The First Story I will set about tackling in 2015 for the Sacred Hoop Project will be “How Raven Steals the Sun.”
I am already working on sketches for the master painting, It will be accompanied by sculpture and also something that I am just finishing up with, custom fabric that will have the main image on to transform into hoops, shawls, and our Sacred Ribbon Shirts.
Very excited, that it is all leading to a path of happening. It is so important that the stories and culture are not lost. To take what is core, add a contemporary twist that will make it once again new without loosing it’s original integrity for all those that have not been yet exposed to it, will keep it alive and honor the Ancestors in the process.
Sacred White… it was predicted the Sacred White Buffalo would return one day, and with it would come the Pride of the People returned… we would dance again…gather again…pray again in the way it was in the beginning. The White Buffalo has indeed returned, with it we have seen many sacred White Animals… although Rare…they have been showing them selves to us in greater numbers.
They are believed to hold mystical powers and energy… they are to be Revered. This is one of the story’s that was shared with me long ago… and now I share it with you…
Legend of the White Raven Spirit
At the beginning, when the Earth was fresh and new, the Creator sent down His Raven to enjoy this new creation. As Raven soared down from cloud to cloud he began to take the color of the snow crystals that touched his wings, each crystal being different, like the creation on the earth. The Creator told him, you will be like the snow flakes you have gathered on your wings, a part of everything new, everything that I have created. You will be for all people. As White Raven soared in the clouds the cool air rushed under his wings, he was singing and shouting songs of praise to the Creator.
One day he wanted to touch and feel the ground and taste the earth below. He wanted someone to keep him company, but he knew when he landed he would soil his feathers having to settle on the ground below. So the Creator wishing to please this special one, created a special spirit mate for White Raven, a White Buffalo where he could land and rest. Now there were many of these new Buffalo but only one as white as the snow. They moved about and covered many lands. White Raven found his spirit mate, the White Buffalo below and would ride on his back, resting and smelling the sweetness of earth, making many pleasant sounds in thanks for his new home. Now he could help White Buffalo and his brothers and sisters find good places to roam for food.
Every day White Raven would fly high into the air soaring around, spotting fine places of grass for his brother. When he would look down, he could see White Buffalo as bright as the mornings sun among the others that were colored like the dark earth they roamed.. White Buffalo could be found easily and then led to the good eating places. He would sing to the White Buffalo, “Come here, come here, come here, the grass is good, good, good then laugh”. They would fly, and run, play, eat and enjoy all that was given to them.
Then came a time when the Creator put new creatures on the Earth. They were called humans and walked on two legs. The humans were the color of the earth, the place where they came from, and were very smart. They would sing and make fires to The Creator in thanks for their life and the beauty He had given them. But the human became very hungry and asked the Creator what they should do.
The Creator pointed them to the White Raven and told them, “I gave to the White Raven the White Buffalo, so he could guide him to places where his brothers and sisters could eat the good grasses. Now I will give you any buffalo except the White one, to fill your lodges and stomachs and keep you warm so you and your families will never go hungry and never be cold. But remember without the White Buffalo it will be hard to see the others and hunt because they are like you, the color of the Earth.
The humans did what they were told, and after a hunt would first thank the Creator, then the buffalo for his spirit, food and skin for warmth and protection. All things were very happy and gave thanks every day.
One morning, White Raven woke up from a good sleep on the soft back of White Buffalo, and stretched his wings. Flying high into the air looked for a nice place for his brother to eat for the day. While high above the hills he saw a different kind of human, although they looked the same he could feel their hearts were not the same as the others he had known. The new humans were thoughtless caring only for themselves killing many animals that they could not eat or use for their families.
White Raven talked to the Creator asking what are these humans doing, they do not thank You or the ones whose spirit they send to you. They gather up much that they cannot take or use and it goes to waste, the Creator was unhappy.
On that very day, one of the new humans saw the beautiful White Buffalo who was not paying attention to the ground, but looking up in the air to follow White Raven to a new area to eat and play. The new human crept up on White Buffalo and took his life and spirit, not following the command of the Creator. Then the new human did not thank Creator or the White Buffalo for this spirit, food or skin, leaving much of the body there to rot in the sun.
This made Creator very sad, he began to cry and from the clouds and sent sharp streaks of bright anger to the ground.. White Raven was very sad, his spirit mate had been taken from him and he had no place to stand or sleep any longer. White Buffalo’s brothers and sisters ran off causing a great rumbling that went to the heavens and began to shake the earth and the clouds. Creator let his tears begin to fall from the clouds showing his sadness. White Raven cried and yelled as he circled his spirit mate’s lifeless body from high above.
