Saturday, June 25, 2011

As I Walk upon this Earth...I Trust (LLJL)


The author and mystic, Story Waters writes,
”Through my inner trust for my life, I choose to embrace the unfolding of my future“

The small, brave act of cooperating with life,
With all that is in the world,
Of choosing trust over cynicism, generosity over selfishness,
Makes the heart light up with quiet joy.

I have spent this past week, amidst that quiet joy on the grounds
 I inhabit from time to time in the Highlands of Maine.
The land, that I choose to not claim in ownership, 
 But a place which I have been blessedly entrusted a sacred stewardship.

It is during these most blessed times of respite…
That Our Beloved Mother teaches me of her Wisdom…
As I spend time lovingly wrapped in Her Blessed Arms…
And pressed safely against the bosom of Her Sacred Heart Beat…
I have come to an understand One All Abiding Truth…

That our connection to the land, is where Spirit resides…
Therefore, look not to the sky…
But to the air, the water, the plants, and the trees…
And all the creatures of this Our Beloved Home…
For Spirit resides in the Earth beneath your feet…
The ground on which you stand, is a Most Sacred Place…
A Holy Haven..It is the Portal to Heaven.

My Native Family and Neighbors, of the Penobscot Nation, the original inhabitants of this place,
Have taught me of the holy bond and responsibility we all have with the land. 
She trusts us as her protector, nurturer and co-creator,
And she in turn, provides unconditionally with all that she has to give.
To me, It is a most holy and sacred trust, a blessed gift. 

As I walk the grounds each day, I feel this trust everywhere;
In the spirit of the true inhabitants of this land…my woodland friends,
Who reside here with me, or I should say,
Have granted me stay…here with them.
As they boldly and warmly welcome me back,
Waiting with anticipation for me to open my pack and 
Offer up my gifts of carrots, apples, nuts, bread and seeds,
That I gratefully share with my friends, as we dwell in this time and place together.

I spent the week, blessedly among the trust and sanctuary of old friends,
With whom over the years, I have found a haven of
Safety, nurturance, love, and unconditional acceptance.
Trust, I have come to realize is the very basis of our existence.
Every day we trust…for if we did not, we could not exist.

We trust, when, every morning,  we place our feet on the ground,
 That it will support us. 

We trust, when we turn on our faucets,
That we will be replenished and refreshed by clean running water.

We trust, when we flip the switch,
The gift of electricity will bring to us, light, warmth, music, food, entertainment
And the tools by which we live our lives.

We trust, in our interactions with others every day,
That these encounters will hold in them,
The fruits of cooperation, co-creation, love and respect.

We, trust that the food we eat, throughout our day, 
Will sustain and enhance our bodies.

We trust, as we go home to our families,
At the end of our day, that all is well in our world.

And we trust, when we lay our heads down at night,
That our structures will provide, shelter and protection as we sleep.

As I venture out each day on my morning, walking meditation ritual,
I know that I am walking on sacred ground…
And I trust, that it is steady enough to support me…

And I have, also, come to indeed, realize 
That anywhere I stand at any given moment…is a Most Sacred Place.

And that I can and must trust the Universe by extension
To support my steps as I move forward.
along this new and untrodden, unknown path.

I trust, in the love, compassion and belief that the Universe has in me.
It is a holy charge…and one that I do not taken lightly…

And I have learned throughout this process of transition,
That to trust myself and by extension others and the world,
Is a most worthy practice…It is the practice of authenticity.

This is the work of aligning the standards we have for ourselves
With our deepest passions and dreams. 

It’s the work of making promises to ourselves and keeping them.
It’s the work of creating and discovering the kind of resources
That can and will support our success.
It’s the work of knowing who we are without judgment.

I move forward now in the light of this trust…
That I may become a worthy steward,

For not only this land…
But this world and for my place in the Divinity of the Greater Design…

For my place as an integral piece of the One Universal Heartbeat…
The One that is in All…The One that is All.


Friday, June 24, 2011

Two Wolves Within - A Cherokee Legend

Two Wolves Within - A Cherokee Legend

A Grandfather from the Cherokee Nation was talking with his grandson.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves."

"One wolf is evil and ugly: He is anger, envy, war, greed, self-pity, sorrow, regret, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, selfishness and arrogance."

"The other wolf is beautiful and good: He is friendly, joyful, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, justice, fairness, empathy, generosity, true, compassion, gratitude, and deep VISION."

"This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other human as well."

The grandson paused in deep reflection because of what his grandfather had just said. Then he finally cried out; "Oyee! Grandfather, which wolf will win?"

The elder Cherokee replied, "The wolf that you feed."


The Legend of the White Buffalo

The Legend of the White Buffalo

The White Buffalo Legend

The White Buffalo are sacred to many Native Americans. The Lakota (Sioux) Nation has passed down the The Legend of the White Buffalo--a story now approximately 2,000 years old--at many council meetings, sacred ceremonies, and through the tribe's storytellers. There are several variations, but all are meaningful, and tell of the same outcome. Have communication with the Creator through prayer with clear intent for Peace, Harmony and Balance for all life living in the Earth Mother.

Spirituality among Natives Americans and non-Native Americans has been a strong force for those who believe in the power of the Great Spirit or God. It matters not what you call the Creator. What matters is that you pray to give thanks for your blessings and trust the guidance given to you from the world of Spirit. Many truths about Spirit are told and handed down from one generation to the next.

The legend of the White Buffalo Calf Woman tells how the People had lost the ability to communicate with the Creator. The Creator sent the sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman to teach the People how to pray with the Pipe. With that Pipe, seven sacred ceremonies were given for the people to abide in order to ensure a future with harmony, peace, and balance.

Legend says that long ago, two young men were out hunting when from out of nowhere came a beautiful maiden dressed in white buckskin. One of the hunters looked upon her and recognizing her as a wakan, or sacred being, lowered his eyes. The second hunter approached her with lust in his eyes, desiring her for his woman. White Buffalo Calf Woman beckoned the lustful warrior to her, and as he approached a cloud of dust arose around them causing them to be hidden from view. When the dust settled, nothing but a pile of bones lay next to her. As she walked toward the respectful young hunter, White Buffalo Calf Woman instructed the young man to go back to the People and tell them to prepare for her arrival to teach them of the way to pray. The young hunter obeyed. When White Buffalo Calf woman arrived with the sacred bundle (the prayer pipe) she taught the People of the seven sacred ways to pray. These prayers are through ceremonies that include the Sweat Lodge for purification; the Naming Ceremony for child naming; the Healing Ceremony to restore health to the body, mind and spirit; the Adoption ceremony for making of relatives; the Marriage Ceremony for uniting male and female; the Vision Quest for communing with the Creator for direction and answers to one's life; and the Sundance Ceremony to pray for the well-being of all the People.

When the teaching of the sacred ways was complete, White Buffalo Calf Woman told the people she would again return for the sacred bundle that she left with them. Before leaving, she told them that within her were the four ages, and that she would look back upon the People in each age, returning at the end of the fourth age, to restore harmony and spirituality to a troubled land. She walked a short distance, she looked back towards the people and sat down. When she arose they were amazed to see she had become a black buffalo. Walking a little further, the buffalo laid down, this time arising as a yellow buffalo. The third time the buffalo walked a little further and this time arose as a red buffalo. Walking a little further she rolled on the ground and rose one last time as a white buffalo calf.

The changing of the four colors of the White Buffalo Calf Woman represents the four colors of man--white, yellow, red and black. These colors also represent the four directions, north, east, south and west. The sacred bundle that was left to the Lakota people is still with the People in a sacred place on the Cheyenne River Indian reservation in South Dakota. It is kept by a man known as the Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, Arvol Looking Horse.

The legend of the White Buffalo Calf Woman remains ever promising in this age of spiritual enlightenment and conscious awareness. In today's world of confusion and war many of us are looking for signs of peace. "With the return of the White Buffalo it is a sign that prayers are being heard, that the sacred pipe is being honored, and that the promises of prophecy are being fulfilled. White Buffalo signals a time of abundance and plenty."

