RECIEVING GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

The great flaw within the Western world's religious experiences is the intrusion of the intellect. Because the intellect drives change in the West many things that are simple are lost. Whether one is in the Christian tradition or in an African, or Native American spiritual tradition the intellect, the emotional intelligence of an initiate, the body, and the spirit of a person should live in balance when standing before the Great Mystery. The balance of one's energies with pure intent standing shoulder to shoulder with Judgment hinders the receiving of spiritual gifts that come from the God of the Christian tradition.

I am speaking from my experiences as a Christian. As a boy Power attracted me. The essence of Jesus, to me, was power, and my relationship to Powers was intimate. I had this sense despite the drudgery, and dark judgments that dominated church when I was coming up for two simple reasons. First, I felt I was born into Mystery, and the other reason lay in being a Crow Indian. These two factors made it simpler to flow into the spirit of things. My challenge was in preparation and presentation. The gifts of the Spirit were often spoken of as an event from the distant past exclusive to the first century Jews turned Christians. Preachers spent a great deal of time preparing sermons that complimented Sunday school teacher’s lesson plans dwelling on intellectual perceptions of the spiritual experiences of Paul, Jesus, Peter and others who received the gifts of the Spirit. There were endless debates, and diatribes from one school of thought against another, and in end the spirit of ceremony was lost to the Puritan’s sense of decorum.

Ceremony is primal; charged with the electric energies of Earth, Fire, the spoken Word, Water, Earth, and elements and entities from other worlds that center themselves where directed by the initiates, the pure form of sacred movement, Ancestors invited, and one’s intent, and relationship with Spirit, and Powers. Clearing the mind of clutter is an essential preparatory tool, and performing the exercises in conjunction with breath that serve to this end in your spiritual practice is fundamental. To engage the intellect deep study of the specific teachings given by the Teacher on Gifts must operate, as parallel movement, with the development of your intangible gifts. Lastly, the initiate must embrace Dance. Dancing with abandon in the midst of the Mysterious Beings you have called to assist you in Western traditional of thought and practice is an arduous task for millions of Western Christians. But this dance is not what you think if you are thinking of popular dances, or traditional African dances. This is the Merge; the merging of all of the above-mentioned elements into the nothingness of Space, and simply letting go; being vulnerable to what is coming next without Fear. – Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 2009