Tag: Sacred

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Prayer a little word with so much meaning ~ bear Medicinewalker

atonement

“Tell the people not to cry. Tell them to be happy.”
John Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA (told to his son, Archie, as he died)

Our Elders know about the two Worlds, the Physical World and the Spiritual World. Many times, before we pass to the Spirit World, our relatives, who have gone there before us, will come for us and they will help us. The Spirit World, the Elders say, is a good, happy, and harmonious place. When we die, it means we have only entered another world. We will all see one another again.

When I look at faith through the history of man… I am always amazed at how people have had so many follow them, listen to their teaching, share their visions…Buddha, Mohammad, Jesus, Abraham, Joan of Arc, Magdalene, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Black Elk, Standing Bear …and so many countless more that are not mentioned in the history books…all these men and women sharing visions given to them by God.

All have imprinted…impacted…and changed history in some way. All have left footprints on the Great Mother. Today I would like to take as a day of atonement, rebalance and quiet contemplation… It is because of the gift I walk with I was taught by my teachers to honor. It is a time when my senses are at a very heightened awareness of the world around me.

So today I ask that we pray …send intentions…thoughts and healing to a world gone wrong. I ask that you use this day as a day of reflection…of thoughtful prayer… whether it is silently in your minds and hearts while you work through your day… or it is at a place of worship… it is to be a time of Prayer for all of us as humans…as all of us as family….

Prayer a little word with so much meaning… prayer….
Definition of PRAYER
1a (1) : an address (as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought (2) : a set order of words used in praying
b : an earnest request or wish
2: the act or practice of praying to God or a god
Definition of PEACE
1: a state of tranquillity or quiet:

Definition of REVERENCE
1: honor or respect felt or shown : deference; especially : profound adoring awed respect
2: a gesture of respect (as a bow)
3: the state of being

So take a few moments from today… in Reverence…to say prayer. Remember what it is, today pray for all of us to see faith again…to remember hope again… to be human again. That we will see a day of no wars…that we will see a day when color, race, sex, beliefs are no longer barriers to being human. Honor all the prophets and Seers of peace…that have walked before us… Honor them with prayer…and ask them to help guide us… to a day we will see balance in the world in our lifetimes…. Let us join in spiritual hands to pray.

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 truly join together in prayer…that we look at ourselves and see what can be in the future if we make it so. That we all are guided to be a stone cast on the waters…to help bring change in positive ways. That we reflect on all those who have walked before us….and honor the sacrifices that were given in order for us to have better places of thought…of life…of being….

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 are thoughtful, prayerful.. and that you allow the spirit to flow through you…that you embrace your human, flawed, imperfect and accept that in that we are all perfect and unique…and in doing so… we are more tolerant, caring and understanding of all the world around us…adding our energy to help shift the world to a healing state…a place of goodness…honor… and being….

May 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. Have an Amazing day!

Mig’wetch
~bear Medicinewalker

 

“May You Walk” Big City Indians https://www.facebook.com/bigcityindians 

Music available at www.bigcityindians.com

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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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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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Releasing… Shared Thoughts and Prayer from bear Medicinewalker

Sage-smudging

~ Mother Teresa said…

Joy is prayer.
Joy is strength.
Joy is love.
Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

So over the past few weeks I have had many people speak with me about things from their past. Upon closer examination with them, they soon discovered it was holding them in a pattern like a plane unable to land or take off from an airport. Continually circling issues but never resolving them.

We all do it at one time or another. Whether it is a habit we have that isn’t healthy, people in our lives that are not good for us or perhaps that have gone in a different direction than we are heading. Sometimes it is about loss, loss of a way of life, a material thing, or a loss that even goes deeper, that of a loved one that has passed…

Whatever it is…we need to release the anger, the guilt, the pain of it … the negativity of it so we can continue to grow, to move ahead to the things and the people in front of us. I am not saying we forget the past… just that we let it stay where it needs to, in the past. For we can not change it, or alter the events, the actions…we can only remember them and learn from them… walk ahead in honor of those that have left us on the earthy walk, for they are living the next part of their journeys and only wish for us to be happy on ours.

Anger… I have felt anger, anger at why it wasn’t me instead, anger at people, loved ones for leaving me behind… and that is normal to have those emotions, it simply will reach a point however that if we choose to walk this way sometimes without us even realizing the anger takes over and it becomes a way of life for us. And that is not healthy…not productive.

