GET PURPOSEFUL — by Ralph Marston

Even the most luxurious conditions can be nearly impossible to endure if there’s no purpose toward which you are moving. Even the most painful, desperate conditions can be relatively easy to endure when there’s an important, meaningful reason to do so.

Purpose makes all the difference. The crucial factor in any undertaking is not what you must do, but why you are doing it in the first place.

Yes, doing the work is absolutely necessary. And what will get the work done is a clear and unambiguous knowing of why you’re doing it.

If you’re having trouble focusing, don’t merely strive to improve your focus. Work on solidly connecting with your authentic purpose.

Anything is possible, but what you seek is not just anything. What’s possible for you is what’s truly meaningful to you.

Knowing what you seek and why, is what will relentlessly drive you to reach it. Get clear, get honest, get purposeful, and you cannot help but get it done.

NAVAJO BLESSED BEAUTY-WAY PRAYER

GREAT SPIRIT, MAY WE WALK IN BEAUTY

MAY BEAUTY BE ABOVE US,
SO THAT WE DREAM OF BEAUTY

MAY BEAUTY BE IN FRONT OF US,
SO THAT WE ARE LED BY BEAUTY

MAY BEAUTY BE TO THE LEFT OF US
SO THAT WE MAY RECEIVE BEAUTY

MAY BEAUTY BE TO THE RIGHT OF US,
SO THAT WE MAY GIVE OUT BEAUTY

MAY BEAUTY BE BEHIND US,
SO THAT THOSE WHO COME AFTER US
MAY SEE BEAUTY

MAY BEAUTY BE INSIDE US,
SO THAT WE MAY BECOME BEAUTY

GREAT SPIRIT, MAY WE WALK IN BEAUTY

MAY THE GREAT SPIRIT
BE WITH YOU AND YOURS FOR ALL TIME



Spirituality and the Seasons: Learning the Language of the Fall Equinox

Thursday, September 20, 2007Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California

by Beth McDonald

The celebration of the Fall Equinox—the first day of autumn—is one of the oldest spiritual observances known to man. In the Northern hemisphere, the Fall Equinox marks the day the sun

 hovers directly over the equator before it crosses over, moving southward. It is one of only two days a year when the daylight and the darkness are the most equal in length. The seasons and weather
played a dominant role in the lives of ancient people, so marking the progression of the planets was essential for survival.
Though it is no longer a survival issue, these observances are still significant on emotional, spiritual, and political levels, especially around here.
For the original inhabitants of much of Southern and Central California, the Chumash, this time of year was the most sacred. This is the time of Hutash. For the Chumash, Hutash is a big, big word. It is the name of their Mother Earth Goddess, the source of all food and sustenance, and as such is one of the most important deities in their pantheon. But Hutash is bigger than that. It is also the name for
this time of year, as well as the name for the harvest festival and ceremony that happens every year at the fall equinox, celebrating the bounty of Mother Earth.
The Hutash Celebration is similar to other harvest festivals around the world, in that it has gratitude and building community as key elements. But Hutash has elements that are unique to its people. Hutash festivities began around the time of the equinox, after the fall harvests were in. They could last five to six days and be filled with ritual ceremony, dances, great feasting and celebration.
Julie Tumamait-Stenslie, a local Chumash woman, explained the value of the Fall Equinox and  Hutash Celebrations this way: “The earth was both Mother and God to the Chumash, for she gave
them their food, their shelter, and their lives. This is a time that we talk about values and remind each other to be grateful of the harvest. One of the main functions of the Hutash festival was to bring the
people back together again after the separateness of summer to prepare them for the winter.”
A major component of Hutash was the Fall Equinox Sun Ceremony, honoring Kakunupmawa,
the sun. During this and other related ceremonies and dances, the spiritual thoughts of the tribe
would become focused on the importance of unity in the face of winter’s confinement, death, and at the solstice, rebirth.
This unity and focus was also achieved by connecting the members of the tribe’s different generations. They looked to the children, and recommitted to raising them with the right values and a proper understanding of the roles they would later play as adults of the tribe. Honor was given to the elders for all they had been and done and given to the younger generations. Prayers were offered for
those who had passed away during the course of the past year, and for those who would pass in the coming year.
So, for those of you planning your own ceremonies and celebrations, the equinox is on Sunday, Sept. 23 this year [2007 - ed.].
Says Tumamait-Stenslie, “By learning about how the Chumash paid attention to the changing of the earths’ cycles, we can learn how their lives were kept in balance, how life was planned and prepared
for. This time of the year, the fall equinox, is when the Sun and the Moon are of equal power and one reflects the other. It is that same reflection that connects us all.”

