INSPIRATION
To be " inspired " is to live " this " day to it's fullest....
This page of sharing is dedicated to all of the Elder's and Ancestor's that have shared their wisdom, all of those that
form the circle of the whole which is that of the " Indian Nation "
Listen to word's of guidance, gift's from Ancestor's of long ago,
Grandfather's watchful eye's...Grandmother's guiding hand's
Their wisdom still remain's ....
The ageless wonder of the neverending water's of the waterfall and a rushing river....
A quiet stream in a shadowed forest, these water's contain the ancient teachings that have been there from the beginning....their wisdom whispered on the wind.
The red earth my body
The river's my blood
The air my Spirit
The star's my Sacred home....
" The greatest gift we can give is to discover who we are
and share it with the world"....
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The Great One has given every human being at least one special talent and one special gift. We need to develop and practice these gifts because they are the handiwork of God. Maybe we are artists-when people look at our work it puts joy in their hearts; maybe we are singers- when people listen to our songs, their hearts are happy; maybe we are writers of song or poetry-when people hear or read our work, it may change their lives. We need to honor ourselves and our gifts. We need to thank the Creator for our talents and our gifts."
Teresita Naranjo, SANTA CLARA PUEBLO
My Creator, let me use my gifts to further Your work on the Earth.
" Awake each day with the rising sun to pray "
" Teach the children about prayer "....
" To give love is the greatest blessing in the world ".....
" Eagle carry my Prayer's to Creator"
" Ka ma ma "....... " Butterfly " " Gu le di s go ni "......." Dove "
" The Drum Beat - the Heart Beat of our Mother Earth "
" Each person need's their quiet place for introspection and reconnecting "
You can take one arrow and break it in half. But if you take 12 arrows in a bundle, it's almost impossible to break any of them. There is strength in Unity. When we are together we are very powerful. This is the way the ancestors told us we need to be. Strong. We need to unite ourselves. This is why the Elders say, when we make decisions, we must first consider the good of the people. If every person in the community thinks this way, then we will always make strong decisions.
Creator, let my decisions have the strength of the bundle
Tecumseh, SHAWNEE
" It's Not About Fearing The Storm, It's About
Learning To Dance In The Rain "....
Cherokee Prayer Blessing
May the warm winds of Heaven blow softly on your home,
And the Great Spirit bless all who enter there.
May your moccasins make happy tracks in the snows.
and may the Rainbow always touch your shoulder.
Cherokee Traveler's Greeting:
I will draw thorns from your feet.
We will walk the White Path of Life together.
Like a brother of my own blood, I will love you.
I will wipe tears from your eyes.
When you are sad, I will put your aching heart to rest.
There are two wills available for us: self will and God's will. Our choice is: figure it out ourselves, or have the Creator involved in our lives. If we are honest with ourselves and look at past experiences, what are our lives like when we try to figure it out ourselves? Is there fear, confusion, frustration, anger, attacking others, conflict, fault finding, manipulation, teasing others, belittling others or devaluation? If these things are present, they indicate that we are choosing self will. What is it like if we turn our will over to the Creator? What are the results if we ask the Great Spirit to guide our life? Examples are: freedom, choices, consequences, love forgiveness, helping others, happiness, joy, solutions, and peace. Which will I choose today, self will or God's will?
Frank Fools Crow, LAKOTA
We each are given the gift of free will and choice's....it is our responsibility to choose wisely how we share this gift toward the
world and to realize that ultimatly every action and choice we make touch's something outside of ourselve's and in the end it all come's back to us. I choose the path of love, compassion and understanding which is the path of the " warrior " and bring's me closer to Creator. It create's in my world a place of inner peace.
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We need to practice controlling our focus. Whatever we focus on we become. We also become whatever we practice. We need to focus on balance. Whenever something comes along to tilt us off balance, we need to be grateful, because it allows the opportunity to practice our focus. Sometimes this is called temptation. Temptation in itself is not bad. What really counts is what we do with it when it happens. We need to practice controlling our focus and keeping our thinking focused on the Red Road.