Though our world may be harsh, throughout recorded history there have been spiritual leaders teaching peace, hope and balance among all life. This was taught by great teachers such as Jesus, Buddha, the Dali Lama's, and Native American elders. Chief Crazy Horse, Chief Seattle, and Chief Red Cloud are a few of the visionary leaders who committed their lives to bring peace, and internal happiness to all who they touched. They were tangible signs of goodwill toward all men, women and children.

White Buffalo at Spirit Mountain Ranch

Included with the tangible signs for world peace and harmony are seven sacred White Buffalo located at Spirit Mountain Ranch in Flagstaff, Arizona. The birth of a white buffalo is a rare occurance indeed. Only one in 10 million buffalo is born white. The Creator has blessed the world and all its inhabitants with a family of White Buffalo. At Spirit Mountain Ranch these White Buffalo include Miracle Moon, Rainbow Spirit, Arizona Spirit, Mandela Peace Pilgrim, Sunrise Spirit, Spirit Thunder, and Chief Hiawatha.

Miracle Moon--our first White Buffalo and now a mother--was born on April 30, 1997. Miracle Moon gave birth to Rainbow Spirit (female) on June 8, 2000, to Mandela Peace Pilgrim (female) on July 18, 2001, and to Arizona Spirit (male) on July 1, 2002. All these babies were fathered by Willy Wonka--a brown North American Bison. And now the babies are having their own white babies.

On May 22, 2004, Mandela Peace Pilgrim gave birth to Sunrise Spirit (female). Five days later on May 27, 2004, Rainbow Spirit gave birth to Spirit Thunder (male). Both these white buffalo babies were fathered by BlackJack--a brown Canadian Bison. On May 16th, 2005, Miracle Moon gave birth to the seventh white buffalo. He has been named Chief Hiawatha, after the great Onondaga chief who founded the Iriquois League of Five Nations and brought peace to the tribes of the Northeast.

These beautiful, divine energies touch all who come see them. People come to the ranch to pray and leave gifts for the sacred White Buffalo. Some weep, some marvel, and others are led to the ranch not knowing about the White Buffalo and their promise of peace and abundance. We believe the spirit of the White Buffalo calls out to the hearts of these people and directs them to the White Buffalo family.

Now, more than ever recent events that are taking place worldwide are a wake-up call to seek connection to the divine Great Spirit or God that resides within us. The return of the White Buffalo is another physical sign from the world of Spirit, ready and waiting to help us walk in our world with wisdom, knowledge, peace and love. Regardless of our race, color or form, we are all brothers and sisters who live on the same Earth mother. It is time to respect and honor each individual as we ourselves would like to be respected.

For the Love of Hawaii (LLJL) ( A Compilation)

For the Love of Hawaii by Linda Lorenzo


~ This note is in Joyous Dedication to the Energy, Mysticism and Beauty that is the Spirit of Hawaii ~

~ Mark Twain on Hawaii ~

"For me its balmy airs are always blowing, its summer seas flashing in the sun; the pulsing of its surf is in my ear; I can see its garlanded crags, its leaping cascades, its plumy palms drowsing by the shore, its remote summits floating like islands above the cloud-rack; I can feel the spirit of its woody solitudes, I hear the plashing of the brooks; in my nostrils still lives the breath of flowers that perished twenty years ago."

"This is the most magnificent, balmy atmosphere in the world--ought to take dead men out of grave."

"A Paradise for All Sorts"
"I spent several months in the Sandwich Islands, six years ago, and, if I could have my way about it, I would go back there and remain the rest of my days. It is paradise for an indolent man. If a man is rich he can live expensively, and his grandeur will be respected as in other parts of the earth; if he is poor he can herd with the natives, and live on next to nothing; he can sun himself all day long under the palm trees, and be no more troubled by his conscience than a butterfly would.

When you are in that blessed retreat, you are safe from the turmoil of life; you drowse your days away in a long deep dream of peace; the past is a forgotten thing, the present is heaven, the future you leave to take care of itself. You are in the center of the Pacific Ocean; you are two thousand miles from any continent; you are millions of miles from the world; as far as you can see, on any hand, the crested billows wall the horizon, and beyond this barrier the wide universe is but a foreign land to yo u, and barren of interest."


~ The 7 Principles of Huna Philosophy ~

ike ~ The world is what you think it is
kala ~ There are no limits, forgive and release
makia ~ Energy flows where attention goes
manawa ~ Now is the moment of power
aloha ~ To love is to be happy with
mana ~ All power comes from within
pono ~ Effectiveness is the measure of truth


~ Ho'oponopono ~

"I love you, please forgive me, I'm sorry, Thank you"


~ Only One Great Commandment ~

" To do no harm to no one or no thing with hate" ~ "Alo'ha ke Akua"~ "God is Love"


~ The Poetic Wisdom of Kalani Ahuna ~

"from ~"the "shores" of Hawaii nei"~ "the "seventh "wave" of "alo'ha"~ "rises" and "crest"~ "upon the "shores" of "mother earth"~ "the~ "first "tear" of "mama"~ "alo'ha"~ "to all of "us"~ "the "keikis"~ "her "children"~

"lau'la"~ "open "heart"~ with ~ no "obligations" or "attachments"~"the "heart" of the "universe"~"one "verse"~ "IAM"~ "the "essence"~
"alo'ha"~"alo"~ "the"divine ~"prescense"~of"~ "ha"~ "the "divine ~"breath"~ "that "IAM"~ "the "prescense"~
"thought "forms"~ "with "visualization"~ "focus" and "attention"~
* "inahle"~ "the "wind"~ "exhale~ "the "breeze"~"the "caress"~
* "inhale"~ "the "fire"~ "exhale"~ "the "flame"~ "the "passion"~
* "inhale"~ "the "water"~ "exhale"~ "the "mist"~"the "emotion"~
* "inhale"~ "the "earth"~ "exhale"~ "the "seed"~"new "life"~

"we" ~ "begin"~ "with "love"~ "sharing"~"the "joy"~ "living"~ "with ~ "compassion"~ "we" ~ "can do ~"this"~ "together"~ "with "vi'gah"~ not "vinegar"~ "alo'ha kekahi i kekahi"~ "love one another"~

"in the "beginning"~ "there was "darkness"~ "in "that "darkness"~ "there was a "sound"~ "that "sound"~ "was~ "the "beat of the "heart"~ "the first "word" uttered"~ "IAM"~ "and ~~ "with the "first "light"~ "that"~ "IAM"~ "o'wau no ka i"~ "IAM" that "IAM"~ "o' ka "maluhia" no me oe"~ "peace"~ "be"~ with "you"~

"experience"~ "the "joy"~ "here" and "now"~"and "you" won't~ "seeketh"~"there"~"moment" to "moment"~ "the "beat"~ of the "heart"~

"the"feminine"~ is the "center"~ "the "anchor"~ "the "masculine"~ is like a"dog" on a "leash"~ "only as "far"~ as "it's" ~ "nose"~ "it"~ goes"~ "the "feminine"~ "creates"~ "in "knowing"~ "that "all"~ " is "one"~ "and ~ "in all"~ "that "oneness"~ "we" are"~

"the "gifting"~ "of "self" with "self~ "the "currency" ~ "of the "times" ~ "before" ~ "us" ~ "mo' ~"light" ~ "please" ~ "with ~ an x-tra~ "topping" ~of "joy"~

" the "i"~ "leads"~ "the "am"~ "follows"~ "together"~ "hand" in "hand"~ "they "walk"~ the "winged journey"~


Aloha Nui Loa...to all my Beautiful Face Book Sisters and Brothers!

The Aloha Spirit by Serge Kahili King

The Aloha Spirit by Serge Kahili King

 

The Aloha Spirit is a well known reference to the attitude of friendly acceptance for which the Hawaiian Islands are so famous. However, it also refers to a powerful way to resolve any problem, accomplish any goal, and to achieve any state of mind or body that you desire.

In the Hawaiian language, aloha stands for much more than just "hello" or "goodbye" or "love." Its deeper meaning is "the joyful (oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha) in the present (alo)."

As you share this energy you become attuned to the Universal Power that the Hawaiians call mana. And the loving use of this incredible Power is the secret for attaining true health, happiness, prosperity and success.