Being Real - by Bill Neal

Osiyo my friends and relations - we're in the middle of changing the world here: forget the virtual games, forget the virtual gifts. Why care about Farmville when we have Mother Earth to tend? Come on, let's get on with it. What's more gratifying than knowing we did what we needed to do - we held up our end by living our lives according to the Original Instructions?

After doing environmental work for 22 years, starting from when it was just a gleam in the eye of dreamers, hippies, and Indians who've been saying the same thing for 500 years waiting to be understood, I realized that, until the two-leggeds are fixed, the earth will continue to suffer, no matter how much work is done for the "environment". Man still believes that the "environment" is something separate from himself, an internal/external, us/them, in/out duality that is part of the illusion of separateness in which we live our lives. We need to know, each of us, that the "environment" is not something separate from us or outside ourselves - we are part of the whole, altogether as one.

Then, after 22 years, I began to work on fixing people and our institutions. To that end, I worked for a few years as the Native American Spiritual Leader in a women's prison. I was an advisor for the California Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor. I am, and have been for 19 years, a fluteplayer and storyteller who has been teaching everyone who will listen about our place in the circle of all living things and our responsibility to every other living thing in the circle. But, above all, I work on fixing myself.

In 1966, I had a vision of the future which I have been following ever since, as much as I understand the vision and myself. Now the time has come for us all to connect through the power of the internet and social media like Facebook to bring about a shift in global consciousness and in our own lives. And, again, this is part of the vision whose time has now come.

Facebook, other social media, and the web itself give us the ability to connect like nothing else in the previous history of the two-leggeds. It is time to get on with it, to realize the time has come to change the face of the earth, and time to tell everyone else whom we know and love that the time has come.

I write about these things and hope others read what I write - that's why I am here, for real communication. It takes all of us to do it - to bring about real change. Well - not entirely true. All true social change is brought about by only about 1% of the population, and so I am looking for the 1% who care and who are ready for change..

Who, reading this, is ready to be part of the 1% who bring about all true social change? Global shifts are revolutionary, not evolutionary - they are brought about by agents of change, catalysts acting consciously together. Not gradual change, nor brought about by violence - but sudden and specific, from numbers of circles of people who realize that this is so.

The course of human history is a history of ever-evolving higher consciousness. This is one of those times, when the minds of the two-leggeds make a leap in understanding. We need to gather everyone into the circle who sees that this is so, so that we can bring about the next change whose time is now come. Hook up, link up, connect, share - make it real in the world. The time is now!

Perception....Something to Think About.......

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.


4 minutes later:


The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.


6 minutes:


A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.


10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.


45 minutes:


The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.


1 hour:


He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.


No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.


This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised:

*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*Do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?


One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.

How many other things are we missing?

A Good Day With Friends At the Autry

Even though I didn't have a chance on Family Sunday to visit much with Harrison Lowe in his Dineh traditional dress at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles - he was done with telling his creation stories and I was between sets of my flute songs and the stories I like to tell about them - I did have a chance to talk some with John Bradley (Oklahoma Cherokee/Comanche) at the end of our day. He had been outside on the plaza making traditional toys featuring corn cob darts with the kids.
John had just come back from visiting the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., viewing undisplayed artifacts that most folks will never see. We talked about my wampum bandolier sash and the old Aniishnabeq and Cherokee wampum belts and how they are being kept for the people by the respective elders of each of those nations, William Commanda of the Ojibwe and Benny Smith, among others, of the Cherokee.
I also spent some time getting to know Anaquad Cobe who came in and caught the end of my program. I had seen him the day before at the Pechanga powwow - we've crossed paths many times before without really getting to know each other. That happens a lot in Indian Country - it's a small world in many ways, where you see the same faces over and over again. You feel like you know each other on some level, even when you've never spoken to each other.
Anaquad was a friend of Floyd Westerman and Apesanahkwat, both of whom had recurring roles on "Northern Exposure", one of my all-time favorite television programs. Of course, Floyd has passed on but Apesanahkwat is still with us, serving as the Tribal Chairman and Legislator of the Menominee Indian Tribe in northeastern Wisconsin.
Of course, any Family Sunday at the Autry includes spending some time with Pam Hannah and Barbara Arvi, former Director of Operations and former Director of Education, respectively, at the Southwest Museum before it merged with the Autry. Pam is the current Director of American Indian Outreach at the Autry and Barbara is the current Program Director at the Southern California Indian Center. I always feel grateful to spend time with both of them and I appreciate their friendship.
What? You say I'm a name-dropper? Well, after family come your friends, and it's good to have them and speak well of them and make new friends too - right, my friends?
So - another good day at the Autry.

