3 Looks at U.S.

Katea Stitt, program director for WPFW radio for Pacifica Radio. She is also the daughter of saxophonist Sonny Stitt.

Walter E. Fauntleroy, former Congressman, with DC.'s shadow senator,

Eleanor Norton Holmes, powerful activists from DC.

Rev. Walter Fauntleroy (I probably missed spelled his name, sorry) and Eleanor Holmes Norton, our shadow Senator and advocate for change and empowerment for DC residents. My father, Herbert L. Woods, and the Reverend were prominent and effective in the 1960's in the Civil Rights movement. My father were close in this work. Daddy was the Chairman of C.O.R.E. in Washington DC, in those days. That perspective and relationship, that was one of many that shaped many, and formed within me a strength I work from those days until now... - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories [May 30, 2017]

Dick Gregory

PLIGHT and DEMISE

I have met Dick Gregory in Washington DC a few times and held conversations and twice during a radio interview on Pacifica Radio (www.wpfw.org) I spent time with him listening deeply, as you are supposed to do around the Elders, who know things important to the way Life moves. I read his book, "Nigger" when I was a teenager. Maybe a decade or more ago, I heard him tell an interviewer white people created the word, nigger; they owned it and from that and the rest of the statement made it come to me I should do a seminar with whites only, and give the word back to them. Return ownership is what I would call it.

In private, he has a favorite profane word. I will keep it to myself because I feel that kind of word usage by a man of this calibre in a one on one conversation with the likes of me deserves secrecy, but the content of the conversation deserves analysis, and introspection. How it is shared builds bridges, or divides a person into pieces to make them think and puzzle, or read, study and learn. It also makes sense in the presence of such men to be cautious of how dangerous they are in real time. Unlike people absorbed into and by cyberspace the hard part of learning from the complexity of ancestors, and the intelligentsia of their people there is the tendency to not listen deeply. I do. I do not come from that form of retardation and limited movement between thought, emotion, intelligence and spiritual activity.

Neither does Dick Gregory. It is why he spoke to me after seeing me in the crowded audience of a local play we'd seen two, or three times at the same venue: a church.

There is a central point in all this. Dick Gregory told me a secret he likes to share with minds opened by discovery over long periods, and those who need their minds open to proceed with life on their terms. He told me the number of newspapers he reads everyday without fail. Talking with him I learned how he ties many things together and peered deep into intent and probed into the words of the concepts governing action, policy, thought, ritual and habit. His presence makes thought. His life and legacy will become many conversations by millions of people.

In these times we are in great danger and we have an unfathomable opponent to intellectual depth, diplomacy who is completely void of maturity, respect for others and an historical grasp upon world affairs in the White House. People like him in the segments of American society who are scared to death of becoming the smallest group in the United States. They believe in the supremacy of white people and will not dissuade themselves from this rhetoric. They are committed to this cause and believe in it the way they believe in their version of God!

The purpose of male dominance cast in the guise of the American Way is as ritualistically demonic in its murderous capacity as is its ability to sabotage all relationships to subjugate the sound of what they fear the most: retribution, karma, and responsibility. The highest virtue of people like this is contempt and that is what Donald Trump embodied in his representation to the world during his nine day trip abroad this month in May 2017 about the United States.

We are in the waning years of dominance as a world power, and are unaware of it.

The best way to convey this to people lost in a world obsessed with their phones and minimal contact with the depths of life, who respond to movies more than the resources available to global thinkers is to refer them to movies. The movie, "Blackway" starring Anthony Hopkins is the one to pay attention to and learn the lessons Americans will learn after we fall.

For the more sophisticated the reaction of world leaders when Trump returned to the States after meeting with him holds all the clues, the indicators white supremacists dance around because they cannot see what the world understands, and holds within the check points weaker countries fortify in their relationship with us. We are feared, yes; but we are hunted as well by those we have stepped upon to become the world leader.

Amongst them all Israel has an ominous predictable tone. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said Israel has "no better friend" than Trump, appeared to hold the president at arm's length on Monday. Speaking to members of his conservative Likud party, Netanyahu warned that a Trump-brokered peace negotiation with the Palestinians "comes at a price." And while he welcomed U.S. support for Israel, he emphasized that "there is no such thing as innocent gifts."

Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories

May 30, 2017

 

Constance Baker Motley was the first Negro woman elected to the New York Senate (1964),

and appointed to a Federal Judgeship (1966). In this capacity she was the first Black woman.

Frida Kahlo's art Dancing With Death. 