The way to tune into this Power and have it work for you is so simple that you might be tempted to pass it off as being too easy to be true. Please don't let yourself be fooled by appearances. Take the time to try it out.

This is the most powerful technique in the world, and although it is extremely simple it may not prove easy, because you must remember to do it and you have to do it a lot. It is a secret which has been given to humanity over and over again, and here it is once more in another form. The secret is this:

Bless everyone and everything that represents what you want!

That's all there is to it. Anything that simple, however, does need some explanation.

To bless something means to give recognition or emphasis to a positive quality, characteristic or condition, with the intent that what is recognized or emphasized will increase, endure or come into being.

Blessing is effective in changing your life or getting what you want for three reasons: First of all, the positive focus of your mind stirs up the positive, creative force of the Power of the Universe. Secondly, it moves your own energy outward, allowing more of the Power to come through you. Thirdly, when you bless for the benefit of others instead of directly for yourself, you tend to bypass any subconscious fears about what you want for yourself, and also the very focus on the blessing acts to increase the same good in your life. What is so beautiful about this process is that the blessing you do for others helps them as well as you.

Blessing may be done with imagery or touch, but the most usual and easy way to do it is with words. The main kinds of verbal blessing are:

Admiration - This is the giving of compliments or praise to something good that you notice. E.g., "What a beautiful sunset; I like that flower; you're such a wonderful person."

Affirmation - This is a specific statement of blessing for increase or endurance. E.g., "I bless the beauty of this tree; blessed be the health of your body."

Appreciation - This is an expression of gratitude that something good exists or has happened. E.g., "Thank you for helping me; I give thanks to the rain for nourishing the land."

Anticipation - This is blessing for the future. E.g., "We're going to have a great picnic; I bless your increased income; Thank you for my perfect mate; I wish you a happy journey; May the wind be always at your back."

In order to gain the most benefit from blessing, you will have to give up or cut way down on the one thing that negates it: cursing. This doesn't mean swearing or saying "bad" words. It refers to the opposite of blessing, namely criticizing instead of admiring; doubting instead of affirming; blaming instead of appreciating; and worrying instead of anticipating with trust. Whenever any of these are done they tend to cancel out some of the effects of blessing. So the more you curse the harder it will be and the longer it will take to get the good from a blessing. On the other hand, the more you bless the less harm any cursing will do.

Here, then, are some ideas for blessing various needs and desires. Apply them as often as you like, as much as you want.

Health - Bless healthy people, animals, and even plants; everything which is well made or well constructed; and everything that expresses abundant energy.

Happiness - Bless all that is good, or the good that is in all people and all things; all the signs of happiness that you see, hear or feel in people or animals; and all potentials for happiness that you notice around you.

Prosperity - Bless all the signs of prosperity in your environment, including everything that money helped to make or do; all the money that you have in any form; and all the money that circulates in the world.

Success - Bless all signs of achievement and completion (such as buildings, bridges, and sports events); all arrivals at destinations (of ships, planes, trains, cars and people); all signs of forward movement or persistence; and all signs of enjoyment or fun.

Confidence - Bless all signs of confidence in people and animals; all signs of strength in people, animals and objects (including steel and concrete); all signs of stability (like mountains and tall trees); and all signs of purposeful power (including big machines, power lines).

Love and Friendship - Bless all signs of caring and nurturing, compassion and support; all harmonious relationships in nature and architecture; everything that is connected to or gently touching something else; all signs of cooperation, as in games or work; and all signs of laughter and fun.

Inner Peace - Bless all signs of quietness, calmness, tranquility, and serenity (such as quiet water or still air); all distant views (horizons, stars, the moon); all signs of beauty of sight, sound or touch; clear colors and shapes; the details of natural or made objects.

Spiritual Growth - Bless all signs of growth, development and change in Nature; the transitions of dawn and twilight; the movement of sun, moon, planets and stars; the flight of birds in the sky; and the movement of wind and sea.

The previous ideas are for guidance if you are not used to blessing, but don't be limited by them. Remember that any quality, characteristic or condition can be blessed (e.g., you can bless slender poles and slim animals to encourage weight loss), whether it has existed, presently exists, or exists so far in your imagination alone.

Personally I have used the power of blessing to heal my body, increase my income, develop many skills, create a deeply loving relationship with my wife and children, and to establish a worldwide network of peacemakers working with the aloha spirit. It's because it has worked so well for me that I want to share it with you. Please share it with as many others as you can.

How to Enhance Your Power to Bless

There is a technique practiced in Hawaii which enhances your power to bless by increasing your personal energy. It is a simple way of breathing that is also used for grounding, centering, meditation and healing. It requires no special place or posture, and may be done while moving or still, busy or resting, with eyes open or closed. In Hawaiian the technique is called pikopiko because piko means both the crown of the head and the navel.

The Technique
1. Become aware of your natural breathing (it might change on its own just because of your awareness, but that's okay).

2. Locate the crown of your head and your navel by awareness and/or touch.

3. Now, as you inhale put your attention on the crown of your head; and as you exhale put your attention on your navel. Keep breathing this way for as long as you like.

4. When you feel relaxed, centered, and/or energized, begin imagining that you are surrounded with an invisible cloud of light or an electro-magnetic field, and that your breathing increases the energy of this cloud or field.

5. As you bless, imagine that the object of your blessing is surrounded with some of the same energy that surrounds you.

Huna Kupua by Serge Kahili King

Huna Kupua by Serge Kahili King

Huna Kupua
by Serge Kahili King

Huna is a Hawaiian word meaning "secret," but it also refers to the esoteric wisdom of Polynesia. Kupua is another Hawaiian word and it refers to a specialized healer who works with the powers of the mind and the forces of nature. In that respect it is very similar to the Siberian Tungusic word "shaman."

The understanding of Huna described here comes from the kupua tradition of the Kahili family from the island of Kauai, through Serge Kahili King, who was adopted as the grandson of Joseph Kahili and trained in his tradition.

The Seven Principles

The basic assumptions of Huna are these:

1. The World Is What You Think It Is.
2. There are no limits.
3. Energy Flows Where Attention Goes.
4. Now Is The Moment Of Power.
5. To Love Is To Be Happy With (someone or something).
6. All Power Comes From Within.
7. Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth.

The Three Selves (or Four)

Another set of assumptions used in Huna is that human behavior and experience can be explained and changed through the interaction of three (sometimes four) selves, aspects or functions:

1. The High Self (Kane, Aumakua), inspires.
2. The Conscious Self (Lono) imagines.
3. The Subconscious Self (Ku) remembers.
4. The Core Self (Kanaloa) wills.

The Four Levels of Reality

A third set of assumptions coming from the kupua tradition divides all experience into four levels or frameworks of beliefs about reality which can be summarized as follows:

1. Everything is objective (Scientific reality).

2. Everything is subjective (Psychic reality).

3. Everything is symbolic (Shamanic reality).

4. Everything is holistic (Mystical reality).

The kupua (Hawaiian shaman) learns to move in and out of these realities in order to change experience more effectively.

Chief Seattles Letter

Chief Seattles Letter

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 10:47pm
 
Chief Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish Indians allegedly wrote to the American Government in the 1800's - In this letter he gave the most profound understanding of God in all Things. Here is his letter, which should be instilled in the hearts and minds of every parent and child in all the Nations of the World:

"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, and man all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father.

The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give the rivers the kindness that you would give any brother.

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 forest 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.

One thing we know - there is only one God.
No man, be he Red man or White man, can be apart.
We ARE all brothers after all.

Ancient Hawaiian Huna Wisdom ~ 100% Responsibility and the Possibility of a Hot Fudge Sundae by Carl Saunders

100% Responsibility and the Possibility of a Hot Fudge Sundae by Carl Saunders

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 2:55pm
Cat Saunders gets the scoop on Haleakala Hew Len

"We're either killing ourselves or nurturing. There is no in-between."
Haleakala Hew Len, Ph.D.