As the days past and the tears continued, White Raven began to tire since he no longer had his place to rest. The streams began to overflow and the seas and the lakes rose to a point where there was very little dirt left. After many days, exhausted and soaked with rain, White Raven landed on a small piece of muddy ground. The dirt splashed up on his body and wings. He tried to move about but he got more and more discolored with the mud. He began to change color to black as the mud spread all over his body, flopping around trying to get back into the air. A day or two passed and White Raven now was completely black and covered with mud. The water had risen to a point where the only piece of ground left was being covered with the rising flood.
Far away White Raven saw an old man and his family floating towards him in a large canoe and he cried out “here, here, come, here, come here .” The Elder noticed him and came over to him and picked him up.. The Elder was very kind and began to feed the Raven and dry him off. Now by this time the entire earth was covered with water and the tears had stopped, the Creator now would mourn silently.
White Raven told the Elder of his journey and what had happened to him and his friend, White Buffalo. Elder told him that the Creator had spared him from the great rains to look for anything good, but there was much evil in the world and there was not much to save. The Elder explained that again, along time in the future not only will there be good on the earth but evil also. When this time comes the Creator will have to again cleanse the earth of this evil.
White Raven was now strong enough to fly back into the heavens. As he left the elder and his family he thanked him for his kindness and began to soar back to the Creator.
The Creator explained to the Elder that from that point on only the black Raven would be created in order to remind all peoples of the evil that man can create and that in the future when the earth is filled with evil the White Raven will once again be sent. Next time he will not turn to black or be soiled, but remain forever white the color that had been given to him in the beginning. One will see White Raven and he will give this message to many Nations and to all who will listen to him and what he says about the Creator. This one will be giving a warning to all, the need to remember the beginnings and honor all that is Sacred.
White Raven will again have the soft white back of his spirit mate to rest on, and everyone should listen to his warning, “Return to the Creator, sing songs of praise. Burn fires that will let their smokes rise up filled with the scents of sacred Sage, Cedar and Sweetgrass. Put away your evil ways and desires and follow the Great Grandfather teachings and place the Creator in your hearts as the way to walk and all will be well.”
White Raven then soared up towards the Creator into the clouds. The snow crystals began to cleanse the feathers of White Raven as he flew through the clouds going ever higher until he again became as he was in the beginning, the way the Creator had intended.
So the time is drawing near for the return of the White Raven. This will call us to look to the Creator and understand and honor All Life as Sacred.
We will still try our evil ways, destroying what the Creator has done for us. Will we do the things that we were meant to do in the beginning.
Love the Creator, learn to live in peace with all, love the Creator loves…Unconditionally. This is what is written, this is The Way it must be for the Sacred Hoop to remain Unbroken!
“My father was David Israel, a full-blood Cherokee and my mother was Martha Jane Miller Israel, a quarter Cherokee. They were born in Georgia. My mother in 1836 and my father in 1837. They were brought to Indian Territory by their parents over the “Trail of Tears” when the Indians were driven from their eastern homes by the United States Troops. They were too young to know of the tragedies and sorrows of that terrible event. My aunt, who was 15 years old at the time, told me of the awful suffering along the journey. Almost everyone had to walk as the conveyance they had were inadequate for transporting what few possessions they had and their meager supply of food. Only the old people and little children were allowed to ride. They died by the hundreds and were buried by the roadside. As they were not allowed to remove any of their household goods, they arrived at their destination with nothing with which to start housekeeping.”
~ from Life and Experience of a Cherokee Woman
More than 100 years ago, the Cherokee people were driven from their home mountains when white men discovered gold in the mountains of Tears. Some of the people traveled across Marengo County in West Alabama. It would seems that they left the mountains and traveled far south so not have to climb more mountains.
It was early summer and very hot, and of the people had to walk. Tempers were short and the soldiers that were supposed to be traveling as guides were mean and relentless as they pushed the people towards their destination. Men were so frustrated with the treatment of their women and children. The soldiers were unhappy about the fact they had to travel with the Indians that often it was the women and children that would suffer for it. Men would get short tempered and angry, so often fights would break out and many men were killed in the process. Many people died from illnesses due to hardships. Women wept for their losses, their ways of life, homes and dignity. The Elders knew that they must do something to help the women to maintain their strength if they were to help the children survive.
One evening after everyone had made camp along the Trail of Tears, the old men sitting around the dying campfire called up to the Creator in Galunati (heaven) to help them all and bring hope and faith back to the people. They spoke and prayed for the people, for the suffering and the little ones they feared would not survive to rebuild the Cherokee Nation.