Waynaboozhoo Pays Attention by Edward Benton-Banai

"...we as human beings are often given glimpses of important parts of our future. Many times we do not perceive of the real importance of things that are revealed to us. They seem ordinary and insignificant to us. Waynaboozhoo resolved that he would pay closer attention to events in his life and thus come closer to understanding the plan of the Great Mystery."
- Edward Benton-Banai, "The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway"

A SPIRITUAL CONSPIRACY - by Author Unknown.

On the surface of the
world right now there is
war and violence and things seem dark.
But calmly and quietly, at the same time,
something else is happening underground
An inner revolution is taking place
and certain individuals are being called to a higher light.
It is a silent revolution.
From the inside out. From the ground up.
This is a Global operation.
A Spiritual Conspiracy.
There are sleeper cells in every nation on the planet.
You won't see us on the T. V.
You won't read about us in the newspaper
You won't hear about us on the radio
We don't seek any glory
We don't wear any uniform
We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles
Most of us work anonymously
We are quietly working behind the scenes
in every country and culture of the world
Cities big and small, mountains and valleys,
in farms and villages, tribes and remote islands
You could pass by one of us on the street
and not even notice
We go undercover
We remain behind the scenes
It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit
But simply that the work gets done
Occasionally we spot each other in the street
We give a quiet nod and continue on our way
During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs
But behind the false storefront at night
is where the real work takes a place
Some call us the Conscious Army
We are slowly creating a new world
with the power of our minds and hearts
We follow, with passion and joy
Our orders come from the Central Spiritual Intelligence
We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking
Poems ~ Hugs ~ Music ~ Photography ~ Movies ~ Kind words ~
Smiles ~ Meditation and prayer ~ Dance ~ Social activism ~ Websites
Blogs ~ Random acts of kindness...
We each express ourselves in our own unique ways
with our own unique gifts and talents
Be the change you want to see in the world
That is the motto that fills our hearts
We know it is the only way real transformation takes place
We know that quietly and humbly we have the
power of all the oceans combined
Our work is slow and meticulous
Like the formation of mountains
It is not even visible at first glance
And yet, with it, entire tectonic plates
shall be moved in the centuries to come
Love is the new religion of the 21st century
You don't have to be a highly educated person
Or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it
It comes from the intelligence of the heart
Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings
Be the change you want to see in the world
Nobody else can do it for you
We are now recruiting
Perhaps you will join us
Or already have.
All are welcome
The door is open

We Are The Flowers of One Garden and a Garden Nourishes The Soul - by Hawk Elder Edna Gordon

Peace Within Is Happiness
To reap the harvest of your own happiness
Reflects an inner light to touch the spirit of mankind

Inner emotions of the soul
It takes patience, attention and time to create beauty, character
And a sense of direction for the inner garden of the soul

Listen to Nature

Nature is within ourselves to make the right choices
To listen within is the greatest road map
To direct the energetic forces of the body, the mind and the soul

Prayer

Prayer is sharing inner feelings to strengthen communication, to nourish and to walk in harmony with all creation
Prayer, gives an inner value and inner knowing
An expression of devotion

Rambling Haven of Peace

Listen to natures sheltering timber
And observe how a rustic landscape of a countryside displays a sanctuary of reflections
To preserve a secluded haven of peace

Inspirations

Lights the spirit within
Nature is a place to recapture the infinite spirit of the soul
A place where no one abandons dreams, but when inner thoughts unfold , the creator is within nature
Creation stirs within for inspiration

Peaceful thoughts

You will reach the highest mountain of your inner self
If, you keep your fountain of peaceful thoughts
Flowing like ripples of a stream

Glowing embers of the soul

Facing the obstacles of life or praising the wonders of creation
Inspiration lights the spirit within
Within the Within

Within the Silence of the Soul, there is Peace and Meditation for Eternal Compassion

Black Elk Speaks: The Power of The Circle

“You have noticed that everything an Indian does in a circle,

and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles,
and everything and everything tries to be round.