Seeing Misdirection


With all of the highly developed and intelligent people who were exceptions to the rules of expectation I grew up around, who knew my father, who influenced me by example; it has been very difficult for me to follow simple minded people like Donald Trump without feeling disgust. In fact, I don't follow them. I guide them. You don't follow ineptness, or congratulate undeveloped minds in leadership positions. You guide them subtly without their knowledge. In the case of Donald Trump, he is the presidential equivalent of the best white Americans can do after eight years of a Black president, who excelled in all the complex ways a diplomat needs to do government work at the high level of expectation international circles expect. There is no guide for a fool.

There is a pattern of every concept, a structure for every philosophy to be turned into a symbol, and for every belief there is a path. Racism has an ugly stain without beauty. When people Euro-Americans despise exceed expectations whites turn rabid with rage, outraged by the affront to their assumptions of power; of being better than 'them'. President Trump is the backlash to President Obama. Trump's marriage is the low end representation for the White House. Trump's crudeness is the reaction to the educated and cultured and sophisticated Black Americans who represented the country at the highest level with character above reproach for eight years.

This is an established pattern repeated throughout American history with white people in this country. First Nations people and the grandchildren of ex-slaves know these things and know whites better than whites know themselves. We can, but we cannot guide them because they feel and live out deep terrors we are indifferent to, and don't give a good damn about. Even the aggressor, the alpha predator, has weaknesses, and they catch light from the reflection of light cutting through the shadows of their past, their aggressions, their contempt for what holds Life together.

We, as a nation, are near and on the cusp of falling unless we can heal the white people, but we can't and such a thing will not happen without willing participation in what it takes for a nation to heal. With the center piece of our national agenda the dominance of the world and the transgression of our belief in the supremacy of white people our demise is being set in stone by the actions and words of President Trump.

Following the national narrative the folk stories of Europe are the patterns of the concepts traced into Trump. If you are wise enough those stories will tell the story.


Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories
May 30, 2017

Shhhh ...

Lena Horne, a lady, a jazz singer.

Victorian era's illusion about white women was a kind of disdain white men placed upon and within their women, whom they despised despite what they lay claim to. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories

Klan

African Native American woman in regalia and her Turkey Wing fan.

Dying Churches?

Dr. Sinclair N. Grey III – Is The Church Dying?

by Dr. Sinclair Grey III for Christian News
December 20, 2016


Sadly and shamefully, there are a lot of churches dying because of complacency. With so many things happening in the world, one has to question whether or not, the church has any relevance. What do I mean by this? Is effective ministry (the concept of serving) being done outside the four-walls of the church? Is the church making a difference in social justice for the least and left out? Is the church about transforming and empowering the lives of many? These are a few questions I raise to ask if the church is dying?

As one who has been in ministry since 1997, I’ve witnessed the ups and downs of churches. From the megachurch to the small storefront church, I have to conclude that many churches along with people inside the four walls of the church do not exude the power of God they profess to have. It’s this lack of power that’s kept so many people throughout the world broken spiritually for so long. I want you to think about it for a moment. You have faithful churchgoers and those who profess their Christian faith living in a state of brokenness. Could it be that one of the reasons for this brokenness is because the church is dying. Let’s face it – a whole lot of shouting on Sunday morning doesn’t equate to power. In a real sense, a whole lot of programs to simply fill up the church calendar doesn’t mean the church has power. Could it be that the church is in a state of busyness and not in the business of transformation?

Here are some things to ask yourself to see if your church is dying. Does your church do the following?

1. Refuse to educate and empower their people politically, socially, culturally, and economically

2. Spend so much time styling and profiling and neglect teaching on relevant topics

3. Brag about stuff and never speaking up on issues that are plaguing their community

4. Hinder people from using their gift(s) to reach those outside of the church

5. Complain, complain, and complain and never doing anything

Because there are so many churches (for this case, Black churches), all over the inner cities, one has to ask the question, why so much brokenness in communities of color? Perhaps the reason why is because the church is dying. Unless a church revitalizes itself, attendance will be down and people will question whether they should even attend church. A dying church attracts dying people. On the other hand, when the church becomes active and involved, it does the following: thrive, grow, prosper, and seek to change public policy to help those who are disenfranchised by systems of injustice.

A dying church in today’s culture is a reflection on many within its leadership structure. As people always say, ‘without a vision, the people perish.’ In the case of the dying church, whenever pastors refuse to step up and step out to confront injustice along with a host of other ills in their community and this country, too many people will follow that poor leadership. A dying church must get rid of any and/all leadership that’s cancerous to its growth. In addition to that, there are so many in the church who need to ask themselves the question, are they contributing to the death of the church with their mentality and actions (lack thereof).