So the first thing we must recognize is the negatives that we need to release, and once we do it is about that release… but one step at a time… so lets take some time to think about what may not be serving us anymore… what may need to change in how we view it…how it affects our lives…

Okay so we are at a point of trying to admit to ourselves our humanness…our pain…guilt… sadness… anger… or whatever it is we need to let go of, we have gotten so use to the feelings, the emotions. Or perhaps the people, things, or actions in our lives that some days it seems more comfortable to hang on to it all than to let go and take a chance we will feel lost with out it/them. Think of it as an old coat we have outgrown, and needs to be given away…cause in a sense we are going to give it away to the universe…to be regenerated into positive energies for not only ourselves, but to those around us….so lets begin the process and get ready to shed the tears, the emotions, to enter into a new positive space…

Lets take a moment to stand together and raise our intentions to our consciousness and voice by sending healing energies and prayer up 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 the days ahead we begin to recognize and release the things in our lives that no longer serve us in positive ways. Help us to realign them in a way that we can honor the imprint that was left on our souls, assist us to release the old energy to be renewed into a more positive place and mindset. For those of us that grieve, help us to release the despair, anger, sadness and fill it with joy and honor for the good things we shared, knowing that the journey only changes when we walk from this plane.
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 for you today is for you all is that you are able to recognize this process, begin it and move forward with it each day… and after things are released that you allow joy and happiness back into your hearts. That forgiveness is shared with not only others…but forgiveness for yourselves. For each of us can not change the past, but only learn and grow from it…and please let that growth be more positive…allow the light in…do not hide in the shadows for you are all unique and amazing individuals that have so much to share with us all….

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

Migwetch’
bear Medicinewalker

 

to the Grandmothers

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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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“the Sacred Pipe’ as shared by bear Medicinewalker

sacred pipepost

Most of the Peoples Nations have stories about the ‘Sacred Pipe’. Many of you may think of it as a Peace Pipe. Hollywood has glamorized the pipe through old western movies. Yet they could not be farther from the truth.

Sacred Pipe is to the Native American People as the cross would be to Christian cultures. The pipe, in many forms is prevalent in most tribal cultures around the world. Every Nation has used the pipe in some form of ritual and have passed the stories of where the pipe came from. One of the more well known is the Lakota story of the White Buffalo Woman bringing and sharing wisdom’s with them.

It is not important how the pipe first arrived, or who it came to first. What is important is that the pipe is revered as a sacred item and was a gift handed to us by The Creator. The Sacred Pipe was brought to all people of this world, for we all must share this world, as one race …the Human race This story shows the importance once again of the Pipe as means to Prayer, Balance and healing.

At a time when the world was new, a tribe of red skinned people came to live on the lands around The Blue Smoke Mountains. This is a time animals of the world still spoke to all of us teaching us how to live and care for the land. These people were called “Ani Yun Wiya” or the One True People. In this tribe lived a brave warrior woman.

She was called ‘Arrow Woman’. As a young woman she was taught to use the bow, the spear and the knife. Even though it was a man’s job to hunt and fight, Arrow Woman could shoot straighter with the bow than any man. She could throw the knife so as split a branch no bigger than your thumb and she could throw the spear into eye of a hawk in flight. Because of all this, no one would tell her to act like a woman should within the tribe.

One day while on a hunt, Arrow Woman came upon the tracks of “Yona” the bear. She saw blood on the ground and knew him to be wounded, so she followed his tracks high into the mountains. Soon she came to a place that she did not know. It was at this place, a place known only to the animals that she finally saw “Yona” the bear. He had a deep gash in his side. As she watched him, he bowed down in prayer. She saw him bowing toward a large field of tall grass and speaking words that she had not heard before. Suddenly, the grass shimmered and became a lake. Arrow Woman saw “Yona” the bear, dive into the water. After a time he emerged from the water, his side was completely healed.

“Yona” the bear looked up and saw Arrow Woman walking towards her he spoke, “This is the sacred lake of the animals. It is called, ‘Atagahi’ and its location is known only to the animals. It is where we come for healing and strength. You are the first human to see the Sacred Lake. You must never tell your kind of it’s location for it is the home of ‘The Great Uktena’. After speaking to her “Yona” the Bear turned and walked into the woods and disappeared.

Arrow Woman sat and contemplated all that had occurred. Yet she was tired from following “Yona” all day and needed to rest a while. So she built a small fire next to the lake, and sitting down she began to prepare a meal that she had brought with her. She reached over and took a drink of the water from the lake as she did Arrow Woman felt instantly refreshed. Amazed, she felt strong as Yan’si the Buffalo, and as if she could run faster than Coga the Raven could fly. The woods were quiet, the Sacred Winds where sleeping, Father Sun was shining bright, the surface upon the lake was completely calm, Arrow Woman began to get sleepy.

