…how to reconnect with the sacredness within and the sacredness of all there is….

I try to teach my children how everything has something sacred inside it so you must treat
everything, not just people, with reference and care. That way things will be good for you.                                                                                                 Richard R. James Sr. (1)

Mother Earth, Animal People, Plant People and the Elements

Black Elk, a Lakota Holy Man, once stated “We should understand well that all things are the works of the Great Spirit” (1b)

Throughout the years my Elders taught me to deeply respect at all times Creation small and big. Our Life Force, some call it God, some Creator, some Universal, is everywhere. It flows through the four legged animals, the winged ones, the creepers and crawlers, the tree people, the plant nation, the mountains and rivers, the winds, the clouds and the human people and all there is.

We often hear people say “we have to reconnect with nature”. The truth is we never lost that connection; we only have forgotten.

The Lakota say” Mitakuye Oyasin” which means we are all related or all my relations. Ted Andrews, an author and animal rehabilitator, writes” I am part of the natural world.  As part of it, I have a responsibility to know as much about the environment in which I am living.” (2)

I take this statement even further. I am responsible for all my actions on this beautiful Mother Earth. Kenny Farmer, a Medicine man from Rosebud Reservation once told me “Whatever you do always consider the next seven generations.”

We are so removed from living naturally. Our High Tech world overpowers us and pushes the memory of how to live in relationship with  Mother Earth deep within our cells. But all the knowledge, all the wisdom of our ancestors is right here in our bodies; we only have to activate it.

Animal People

If you talk to animals

They will talk to you

And you will know each other.

If you do not talk to them, you will not know them,

And what you do not know

You will fear. What one fears one destroys

Chief Dan George (2)

Our rational world wants to make us believe we are separated from nature and its inhabitants. The more we practice our ability to wonder, to dream, to simply look with the eyes of a two or three year old child the more we will remember the truth.

Ted Andrews writes” When we learn to speak with the animals, to listen with animal ears and to see through animal eyes….they become our teachers, our friends, our companions.” (2a)

Plant People

Kenny Farmer told me that “Every plant has a Spirit.”

If we approach the plant people just the same way we do the animal people they will reveal their true nature just as well. Gail F. Edwards describes this so wonderfully”…to comprehend fully the incredible love intelligence, vital life force, and healing energy of the herbs and plants, we need to enter into resonance with them. To learn the language of the plants we need to listen deeply, with an open, humble and grateful heart.”(4)

In the olden days the art of healing was mostly in the hands of wise women.

Susun S Weed explains it clearly” Wise women herbalists see the whole herb, the physical forces and the subtle forces, and respect this wholeness. Wise women make use of the color, form, spirit, and substance of a plant.”(5)  This wisdom of our ancestors is deeply ingrained within us.

Elements - Air- Fire-Earth-Water,

Thunder People, Wind People

Wind, rain, thunder and lightning, everything has a spirit, everything is alive. Our ancestors have known that all along.

Black Elk says “In the evening the Thunder-beings may come, and although they are very terrifying, they bring much good, and they test your strength and endurance. I remember one time…a great storm came from the place the sun goes down, and I talked with the Thunder-beings who came with hail and thunder and lightning and much rain…” (1b)

In order to really get in touch with the elements you have to be outdoors. Indigenous people allover the world, trained as healers, know about these powers and how to use them. Medicine Grizzlybear Lake expresses that”The powers of the air, fire, earth, and water are used to purify our mind, body, soul, and spirit.”(6)

Food and Eating Habits

In olden times the entire process from the time of sowing till harvesting was included into the ceremonial life of our ancestors, wisdom passed on from times immemorial . “Now the country’s food is grown by two percent of its people and shipped an average of 1000 miles to the market from huge, distant farms.”(7)  Michael Ableman, an organic farmer and author, writes.

We have forgotten the most basic knowledge, how to feed ourselves and the land. Furthermore we have given away our power and therefore freed ourselves of the responsibility how our food is grown and processed and handled. Our grains and produce are usually drenched with insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, mold inhibitors, and more toxic chemicals. We leave it up to the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, chemical companies and supermarkets to take care of our nourishment.

My deepest respect for John Robbins, the author of The Food Revolution,

“If people knew how badly animals are treated in today’s factory farms, if people knew how completely confined and immobilized these creatures are for their entire lives, if people knew how severe and unrelenting is the cruelty these animals are forced to endure, there would be a change. If people knew. But too many of us choose to look the other way, to keep the veil in place, to remain unconscious and caught in cultural trance. That way we are more comfortable. That way is convenient. That way we don’t have to risk too much. This is how we keep ourselves asleep. It’s painful to awaken. It’s painful to break the shell of repression. It takes courage to see what today’s farm animals are forced to endure… It takes courage to open our eyes to such tragedy, and our hearts to our deepest human responses.”(8)

Does that mean we all should convert to vegans/vegetarians? Whoever feels called  to take that path might want to try  to live without eating animal products. We can explore the richness and diversity of what else our Mother Earth provides.In the olden days the indigenous people of North America survival depended on meat. They were hunting small and big game and Buffalo.