Dr. Sinclair Grey III is a speaker, minister, author and success coach. Contact him at www.sinclairgrey.org, drgrey@sinclairgrey.org or on Twitter @drsinclairgrey

Ronda in the Province of Málaga, Spain.

"Ancient civilizations used this mountain perch in the south of the Iberian Peninsula as a strategic location for fortified settlements, with Romans, Moors, and Visigoths each contributing to the modern-day Spanish city we now call Ronda. Puente Nuevo is the bridge we see on the right side of this picture. It’s one of three bridges that straddle El Tajo canyon, the gap that separates Ronda’s two halves. At the base of El Tajo runs the Guadalevín River, supplying Ronda with water and, these days, another breathtaking scene to delight visitors to the city." ~ anon

Ronda in the Province of Málaga, Spain. Viewed in September 2012 by unknown photographer.

The Look Within



an exquisite beauty by Patina Edochié



Ladiie Pebblez

December 20, 2013 ·

 

There are times and moments you know someone will mature. In those times the observer matures slightly and if an Elder is so inclined he or she will bless that child. It is the way of the Ancients, the way of the Elders and a way of facilitating the growth of those coming up.

These words are gifts. - Gregory E. Woods



Genevieve Nnaji & her daughter Ebuka Nnaji

 

51. Principle and Process

lounging naked in heels

Everything, every behavior, is a vibratory pattern or process. Such process emerges, develops, and decays, according to the single principle.

People have a natural reverence for the principle, and they naturally love the vibratory energy which obeys the principle.

The vibratory energy and the principle make a partnership, which produces an infinite variety of forms. But the partnership takes no profit from its productivity. Neither does it get its power by making things happen in a coercive manner. There are simply no alternatives; there is no other way.

This partnership between principle and process is the first fact of life and of our work.

from The TAO OF LEADERSHIP:
leadership strategies for a new age by John Heider

Lesley Ann Down naked as a young woman.

What Is Known



Cosetta Chantal

on a bridge

August 25, 2015  ·

 

"We all have bridges to cross. How we cross them teaches us, guides those who depend on us and reaches the other side of perception unlike the ways we perceived before arduous trips took its toil on our psyche." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 8/30/15





Cosetta Chantal on her motorcycle one day in May of 2015

 

Political Powers: Dr. King Spiritual Powers: Jim Brown

"Jim Brown was the first person I knew who understood and internaized esoteric knowledge (Quantum Physics) as he worked the game. It was a deep teaching and a powerful act of power while not being aware of what he was actually practicing in the game against those white boys in the early 1960's!"

 

- Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 1.4.16

Jim Brown running for the Cleveland Browns in early 1960's.



Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his cleric robes.

"This means, at bottom, that true religion is a two-way road. On the one hand it seeks to change the souls of men, and thereby unite them with God; on the other hand it seeks to change the environmental conditions of men so that the soul will have a chance after it is changed. Any religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them, is a spiritually moribund religion in need of new blood." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Peace is Possible

The prophecy of Tašúŋke Witkó

"Upon suffering beyond suffering: the Red Nation shall rise again and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A world filled with broken promises, selfishness and separations. A world longing for light again. I see a time of Seven Generations when all the colors of mankind will gather under the Sacred Tree of Life and the whole Earth will become one circle again." -Crazy Horse (late 1800's)

Crazy Horse, Tašúŋke Witkó

Gianni Crow, (c.) a Native man walking in New York city

(Sept. 29, 2015) has something to say ...

The NDN in Manhattan

I had an experience not too long ago here in New York that I want to share with you my friends.
Most people do not understand our ways even if they say they do, we are not here to please anyone, we simply are just like everyone else and their cultures, we are home and we are not going anywhere just like the rest of our guests.

Someone asked me why not to cut may hair so I cou...ld fit in with society and I said; well there's a lot of other cultures that wears their hair long and you don't see anybody asking them to change their ways take off their hats or cut their hair, the person then said well they wear their hair like that because of their religion and at this point I was just going to turn around and leave but I smiled and said, why do you think I have long hair and she said, I don't know, maybe you like Indians, listen to rock or simply like to make a fashion statement. I laughed and I told her that my hair is just as sacred as the cross that the Pope wears around his neck.
 