It was at this time that ‘Uktena’ appeared to her. As a child she had been told of him yet no one in her tribe ever claimed to have seen him. High above the water he raised his great serpent’s head, the jewel in his forehead glistening. He began to move toward her. Arrow Woman grabbed up her spear and stood up to face the great creature coming to her, standing proud, showing no fear, the way any warrior should. She raised her spear and prepared to strike the huge beast.

Uktena stopped a short distance from her. He smiled at her, showing his fierce rows of teeth he began speaking to the brave woman on the bank of his lake, “Put down your weapons for I mean you no harm. I come only to teach.” Arrow Woman laid down her spear and began to relax, somehow knowing He spoke truly.

Uktena told her to sit and to listen. He then dipped his head below the surface and came back up a moment later. In his mouth he had a strangely crooked stick and a leather pouch. These things he laid on the ground in front of Arrow Woman. Then the teaching began.

“This that I have laid before you is the Sacred Pipe of The Creator. Pick up the pipe. The bowl is of the same red clay The Creator used to make your kind. The red clay is Woman kind and is from the Earth. Just as a woman bears the children and brings forth life, the bowl bears the sacred tobacco and brings forth smoke. The stem is Man. Rigid and strong the stem is from the plant kingdom and like a man it supports the bowl just as man supports his family.”

He then showed Arrow Woman how to join the bowl to the stem saying, ” Just as a man and a woman remain separate until joined in marriage so too are the bowl and stem separate. Never to be joined unless the pipe is used.” Uktena then showed her how place the sacred tobacco into the pipe and with an ember from the fire lit it so it burned slightly. He then spoke these words, “The smoke is the breath of The Creator, When you draw the smoke into your body, you will be cleansed and made whole. When the smoke leaves your mouth, it will rise to The Creator. Your prayers, your dreams, your hopes and desires will be taken to Him in the smoke. Also the truth in your soul will be shown to Him when you smoke the pipe. If you are not true, do not smoke the pipe. If your spirit is bad and you seek to deceive, do not smoke the pipe.”

Uktena continued his lesson well into the night teaching Arrow Woman all of the prayers used with the pipe and all of the reasons for using the pipe. He finished just as the moon was beginning her nightly journey across the sky in search of her true love. He told Arrow Woman to wrap the pipe in cloth, keeping the parts separate. With this done He told her that she would never again be able to find this place but to remember all that she had learned. He then returned to depths of the lake. Arrow Woman saw the water shimmer and become again the field of grass. She left, taking with her the pipe and her lessons and a wondrous tale. Ever since that time, the People have used the sacred pipe and never again has any man seen the sacred lake of Uktena.

The Sacred Pipe is not a symbol of things that are sacred. The Pipe itself is sacred. Not everyone is called upon to be a pipe bearer. The person who carries the pipe and practices the pipe ceremonies and traditions has a great responsibility to his brothers and sisters, his land and country and to the Great Earth Mother.

The pipe bearer does not ‘own’ the pipe that they carry. They simply carry the pipe until the time comes for them to pass it to the next bearer. The pipe bearer is given certain powers of sight from the pipe as well as an ability to heal and purify. Should the bearer fall from grace and become a liar, thief, neglected their duties when asked, or become deceitful, the pipe would repossess these gifts and then the possibility of misfortune for the former bearer may exist.

I ask that today and all days ahead, that we hear the words of this Pipe story, that like the pipe we honor and respect ourselves, treating tradition and ceremony as Sacred. That we understand our responsibilities that we carry as we walk. Accepting the great gift Creator has asked us to care for…our human selves.

So my wish to you all today is that you have heard the words I shared today, and it helps you to stop and think, we are all sacred…we have all been given a great gift and responsibility. Our human self is like the pipe that was shared with the Ancestors in time long ago…but that to this day it is to be considered Sacred. So treat yourselves with honor… with respect… for like the pipe…we do not ‘own’ this human vessel that holds our soul. It simply carries us our soul until the time comes for us to journey to the next realm.

Blessings,

bear Medicinewalker

 

bear medicinewalker2015sacredgoop

“Prayers from Within” by Award Winning Musician Jan Micheal Lookingwolf available at http://www.lookingwolf.com/

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