In the old days all our power came to us from the sacred hoop

of the nation and so long as the hoop was unbroken the people

flourished. The flowering tree was the living center of the hoop,

and the circle of the four quarters nourished it. The east gave peace

and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain and the north

with its cold and mighty wind gave strength and endurance. This
knowledge came to us from the outer world with our religion.


Everything the power of the world does is done in a circle.

The sky is round and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball

and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls.

Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours.

The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon

does the same and both are round. Even the seasons form a great
circle in their changing and always come back again to where they were.


The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is

in everything where power moves. Our teepees were round like the

nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation’s hoop,
a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to hatch our children.”

Black Elk, Holy Man of the Oglala Lakota (1863-1950).

I Am A Legend - In My Own Mind

Jane and I were in South Pasadena a couple of days ago to get our taxes done for this year and afterward we went to a nice neighborhood we like that has little shops, interesting restaurants, and lots of big, mature trees. First we went to the Great Harvest Bread Company, a bakery that we love, to get some of their really tasty oatmeal mixes and some of their fine baked goods. They grind their own flours there daily.


Afterward we tried a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called the Firefly Bistro that had always been closed when we were there before. It was a very nice, almost hidden place with really, really great food. The restaurant is mostly outdoors with a big permanent tent covering the dining room and trees and shrubs inside and also visible outside through the tent windows. The entryway has little cafe tables covered by an arbor supporting thickly-growing vines. It felt a little like a European cafe.


One of the co-owners came over to speak to us when we finished eating and then, since they have live music there some days and because it was an outdoorsy place with a nice energy, I left my business card on the way out, thinking I might want to play there, though I have almost never played in restaurants. On the way out, I told the co-owner that I had left my card for him. Just as we got out the door, he caught up with us and asked me "Hey - did you ever work with the Orange County Performing Arts Center?" I told him "yes, I did", and then both our minds started clicking.


He was Carl Weintraub, who founded a multi-ethnic storytelling theater troupe called "We Tell Stories". He had been engaged way back in the early 1990's to assist me in developing my program in my early days of providing school programs through the "From the Center" Program of the O.C. Performing Arts Center. I was consequently on contract at the center for eight years after that. In his appraisal of my program for the staff who ran the program then, he had this to say:

"I think this show is a gift. It speaks of quietude, freedom, ancestry, extinction in a truly spiritual way without ever preaching or lecturing."

I can quote his words now because I asked his permission then to quote his words on the cover of my school programs brochure. So, it was a somewhat amazing encounter after so many years - and when we got in the truck to go home, Jane remarked on that fact. My reply, of course, was "Well, you know how that happened, don't you?" to which her inevitable answer was "Yes dear, it's because you are a legend - in your own mind". And she was right.

You can check out the "We Tell Stories" website at http://www.wetellstories.org/.

Indigenous Epistemology

As a young man in my college years I became interested in the question of what man can know and how does he know it. The philosophical term applied to this question is 'epistemology'.

Okay - why would I go on about some six-syllable word that nobody cares about? For me personally, the word 'epistemology' represents a mindset, a worldview, and that there is an aboriginal, indigenous worldview with it's epistemological ways of knowing the world that are the basis of the American Indian way of being in the world. It is my hope that all who read these words will truly "know" on the most basic level what the indigenous way of knowing the world is. To my understanding, we will not move to the next level of being without this knowledge.