Its 2015 there shouldn't be no more ignorance in this world
some people don't even know who the Native Americans are in this country and this people became "US CITIZENS"

Whenever you see somebody with culture please respect that individual, if you do not understand it do not make fun of him, we are not in kindergarten no more ask and maybe you can enrich your mind and spirit.
 

I say this with love kindness and respect.
 

Gianni Crow

September 29, 2015

 

WOMEN'S STORIES 2



Joseph & Mary

". . . Art, photography, sculptures tell powerful stories from and to the archetypes we come from and aspire to evolve from. A woman’s body clothed or not tells numerous stories in an instance. Those stories talk to states of being, various maturity levels, levels of pain, and in a glance arouse blood, dark memories, or inspire poetry, art, and begin courtships, or challenge the best of a man to wrestle with his darkness to kneel in the illumination of her dynamic. Sometimes I notice that certain images arouse what ails a soul: A trickster’s tale!


It is a simple fact that women populate the spiritual spaces to evolve spiritually far beyond men who tend to stagger behind in this realm. Being aware of this and an avid student myself of several disciplines, and a father of grown children I am deeply aware of the concepts of sensuality, female innocence, sexuality, and the perversions of sex, and women’s body. If I was a pervert I’d be a predator, and probably dead by now of disease, witchcraft, or knife. If I were a pervert you wouldn’t have read, and at times, studied my words so intensely. I am a man in a continuous state of learning..."


Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories
September 24, 2011


CREATION STORY: EVE THEN ADAM

Maitrieya Sandness walking the beach !!!!

 

REVOLUTIONARY THOUGHT

"The key is not to argue and bicker over who is allegedly more worthy. But, instead honor our ancestors who were, and are our mentors and role models. By uniting behind an agenda which advances all of our relations, our best interests, etc.; any alleged  leaders, (Red, Black or other), who aren't a reflection of that aren't worth even mentioning...FYI!" 

- Charles Thompson Jr. 9.7.14 

Native American art - MEN

Native art - Grandmother sharing 

STAND

Archbishop George Stallings with Dr. Sinclair Grey III
April 27, 2013

I remember when Archbishop George Stallings stirred the cauldrons and changed the reflections of a traditional structure by breaking away from the Catholic Church, and started the Imani Temple African American Catholic Congregation. I watched him. I wanted to see how he stood in the storms of controversy. I looked and I saw a man standing. He affirmed me, and made it a point to demonstrate the purpose of owning a purpose, and how a Black man looks owning and sharing the essential quality of manhood: standing for something, having convictions meaning something, and vision being something to look at and see where you fit into the broadening scope of things.

This is part of the old way of being a man becoming an Elder. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 5.2.13

a LEADER of

1 hr · 

Leadership Begins Within 
By Dr. Sinclair Grey III

So many people want to be a leader without putting in the necessary work. Let me say it this way. If you want to be a leader, you must be committed to excellence, not just in others, but in yourself. Without demanding the best out of yourself on a daily basis, you're not prepared to lead anyone. Leadership is more than a title; it's action-oriented. That's right; your actions must seen and embraced by those around you. Unless you're willing and able to do what needs to be done, you won't be a successful leader. I want you to get into your spirit that leadership begins within.


The Bible says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Please don't miss this. Effective leaders submit themselves to God. Through Godly submission, they know what to do and what not to do. In addition, through leaning on God, they know how to treat others with respect and dignity. True leaders have a relationship with God. 6.9.14




Lioness Daiba Sala

Tina Turner & Ike Turner back in the day on the road!

"I do know a taskmaster who gets things done creatively as Ike Turner did. Ike Turner's vision, his attention to details, his business acumen,creativity, and perseverance put them on the map and made them super stars. But, Ike will never be remembered for that. . ." Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 6.9.14 

Examples Leaders set

Whiskey & Rye Photography

Miss Gail Force of Fliptease
April 17, 2013

"What if we could live the life we truly see our self living to start a learning curriculum for children?" -Mereana Taki 



"What is your philosophy on leadership? How do you inspire your team to do their best?" Nelson Mandela asked of Francois.

"By example."

"That is right. That is exactly right. But how to get them to be better than they think they can be? That is very difficult I find. Inspiration perhaps, how do we inspire our self to greatness when nothing else will do? How do we inspire everyone around us?

I sometimes think it is by using the work of others... We need inspiration, Francois because in order to build our nation we must all exceed our own expectations."

from the movie INVICTUS depicting a conversation between Nelson Mandela and Francois.