How do you thank someone who has helped to set you free? How do you thank a man whose gentle spirit and zinger statements have forever altered the course of your life? Haleakala Hew Len is such a man for me. Like a soul brother who shows up unexpectedly in an hour of need. Haleakala came into my life in March of 1985, during a time of massive change for me. I met him during a training called "Self I-Dentity Through Ho'oponopono," which he facilitated along with the late Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona, a native Hawaiian kahuna ("keeper of the secret").

For me, Haleakala and Morrnah are part of the rhythm of life. Though I love them both dearly, I don't really dwell on thoughts of them as people, yet their influence is always there for me, beating a steady pulse like African drums in the night. Recently, I had the honor of being asked to interview Haleakala by The Foundation of I, Inc. (Freedom of the Cosmos), an organization founded by Morrnah. It was an even greater honor to learn that he would be coming from his home in Hawaii to meet with me personally.

Dr. Haleakala S. Hew Len is the foundation's president and administrator. Together with Morrnah, Haleakala has worked with thousands of people over the years, including groups at the United Nations, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), International Human Unity Conference on World Peace, World Peace Conference, Traditional Indian Medicine Conference, Healers for Peace in Europe, an the Hawaii State Teachers Association. He also has extensive experience working with developmentally disabled people and with the criminally mentally ill and their families. In all his work as an educator, the Ho'oponopono process supports and permeates every breath of his efforts.

Simply put, Ho'oponopono means, "to make right," or "to rectify an error." According to the ancient Hawaiians, error arises from thoughts that are tainted by painful memories from the past. Ho'oponopono offers a way to release the energy of these painful thoughts, or errors, which cause imbalance and disease.
Along with the updated Ho'oponopono process, Morrnah was guided to include the three parts of the self, which are the key to Self I-Dentity. These three parts -- which exist in every molecule of reality -- are called the Unihipili (child/subconscious), the Uhane (mother/conscious), and the Aumakua (father/superconscious). When this "inner family" is in alignment, a person is in rhythm with the Divinity. With this balance, life begins to flow. Thus, Ho'oponopono helps restore balance in the individual first, and then in all of creation.

By introducing me to this three-part system, along with the most powerful forgiveness process I know (Ho'oponopono), Haleakala and Morrnah taught me this: the best way to bring healing to every part of my life -- and to the entire universe -- is to take 100% responsibility and work on myself. In addition, they taught the simple wisdom of total self-care. As Haleakala said in a thank-you note after our interview: "You take good care of yourself. If you do, all will be beneficiaries."

Once, Haleakala left for an entire afternoon in the middle of a training I was taking, because his Unihipili (child/subconscious) told him to go to his hotel and take a long nap. Of course, he was responsible about leaving, and Morrnah was there to teach. Even still, his exit made a lasting impression on me. For someone like me, raised in a family and culture that admonished me to put others first, Haleakala's actions astounded and delighted me. He got his nap, and I got an unforgettable lesson in self-care.

Cat: Haleakala, when I met you in 1985, I'd just started private practice after working as a counselor in agencies for four years. I remember you said, "All therapy is a form of manipulation." I thought, "Jeez! What am I supposed to do now?" I knew you were right, so I almost quit! Obviously, I didn't, but that statement completely changed the way I work with people.

Haleakala: Manipulation happens when I (as a therapist) come from the idea that you are ill and I am going to work on you. On the other hand, it's not manipulation if I realize that you are coming to me to give me a chance to look at what's going on in me. There's a big difference.

If therapy is about your belief that you're there to save the other person, heal the other person, or direct the other person, then the information you bring will come out of the intellect, the conscious mind. But the intellect has no real understanding of problems and how to approach them. The intellect is so picayunish is its way of solving problems! It doesn't realize that when a problem is solved by transmutation -- by using Ho'oponopono or related processes -- then the problem and everything related to it is solved, even at microscopic levels and back to the beginning of time.

So first of all, I think the most important question to ask is, "What is a problem?" If you ask people this, there's no clarity, they make up some way of solving the problem...
Cat: ...as if the problem is "out there."

Haleakala: Yes. For example, the other day I got a call from the daughter of a woman who is 92. She said, "My mother's had these severe hip pains for several weeks." While she's talking to me, I'm asking this question of the Divinity, "What is going on in me that I have caused that woman's pain?" And then I ask, "How is it that I can rectify that problem with in me?" The answers to these questions come, and I do whatever I'm told.

Maybe a week later the woman calls me and says, "My mother's feeling better now!" This doesn't mean the problem won't recur, because there are often multiple causes for what appears to be the same problem.

Cat: I have a lot of recurring illness and chronic pain. I work with it all the time, using Ho'oponopono and other clearing processes to make amends for all the pain I've caused since the beginning of time.

Haleakala: Yes. The idea being that people like us are in the healing professions because we have caused a lot of pain.

Cat: Big time!

Haleakala: How wonderful to know that, and to have people pay us for having caused them their problems!

I said this to a woman in New York, and she said, "God, if only they knew!" But you see, nobody knows. Psychologists, psychiatrists, they keep thinking that they're there to help heal the other person.

So if someone like you comes to me, I say to the Divinity, "Please, whatever is going on in me that I have caused this pain in Cat, tell me how I can rectify it." And I will apply whatever information I'm given indefinitely, until your pain is gone or until you ask me to stop. It's not so much the effect that is important as the getting to the problem. That's the key.

Cat: You don't focus on the outcome, because we're not in charge of that.

Haleakala: Right. We can only petition.

Cat: We also don't know when a particular pain or illness will shift.

Haleakala: Yes. Say a woman has been taking an herb that was suggested for her, and it's not working. Again, the question is "What's going on in me that this woman is experiencing this herb not working for her?" I would work on that. I would keep cleaning, keep my mouth closed, and allow the process of transmutation to take place. As soon as you engage the intellect, the process stops. The thing to remember when some kind of healing doesn't seem to be working is this: there may be multiple errors -- multiple problems or painful memories that are causing the pain. We know nothing! Only the Divinity knows what's really going on.

I gave a presentation out in Dallas last month, and I spoke with this woman, a Reiki master. I said, "Let me ask you a question. When somebody comes to you with a problem, where is that problem?" She looked puzzled when I said, "You're the one who caused the problem, so your client is going to pay you to heal your problem!" Nobody gets that.

Cat: 100% responsibility.

Haleakala: 100% knowing that you're the cause of the problem. 100% knowing that you have the responsibility, then, to rectify the error. Can you imagine if we all knew we are 100% responsible?

I made a deal with myself ten years ago that I would treat myself to a hot fudge sundae -- so huge it would make me sick -- if I could get through the day without having some judgment of someone. I've never been able to do it! I notice I catch myself more often, but I never get through a day.

So how do I get that across to people -- that we are each 100% responsible for problems? If you want to solve a problem, work on yourself. If the problem is with another person, for example, just ask yourself, "What's going on in me that's causing this person to bug me?" People only show up in your life to bug you! If you know that, you can elevate any situation, and you can release there. It's simple: "I'm sorry for whatever's going on. Please forgive me."

Cat: You don't have to actually say that out loud to them, and you don't even have to understand the problem.

Haleakala: That's the beauty of this. You don't have to understand. It's like the Internet. You don't understand all this! You just go to the Divinity and you say, "Can we download?" and the Divinity downloads, and then you get the necessary information. But because we don't know who we are, we never download direct from the Light. We go outside.

I remember Morrnah used to say "It's an inside job." If you want to be successful, it's an inside job. Work on yourself!

Cat: I know that 100% responsibility is the only thing that works, but I used to struggle with this stuff, because I'm an overly responsible caretaker type.

When I heard you talking about 100% responsibility not just for myself, but for every situation and problem, I thought, "Whoa! This is crazy! I don't need anybody telling me to be even more responsible!" Yet the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there's a big difference between overly responsible caretaking , versus totally responsible self-care. One is about being a good little girl, and the other is about getting free.
I remember you talking about the years when you were a staff psychologist at Hawaii State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. You said that when you started working there, the ward for criminals was full of violence, and when you left four years later, there was none.

Haleakala: Right. I would only go into the building to check the results. If they still looked depressed, then I'd work on myself some more.

Cat: Would you tell a story about using Ho'oponopono for so-called inanimate objects?

