Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007

Today we continue our two-week exploration of Native American Spirituality influenced by the Episcopal Diocese's "Peace Village" kit.

OPENING MUSIC - Jennifer Keeney, flute

CALL TO SILENCE AND OPENING MEDITATION

The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people. We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, the man all belong to the same famly. The shining water that moves int he streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors.

If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life that it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also received his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers. Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.

This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator. Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forests are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is to say goodbye to the swift pony and then hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.

When the last red man has vanished with this wilderness, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left? We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us. As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you.

(Attributed to Chief Seattle, c.1855. Gary Null, Secrets of the Sacred White Buffalo, Prentice Hall, 1988)

SECRETS OF THE SACRED WHITE BUFFALO

In a Lakota Sioux legend, a woman, carrying a sacred pipe, appeared to the people during a time of great famine. She taught them that the stem of the pipe represented the trees and all growing things; the red bowl symbolized the flesh and blood of the people, the smoke was the breath of their prayers rising to Wakan Tanka. The woman taught them of the connection between sky and Earth and the unity of all life and that by offering their thanks to Wakan Tanka with the pipe, many blessings would come to them. Before she left them, she promised to return when the time was right. Then, she walked toward the West, stopped, knelled to the Earth and rolled over four times. She turned into a buffalo, changing colors with each turn. First black, then brown, next red, and finally white. The people, following her teachings, were never hungry again.
In the summer of 1994, her promise to return seemed to be fulfilled. A white buffalo was born in Jamesville, Wisconsin. It changed colors as prophesies - from white to black to red to yellow and back to white. The colors represent the four directions: white - north, black - west, red - south, yellow - east. This white buffalo has great symbolic significance. For many Native American tribes, the return of the white buffalo is likened to the second coming of Christ - it signals a profound change for the planet and for mankind. For the Native American, nature is divine, and they, too, are a part of nature. Their ceremonies are performed in order to regenerate Mother Earth. Living harmoniously with nature is essential for the survival of humankind.

SACRED CEREMONIES

Although the names of ceremonies and exact ritual methods vary from tribe to tribe, symbolism remains similar, as does the original meaning of the rituals.

The Pipe Ceremony

This sacred ritual connects the physical and spiritual worlds - a link between Earth and sky. The pipe is prayer in physical form; smoke is the words. The fire is the same fire as the sun and is the source of life. The tobacco plant connects the worlds - the roots go deep into the Earth and the smoke rises to the sky. The pipe was often smoked at a tribe member's death as a form of last rites. It was also smoked to confirm an agreement, as in signing a contract. Breaking one's work after smoking the pipe was unthinkable. The pipe is a living, breathing, spiritual being.

The Sweat Lodge - The Purification Ceremony

According to William J. Walk Sacred, a Cree medicine man, "sweat lodge" is a misnomer. The purification ceremony is a rebirthing process, an integration of the spiritual and the physical. The lodge is constructed in a circular shape of branches covered with tarps or blankets. The circular shape is intended to be womb-like. An offering of tobacco is made of the medicine man, who will conduct the ceremony. The ceremony opens with prayer and contemplation. Four sacred herbs are sent to the four directions. Sage purifies the space from negative energy. Sweet grass summons powerful beings from the other side to bring healing. Cedar is also used for purification so the spirits can do their work. Tobacco is offered to bless the Earth. Lava stones are piled outside the lodge, where a fire is built to heat them. The hot stones are brought inside the lodge, one at a time, and sprinkled with herbs. Water is poured on the hot rocks, forming steam, which unifies everyone within. Each person inside offers prayers, thanksgiving, and praise. The medicine man then weaves all of the prayers together. Following the ceremony is the wopella, a time of thanksgiving and sharing.

THE VISION QUEST

A vision quest is an arduous journey into the core of oneself and should not be taken lightly. Each tribe has its own method of pursuing the vision quest. Generally, a long period of preparation takes place, beginning with prayer. The seeker then finds a medicine man, who is offered a sacred pipe. This medicine man is then responsible for guiding the individual during the quest. An alter is usually prepared in a sacred place, where the person is enclosed within a circle laid out by the medicine man. The seeker then stays protected in the circle for several days, fasting and praying. The medicine man and his helpers keep a sacred fire burning during the entire quest; this fire represents the fire of life carrying prayers to the heavens. At the end of the vision quest, the medicine mad the his helpers retrieve the seeker and helps him/her to interpret and integrate the experience.

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL OF MARY MAGDALENE

I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, "Lord I saw you today in a vision." He answered and said to me, "Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is, there is the treasure." I said to Him, "Lord, how does he who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit?" The Savior answered and said, "He does not see through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind that is between the two that is what sees the vision..."

Animal Totems

Fetishes/Totems are animal carvings that have been used by The People for over a thousand years. It is the spirit within the fetish that is of value, not the object itself. By honoring the animals and acknowledging their special "medicine" (their nature traits), we may summon our own similar attributes. We can focus on the qualities we have that are like a certain animal. We can carry a fetish with us or keep it on a bedside table. Fetishes may be used to discover, enhance, or simply remember a relationship with a fetish for taking care of a fetish always remaining mindful and respecting the spirit of the animal that the fetish represents.

CALL TO CONVERSATION'

CLOSING MEDITATION

Canticle of Creatures

Be thou praised,O Lord, for all Thy creation,
More especially for our Brother the Sun,
Who bringeth forth the day and givest light thereby,
For he is glorious and splendid in his radiance,
And to Thee, Most High, he bears similitude.

Be Thou praised, O Lord, for our Sister the Moon, and for the Stars:
In the heaves,
Thou hast set them bright and sparking and beautiful.

Be Thou praised, O Lord, for our Brother the Wind,
For the air and for the clouds, For serene and for tempestuous days,
For though these dost Thou sustain all living things.

Be Thou praised, O Lord, for our Sister the Water,
For she giveth boundless service, and is lowly, precious and pure.

Be Thou praised, O Lord, for our Brother the Fire,
Through whom Thou givest light in the night hours,
For he is beautiful and joyous, vigorous and strong.

Be Thou praised, O Lord, for our Sister Mother Earth,
Who doth nourish us and ruleth over us.
And bringeth forth divers fruit, and bright flowers and herbs.


We ask for your thoughts/comments to continue our Sunday conversation. Thank you.