Medicine Wheel of Hope by Michelle Pilot-Tyhuis 2

REMEMBERING THE ANCIENT DEER

Protecting the Sacred Well

Beginning this March, I will have the privilege of leading a series of three women's circles with Andrea Mathieson, the creator of the Raven Essences project, at her beautiful heritage home and retreat space in Maple, Ontario.

These circles have taken their time in coming into being. We first put a call out two years ago, and while there was interest, it seemed that we ourselves had more deepening and growing to do before being able to hold this space for women. As we pondered the nature of these circles, our intention came clearly into focus - we want to hold space for women who feel called to step into the feminine dimension of life in these pivotal times.

Some questions immediately come forward with regard to what the feminine means. Are we participating in reductionistic binaries? Are we saying that women are less destructive than men? Our answer is, No.

Andrea and I have both been deeply influenced by the ideas of Jungian analyst Marion Woodman, whose life's work has been focused on bringing the "feminine" to consciousness. Marion worked with thousands of dreams, and in these dreams the aspect of life associated with feelings, connectedness and deep relatedness were often symbolized by female figures. In a patriarchal culture, power often bludgeons interconnectedness in favour of control. Both men and women are deeply impacted by this mode of being. In addition, it is earth itself which has born the brunt of our lack of empathy.

I do not posit feminine as positive at the expense of masculine. Both are fundamental to wholeness.

The dominant culture is in a profound state of imbalance. The goal-oriented and rational dimension of our humanity has been out of touch with the truth of our interconnectedness. As a result, we are out of control at so many levels, and psychopathy is on the rise. The new paradigms in science are pointing a new way forward - one which reveals the truth of how synergistic life on this planet truly is. This "knowing" has been at the heart of Indigenous cultures for centuries.

What we will be gathering to honour in our women's circles is the sacred feminine - the core truth of interconnectedness at the deepest levels. When we do this, the sacred masculine "remembers" and rises to meet 'Her' within us and in the world. Social innovation, enhanced relationships, environmental healing, embodied justice, and a stronger sense of wholeness are all potential outcomes of such an inner union.

We feel that it's time to step forward for the sake of what we hold most precious in this world.

How about you?

Protecting the Sacred Well: Restoring Wholeness in Our Aching World is a series of three women's circles with Maria Vamvalis and Andrea Mathieson being held on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.; March 10, April 28, June 23 in Maple, Ontario. Maximum number of participants: twelve, including Maria and Andrea. Cost: $40 per circle. Please contact Andrea Mathieson at andrea@ravenessences.com if you are interested.

- Maria Vamvalis, educator

 

the author & facilitator
Maria Vamvalis
 

 

understanding the Bodhicaryavatara - chap. 5

Chapter Five - Mindfulness

When we observe the Vows of a Bodhisattva, we have to be very careful. We have to observe our mind consciously. If we do not observe our mind, then we cannot observe the Vows of a Bodhisattva. The mind plays a very important role. It is the first one to start, and then the action follows up with the mind. Therefore, observing the mind is very important.

The mind is just like a wild elephant. It can be very destructive but through mindfulness, we can train that mind. We can tame it until it becomes like a domesticated elephant. Our awareness or subconsciousness is just like a trainer. With patience, we can tame our mind. Once our mind is tamed, the environment or others do not affect it.

Like the sufferings in hell and the sufferings of hungry ghosts, they do not actually exist in a solid form somewhere. Are somebody punishing and somebody suffering continuously? It is not so. Santideva said, "Who makes the Burning Iron Ground and who creates all the beings and the person in the hell who is punishing everybody? There is no one who makes or creates these. These are the manifestations of our own confused mind. The suffering of hell is not somewhere else but is within the mind. Enlightenment is also not somewhere else, it is within the mind."

Therefore, in the whole world, there is nothing more destructive than the mind. The mind can manifest hell and the mind can manifest Enlightenment. So, the most important thing is observing our own mind. We have to be mindful. If we observe our mind, the rest of the actions will be naturally corrected.

Just like the ground that is covered with stones and thorns which cannot be stepped on. In order to make it safe, you cannot cover the whole ground with leather because that would be too much and you will never have enough to cover the whole world. You can just wear shoes and walk. That is very safe.

We do not have to tackle each and every negative action or consequence one by one. We try to tame our own mind, then we have tamed the rest of the defilements, the rest of the causes and conditions. Without mindfulness, whatever good actions we do, It is not safe or secure. It can be very easily destroyed, once we don't have the mindfulness. Defilements are just like a thief without knowing it can take all our accumulation of good merits. That means, when we don't have mindfulness, we become careless. When we become careless, unknowingly we may do a lot of wrong things. Without realising that which is wrong, we will go towards the wrong path and the wrong direction. In that way, all our accumulation of merits will vanish or be destroyed.