Haleakala: I was in an auditorium once getting ready to do a lecture, and I was talking to the chairs. I asked, "Is there anybody I've missed? Does anyone have a problem that I need to take care of?" One of the chairs said, "You know, there was a guy sitting on me today during a previous seminar who had financial problems, and now I just feel dead!" So I cleaned with that problem, and I could just see the chair straightening up. Then I heard, "Okay! I'm ready to handle the next guy!"

What I actually try to do is teach the room. I say to the room and everything in it, "Do you want to learn how to do Ho'oponopono? After all, I'm going to leave soon. Wouldn't it be nice if you could do this work for yourselves? Some say yes, some say no, and some say, "I'm too tired!"

Then I ask the Divinity, "If they say they would like to learn, how can I help them learn?" Most of the time, I get this: "Leave the blue book (Self I-Dentity Through Ho'oponopono) with them." So I just take the blue book out and leave it on one of the chairs or on a table while I'm talking. We don't give tables enough credit for being quiet and aware of what is going on!"

Ho'oponopono is really very simple. For the ancient Hawaiians, all problems begin as thought. But having a thought is not the problem. So what's the problem? The problem is that all our thoughts are imbued with painful memories, memories of persons, places, or things.

The intellect working alone can't solve these problems, because the intellect only manages. Managing things is no way to solve problems. You want to let them go! When you do Ho'oponopono, what happens is that the Divinity takes the painful thought and neutralizes or purifies it. You don't purify the person, place, or thing. You neutralize the energy you associate with that person, place or thing. So the first stage of Ho'oponopono is the purification of that energy.

Now something wonderful happens. Not only does that energy get neutralized; it also gets released, so there's a brand new slate. Buddhists call it the Void. The final step is that you allow the Divinity to come in and fill the void with light.

To do Ho'oponopono, you don't have to know what the problem or error is. All you have to do is notice any problem you are experiencing physically, mentally, emotionally, whatever. Once you notice, your responsibility is to immediately begin to clean, to say, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

Cat: So the true job of the intellect is not to solve problems, but to ask for forgiveness.

Haleakala: Yes. My job here on earth is twofold. My job is first of all to make amends. My second job is to awaken people who might be asleep. Almost everyone is asleep! The only way I can awaken them is to work on myself. Our interview is an example. For weeks before our appointment today, I've been doing the clearing work, so when you and I meet, it's like two pools of water coming together. They move through and let go. That's all.

Cat: In ten years of doing interviews, this is the only one I didn't prepare for. Every time I checked in, my Unihipili said that I should just come and be with you. My intellect went nuts trying to convince me that I should prepare, but I didn't.

Haleakala: Good for you! The Unihipili can be really fun. One day I was coming down the highway in Hawaii. When I started to head toward the usual off-ramp, I heard my Unihipili say in a singing voice, "I wouldn't go down there if I were you." I thought, " But I always go there." Then when we got closer about fifty yards away, I heard, "Hello! I wouldn't go down there if I were you!" Second chance. "But we always go down there!"

Now I'm talking out loud and people in cars around me are looking at me like I'm crazy. About 25 yards away, I hear a loud, "I wouldn't go down there if I were you!" I went down there, and I sat for two and a half hours. There was a huge accident. Couldn't move back, couldn't move forward. Finally I heard my Unihipili say, "Told you!" Then it wouldn't talk to me for weeks! I mean, why talk to me if I wasn't going to listen?

I remember one time when I was going to be on television to talk about Ho'oponopono. My children heard about it and they said, "Dad, we heard you are going to be on TV. Make sure your socks match!" They didn't care what I said. They just cared that my socks matched. See how children know the important things in life?

Cat Saunders, Ph.D. is the author of Dr. Cat's Helping Handbook.
For more information about Cat or her book, please visit: http://www.drcat.org/

THE NEW TIMES
SEATTLE, WA
SEPTEMBER 1997

[Reprinted with permission of The New Times]
← Who is this man and why is he wearing that baseball cap?

If you're wondering about the baseball cap, Haleakala wears it so he remembers not to be so intellectual. The background blue represents the
Void, or Emptiness, and the red "P" represents Mother Earth, or the creative force, Pele.

Ripples of Peace (LLJL)

Ripples of Peace

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 10:17am
Native American Wisdom

My Native American mentor, Ruth, took me to the creek
on the land that we steward together in Maine,
and she told me to throw a stone into the water.
She told me to watch the circles created by the stone.
Then she asked me to think of myself as that stone person.

"You may create lots of splashes in your life,
but the waves that come from those splashes
will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures," she said.

"Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle
and that circle will also touch many other circles.
You will need to live in a way that allows the good
that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others.
The splash that comes from anger or jealousy,
will send those feelings to other circles.
You are responsible for both."

At that moment, I truly understood,
that each person creates the inner peace
or discord that flows out into the world.

We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict,
hatred, doubt or anger.

We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside,
whether we speak them or not.

Whatever is splashing around inside of us is spilling out into the world,
creating beauty or discord with all other circles of life.

We are responsible for it all.

What will your ripples create today?

The Rainbow Children by Bright Garlick

The Rainbow Children

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 1:02pm
The Rainbow Children
by Bright Garlick


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been a long hot summer for the old Cree Indian.
He had had an exceptionally good year.
His children were all happy and he had many grandchildren to keep his life full of joy.
There were many among the community who came to him for wisdom, just as there were many who came to him from lands afar.
But in his own eyes, he was still just a child.
He knew little about the world and even less about how men should live.
It was the year that white man had landed on sister moon and it was the year that the Great Spirit began to talk to him.

When the voice of the Great Spirit first came to him, he was dreaming about his wife Josephine Medicine Bear, who had died last summer.
She had been walking with him, holding his hand, telling him about the wonders of the great plains of heaven.
As she spoke, he remembered that she had been given the gifts of the spirits and the gifts of the bible but he himself felt that he had been given no gifts.
With that thought his precious Josephine turned to him and said My beautiful husband, have you not raised a healthy family ?
Did you think this good fortune had nothing to do with you ?
You have been given a great gift – soon you will see !
Then, as quickly as she had reprimanded him, she turned into a bear and ran away to the hills.
He called out to her but it was too late – she was gone.
He stood watching the place where she had been, an ache in his heart, her words echoing in his old body.
Slowly he allowed his body to fall to the ground and as his head landed on mother earth,
a great eagle came down from the sky.
The eagle’s wings covered the landscape.
And suddenly he felt the presence of the Great Spirit.
He lifted his head slowly and the Great Spirit spoke to him saying Little Eagle Feather, the great hoop has been broken.
The world of mankind has turned away from me.
The white man has fed poison to mother earth and now all people are sick.
You must listen and remember for your brothers and sisters and all those from lands far away who will come seeking your council.

There is to be a new earth. I will make it so.
The old Indian could see a great circle gathering on the horizon and from that circle he could see men and women of every different colour of the peoples of earth.
Each one walking, carrying some gift in his hand for the Great Spirit.
And the Great Spirit said to him
These are my rainbow children.
I have given them each a gift.
When they come together the great hoop will be healed.
But you must watch for them, for they will not always stand out.
Some will be quiet, some will be small, others will make noise and be easily noticed.
But all will carry my gift. Among them there will be 7 who I have chosen.
To these I give many gifts.
They will be known by the gifts they bear but they will not know who they are.
You must remember them, for one day each of them will seek your council.
Little Tail Feather looked carefully for the seven.
And from the circle, he saw 5 women and 2 men come forth.
They were not much different to the rest.
But he looked at them and could see the Great Spirit burning brighter inside them,
each with fire in their eyes.
He would remember.
Then the Great Spirit lifted it’s wings and began to fly away with his children.
His voice echoed back to the old man Your gift is your vision.
See with wisdom.

When the old Indian woke, he was shaken and confused.
He had seen much suffering in the world of men,
since he had become an old man and the north wind had brought much misfortune to his people.
But he had faith in the words of the Great Spirit and knew them to be true.
In the days that followed, he began to see signs that the Great Spirit had laid a path before him.
A path that would help him to honour the gift that the Great Spirit had given him.