There is an indigenous or aboriginal epistemology that is characterized by some basic themes. Four of these themes are:

walking in balance or being in right relationship with yourself and your community, and being in harmony with everything in the circle of ife;

the knowledge of the presence of other dimensions of being such as the realms of the ancestors or the spirits, dimensions that mirror the life on earth such as in the expression "as above, so below";

the knowledge that all things are interconnected and alive and that all have consciousness - it is a lived experience that is felt when one walks in beauty, feels the aliveness of the earth, and is aware of the consciousness of the non-human world;

the concept of a Spirit or the spirits that can and do interact in the realm of the two-leggeds in ways that are supportive, but can also be mischievous or even malevolent.

These are indigenous ways of knowing in the world of the People. Walking in balance with all my relations, experiencing the multidimensional and mirrored as above/so below nature of reality, knowing the earth is alive and conscious, and allowing for contact with spirits/Spirit are epistemological features that are at the heart of indigenous and aboriginal ways of knowing.

'Mindfulness' or Giving Our Attention to the World

The span of attention and the quality of it that the two-leggeds are able to give to the world, or the lack of it, I should say, has almost become an epidemic problem with our obsession with click-click-click, text-speech, sound-bites, instant gratification, instant everything - and the overwhelming amount of sensory data that we are bombarded with daily. Hello, hello? Is anyone listening? Hey! I'm over here! What? You'll give me ten seconds, you say?


I've been told that, in the way that we live today, because of everything that is going on around us, we are forced to process more sensory information through our minds in a single day of our lives than folks a hundred years ago processed in an entire year, because their lives were so much slower. That's a sort of staggering thought, if it is true. Everything is accelerated, everything is beginning to happen much more quickly, time almost seems to be condensed today. We need to learn to keep up. We need to get better at it.


To my way of thinking, our short attention spans, our inability to handle distractions, our desire for instant results, can seriously interfere with our quality of attention. Consequently, we get to the point where we are not fully present in the moment - what? The phone's ringing? Okay! I'll put a new bulb in the lamp-post, as soon as I get done with this - yes, I would like to eat dinner - yes, I fed the dogs - oh, what's-her-name called! Uh, where were we now? Oh yeah - how can we be "mindful", absolutely present in the moment - how can we give the world the attention it needs and deserves if - alright! Alright - I'm coming!


If we are not fully present in this moment - and this one - and this one - how can we respond to those things that happen to us that need our arttention, in a way that takes the most responsibility in creating our future? After all, where we are, right here and right now, is how we created it - that's right! We created it this way - it's the sum total of every decision and reaction that we have made in our lives in reponse to those things, outside of our control, that happen to us - the sum total of those decisions that has brought us to this point, right here and right now. We control our reactions, how we respond. That's how we create. Our ability to respond most appropriately is based on keeping up, completely, mindfully, with all the information that streams through our senses. That is how we demonstrate our response ability, our responsibility. Yes - that's how we create our lives. Will we do it well - ever?

Being mindful, being fully present, being completely in the moment, 'paying' attention - we really NEED to get good at that! The world needs us all to do it right. And right now, right here!

"Here and now, boys! Here and now!" - that's what Aldous Huxley said.

"Pay attention!" - that's what my teachers said.

"And try not to pee on the mushrooms!" - that's what I said.


But then, that's another story.......

Seneca Hawk Elder Edna Gordon Speaks Out for the Broomstick Revolution

Midewewin Teaching from The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway by Edward Benton-Banai

Long ago, when Nishnaabeg first came, they had a hard time. There was all kinds of sicknesses and bad things around. The Messenger was told, "Go down there, look around and find out what is happening. Bring back someone who we can tell about what life should be, with the Nishnaabeg."

Mewnzha giiyenh Nishnaabeg eshki-yaa'aad aapji giigdagtowang. Kina gegoo aakoziiwin miinwaa mjaii gii-temgad, Oshkabewas gii-jigaazo, "Niisaandwen, paa-ninaabin, paandakenjgen. Ka bibskaabwinaa ge-wiindamowang weweni wii-bmaadziwaas Nishnaabeg.

He left immediately and went to all places in the North, South, West and East. He could not find anyone. On his seventh try, while he was looking, he saw a baby. The baby's parents were out working. So he picked up the baby. Before taking the baby he offered tobacco, he also left a little bit of cloth so that the Nishnaabeg would not think that the baby was taken for a bad reason.