The Creator spoke to them, “Yes, I have seen the sorrows of the women and I can help them to keep their strength to help the children. Tell the women in the morning to look back where their tears have fallen to the ground. I will cause to grow quickly a plant. They will see a little green plant at first with a stem growing up. It will grow up and up and fall back down to touch the ground where another stem will begin to grow. I’ll make the plant grow so fast at first that by afternoon they’ll see a white rose, a beautiful blossom with five petals. In the center of the rose, I will put a pile of gold to remind them of the gold which the white man wanted when his greed drove the Cherokee from their ancestral home.”
The Creator explained that the green leaves would have seven leaflets, one for each of the seven clans of the Cherokee. This plant will begin to spread out all over, a very strong plant, a plant which will grow in large, strong clumps and it will take back some of the land they had lost. It will have small thorns on every stem to protect it from anything that tries to move it away.
The next morning the Elders told the women to look back for the sign from the Creator. So the women looked and found the plant beginning as a tiny shoot and growing up and up until it spread out over the land. They watched as a blossom formed so beautifully that they forgot to weep and they once again felt beautiful and strong. By the afternoon they saw many white blossoms as far as they could see. The women began to think about their strength given them to bring up their children as the new Cherokee Nation. They all understood that the plant marked the path of the brutal Trail of Tears and it would not be forgotten. The Cherokee women saw that the Cherokee Rose was strong enough to take back what they thought they had lost and renew their lives as Cherokee People once again.
Good day all! Welcome to a the world of bear…today I would like discuss a bit about Kachina’s…
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.
Let us raise our intentions to our consciousness and voice by sending healing energies and prayer up this day… Today I pray for all those who ask, all those in need, all those who do not ask … I pray that we are given the strength, the joy and the love that is needed in our days…
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 the traditions and the teachings of our Ancestors. Remembering to offer prayer and thanks for all the blessings in our lives.
That we remember to think of others comfort before our own by assisting our Elders and caring for our children and each other. That we choose correctly and we bring back together a world that will reunite, balance and a walk in a Sacred way of life.
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 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…
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
“Dancin’ in the Light” from Wind Dreamer and Jan Michael Looking Wolf. Available on I tunes and at http://www.lookingwolf.com/
If not now, when? If not me, who? To walk the path of the heart and of higher self is a great honor. Every human has the choice to walk this path, but very few will decide to make it. Why? Well, because you can’t act and behave like everyone else behaves. You must be the person who will learn to look within. You must be the person who will be fully accountable for yourself. You must be the person who prays and meditates. You must be the person who will sacrifice. You must decide to be a Peaceful Warrior. What will you decide today?
So why not be different? So why not make a path for people to follow? So why not emulate good things? You hear a calling, one that may draw attention, but attention for the good of all. As a Peacemaker, a communicator…as one who shares the knowledge of the old ways? Of the right ways… ways that remind and teach us how to treat each other as humans, to care for the Great Mother Earth as Sacred… to honor ourselves, our traditions, and to be thankful and filled with gratitude. To be a Champion of those less fortunate, to be that Peaceful Warrior…
Is that your path? Or has it occurred at moments in your life and you stood by and did not embrace what was to be? To assist someone in need because popular demand was to avoid it, to not draw attention to yourself? I say lets empower ourselves…lets be Brave and stand out…and one by one…person by person…we will all be part of a positive change… to a world that will be more joyful…more balanced… more human as we were meant to be.
So we step up, we teach by example, and wow children and people learn love, respect, hope and Faith. Imagine living like that. Imagine how you will stand out. People will think we are all crazy… why are they doing that for that person… why are they helping them? Why are they caring for the earth… ? the answer is Healing… we choose to walk as Healers, lightworkers, Peace warriors, Leaders, as the Humans that we are meant to be no matter what popular opinion is at the moment.
Many of us walk in this world saying we are following a particular path…we are called to it, some times pulled to it kicking and screaming our protests, and no it is not always easy to do the right thing in every situation. Yet when someone says they are going to do something, or say that they are something…wouldn’t it be a good idea to act and be that person? We go to lawyers for legal work …we go to doctors for medical treatment and they treat us, we go to financial advisers to advice us…and we expect them all to do their jobs… So now it is time all of us that are hearing the calls of peaceful, gentleness, love, hope, Faith, compassion, to start spreading that information, those emotions, to empower ourselves and others in the process…in good and gentle ways as Peaceful Warriors.