While he was not considered a great elder, there were many who began to seek his council,
who had not previously considered him worthy.
Towards the end of his life,
he developed great wisdom and was asked often to talk about spiritual matters to people from all walks of life.
Slowly, he began to see the rainbow children.
Sometimes just a glance here or there,
sometimes a hug from nowhere,
perhaps a chance meeting and sometimes they came looking for him.
And in his spirit Little Eagle Feather knew that his dream was unfolding and that it was true -
the Great Spirit was already making a new earth and that the hoop of life would be healed.

"When the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear; when that happens, The Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them." Chief Seattle

"In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

Being Indian ~ Brooke Medicine Eagle

BEING INDIAN

Being Indian...
Is an attitude...
A state of mind...
A way of being in harmony with all things and all beings.

It is allowing the heart to be a distributor of energy on this planet.
To allow feelings and sensitivities to determine where energy goes.;
Bringing aliveness up from the Earth and from the Sky...
Putting it in and giving it out from the heart.

-Brooke Medicine Eagle

Native American Prayer (translated by Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark in 1887)

Native American Prayer
(translated by Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark in 1887)

Oh, Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me, I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold
the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have
made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the things
you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have
hidden in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my Spirit may come to you without shame.

(translated by Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark in 1887)

Native Wisdom ~ "O' Mitakuye Oyasin" - "All my relations" ~ Black Elk ~ A Compilation

Native Wisdom ~ "O' Mitakuye Oyasin" - "All my relations" ~ 

"The True Peace" - Black Elk

"The first peace, which is the most important,
is that which comes within the souls of people
when they realize their relationship,
their oneness, with the universe and all its powers,
and when they realize that at the center
of the universe dwells Wakan-Taka (the Great Spirit),
and that this center is really everywhere,
it is within each of us.
This is the real peace,
and the others are but reflections of this.
The second peace is that which is made between two individuals,
and the third is that which is made between two nations.
But above all you should understand that there can never
be peace between nations until there is known that true peace,
which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men."

Black Elk, Oglala Sioux & Spiritual Leader (1863 - 1950)

"The Circle" - Black Elk

My Beloved Friends,

It is a most Sacred Joy and Honor,
that the blood, which flows through my veins...
is one with this great Oglala Nation...
And it is my most Blessed Joy to share with you,
the Wisdom of our most revered Elder...
We are the Seventh Generation...
We are the Ones we have been waiting for...
This day and every day...
know that the ground on which you stand is Sacred Ground...
Great Love to you All on this most Holiest of Days...

Over a hundred years ago Black Elk had a vision of the time when Indian people would heal from the devastating effects of European migration.
In his vision the Sacred Hoop which had been broken, would be mended in seven generations.
The children born into this decade will be the seventh generation


"You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle,
and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles,
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 Sioux 1863-1950



.





White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe

White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 10:36am

"This pipe will help you remember that every breath you take is sacred.
Your life is lit from that same fire that burns in the heart of the Great Spirit.
Your flame, your individual human life, can light a greater fire ...
the flame of love in another's heart and so bring consciousness to the Earth.
Keep not the love that burns within you turned towards your self
and your desires but give away that fire,
that it may burn bright in the helping of each other...
Honor all creatures as your sisters and your brothers
for all are sacred parts in the body of the Great Spirit.
Each one is holy.
Live your life in harmony with the way of balance
and you will know peace and joy.
If ever your hearts should feel heavy within you then smoke a fifth time,
asking for the guidance of the great beings of the spirit world.
Ask that spirit to help you make the clearest choice.
In time you will come to know that spirit as your own true self.
When you invite spirit into your life,
you help yourself far more than if only concerned with your own affairs.
Human beings are not fully happy or healthy
until they serve the purpose for which God created them."

Thursday, June 23, 2011

We are the Voices and the Hands of the Creator - Just Act! (LLJL)

We are the Voices and the Hands of the Creator - Just Act!           by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 11:59am
 
We are the Voices and the Hands of the Creator

To All My Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to ask that you indulge me with a request and call for your assistance
for an issue that I have been guided by my Heart to champion.
I would ask that you consider the message that I would like to convey here,
and not just restrict your awareness to the present situation at hand...
but all situations of this nature,
that are happening every day across the face of our Beloved Mother Earth.

This is also, not a treatise or admonishment of those who condone, partake
and put into law the movement of these acts, but a call for awareness...
and a prayer that all will be brought into the Light of this awareness...
And the understanding, that the gift of that awareness bears much responsibility.

I am sure many of you are aware,
of the recent presidential lifting of the ban on the hunt of the Grey Wolves in Idaho.
I would ask that you go to the link I have included and take action as your Heart guides you.

Throughout the course of these past few days,
I have received many responses to my various posts and calls for action,
most of them have been positive and supportive...
and all well meaning.
But there is a concept that has come across of late,
that I feel bears some response at this time,
and that is the passive place of inaction, in the name of the "will" of Spirit.

It is a dangerous Metaphysical Misnomer that everything that happens
is somehow Divinely Orchestrated by the Hand of God.
And that all we are here to do is sit in our pretty gardens & think happy thoughts,
& the weeds will miraculously disappear.
This is not the Truth or the Purpose of our Being.
We are the Hands & the Voices of the Creator...
That, We are, in Truth, the Only Hands that Spirit has.
And along with prayer, meditation, & positive intentions,
when the weeds appear,
it is up to US to get down on our knees,
dig in the dirt & pull them up by the roots!
And to then plant in thier stead...
The seeds for the Flowers of Compassion, Truth, Justice and Love...
Not just the Love of ourselves and God, but for all that Lives on this...
Our Most Beloved Home...

This is not a Passive Universe but a Participatory One...
and we have, Hands, Feet, Voices, Minds and Hearts,
not just for our own personal wants and needs but for a much greater Purpose.

When we are witness to that which cannot possibly be considered the "Will of the Divine"...
But what are in fact the products of our own miscreations...
Whether it be...Consciously or Unconsciously...
Individually or Collectively...
The existence of war, killing, injustice, abuse, destruction of Our Beloved Mother Earth & and her children, and the denial of freedoms...
It is then our responsibility to bring Voice and Action to this Purpose.
It is our responsibility to do what we can,
with & through the Power of God to change the status quo...
Nothing has ever changed for the good on our planet or in our world
through silence, inaction or denial.

It may be an illusion...
But We, collectively, have created this illusion...
And, We collectively have birthed it into reality...
And it is now up to us to dissolve the illusion
And to consciously choose to create a New Reality!

This is the Truth of Our Being...
and the Purpose for which we were Created.
We are more Powerful than we realize
We now hold within our Lives a responsibility greater than we can possibly fathom...

It matters not so much, that which you choose to Stand up for and bring into the Light...
(And Standing Up does not mean Fighting Against)
I heard it said once that, "If you don't Stand for Something...You will Fall for Anything"

What does matter, then, is that you choose to Stand up at all.
That you Choose...To Shine your Light,
That you Choose...To Raise your Voice,
That you Choose...To be True to the Stirrings of your Heart.
That you Choose...To Act by whatever means you are Divinely Guided.

The time is Now...
The moment is at Hand...
"We are the Ones we have been waiting for!"...
By and for all that is Sacred...Just Act!

“You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of your grandfathers.
So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin.
Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth.
If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.
And what is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit.
For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man.
All things are connected.” ~ Chief Seattle

http://action.defenders.org/site/PageServer?pagename=savewolves_takeaction

Prayers for Our Beloved Luna (LLJL)

Prayers for Our Beloved Luna ~ by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo ~

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Friday, October 9, 2009 at 3:05am
 
My Most Beloved Friends,

I beg your indulgence...
That I must begin with a warning...
And an apology...

This night has not been Pretty...
And Yes, This is in part...
A Rant...

But it is also...
A Call for Heavenly Intervention,
And Divine Dispensation...

Sometimes the depths of the insanity becomes overwhelming...
And I lack the foresight, wisdom and where-with-all to understand...
This morning the US government, in all its infinite wisdom,
Obviously deciding they have done enough damage to Our Home,
Our Most Beloved Mother Earth...
And, apparently unable to decipher anymore novel ways to wreak further destruction upon Her...
As most of you know...
Is now going after Our most Sacred Moon...