Mii-gii-bimaajaad, kina wa Giiwednong nikeyaa, Zhawanong, Epgishmak, Waabanong. Gaawii wiya giimkwaasiin. Mii dash eko-niizhwaaching megwaa paa-ninaabid, binoojiinsan gii-waabmaan. Paa-nokiibaniig binoojiins gitziiman. Miish gii-daapnaad. Jibwaa maajiinaad, semaan giibgidnaan, miinwaa bangii gidagiigaans, wii-kenmowaad gonda Nishnaabeg gaawii wiya giimji-daapnaasiin binoojiinsan.

He took the baby back to where the Grandfathers were sitting in a circle. He was still very small and still wrapped inside the cradleboard.

Miish gii-maajiinaad neyaap Mishoomsag gaa-giidtagdabwaad. Aapji yaabi gaachiinye miinwaa wiikwejiibzo zhe tkinaaganing.

One of the grandfathers looked at the baby very carefully. "This is the one. Messenger, pick up the baby. Take him all over, teach him carefully the way Nishnaabeg should lead their lives." The Messenger took him; they went around the earth.

Bezhig wa Mishoomis giignoobmaan (giignommaan) weweni. "Mii maaba". Oshkabewas, ka daapnaa binoojiins. Kina ngoji ka maajiinaa, ka kinoomowaa, kina weweni nishnabe eshi-bmaadzibane. Oshkabewas gii-maajiinaan ninda, gii-paa ninaaboog gidkamig.

When they came back seven years later, the little boy again saw his Grandfathers. He was already a young man. The Grandfathers noticed that this boy was very honest. He understood everything that was taught. One of the grandfathers took a drum and started singing. He took a piece of cloth of every color which represented all the teachings. Each direction had a color of its own. "I'm not finished yet," said the Messenger as they left.

Bibskaabwiiyaad niizhwaaswi bboongag, gii-waabmaan miinwaa gwiizens ninda Mishoomsan. Aapji zhazhi nishkininiiwiiba gwiizens. Nandag Mishoomsag gii-waabmaa'aan aapji gwekwaadzid gwiizens. Kina gegoo giin sastaan wiindamoowin. Miidash bezhig Mishoomis gii daapnang dewegaans, miish giingamod. Gidagiigaans gii-daapnaan kina wa enso-nandeg, kina kinoomaagenan gii-temgadoon. Bekaan gii-naande giiwednong nikeyaa, zhawanong, waabanong miinwaa epgishmak. "Gaawii mshi-giizhiitaasiimi," kida Oshkabewas, miish gii-maajaa'aad.

When they came back, each of the grandfathers gave the little boy a teaching. "These are the ones you take with you," he was told.

Bibskaabii'aad Mishoomsag gii-miinaa'aan kinoomaagenan gwiizensan. "Mii ninda emaajiidooyin," gii-jigaazo.

He was given Wisdom in order to better his life through knowledge of life. Next, was Love, so that he may take it to his Nishnaabeg; to be able to teach them to speak well of each other.

Nbwaakawin gii-miinaa, ji-kendamowaad weweni wii-nishibmaadziwaad. Naa dash miinwaa gii-miingaazo Zaagidwin. Weweni kwiiji Nishnaabe ka kinoomwaa ejigaadeg maanda wii-mnognoom-diwaad.

Respect. "Show Respect for all things here on earth, all people, regardless of race or language.
Bravery. There will be a time when you have problems. So never let go what has been given to you.
Honesty. To live the right, honest way, to speak well of your fellow man, to know think through whatever life brings.
Humility that man, tries to live in harmony and balance on earth. One should not think himself above others, while walking here on earth.

Miinwa bezhig Mishoomis gii-daapnaan Gwekwaadziwin. Weweni wii-shibmaadzing, wii-mnognoomin kwiiji Nishnaabe, kwii-ninaagdenmami wewendig gegoo zhiwebak. Dbaadendizwin Nishnaabe weweni wii-zhiyaad eko-shkitood maampii gidkaamig. Gaawii wiya da gchi-shpendisik maampii mosed akiing.

The last grandfather took Truth. This was given to Nishnaabeg when all of these teachings are understood. Then the Messenger and his student got up. Already the boy became a man as he left.

Mishoomis dash shkwaach gii daapnaan debwewin. Kina gegoo nindan kenman gaa-bi-wiindamaagooyiin gonda mishoomsag. Mii maaba Oshkabewas giibzigwiiyaad. Mii dash zhaazhi Nishnaabewid gwiizens gii-nimaajaad.