Warriors of the Rainbow
There will be a time when the Great Mother Earth will be ravaged of it’s resources, the sea blackened, the streams poisoned, the Four Leggeds dropping dead in their tracks. Just before it was too late, the Indian would regain his spirit and teach the white man reverence for the Earth, banding together with him to become Warriors of the Rainbow.
There was a Grandmother, from the Cree tribe, named “Eyes of Fire”, who prophesied that one day, because of the humans greed, there would come a time, when the fish would die in the streams, the birds would fall from the air, the waters would be blackened, and the trees would no longer be. Mankind as we know it will all but cease to exist.
There will come a time when the “keepers of the legend, stories, culture rituals, and myths, and all the Ancient Tribal Customs” would be needed to restore us to health. They will be mankind’s’ key to survival, they are the “Warriors of the Rainbow”. There will come a day of awakening when all the peoples of all the tribes will form a New World of Justice, Peace, Freedom and recognition of the Creator. The “Warriors of the Rainbow” will spread these messages and teach all peoples of the Earth. They will teach them how to live the “Way of the Creator”. They will tell them of how the world today has turned away from the Creator and that is why our Earth is “Sick”.
The “Warriors of the Rainbow” will show the peoples that the Creator, is full of love and understanding, and teach them how to make the Earth beautiful again. These Warriors will give the people principles or rules to follow to make their path right with the world. These principles would be those of the Ancient Tribes. The Warriors of the Rainbow will teach the people of the ancient practices of Unity, Love and Understanding.
They will teach of Harmony among people in all four comers of the Earth.
Like the Ancient Tribes, they will teach the peoples how to pray to the Creator with love that flows like the beautiful mountain stream, and flows along the path to the ocean of life. Once again, they will be able to feel joy in solitude and in councils. They will be free of petty jealousies and love all mankind as their brothers, regardless of color, race or religion. They will feel happiness enter their hearts, and become as one with the entire human race.
Their hearts are pure and radiate warmth, understanding and respect for all mankind, Nature, and the Great Spirit. They will once again fill their minds, hearts, souls, and deeds with the purest of thoughts. They would seek the beauty of the Master of Life – the Creator! They will find strength and beauty in prayer and the solitudes of life.
Their children will once again be able to run free and enjoy the treasures of Nature and the Great Mother Earth. Free from the fears of toxins and destruction, wrought by the Yo-ne-gi and his practices of greed. The rivers will again run clear, the forests be abundant and beautiful, the animals and birds would be replenished. The powers of the plants and animals would again be respected and conservation of all that is beautiful would become a way of life.
The poor, sick and needy will be cared for by their brothers and sisters of that walk the lands. These practices will once again become a part of our daily lives.
The leaders of the people will be chosen in the old way – not by their political party, or who could speak the loudest, boast the most, or by name calling or mud slinging, but by those whose actions spoke the loudest. Those who demonstrate their love, wisdom, and courage and those who showed that they could and did work for the good of all, will be chosen as the leaders or Chiefs.
They will be chosen by their “quality” and not the amount of money they had obtained. Like the thoughtful and devoted “Ancient Chiefs”, they will understand the people with love, and see that their young are educated with the love and wisdom of their surroundings. They will show them that miracles can be accomplished to heal this world of its ills, and restore it to health and beauty.
The tasks of these “Warriors of the Rainbow” are many and great. There will be terrifying mountains of ignorance to conquer and they will find prejudice and hatred. They must be dedicated, unwavering in their strength, and strong of heart. They will find willing hearts and minds that will follow them on this road of returning “Mother Earth” to beauty and plenty – once more.
The day will come, it is not far away. The day that we shall see how we owe our very existence to the people of ALL tribes that have maintained their culture and heritage. Those that have kept the rituals, stories, legends, and myths alive. It will be with this knowledge, the knowledge that they have preserved, that we shall once again return to “harmony” with Nature, the Great Mother Earth, and mankind. It will be with this knowledge that we shall find our “Key to our Survival”.
This is the story of the “Warriors of the Rainbow” and this is my reason for protecting the culture, heritage, and knowledge of my ancestors. I know that the day “Eyes of Fire” spoke of – will come! I want my children and grandchildren to be prepared to accept this task. The task of being one of the……..”Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Let us raise our intentions to our consciousness and voice by sending healing energies and prayer up this day… Today I pray for all those who ask, all those in need, all those who do not ask … I pray that we are given the strength, the joy and the love that is needed in our days…
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 each learn to step up, to make a difference, to practice what we preach, to live in honor, gratitude and thankfulness. To be Warriors for peace… remembering faith and hope, honoring the sacred, to pray and talk with Creator and all the realms, to set about making positive differences in our own worlds and 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 each of you embrace the walks of peacefulness that we are meant to walk. To make a difference in your world, to not worry if it is a popular choice to stand up against bullies, or negativity… and where the shadows fall, send them light in form of prayer…hope… faith and promises of a better day to come if we start with one person at a time.