NASA is literally planning on bombing Her...
Make no mistake...
This is no exaggeration...
Or over- the- top ploy...
The stage is set...systems are go...
They are going to bomb the Moon!

Even though I have had knowledge of this for some time now...
Last night the magnitude of this insanity really hit me,
As I watched the 11:00 "news report", (and I use the term loosely)
Those who would call themselves journalists,
Those from my chosen profession,
A profession that, I believed, once was of the most noblest on the planet.

Spewing out this "news", with wide toothy grins,
With about as much sobriety,
As if it were a recant of a hog calling contest at the State Fair.
Behaving like breast fed, government issue, clueless automatons.
Reporting it as, simply, "an experiment right out of a Science Fiction novel...Yuck, Yuck, Yuck..."

I am certain that my personal journalistic hero, Edward R.Murrow is,
Even as I write this, madly puffing on his Camels and beating his fists widely,
Sending the angels reeling from his fury,
As he broadcasts this travesty, high atop his heavenly newsroom.

My stomach is turning...
My head is spinning in incredulous horror...
My tears are showing no signs of drying...

It is at times like these, I wonder how we will ever break through...
Although I know, in my soul, we will...
How can those with eyes to see...
Consciously and Deliberately, continue to remain blind,
To the self serving agendas of the elite...
And to the seeming never-ending destruction of the Universe.

Please, if you understand the possible and probable ramifications of this insanity,
Of this unbelievably horrific and irresponsible act...
Do what you can...
Act as you must...
And if you feel so moved, post this note on your wall.

Rant, Rave, Howl,
Stomp your feet, Shake your fists,
Rattle the bastions of the Heavens,
Storm the gates of the Universal Palaces,

Do so, not through the eyes of fear...
But with Clarity of Vision!

Pray, Meditate, Set the Intentions,
Project Great Streams of Light and Healing Energy,
Send endless Blessing to our Beloved Luna,
And, above all else, beg her Forgiveness.

Let Spirit know, this is not of the intention, nor the actions,
Of the majority of the offspring of Gaia!
Raise Your Hearts and Voices...
Cry from the very depths of your Souls to the Sky...

Beloved Grand Mother Moon...
We who are your Children...
With most Profound Gratitude, Respect and Sadness...
Send you Great Oceans of Comfort, Love and Healing Light...

And So It Is!!!!
And So May it Be!!!

Earth Teach Me an Earth Day Sharing (LLJL)

"Earth Teach Me" ~ a Note in honor of "Earth Day/Everyday"

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 11:40am


My Beloved Sisters and Brothers,

"O' Mitakuye Oyasin" ~ I bow in honor to All My Relations ~

The calendar has marked this date as "Earth Day"...
But indeed, the Elders understood that every day we walk upon this sacred soil
Is the day...the time...to Honor the Earth our Beloved Mother.

She is not simply a place by which we earn our keep or live our lives...
She is the haven, sustenance and nuturance which enables us to Walk our Path.
She is Consciousness,
She is Heart,
She is Alive,
She is Spirit.

She gives of herself freely...
Asking only that we honor her gifts...
And treat all who walk, crawl, swim or fly with dignity and respect.

On this "Earth Day" let it be my prayer...

Great Spirit, may we learn to become grateful and worthy stewards
of our Beloved Mother and all her children.

Many Blessings to you all...
Walk gently and with reverance upon the earth this day and everyday...
Listen for She has much to teach us...



Earth, Teach Me

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.

~ A Ute Prayer

Sequoyah Trueblood on the Dark and the Light (LLJL)

Sequoyah Trueblood on The Dark and The Light

by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 4:30pm
 
There has been much discussion of late of the changes that we,
and our Beloved Mother Earth have been experiencing in these most recent times...

At this time of the evolution of our species, and by extenstion our Planet...
We are all being confronted with these issues of contrast,
that we have all been experiencing in thier most intense forms...
The most basic issues of the Light and the Dark...
That are everywhere present...
Both within and around us...
as we live in a world of dualities...

For me, this has been at the same time,
the most challenging and enlightening...
Sequoyah Trueblood, most revered Elder of the Choctaw Nation...
Has been one of my greatest teachers on this aspect of my journey...

He was recently interviewed by Stephen Dinan,
co-creator of "The Shift" Network
as a part of the recent "Sacred Awakenings Series"...

Here is a portion of this interview that, I feel,
puts this issue into beautiful perspective...
But also, for me, helped validate my own experiences
and the lessons & perspectives learned...

It's profound simplicity, not only helps in the understanding &
appreciation of the inherent beauty of this phenomenon...
but offers us a beautiful, non judgemental path to perceive & work with and through this process...
In a way that is gentle, peaceful and non resistant...

May this little piece help you grow even more on this place on your journey...
May you be as uplifted and enlightened as I feel
everytime I hear this Beautiful, Beloved Soul speak his Humble Truth and Wisdom...



Sequoyah Trueblood by way of Introduction by Stephen Dinan...

"Part of my intention in this series is to take a look at what it means to live
a sacred life. Sequoyah is somebody who is coming mainly out of the indigenous
traditions but he is also a bridge to many other traditions. I think that he carries a level
of Earth wisdom about how we need to relate to each other and our planet that I find very
nourishing for my soul and I’m sure you’re going to feel that today.

Sequoyah, I’ve said a little bit about you but by way of introduction but I also want to say
that you’re part of the Choctaw Nation and you’ve been working as a role model for
healthy leadership, peace, and joy for the world. You’re a ceremonial pipe carrier and
very deeply connected with the Kogui in Columbia, and have been working across a lot of
different institutions, from the U.S. Army to the Institute of Noetic Sciences, to the
Harvard University “Program for Extraordinary Experience”.

Sequoyah...On the Light and the Dark...

"You know, this has to do with that face of darkness, too, that we’re
probably going to get around to talking about. Our youth are our teachers and it’s said
that it will be the young ones who will lead us from the long wintertime into the new
springtime. I put a young Cree boy, several years ago, out on a Vision Quest. He had
been someone fully mired in drugs and alcohol abuse, that kind of thing. He asked me to
put him out on this Vision Quest – he wanted to change his life. He comes back from the
Vision Quest and he tells me about a vision that he was taken into. And he said, “I was
walking down a tree-lined street at night and I came to a house where I could hear a lot of
noise and I was aware that they were partying in there. I walked up to the door of the
house and I wasn’t sure if I should go in or not but something told me to go in. I went in
and I looked across the room over the crowd of people and I saw a man standing there
looking at me. I knew that was the Devil. I knew that it was the Devil but I went in
anyway.” He had fear and he saw a door with some stairs leading upstairs and he went to
that door to get out of there. As he was going up the stairs he looked up and
there was a man up there looking down at him. He said to the man,“Who are you?” And
the man answered, “I’m God.” And he said, “Sequoyah, do you know that the Devil and
God looked exactly alike?” To help the young people we’ve got to listen to them more.
We don’t need to be sitting in that circle with them and doing all the talking. The
experiences that they have are sacred holy events, like all experiences in our life. They
can share those with us as so-called elders or older-looking young people that they have
the information. And we have to take care of them, too."

Stephen -" This leads into the question of how to deal with various forms of
darkness in the world, the collective shadow, and destructive acts that are happening
right now, environmentally and socially. What do you say when people’s hearts cry out
about these things?"

Sequoyah:" I’ll tell you what I’ve been given to do. First of all the intellect is a
playground of the face of darkness. This is what I’ve learned to do to deal with that face
of darkness: I call that one called the Devil into the garden and I sit down with that Devil
and I have tea with the Devil. And I say, “Devil, you know I thank you, I love you
because that Creator who created you also created me. I want to thank you because
there’s no one on this Mother Earth who is of greater help to me. You come before me
with a silver platter with the “glitter world” on it and you hold it out to me and I’ve spent
most of my life reaching in there, onto that platter, and taking things that ended up
bringing pain and suffering into my life. So, I thank you for doing that. And you come
back any time because I’m able to see where I am. Can I stand there in front of you and
reject those things that I once took that brought the pain and suffering? Can I be thankful
to you for who you are in helping people on this Earth clearly see those things to discard
from existence?” That’s how I’d deal with that. I find in doing it in that way, thanking
those things that come, those spirits that come, that bring things that we call upsetting or
hurtful totally diffuses them and they lose their power immediately."