When he came back to us, he brought these teachings, before we enter the Sweat Lodge. So, that Nishnaabeg would remember and not lose them. Every place we go and see life, we should be able to pass on these teachings to our Nishnaabeg.

Gii-dgoshing, gii-biidoonan ninda wiindamaagenan, mii wii-debaadchigaadeg jibwaa biindigeyiing Bwezogamig. Nishnaabeg weweni wii-mjimendaamowaad miinwaa gaawii da nitoosiinaa'aa. Kina wa ngoji mi-waamdaman eshibmaadziyiing, ka mijidzemi kwiiji Nishnaabenaanig ji-wiindemoongid.

"Twisted Hair" Lyrics from "Music for the Native Americans" - by Robby Robertson

This was the way of it
Let the story fires be lighted
Let our circle be strong and full of medicine

Hear me
This is my dream song that I'm singing for you
This is my power song that is taking me to the edge
This is rock medicine
The talking tree
The singing water

Listen
I am dancing underneath you
This was the way of it
It is a river
It is a chant
It is a medicine story
It is what happened long ago
It is a bead in a story belt
It is what has been forgotten
It is the smell of sweetgrass and cedar

And prayers lifted to sky father
It is a way, a tradition
The way it was always done by the people
It is a feeling of warmth
The sound of voices

Listen
I am dancing underneath you

PRAYER FOR THE GREAT FAMILY by Gary Snyder

Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing through night and day--

and to her soil: rich, rare, and sweet

in our minds so be it.


Gratitude to Plants, the sun-facing light-changing leaf

and fine root-hairs; standing still through wind

and rain; their dance is in the flowing spiral grain

in our minds so be it.



Gratitude to Air, bearing the soaring Swift and the silent

Owl at dawn. Breath of our song

clear spirit breeze

in our minds so be it.



Gratitude to Wild Beings, our brothers, teaching secrets,

freedoms and ways; who share with us their milk;

self-complete, brave, and aware

in our minds so be it.



Gratitude to Water: clouds, lakes rivers, glaciers;

holding or releasing; streaming through all

our bodies salty seas

in our minds so be it.



Gratitude to the Sun: blinding pulsing light through

trunks of trees, through mists, warming caves where

bears and snakes sleep--he who wakes us--

in our minds so be it.



Gratitude to the Great Sky

who holds billions of stars--and goes yet beyond that--

beyond all powers, and thoughts

and yet is within us--

Grandfather Space.

The Mind is his Wife

so be it.





after a Mohawk prayer

Message from a Hopi Elder

"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered . . .

Where are you living? What are you doing? What are your relationships? Are you in right relation? Where is your water? Know your garden. It is time to speak your Truth. Create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for the leader."

Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, "This could be a good time!"


"There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are torn apart and will suffer greatly.

"Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, Least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

"The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.


"We are the ones we've been waiting for."


-attributed to an unnamed Hopi elder
Hopi Nation
Oraibi, Arizona

The Nature of Reality - by Bill Neal

From what I am capable of understanding, "reality" is based on two things - perception and agreement. First, we are aware that we exist. Then, whatever we perceive and interpret in our minds becomes the world that we live in. That world for one person is not necessarily the same for another. Individual perception of the sensory information we are surrounded by is the foundation of our sense of "reality". We only accept something as "real" if we can perceive it through our senses. Unfortunately this seemingly simple process is complicated by a function of our brains which is to filter out sensory information based on its effect on our survival and our ability to process that data. Some say that, for whatever reason, we use only 10% of the capacity of the brain. The outcome of the brain's function seriously affects our conclusions about the nature of what is "real".

An example of how our minds affect our perceptions is a story that someone told me once of a people who lived near a powerful waterfall, not unlike the Miwuk people of Yosemite Valley. It was a very beautiful place and the people counted themselves as very lucky to live in the midst of such beauty. The waterfall, however, was very loud. When friends and family would come to visit the people, they could not even hear themselves speak. The people who lived there, over time, had learned not to hear the noise. That not-hearing eventually became a permanent partial hearing loss. This is one way that our brains affect our perceptions while aiding in our day-to-day survival.

