her out of the mountain. She flew over the ice and snow and landed in the scrubby fir trees at the timberline, her long red hair flowing over the snow.
There Grizzly Bear found her. He carried the little girl home with him wondering who she was. Mother Grizzly Bear took care of her and brought her up with her cubs. The little girl and the cubs grew up together. When she became a young woman, she and the eldest son of Grizzly Bear were married. In the years that followed they had many children. The children didn’t look like their father or their mother.
All the grizzly bears throughout the forest were proud of these new creatures. They were so pleased, they made a new lodge for the red-haired mother and her strange looking children. They called the Lodge – Little Mount Shasta.
After many years had passed, Mother Grizzly Bear knew that she would soon die. Fearing that she had done wrong in keeping the little girl, she felt she should send word to the Chief of the Sky Spirits and ask his forgiveness. So she gathered all the grizzlies at Little Mount Shasta and sent her oldest grandson to the top of Mount Shasta, in a cloud, to tell the Spirit Chief where he could find his daughter.
The father was very glad. He came down the mountain in great strides. He hurried so fast the snow melted. His tracks can be seen to this day. As he neared the lodge, he called out for his daughter. He expected to see a little girl exactly as he saw her last. When he saw the strange creatures his daughter was taking care of, he was surprised to learn that they were his grandchildren and he was very angry. He looked so sternly at the old grandmother that she died at once. Then he cursed all the grizzlies.
“Get down on your hands and knees. From this moment on all grizzlies shall walk on four feet. And you shall never talk again. You have wronged me.”
He drove his grandchildren out of the lodge, threw his daughter over his shoulder and climbed back up the mountain. Never again did he come to the forest. Some say he put out the fire in the center of his lodge and returned to the sky with his daughter. Those strange grandchildren scattered and wandered over the earth. They were the first Indians, the ancestors of all the Indian Tribes.
That is why the Indians living around Mount Shasta never kill Grizzly Bear. Whenever one of them was killed by a grizzly bear, his body was burned on the spot. And for many years all who passed that way cast a stone there until a great pile of stones marked the place of his death.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing Native Cultures 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!”
“MEDICINEBEAR” by Chris Ferree available at and on Itunes
Rocks… we use them to build houses, structures that reach the sky. They serve as containers for rivers and lakes, they have been used to create weapons, and tools… they come in all kinds of shapes and colors, and sizes. Some are clear, some are dense… but they all have been around longer than any of us put together. They are the Keepers of Wisdom; they are referred to as the Ancient Ones. I will share a little of the stories I have been told with you.
The People have told a story that in the beginning everything was in the mind of Creator. All things which were to be existed only as spirit. The spirits moved about in space seeking a place that they would be able to manifest and become. They traveled until they reached father Sun, but that was not a good place for Creation to begin for the heat was too extreme. Finally they settled on earth, and the Great Mother welcomed them. She was without life, but covered with the great waters. There was at that time no dry land for life to begin upon. Soon out of the waters came a great burning rock…it rose so high that it created dry lands as far as the eyes could behold. Then the clouds appeared and formed from the rivers and streams that were created. Then life on earth began. This is why the Rock people …Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks’ are to be given so much respect, for they are the oldest ones. The Keepers of the Wisdom’s of our time here, back to our very beginnings they take us. We respect them within the sweat lodges, as when they are placed there and water hits their surface, steam rises again recreating that moment of Creation.
Crystals have always seemed magical to me, they are used for gazing, they can hold energy and power, they have been used by Seers and mystics, Shaman and Medicine people of all races and religions for as long as time can be recorded. I will share with you now the “Legend of the Crystals”
In times long past, we lived in harmony with Nature. We spoke the same language as the four-legged and the plant people. We hunted for food only to satisfy our hunger and needs, always offering prayer of thanks for what was had taken from Nature. As time went on, we lost this innocence, harmony and balance. We became greedy and took more then we needed. Forgetting prayers of gratitude, we began killing animals, and each other, for sport and pleasure.
The Bear Clan, Chief among the animals, called a meeting of all the animals. They decided that something had to be done. The bears suggested that they shoot back when humans shot at them, but the bow and arrow required too great a sacrifice, for one bear would have to give up his life so that his sinew could be used for the bow string. The bear’s claws were too long for shooting a bow anyway, and would become entangled on the string.
The deer Clan offered another method of dealing with the problem. One of their clan said, “We will bring disease into the world. Each of us will be responsible for a different illness. When humans live out of balance with nature, when they forgotten give thanks for their food, they will get sick.” and in fact the deer did involve rheumatism and arthritis; each animal then decided to invoke a different disease.
The Plant Clan was more sympathetic and felt that this was too harsh a punishment, so they volunteered their help. They said that for every disease a human gets, one of them would be present to cure it. That way, if people used their intelligence they would be able to cure their ailments and regain their balance.