Don't Forget, Not Ever by Leonard Peltier

LEONARD PELTIER: DON’T FORGET. NOT EVER.
Leonard Peltier and his art created in prison…
We are all victims of the system 6-27-10

Greetings,

I want to first say thank you--thank you for taking the time and making the commitment to come to this place--but thank you mostly for remembering.

Sometimes I sit in this cage and I find myself wondering if anyone really remembers. Many days, remembering is all my mind allows me to do. So, again, thank you. Thank you for bearing witness and being a part of a living memory.

But maybe the most important thing I'd like to say is don't forget. Not ever.

You must be the historians who keep this lesson alive because this story isn't about one day, one event, one person, or even one lifetime. This is a story that goes all the way back to the day a misguided fool, whose name I won't even mention, led his troops in an attack on innocent people at the Greasy Grass, and in the process got himself and over two hundred of his troopers killed.

And while the victors on that day had no choice but to defend themselves, we have been the victims of a genocidal revenge that continues until this very moment.

So don't forget. Not ever.

It is vengeance that preoccupies the mind of the colonizer. It is this fervor to show us who is boss that led to the massacre at Wounded Knee, the theft of the Black Hills, the establishment of boarding schools, and the criminalization of our languages and traditional ways.

It is vengeance that armed the GOON squads, killed our leaders, and surrounded our people at Wounded Knee again in 1973. Revenge is why they today prosecute Indian people for the crimes they know the government committed during their murderous campaigns of the last generation.

Vengeance is what killed Joe Stuntz, Anna Mae Aquash, Buddy Lamont and so many others. Getting even is what keeps me in prison.

So don't forget. Not ever.

All of these events are bound together, interrelated and interdependent. And quite clearly the lesson they intend for us to learn is don't defend yourselves. Don't stand up for what is right. Don't think for yourselves. Don't choose to be who you are. Don't remember your ancestors. Don't live in defense of the Earth. Don't you do it! Don't even think about it. If you do, this government--this mindset of control--will unleash an attack so vast it will even seek to destroy our genetic memories.

So don't forget. Not ever.

In days past, some among our people were induced to become "scouts." For whatever reasons, these individuals made possible the treacherous campaigns that resulted in the deaths of countless innocent people. These days--sadly--there are still these types amongst us. The government preys on the weaknesses of these people, inducing them to turn against the rest of us. The government uses this treachery to cover up state sanctioned murder and terrorism. They do this and then tell us that what we remember didn't really happen at all, as though memory or truth is something to be shaped and molded to fit a preconceived outcome.

So don't forget. Not ever.

We gather today after decades and generations of blood and trauma. We gather in defiance. And we remember.

We remember not just one day or one event, because remembering what occurred on June 25 or June 26--or any particular date--is important, but not as important as an understanding of the ongoing campaign of colonization. This is a continuing human drama of slaughter and uncontrollable bloodlust and we're still here, engaged in our running defense; praying for balance, peace and justice; and trying to make some sense of it all. Perhaps, in the face of such a menace, the most important thing we can do is remember.

So teach your children. Pass this knowledge. Don't forget. Not ever.

Remembering is resisting and, if we remember, then we'll be free one day. Free of their mindset. Free of their theft. Free of their guns and their bombs. Free of their cages. Free to be who we are. And free of their fear. That's the truest freedom of all and true freedom is what this is really all about, not the illusion of freedom they offer us.

So don't forget. Not ever.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier

A Call for Solidarity by AIM Black Hills, South Dakota

Aim Santa Barbara May 2 at 10:35am
To the Original Peoples of the Fourth World and all International Press Services:

At high noon today US Army helicopters of the US Seventh Cavalry air division attempted to land their Blackhawk aircraft upon Lakota Sacred Burial grounds in South Dakota. The presence of military aircraft from this unit is a sad and insulting reminder of the slaughter of more than 300 American Aboriginals on December 29,1890 when soldiers of the US 7th Cavalry gunned down more than 300 Aboriginal Minneconjou Lakota refugee children, women, infants and the elderly at what is now called Wounded Knee in South Dakota Indian Country. The military then left the bodies of their victims to decay unburied in the driving snow.

According to reports from Indigenous Rights Movement Radio host Wanblee this afternoon, Lakota resident Theresa TwoBulls was given less than 24 hrs notice that three US Army 7th Cavalry helicopters would make a landing on the sacred burial grounds at Wounded Knee. As of this writing, the US military was confronted by angry but peaceful and steadfast community resistance as the Aboriginal people of the area have so far, according to reports from Lakota people on the ground, managed to prevent the aircraft from touching Indigenous ground.

For all American Aboriginals of the Americas, this is a sacred area. This is the place where the promise of a people died while fleeing from a genocidal US military unit hell-bent on liquidating the continent of its Indigenous population. There has never been any official apology offered for this massacre and the military awards bestowed upon the genocidal aggressors involved in this conflict still stand, as does a physical monument in honour of the US Army killed during Custer’s “last stand” against a defiant and united Indigenous resistance to their own demise.
The history of the US Army 7th Cavalry is important to understanding the level of violence used against Indigenous peoples. It is important to remember that after the US Seventh Cavalry officially ended the "Indian Wars" at home, they were then dispatched to do battle against Indigenous Filipinos struggling to maintain their hard-won national independence from the colonialist Spanish. In other words, the US War Department sent this very same unit to do overseas what was done here to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. In this historical light, it is only logical for Indigenous peoples to assume that the Obama administration is attempting to make a political point out of this spectacle. Only, what sort of message are you sending by insulting and humiliating a people already suffering from five centuries of continuous pro-Europocentric, anti-Indigenous genocide?

This domestic military action is a deliberate insult and an obvious message of ongoing colonialism, state-sponsored racism and apathetic Indigenous genocide to all Indigenous peoples across the Fourth World; to the whole of the Lakota/Dakota Nation; and to the Indigenous residents of Pine Ridge and Wounded Knee. The symbolism of dispatching the Seventh Cavalry to Wounded Knee in an attempt to land weapons of mass destruction on Aboriginal sacred ground tells us how little this government, and this particular administration, respects the people of Indian Country and our significant historical perspective as survivors of the racist Euro-settler xenophobic purges waged against the Indian in the Americas.
To make matters worse, this action comes on the heels of newly-passed legislation in Arizona state that requires law officers to racially-profile anyone they believe “looks”, “sounds” or “dresses” like an illegal immigrant, a thinly veiled “race law” that directly effects both our Indigenous sisters and brothers native to Occupied Mexico as well as the Native American population of Arizona in the United States. Given that most Indigenous peoples of the Americas share the same general physiotype and more often than not, similar Spanish last names, the passage of this guideline will without a doubt lead to widespread abuses against that state’s brown-skinned population. The legal door now opened, Texas and other states led by neo-confederate constituencies are moving to pass their own anti-immigrant/anti-Indigenous directives that will broadly effect anyone and everyone who could be perceived by the colonial European majority as a “foreign invader”.

The Obama administration has shown America and the world that they are no different than any other previous US government in their view that the American Indian on both sides of the US border is nothing more than a prop or a tool to be displayed only when it is useful to promote the “contemporary” 21st century neo-colonialist capitalist agenda. The Obama administration, an office headed by a man of African descent, has shamed itself and all those who have supported his candidacy in arrogantly dismissing the memory of our people interred at Wounded Knee by rubbing the military might of the historically anti-Indigenous 7th Cavalry in our faces by forcibly entering Indian Country in an attempt to land their machines of war on top of the bodies of our ancestral dead.
Clearly, the culture war against the American Indian is not over. Welcome to the new American century.

Pass this on We must get the word out.....Let everyone know..Contact the your local media....Tell them the the Local Media in (Rapid City, SD) havent even mentioned this in the news...So typical for rapid city SD media...and if they did post it, it would not be the truth..I tried to contact the Rapid City Urinal....LOL. They wont return my calls or post any of the comments I have made in defence of our people.
James ( Magaska) Swan
AIM Black Hills South Dakota