Severt Young Bear explains, “They used every part of the buffalo-tongue, meat, brain, the intestines, everything. They used the stomach to cook in like a pot. Most of the meat would be dried.”(9)

This was a very sacred time and for each event there was a specific ceremony.

Again what we learn here is the reverence for all living beings. We want to consider taking a closer look and being very mindful where we buy our meat, vegetables, grains, dairy products, where it comes from, how it was raised, and how it was fed. According to Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk, we not only eat the material part of our food we ingest the emotional part as well. We might want to reevaluate the restaurants where we choose to eat.

Exercises to Reconnect, Retreat and Develop a Daily Routine

You can believe in Christ, Buddha, Mohamed, you can be Jewish, an agnostic, an atheist or whatever you choose to be; as long as you have a deep feeling of Life and Sacredness in your heart you will be able to make our Mother Earth a better place.

In order to reconnect with our sacredness and the sacredness in everything we have to make an internal shift. For now we will not be able to change the world but we’ll definitely be able to change ourselves. When we start focusing on what is really important to us and to all our relations we will over time change old structures in our life and the lives around us.

One of my Elders told me, “There is no time to waste anymore. If you want to feel closer to the Creator you have to work for it.  If you want to change things you have to do it! There is no easy way out. If you have to suffer a little bit for the suffering of others– suffer! Pray harder! You do what is right in front of you. You do what you have to do. Take your own power back you have given away so many times. “

The first step to set that internal shift into motion is to take a close look at our daily routine and our relationship concerning all material things in our lives. Then we have to change whatever is not working for us anymore one step at a time, one day at a time.We begin our day connecting with a Force greater than the little me and we practice to stay connected throughout the day.

First thing in the morning when we open our eyes we find at least five different reasons to be thankful  and during the day everything we look at will remind us of the Force greater than us. We are pitiful human beings doing the best we can– seeking guidance at all times through our Higher Power. As the day goes on we pay close attention to our surroundings and our emotions. We train ourselves in rigorous honesty towards ourselves and others with compassion in our hearts. Whenever we feel powerless we immediately reconnect with our Higher Power and humbly ask for guidance. We set up altars for our sacred objects at various places in our home, cars, and workplace. We create areas of peace in our homes and workplace as well and bring forth harmony. In order to do that we might have to move some furniture, reduce some clutter, and set our intent. We try to stay connected to our Mother Earth by finding sacred stones, pieces of wood, sacred dirt, a feather and so on to put on our altars or around the house. When we find an item we would like to take with us we first ask Mother Earth for permission to take it and then we must give something back to Her. In my way of life we use sacred tobacco but we can use as well a prayer or some people use flower petals and so on. Our body is sacred! Life is sacred! We pay attention when we are hungry, thirsty, tired, and stressed and act accordingly in a healthy manner. We reconsider our eating habits and the sources where our food comes from.
From time to time we need to retreat from the outer world. That can last from an hour to a day, week, month, or even a year. During this time we can do a fast, we can decide to stay outdoors and experience the elements like heat, cold, rain, storm, day and night without cover and only lightly clothed. We can be with people of like mind or we may have solitude for a certain amount of time. It is absolutely necessary for our spiritual growth to take time out of our life on a regular basis.

Learn to Increase Awareness

In order to learn how to listen to our Inner Voice we need stillness.

We take a look at our social life and we become conscientious about with whom we interact. We examine the space we live in and try to be attentive to the blaring noises around us and eliminate whatever possible. We decrease drastically our entertainments like television, CD players, movies, plays, parties, and the like. We try to achieve a simplicity and purity of life– a purity of thoughts. We acknowledge our feelings and emotions, and, if necessary, we get professional help to deal with them. We know from deep within that there is a reason for everything. With mindfulness we review our consumptions. Before we buy something new we investigate and analyze is it Earth- friendly from the gathering stage till the end product?
Where was it manufactured? What material? Who were the producers?

Solutions That Changed My Life

In my Way of Life, I follow seven Virtues:

Spirituality, Sacredness
My Spirituality always comes first and everything is sacred.

Future Generations
I try to consider the well being of our future generations in all of my affairs.

Compassion
I am compassionate towards myself and all sentient beings.

Helpfulness
I ask the Creator to be a helper

Wisdom
I try to use good judgment and listen to wise teachings.

Health
I live simply and healthily.

Quietness
Quietude is sacred.

Are you following your dreams? Do you pursue action when you have a strong, intuitive impulse no matter what? Do you act  if you see a “sign” which points you in a certain direction?

Do you know what your Soul is yearning for? Do you pray for others? Do you pray to meet your Soul Relatives?  Do you walk by a person in need?

Do you have regular Giveaways? Generosity is a very important virtue in our way of life. Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) a Sante Sioux makes it clear “It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to overcome. Its appeal is to the material part, and if allowed its way, it will in time disturb one’s spiritual balance.” (3) On a fairly regular basis we put a blanket down, so to speak, with things to give away. Some of the reasons are that we have completed a spiritual quest, or showing our gratefulness, or somebody is having a hard time. We believe if we give away it makes us happy and it generates kindliness in the community.
Here is a very typical statement regarding the spirit of Giveaways from Severt Young Bear ” A leader is not the guy who can store up and keep lots of things, but instead someone who will share them with the people.”(9)

In order to stay connected with our sacredness within and all there is we have to be aware that whatever we do or think we have to consider the next seven generations. This makes it very obvious that we are responsible for all our doings, sayings and so forth. Nobody else is to blame.