Dr. A. C. Ross (Ehanamani), LAKOTA
We are created by the Great One to accomplish His will through our mental pictures or visions. Our thoughts are three dimensional: words, pictures and feelings. We create the vision by thinking the words and we create feeling for the vision by feeling enthusiasm, desire, commitment and other strong beliefs. Once we create the vision, we move toward and become like that which we think about. All visions are tested by our self talk; for example, "This isn't going to happen, where is the money coming from anyway?" When this happens, we need to let go of the test and focus on belief in the vision. Why? Because God said if we believe it long enough, He will guarantee it !
Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE
Native American Prayer
I give you this, one thought to keep
I am with you still, I do not sleep
I am a thousand wind's that blow
I am the diamond glint's on the snow
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain....
When you awaken in the morning hush
I am the swift uplifting rush....
of quiet bird's in circled flight
I am the soft star's that shine at night
Do not think of me as gone....I am with you still
in each new dawn.
Friendship is held to be the
the severest test of character
It is easy we think, to be loyal
to family and clan whose blood
is in your own veins'
But to have a friend and to be true
under any amd all trials is the mark of a man.
Charles Alexander Eastman, Ohiyesa
Each of us is a vital thread in another person's
tapestry. Our live's are woven together for a reason.
One of the best things to hold onto in this world
Is a friend.
Charles Alexander Eastman, Ohiyesa
" Ta wo da....Hawk "
" U wo hi li....Eagle "
" Wa ya.......Wolf " " Yo na ....Bear "
We must alway's practice respect for our " U ni tsi e lo hi " Mother Earth and all that inhabit her.......
" The earth does not belong to us, it is borrowed from our children ".......
" If The Legend's Fall Silent, Who Will Teach The
Children Of Our Way's ?
Chief Dan George, Salish
Photo's used on this page were provided from yahoo and photobucket images
WE control our thoughts by controlling our self talk. At any moment we choose we can talk to ourselves differently. The fight comes with the emotions that are attached to our thoughts. If our emotion is high and seems to be out of control, we can say to ourselves STOP IT!, take a few deep breaths, then ask the Creator for the right thought or the right decision or the right action. If we practice this for a while, our thought life will be different. It helps if in the morning we ask God to direct our thinking. God loves to help us.
Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE
Indian Wedding Prayer:
Now you will feel no rain
for each of you will be shelter for the other
Now you will feel no cold
for each of you will be warmth for the other
Now there is no lonliness
Now you are two persons
but there is only one life before you
Go now to your dwelling to enter into the
days of your life together and may your days
be good and long upon the earth
("Wedding Braids" by Stan Davis)
" Dv (ga) si "......." Turtle "
" Turtle Island " the name referred to North America by it's Indigenous people
" Two Wolves "
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance,
self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: Which wolf wins?
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed ...."
" Se lu "............ "Corn "
We are put on the earth to participate in life. We have a beautiful mind, we have the ability to pray, we have the ability to change, we have the ability to accept, and we have choices. All things God created are constantly changing. This constant change causes our circumstances to change. Sometimes we say life is difficult. During these times we need to use our tools: the tools of prayer, and the tools of meditation. We are designed to change and live joyfully on this earth. The only requirement for living joyfully is to live according to the laws, principles and values given to us by the Creator.
Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE
There is a Master Plan. There are Natural Laws that run the universe. Everything on the earth has a purpose. Change is constant. That which is built is constantly being destroyed. That which is loose is being used to build new things. Nothing can be destroyed, only rearranged. Change will happen and every setback is only temporary. In other words, the Creator is in charge. We are not in charge. He designed the universe. He runs the universe and He will change what needs to be changed. As humans, it is easier for us to participate in all of this if we are spiritual. We need to be tuned in. Therefore, God gave us the spiritual concept of acceptance. When things change, we can change ourselves through the principle of acceptance
Ralph Salisbury, CHEROKEE
" In Order To Be Teacher's....we must remember that first we are student's ".......