All of nature agreed to this strategy, One plant in particular spoke out. This was Tobacco, the chief of the plants. He said, “I will be the sacred herb. I will not cure any specific disease, but I will help people return to the scared way of life, provided I am smoked or offered with prayers and ceremony .But if I am misused, if I am merely smoked for pleasure, I will cause cancer, the worst disease of all.”
The close friends of the Plant Clan, the Rock Clan and the Mineral Clan, agreed to help. Each mineral would have a spiritual power, a subtle vibration that could be used to regain perfect health. The Ruby, worn as an amulet, would heal the heart; the emerald would heal the liver and eyes, and so on.
The chief of the mineral tribe, Quartz Crystal, was clear, like the light of creation itself. Quartz put his arms around his brother Tobacco and said, “I will be the scared mineral. I will heal the mind. I will help human beings see the origin of disease. I will help to bring wisdom and clarity in dreams. And I will record their spiritual history, including our meeting today, so that in the future, if humans gaze into me, they may see their origin and the way of harmony.” And so it is today.
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 the Ancient Ones continue to share their knowledge with us, that they are able to continue to support us and remind us we are all related. That we honor them as the Great Wisdom Keepers that they are, that the lessons they have shared do not fall upon deaf ears, but rather help us to build the foundations to a better way of life, one that may honor all life as Sacred.
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 when you are out and about. Look around you and see the Rock People…the Crystal keepers and as they shine at us with the warmth of Father Sun, or sparkle from beneath the rivers and waters of the Great Mother, we are reminded of how important they are, and that like each one of them, we are different …unique and all serve a purpose for the foundation of Life… life as we share it today.
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.
Elephant paid a visit in dreamwalk and dropped in the cards this morning with a powerful message of family, protection and commitment. making sure we all remember to cherish the youth and care for them properly so they will grow strong and walk in positive ways on their paths. Too often we get caught in ego and the shuffle of life around us that we often forget that the Children, the Youth of today look to us to set examples of how to be. Many not having the same family values that were instilled in people long ago we need to remember and set positive examples for them to follow and not ones filled with ego, hate and ignorance…but more nurturing, loving and focused on the future generations. Teach them, but teach them well and before you do, look to the mirror and place your souls intent to balance.
Elephant brings with it determination and loyalty that are needed to walk through our human. Not to give up easily for if we stay the course smartly, our goals will be met. They remind us all we must look after ourselves first before can help others, and to follow our instincts they will show us where we need to go and what we need to nourish within our souls.
Family is an important aspect and to remember to focus on the very young and our Elders, it is our duty to care for both. Loyalty is another trait the Elephant brings out in us, reminding us ever so gently that sometimes we need to remain loyal in spite of difficult circumstances in all situations, for all will be made clear as we move ahead in positive steps.
Elephant communicates with its family intuitively and suggests that there is a memory that is being held on to tightly that needs to be let go, let go of the past, it is what has assisted us to this point, but needs to remain in the past. Elephant is reminding us about gentleness, commitment, and communication for ourselves and all relationships in and about our own Sacred Hoops. That all of it is powerful medicine much needed as it helps us to keep relationships healthy.
So today I challenge you all to teach positives, set good examples so that our futures will be more balanced …
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing Native cultures 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!”
In the beginning the Creator gave to the Four Leggeds and Winged Ones wisdom and knowledge and the power to talk to humans. Each creature was sent to tell the people that he showed himself through them. They would teach a chosen people of all lands the sacred songs and dances as well as rituals, prayers and lore. All things that would assist the humans to walk good healthy and balanced lives.
The creature that was most loved by the Creator was the Eagle for they bring with them the story of life. In the beginning the Eagle would only lays two eggs, and all living things in the world are divided into two. There is man and woman or male and female and this is true with all of life and nature here on the planet. All things are able to have children of two kinds so that life may continue. Man has two eyes, two hands, two feet and he has a body and soul, substance and shadow.
Through our eyes we can see pleasant and unpleasant scenes, through our nostrils we are able to smell good and bad odors, with our ears we can hear beautiful music or hear words that can make us sad. Our thoughts are divided between good and bad. Our right hands are sometimes used for bad, such as war or striking a person in anger. Yet our left hand which is nearest to our hearts are full of kindness. Our right feet may lead us to the wrong paths, but our left ones always guide us to the right way. And so it goes there is daylight and darkness, summer and winter, peace and war, and life and death.
In order for us to understand and remember this lesson of life, we should look to the great eagle the favorite Winged one of the Creator. Thus the eagle feather is divided into two parts one part light the other dark. This represents daylight and darkness, summer and winter, peace and war, and life and death. So that you may remember what I have shared with you look to the favored Winged One the Eagle, for his feathers will remind you of the story of life itself.
So try and recall what I have shared with you. For it is YOU and only You who will choose the path in life you will follow — the good way, or the wrong way.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing Native cultures 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 2017 “the year of Atonement”