In order to achieve a better awareness of the Sacredness of Life we must honor animals, plants and the elements. Jackie Yellow Tail, a young Crow woman defines

“The Indian way of thinking is that there is this same circle, Mother Earth, and around her are the rocks, the trees, the grass, the mountains, the birds, the four legged, and man. Man is the same as all those other things, no greater, no less….”  (10)

We must remember to readjust our eating habits, our daily routine, our consumer behavior,  transform our thought patterns, and heal our emotional wounds. Additionally we deepen our awareness when we pray regularly, stay in conscious contact with our Higher Power at all times, listen to our dreams and what our soul has to say and  be kind and giving to all sentient beings.

Barbara

Love all Creation

The whole and every grain of sand in it.

Love every leaf,

And every ray of light.

Love the plants.

Love the animals.

Love everything.

If you love everything

You will perceive the Divine Mystery

In all things.

Once you perceive it

You will comprehend it better every day.

And you will come , at last,

to love the whole world

with an all embracing love.

Dostoyevsky (1a)

References

(1) James Sr., Richard R. Birch Creek, Alaska (9/2005) Native Peoples Page 62

(1a) Fox, Matthew One River, Many Wells

Dostoyevsky, Brothers Karamazov Page 26 (1b)

Brown, Joseph Epes The Sacred Pipe, Black Elk Page xx

(2) Andrews, Ted Animal Speak

(2a) Andrews, Ted Animal Speak Page ix, x

(3) Nerburn, Kent and Mengelkoch, Louise Native American Wisdom Page 3,4,14

(4) Edwards, Gail Faith Opening your Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs Page ix, x

(5) Weed, Susun S. Wise Woman Herbal Childbearing Year, Page xiii

(6)Medicine Grizzlybear Lake Native Healer Page 4, 49

(7) Ableman, Michael Cultivating a New Agricultural Revolution Interview with by Cooper, Annie

(8) Robbins, John The Food Revolution John Robbins Web Page- Ask John

(9)Young Bear, Severt and Theisz, R.D. Standing in the Light, A Lakota Way of Seeing Page 127

(10)St. Pierre, Mark and Long Soldier, Tilda Walking in a Sacred Manner Page 14

Thoughts

We all (and I mean everybody -man, woman, animal, plants, the Earth itself) are going through an, what Caroline Myss calls, axial change. That is in a nutshell what it really means going toward 2012 and beyond. There are major changes out there which affects every living cell on this Earth.

We are going from the fossil age toward the solar age. Which means that there are tremendous energies at work.
Governments will fall apart, the stock market is artificially kept up, big industries will go bankrupt and so on. What it boils down to is what ever we humans thought is “safe” will crumble. And it has to because in the long run it would destroy the Earth itself and all life there is.

What I am trying to say with that is that all of this affects us deep within our  Soul and we are all called to change on a very, very deep level; and our resistance to this transformation can express itself as depression, anger fits, wanted to give up, self pitty,
you name it.

Please be aware what I share with you here is not a “new age” thing.
We need to activate every cell in our body in order to move forward because we are needed by so many people who are not aware of all this and in need of our help. The help can be very subtle or direct. But for that to actually take place  we have to get out of our small self or dark side which wants to keep us hostage so that we do not allow the God- light within us shine too brightly.

There are strong forces at work which want to keep us at this low level. Earthly forces and not so earthly forces. Our Soul decided to come to this Earth at this particular time and we are equipped with everything what we need to make it through and evolve.
Please do not have doubts about that unspeakable, immense force called God (or any other name people give to it). It actually is un-namable because we can not even in our wildest dreams imagine what it really is. Our Soul does not yet have the stamina to look directly into this light. I believe we would die at the spot because it would be so overwhelming.

We are God’s brain, voice, hands, feet and messenger. We need to learn how to live up to that. With all our doing and thinking we always, always need to ask only one question, according to Wayne Dyer:

How can I serve?

That does not mean we are martyrs, on the contrary. we are just some people who want to help out.

-This can be through a prayer practice

-Being aware that we treat every person we meet with kindness but as well being aware of our strong boundaries.

-volunteering

-being a healing influence at work
and so on.

If we consciously decide to be that light we have to be strongly aware that the ego/small self/dark side/evil or whatever you call it will do everything, absolutely everything , to discourage us.
Only leaning close toward God through prayer will see us through.
And we really have to take good care of ourselves, eating the right food, exercise, sleep etc. in order to have the strength to go out into the world and be at our best.

We need to take time to be alone, take the time to feel our frustrations and whatever comes up during these moments of solitude. Just do not go for a quick fix, but witness it:
oh, this is what I am feeling, oh, this is what I am thinking and so on. We need to learn to be comfortable to be alone with ourselves. It will give us the stamina to go out  into the world.

Barbara