Mindfulness applies to any action we do. Even when I have to talk to somebody, I have to examine whether this kind of speech will cause negativeness or not, and whether it will affect someone badly or not. Not only speech, in whatever action we do, we must always examine first. We must always be aware, through our own investigation, that this is the right thing I should say or do. This is mindfulness. If we just say whatever we think without any check, this is without mindfulness. If you say it just because you want to say it, without going through any examination, without going through any right or wrong check, this is without mindfulness. This can be very destructive to oneself and others.

understanding the Bodhicaryavatara - chap 2

Chapter Two - Confession

In order to absorb this Bodhicitta, we do certain actions, i.e. offering, prostration, taking refuge and confession. These start with the offering of one's own body, speech and mind to the Buddha. It also includes whatever good things we have, such as the mandala offering, and whatever things we feel good, in order to get rid of attachment.

In order to absorb the qualities of the Buddha, we do prostrations and take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddhahood is the final destination we have to reach. We have to realize Buddhahood; therefore we take refuge in the Buddha. We have to rely on the Buddha.

Taking refuge in the Dharma, the teachings of Buddha is the Path to enable us to achieve our final destination. So, we also rely on the teachings of the Buddha.

The Sangha is the guidance. To follow the path securely, we need spiritual guidance from spiritual friends, that is, taking refuge in the Sangha.

The final part of this chapter is on confession. Whenever we examine our actions and ourselves in the past and present, we find a lot of actions, which are not favourable and are not according to the Dharma, or they are bad actions. If we don't recognise them as bad, we cannot abandon them. If we recognise, we can heal. We should think, "I should not do this. Wrong actions will lead to sufferings." So, recognise our wrong actions and feel regret, and think, "I should stop doing this in future, since I know this is not good". We also rely on Buddha for forgiveness.

INTEGRITY

Michelle Obama in
2012

“One Of The Things That You Learn As President Is That What You Say Matters, And Your Principles Matter. And Sometimes, You’ve Got To Fight For Things That You Believe In And You Can’t Just Switch On A Dime” 

— President Barack Obama, at the Democratic National Convention in 2012

Eagle calls to Thunderbird & Dragon Leaders as we return to the Sacred Fire

Septembre 20-24, 2012 Davalon Stables, Richmond, Ontario, Canada

This call is for All Leaders/Elders from all direction N, NE, E, ES, S, SW, W, WN, and N to come to the Sacred Fire

When Forrest Liggett called to tell me the Eagle called and flew northeast. I pondered not realizing that we would be focus on the happenings in the Northeast. This is another time a small group of human beings disrespecting other human beings, Earth Mother and All her Relatives. (the location for this gathering has been changed to Canada due to the trying circumstances in Poigan. Davalon Sta

bles carries strong Horse energy and a good mid point for our american friends. Minutes from the #416 south of Ottawa )

It has been interesting watching human make changes in their perception and new vision. What have been going on with the Algonquin Nation can be seem around the world in some form or fashion. Many of us see a new vision as individuals and within the collective. As Leaders/Elders with come with different tools and gifts that offers an abundance opportunity to share our visions

The group of leaders/elders that met in Saltsburg, PA in February walked into process and made it happens, now we are looking forward to continuing the process with others.

Please suggest way to help some of the Elder/Leaders with travel so we are looking for at donations and/ or sponsors.

The goals are to come together within the Oneness and to recognize each other’s tools and gifts with great honor and respect

This event is for All Leaders/ Elders of the many cultures and people (Red, Yellow, White, Black, and Brown). It is about getting together, with our gifts, tools and honoring the Oneness between us, sharing the needs of our communities, villages, the people, society, neighborhood and Earth Mother. There is no right or wrong way to serve it is a cooperative spirit, similarity, unity that will steering the process.
I remember being told as a child in church there is only one way and all other ways are wrong. What I know is there are many ways to the center and that each of us has a piece of the “Whole pie”.
I cannot thank Patricia Selinger, clan mother the Thunder Mountain Lenapee Nation for their hosting and support of the First gathering in February.