Once, after having taken a photograph of a very beautiful view, when the picture was developed I saw that there were power lines passing through the foreground view in the picture that I had not seen while I was there admiring that beauty. It made me wonder - what else do we not see, not hear or smell or taste or feel, and not even know that we are missing it? What loss of sensory information do we suffer everyday without even knowing it? If perception drives our version of "reality", how different is my reality from what it would be if I really "saw" the world?

Many years ago I was introduced to the art of mushroom hunting. My friend knew the safest and best-tasting mushrooms and how to cook them. The first time I went mushroom hunting with him it did not take him long to begin to fill his basket. I, however found nothing. I didn't understand it. I knew that I would not know what kind of mushrooms I found, that I would have to rely on him to identify them for me. But I found nothing. Finally I stopped to relieve myself. Looking down at the ground in front of me, I was shocked to realize that I was relieving myself on the mushrooms that I had not previously seen. It took that foolish act to begin to learn to "see" them. What does that tell you about our way of being in the world?

Perception, however, is not the whole story. Our minds interpret the information that our senses collect and prioritize it in association with interpretations already made. Those interpretations are made by agreement with other minds that say "this is the way it is". That becomes the reality that is handed down to us. Various terminologies have been applied to this "agreement" - we call it a mind/set or paradigm or conceptual worldview, etc. These paradigms are subject to periodic shifts based on various causes. The Native American worldview, for example, was shifted by contact with Europeans with a totally different version of "reality".

A paradigm shift is a metamorphosis, transformation, or revolution from what existed before. The latest agent or catalyst of change is the introduction of the personal computer and the internet. The effects of the introduction of these catalysts are still coming into being and is the subject for my messages of change to come that we can bring about together.

Next, in my note "Bringing About Change", I will discuss how I see these changes occurring. I hope that you stay with me through this process and add to this discussion your understanding of what is occurring right now.
.

Bringing About Change - Part 1 - by Bill Neal

First of all I would like to quote from the White Bison Wellbriety Movement training manual for recovery coaches. It concerns Prophecies.
"These are stories disclosed by the Elders when it was time. The Elders have told us we are now in a new time - a time of change - a new Springtime of life - a coming-together time. For a long time the people have been sleeping. We have given up and are living life without hope. We have put up with disharmony and confusion. We are either sleeping as a people or are in denial.
"There are certain gifted people in every community or tribe that have special gifts given to them by the Creator. This gift is insight. These people are able to see beyond delusion or denial. They know the people are asleep. They are able to see solutions to problems. They are able to see vision where there is no vision.
"Often these people seem to be irritants or troublemakers. These people are the Coyote Clan People. What do coyotes do? They yip a lot. If you try to go to sleep or you are sleeping the coyote's yip will wake you up. Coyote Clan People are willing to be radical, in a good way. Coyote Clan People are willing to speak the truth. Coyote Clan People will not conform to injustice. They insist on justice. Coyote Clan People are persistent. They are tenacious. Coyotes know that every set-back is only temporary. Coyote Clan People are change agents. Coyote Clan People fight for change.
"You will never see a Coyote Clan person who fights for him or herself. They always fight for the people. They are "cause people". Coyote Clan People are very valuable to a community or organization that wants to heal. The Coyote Clan People help create new ideas and new visions. They energize people and create followers who will help do the work. Coyotes are energizers.
"Now is the time for coyote to be active. We are in the beginning of the change. Coyotes must wake up and help the people.
"The Elders tell us that the Great Spirit has selected thousands of healers from all walks of life, all ages, all colors, and all four directions. These chosen healers will be given gifts that the human being has not used before. These gifts are the new life force that will be used by the healers. They will cause the people to "come alive". As the people "come alive", they will be willing to sit in circles they were unwilling to sit in before. Different races will sit in the same circle, different tribes will come together and people will want to form communities. Traditional values will return. We will search for a simple life and families will heal. We will start to respect the Mother Earth in a sacred way, our hearts will be changed and forgiveness will start to take place."
This is all quotation from the White Bison Wellbriety Movement training manual for recovery coaches. These words are for all of us. Take them to heart - make them part of your being. Go out and tell others to come sit in the circle.
Coyotes! We are calling you to come to the circle!
Bringing About Change - Part 2 is coming up.
.