(Photo by " BamaWester" yahoo image's)
a s qua ni go to di - a wi sv .... harvest
a da do li gi .... blessing
a li he li gi .... grateful
There are two systems of thought that are available for us to choose from. One is the love-thought system and the other is the fear- thought system. If we choose love, we will see the laws, principles and values of the Creator. If we choose fear, the results will be so paralyzing that it will cause us to take over and not rely on the Great Spirit. The fear-thought system will automatically cause attack, conflict, need to control over others. The love-thought system seeks peace of mind, unity and causes us to be love seekers
Chief Luther Standing Bear,SIOUX
Be still and know. All new learnings, all ideas about new things, creativity, daydreaming and mental effectiveness come to those who learn about silence. All warriors know about the power of silence. All Elders know about stillness. Be still and know God. Meditation is about the place of silence. This is the place to hear God's voice. We can find tremendous amounts of knowledge in the place of silence. This is the sacred place of God.
Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa), SANTEE SIOUX
Background music " Messenger by Joanne Shenandoah / Peter Kater "
To dance is to pray, to pray is to heal,
to heal is to give, to give is to live, to live,
is to dance....
Everything on earth has a purpose and is designed special. No two things are created identical. Sometimes in our minds we have a picture of how things should be, and often what we see is different from what they really are. When this happens we often want to control how things are, making them act or behave according to our picture. We need to leave things alone. God is running all things. How do we do this? In out minds we tell ourselves to love all things and respect all things just as they are. Accept what we cannot change.
Rolling Thunder-CHEROKEE
Our traditional communities and villages function on interdependence. Share the deer and give freely of what you have to another. Another way to express this principle is, it's better to give than to receive. To share what you have eliminates complexity. The Elders say, live a simple life. One of the principles in the Unseen World is, the more you give, the more you get. You can become a channel for abundance for your family, tribe or community. A giving person sets up a flow or replacement. Whatever you share will be returned to you in an amount equal or greater. The Indian way is for everyone to give to another, thus the community wins.
Lame Deer, LAKOTA
Every person is born for a purpose. We may know our purpose very early in our lives, or it may take us some time. Very often we need to experience many things before our purpose is clear to us. Sometimes we pick our goals to please others. Sometimes others pick our goals to make themselves happy. Often this makes us unhappy. We need to pray to the Creator and ask Him what our purpose is. When we live outside our purpose, our path is full of obstacles. When we live inside our purpose, our path is smooth. When we are aligned to our purpose, we are happy and content.
Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE
A da ge yu di - " love , to love "
Go li s di yi - " understanding "
Di da ni lv hi s di - " accept "
NATIVE AMERICAN COMMANDMENT'S :
Remain close to the Great Spirit
Show great respect for your fellow beings
Give assistance and kindness wherever needed
Be truthful and honest at all times
Do what you know to be right
Look after the well being of mind and body
Treat the earth and all that dwell thereon with respect
Take full responsibility for your actions
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good
Work together for the benefit of all mankind
Laughter is a good stress eliminator. Laughter causes healing powers to be distributed through our bodies. Laughter helps heal relationships that are having problems. Laughter can change other people. Laughter can heal the sick. Laughter is spiritual. One of the greatest gifts among Indian people has been our ability to laugh. Humor is natural to Indian people. Sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh.
Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA
The Indian People have always been able to adapt. If the hunting changed, we found new hunting grounds. If the earth changed, we moved to a better place. If the river changed course, we followed the river. But with every change, we kept our Indianness and spirituality. Our culture and spirituality have always been our strength. Our culture and spirituality taught us to live in harmony. We must change with the times, but we must maintain our culture and spirituality, always living in harmony.
Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA
The habits, attitudes and beliefs that carry the human through the trials of life are developed at a very young age. If we are taught respect at a very young age, the odds are we'll be respectful throughout our whole lives. If we are taught to dance at a young age, we'll dance our whole lives. If we are taught to sing the traditional songs while we are young, we'll sing those songs throughout our whole lives. And who do we drum and sing songs to? Our children. This is how we keep it going.
Juanita Centeno, CHUMASH
laugh - u tse tsi
humor - u wo ( tlv ) di
smile - u tse tsi
happiness - a li he li tsi da s di
( to be ) kind - u da ( nv ) di
harmony - nv wa to hi ya dv
peace - nv wa do hi ya da
visit www.whitebison.org for the " Elders Meditation Of The Day "