It is therefore difficult to create an agenda that will illuminate a pathway to be undertaken. A tentative questionnaire (Q) a suggested response (R) to elaborate an agenda for the next gathering of the elders,

The questions are derived from teachings and sharing circles that formulates the suggestive portray of the agenda. Individual may contribute topics and themes (time period needs to be considered in order to present an agenda)
Jacob Wawatie formulated these questions

1. Q. Where do we come from?
R. Creator, Mother Earth, Conciseness, ...
2. Q. Where are we?
R. Cosmos, Planet, environment, ...
3. Q. What are we?
R. Spirits. Creature, Homo Sapient, ...
4. Q. What guides us?
R. Conscience, Belief, Ethics, ...
5. Q. What do we need to exist with?
R. Environment, Resource, Basic needs (shelter, food, medicine, clothing), ...
6. Q. What skills do we possess?
R. Intellectual, Emotional, Physical, ...
7. Q. How do we share the knowledge for generation to come?
R. Ceremonies, Practice, Scholastic material, ...
8. Q. What vision do we perceive?
R. Intellectual, Spiritual, Physical

Yes there are many more questions that will come and go. Topics and themes are welcome with short explanation.

In Good Spirit

Jake
Mowegan

My goal is to maintain the connection and stay in the flow of what Creator/the Source of All has planned for us at this next gathering.

The Essence of Oneness in the Spirit of Love, Truth and Peace
Grandmother Marian Dawn SkyWeaver

http://davalonstables.weebly.com/

Thunderbird from Kat Adisson

SPIRITUAL & POLITICAL ACTIVISM

Russell Means & Leonard Crow Dog at Wounded Knee

“Political activism and spirituality are relatives, and for the sake of survival it made no sense to pretend and adopt the white man's ideas and practices of separation to remain sovereign. That would have been a trap, a cultural trap that would have crippled any of our gains. Even though there are many literary pieces interpreting the spiritual and practical outlook of Native peoples Western sense of order and separation keeps most Americans out of relationship with these webs that hold Life together and the dances of each part of Life moving uniquely.


A lot of scorn is heaped upon people, and a People who see activism, and Spirit, church and state, conception and Life, etc. as one. In American culture the circular view of living with everything is absurd and at best cute in a movie like Lion King. The circular view of living with everything is fundamental to the survival of the many sovereign nations. Merging is another survival tool as viable as a Western education, a peyote ceremony, the Pipe, and an economic plan for ones’ nation…” –Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories

Leonard Crow Dog in sweatlodge by Richard Erdoes

GRANDFATHER PEYOTE

Vision quests in which an individual seeks spiritual power are common to many Indian tribes. The peyote plant is often used by the Sioux and Cheyenne in the rituals associated with such quests - the sweat lodge, a solitary vigil, a flesh offering. The plant is often considered to be a human spirit and is a sacrament in the Native American Church, founded by a Comanche chief in the last century. Henry Crow Dog, the father of the man who told this story, was among those who introduced the peyote religion to the Sioux in the 1920s.
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This is how Grandfather Peyote came to the Indian people.

Long ago, before the white man, there was a tribe living far south of the Sioux in a land of deserts and mesas. These people were suffering from a sickness, and many died of it. One old woman had a dream that she would find a herb, a root, which would save her people. The woman was old and frail but, taking her little granddaughter, she went on a vision quest to learn how to find this sacred herb. They walked away from the camp until they were lost. Arriving at the top of a lonely hill, the grandmother made a brush shelter for herself and the young one. Without water or food they were weak, and as night fell they huddled together, not knowing what to do. Suddenly they felt the wingbeats of a huge bird, an eagle flying from the east toward the west. The old woman raised her arms and prayed to the eagle for wisdom and power. Toward morning they saw the figure of a man floating in the air about four steps above their heads. The old woman heard a voice: "You want water and food and do not know where to find it. I have a medicine for you. It will help you."

This man's arm was pointing to a spot on the ground about four steps from where the old woman was sitting. She looked and saw a peyote plant - a large Grandfather Peyote Plant with sixteen segments. She did not know what it was, but she took her bone knife and cut the green part off. And there was moisture, the peyote juice, the water of life. The old woman and her granddaughter drank it and were refreshed.

The sun went down again and the second night came. The old woman prayed to the spirit: "I am sacrificing myself for the people. Have pity on me. Help me!" And the figure of a man appeared again, hovering above her as before, and she heard a voice saying: "You are lost now, but you will find your people again and you will save them. When the sun rises two more times, you will find them."

The grandmother ate some more of the sacred medicine and gave some to the girl. And a power entered them through the herb, bringing them knowledge and understanding and a sacred vision. Experiencing this new power, the old woman and her granddaughter stayed awake all night. Yet in the morning when the sun rose and shone upon the hide bag with the peyote, the old one felt strong. She said: "Granddaughter, pray with this new herb. It has no mouth, but it is telling me many things."