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.
Good day all! Welcome back to a the world of bear…today I would like to take a look at the things that we hold sacred for and during prayer. Wheww whooo can you believe it someone is gonna talk about Prayer! How do we pray, what tools do we use to send our intentions out to the Universe and Creator God to be heard?
Well there are many objects from many cultures. There are talismans, medals, rosaries. Holy water, cards, candles in various colors that would and can invoke different results. There are offerings of food, money, sacrifices of not eating or fast, there is smoke or smudge, sweet grass or palms, there is tobacco and even prayer ties. We are a world filled with diversity and within that we all strive to have our desires, prayers and thoughts heard by a higher power.
Tobacco has been used for generations as offerings to the spirits, for planting, for gathering food, for healings and ceremony. Sacred uses of tobacco may vary tribally yet still the meaning remains, tobacco should be used for prayer, protection, respect and healings. Tobacco is medicine.
Our People have made Prayer Ties by wrapping sacred herbs into bright and colorful cloth while praying to Creator. Then hanging them on the trees so that the Sacred Winds can carry our prayers up to be heard and answered. Once the Prayer Ties are done and the season calls for new ones to be put out, they old ones are then burned in a respectful and reverent ceremony, assuring that the prayers and intent are sent up to the heavens and carried to the Creator within the smoke.
Making Prayer Ties or using other tools to help us pray or honor the Creator is not about precision or doing it right, it is about the intent. They are meant to be sacred objects that contains your desires and prayers. They are to help us to remember the ritual, the honor the respect in prayer. To be thankful, to remember we are human and at times we need the assistance of prayer to help us hold our hopes, our dreams and even our faith to help guide us through our journeys…
Prayer in itself is a Powerful tool…
Prayers…they can me silent. they can be joyous, they can be frantic at times…but no matter what they are, they are spoken from deep within our hearts… asking for guidance, healings or just to be acknowledged. Does prayer have to be in a certain way or spoken in certain words for us to be heard? My answer would be I think not… it doesn’t matter to Creator whether you are a scholar or a person of few words, a child or an adult…whether you speak English or Portugal… and don’t ask I only share what they give me… you can speak in sign language or rap… it doesn’t matter how you pray…what matters is that you have that conversation with the higher self…with the Creator God…
That we extend that thought process and are thankful and humble for what we are given…what we have. Sometimes we may have an abundance like no other…and at any given time we can have that slip away… but through it all we still have prayer and with that comes power, hope…faith… all things that can move mountains when needed or softly cradle us in loving embrace..
Prayer….it is a common denominator… a link to human… like a web it will weave a quilt of strength like no other… How do I know…? I have seen it first hand in action.
I have seen it heal, I have seen it put smiles to faces, I have seen it bring nations together, and I have seen it remind people to be humble and thankful… prayer…It is old…it is sacred… it is Power…
Let us raise our intentions to our consciousness and voice by sending healing energies and prayer up this day… Today I pray for all those who ask, all those in need, all those who do not ask … I pray that we are given the strength, the joy and the love that is needed in our days…
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 them to help them as they walk their paths. Help open our eyes so we all can learn and see the right way of things, teach us to respect all life as sacred no matter how small, open our ears and minds so that we may understand things that are being taught to us in good and gentle manners…open our hearts so that when the harshness of the world falls at our feet, we can cope and handle it with compassion and understanding.
I ask that today and all days ahead that prayer begins to weave its magic over the world…that with each prayer another strong thread is added to this great quilt of life… that it is seen with every color from ever tribe of the five fingered race…that it helps us all to strengthen the good that is inside each of us, making us stronger, more loving, more understanding with each other. Prayer that it rings out from every heart and every whisper to be heard out to the Universe and beyond…to Creator God. So that we all will be wrapped in loving embrace and reminded that we are all acknowledged..that we all matter…that we are all heard…
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 stop throughout the day and pray…not with big fancy ways…but in acknowledgement…acknowledgement of the day you are having, or the people that made you smile or remind you to slow down and be kinder… to pray that we are human and we learn to accept our flaws that we carry and in that the understanding that within our imperfection we are all perfect…
I wish to you all that the love in my heart finds yours and fills it with hope and faith…faith that in the moments ahead of us we can all help to make this world a little better. Stay well and remember…Pray!
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.
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.