During the third night the spirit came again and taught the old woman how to show her people the proper way to use the medicine. In the morning she got up, thinking: "This one plant won't be enough to save my people. Could it have been the only herb in this world? How can I find more?" Then she heard many small voices calling: "Over here, come over here. I'm the one to pick."

These were peyote plants guiding her to their hiding places among the thorn bushes and chaparral. So the old woman and the girl picked the herbs and filled the hide bag with them. At nightfall once more they saw the spirit man, silhoutted against the setting sun. He pointed out the way to their camp so that they could return quickly. Though they had taken no food or water for four days and nights, the sacred medicine had kept them strong- hearted and strong-minded. When they arrived home, their relatives were happy to have them back, but everybody was still sick and many were dying.

The old woman told the people: "I have brought you a new sacred medicine which will help you."

She showed the men how to use this pejuta, this holy herb. The spirit had taught her the ceremony, and the medicine had given her the knowledge through the mind power which dwells within it. Under her direction the men put up a tipi and made a fire. At that time there was no leader, no roadman to guide them, and the people had to learn how to perform the ceremony step by step, from the ground up.

Everybody, men and women, old and young, ate four buttons of the new medicine. A boy baby was breast nursing, and the peyote power got into him through his mother's milk. He was sucking his hand, and he began to shake it like a gourd rattle. A man sitting next to the tipi entrance got into the power and caught a song just by looking at the baby's arm. A medicine man took a rattle of rawhide and began to shake it. The small stones inside the rattle were the voice of Grandfather Peyote, and everybody understood what it was saying. Another man grabbed a drum and beat it, keeping time with the song and the voice inside the rattle. The drumming was good, but it did not yet have the right sound, because in that first ceremony there was no water in the drum. One woman felt the spirit telling her to look for a cottonwood tree.

After the sun rose, all the people followed her as Grandfather Peyote guided her toward the west. They saw a rabbit jumping out of a hole inside a dried-up tree and knew that this was the sacred cottonwood. They cut down the tree and hollowed out the trunk like a drum where the rabbit hole had been. At the woman's bidding they filled it with fresh spring water - the water of life.

On the way back to camp, a man felt the power telling him to pick up five smooth, round pebbles and to cover the drum with a piece of tanned moose hide. He used the pebbles to make knobs around the rim of the drum so that he could tie the hide to it with a rawhide thong. And when he beat the drum it sounded good, as if a spirit had gotten hold of it.

When night came, the people made a fire inside the tipi and took the medicine again. Guided by peyote power, the old woman looked into the flames and saw a heart, like the heart-shaped leaf of the cottonwood tree. Thus she knew that the Great Spirit, who is also in Grandfather Peyote, wanted to give his heart to the red men of this continent. She told the man tending the fire to form the glowing embers into the shape of a heart, and the people all saw it beat in rhythm with the drum.

A little later, one helper who was under the spirit power saw that the hide rope formed a star at the bottom of the drum. He shaped the glowing coals of the fire into a star and then into a moon, because the power of the star and the spirit of the moon had come into the tipi.

One man sitting opposite the door had a vision in which he was told to ask for water. The old woman brought fresh, cool water in a skin bag, and they all drank and in this way came under the power. Feeling the spirit of the water, the man who was in charge of the fire shaped the embers into the outline of a water bird, and from then on the water bird became the chief symbol of the holy medicine.

Around the fire this man made a half-moon out of earth, and all along the top of it he drew a groove with his finger. Thus he formed a road, the road of life. He said that anybody with the gift of *wacankiyapi*, which means having love and heart for the people, should sit right there.

And from that day on, the man who is running a meeting was called the "roadman".

In this way the people made the first peyote altar, and after they had drunk the water, they thanked the peyote. Looking at the fire in the shape of the sacred water bird, they prayed to the four directions, and someone sprinkled green cedar on the fire.

The fragrant, sweet-smelling smoke was the breath of Grandfather Peyote, the spirit of all green and growing things. Now the people had everything they needed: the sacred herb, the drum, the gourd, the fire, the water, the cedar. From that moment on, they learned to know themselves. Their sick were cured, and they thanked the old woman and her grandchild for having brought this blessing to them. They were the Comanche nation, and from them the worship of the sacred herb spread to all the tribes throughout the land.

- Told by Leonard Crow Dog at Winner, Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota, 1970

Leonard Crow Dog in 2009