Native American Spirituality

[Spirit Dancer]

Prioritizing Over Smokescreens
Giving Excuses
Excuses may seem like rational reasons for us not to do something, but if we’re not careful we can allow them to keep us from reaching our goals. Too often we accept our excuses as reasons why we cannot accomplish what we set out to do, and instead of finding alternatives we give up. But if we can be honest with ourselves and take responsibility for our choices, we will begin to notice that we no longer give excuses. When we keep our minds focused on our goals, we will find that excuses fade away in the light of our priorities, and issues become challenges that can help us become wiser and stronger.

Sometimes we may give others excuses rather than be fully honest. We may think it is kind to tell someone we are willing to do something with them, whether work or play, but then keep putting them off. This diverts our energy into keeping the truth at a distance while continuing a falsehood. But when we can take responsibility for our feelings and express them honestly, but gently, the other person is free to find someone who is better suited to accompany them while we are free to pursue the things we like. When we can do this, our energy can be invested in building better lives and relationships.

There’s another way in which excuses rob us of energy—and that is in the power of our thoughts and words. If we find ourselves in a situation, for example, where we are being asked for a financial contribution but we use the excuse that we can’t afford it, we create and attract lack and limitation into our lives. The same goes for seemingly simple things like pretending to not feel well or any other false statement. We may think that excuses make things easier, but they complicate matters with smokescreens. When we can commit to our priorities, take responsibility for our choices, and communicate them honestly to others, there will be no need to make excuses, and we will have much more energy to dedicate to all the things we love.

[Spirit Dancer]

"I received my education from my culture. My teachers were my grandmothers, and I am really thankful for that."

Mary One Spot, SARCEE

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by Spirit Dancer

"I received my education from my culture. My teachers were my grandmothers, and I am really thankful for that."

Mary One Spot, SARCEE

Smiling as I recall my wise Grandmother nicknaming me Tommi when I was just knee high to a grasshopper. Telling the family this was not just a tomboy phase this one was going to outgrow.

She taught me so much, and now and then I recall the lessons, ~~" Always open the door for her, please and thank youand wear matching socks, and never wear holey underwear.

[Two-spirit]

Hello,

100% native american twospirit here..Good to see there are others here that are the same..

I'm half White Mountain Apache and half Navajo( dine').living out here in Rhode Island..

Wanting to chat and make friends with people who have the same intrests as myself...

Love going to powwows,dancing in them, and attending Native outtings.I hope all of you are well and healthy when you are reading my post..

Keep well,
Little Feather

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by Two-spirit

Hello,

100% native american twospirit here..Good to see there are others here that are the same..

I'm half White Mountain Apache and half Navajo( dine').living out here in Rhode Island..

Wanting to chat and make friends with people who have the same intrests as myself...

Love going to powwows,dancing in them, and attending Native outtings.I hope all of you are well and healthy when you are reading my post..

Keep well,
Little Feather

Welcome to the site Little Feather
Glad you're here!

[cinnamongrrl]

I need to ask a serious question.... I keep having repetitive dreams about bears. Usually they are trying to hurt me....but last night I had a dream about one that seemed friendly... I'm wondering if maybe the bear is like a totem animal...or a spirit guide in Native American culture. And if so, what is it trying to tell me? Because I do get the impression that there's a reason for these dreams... Any help on the subject would be much appreciated

[StrongButch]

What kinda bear was it ? I cannot tell you what your dream means. But I can tell you I carry a bear claw in my pocket and sing with bear dancers. If you let me know where you live perhaps I can find a medicine person to talk to you about your dreams and the proper way to approach them. Please feel free to contact me.

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by cinnamongrrl563

I need to ask a serious question.... I keep having repetitive dreams about bears. Usually they are trying to hurt me....but last night I had a dream about one that seemed friendly... I'm wondering if maybe the bear is like a totem animal...or a spirit guide in Native American culture. And if so, what is it trying to tell me? Because I do get the impression that there's a reason for these dreams... Any help on the subject would be much appreciated

Hi Cinnamon
I sent you a PM

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by Two-spirit

Hello,

100% native american twospirit here..Good to see there are others here that are the same..

I'm half White Mountain Apache and half Navajo( dine').living out here in Rhode Island..

Wanting to chat and make friends with people who have the same intrests as myself...

Love going to powwows,dancing in them, and attending Native outtings.I hope all of you are well and healthy when you are reading my post..

Keep well,
Little Feather

Hello,

I'm Czexh and Scotch. I raised a little girl who was Shoshone, and through her studied Native American History , Customs, etc. We attended powwaows, she learned to dance, and was a mystical , magical child, with many gifts and talents for healing and helping. Through another, I waw bestowed my Native name. Now grown, with her own family, she is teaching and dancing with her children,

I love the Narive American and other wisdom and writings of times gone by.

Rolling Thunder

[Spirit Dancer]

"Love is something that you can leave behind you when you die. It's that powerful."





--John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA



The Old Ones say, love is all anyone needs. Love doesn't go away nor can love be divided. Once you commit an act of love, you'll find it continues. Love is like setting up dominos one behind the other. Once you hit the first domino, it will touch the second one which will touch the third one and so on. Every love act or love thought has an affect on each person as well as touching the whole world. If you live a life filled with love, the results will affect your friends, relatives, and other people, even after you go to the other side. So... Love.


My Creator, let me love. Let me put into action the love dominos.

[Two-spirit]

Originally Posted by Tommi

Hello,

I'm Czexh and Scotch. I raised a little girl who was Shoshone, and through her studied Native American History , Customs, etc. We attended powwaows, she learned to dance, and was a mystical , magical child, with many gifts and talents for healing and helping. Through another, I waw bestowed my Native name. Now grown, with her own family, she is teaching and dancing with her children,

I love the Narive American and other wisdom and writings of times gone by.

Rolling Thunder

Hi,

This post made me smile.I'm so happy yr daughter kept up and is proud of her nationality.Then teaching her children thier heritage.I love seeing the small children dance in the powwows..They are the future,and should be brought up to be proud..smiles..
I wasn't so proud to be Native when I was growing up.I was adopted and grew up in a mostly white community.I was called many racist names and wanted to look like everybody eles in my community and family.White,blond,blue eyes..
So reading this makes me smile..

Little Feather

[Spirit Dancer]

"Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts."





--Don Talayesva, HOPI



Human beings function from choice. We can choose to stuff things, or we can choose to let go of things. If we choose to stuff things, then we will feel a heaviness, or sorrow, self pity or fear. Sometimes we feel the need to cry. Sometimes we are taught it is not okay to cry. The creator designed the human being to cry. Crying is a release. This release allows us to let go of thoughts that are not helping us so we can open to new thoughts that will help. Crying is natural for women and men.


Grandfather, if I need to cry, let me realize it's a natural process and help me to let go

[Spirit Dancer]

Small Steps To Big Change
Making Big Change Easier
When we decide that it's time for big changes in our lives, it is wise to ease into them by starting small. Small changes allow us to grow into a new habit and make it a permanent part of our lives, whereas sudden changes may cause a sense of failure that makes it difficult to go on, and we are more likely to revert to our old ways. Even if we have gone that route and find ourselves contemplating the choice to start over again, we can decide to take it slowly this time, and move forward.

Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are merely indicators of the need for change and are useful in getting us moving in the right direction. But it is possible that once we try out what seemed so ideal, we may find that it doesn’t actually suit us, or make us feel the way we had hoped. By embarking on the path slowly, we have the chance to look around and consider other options as we learn and grow. We have time to examine the underlying values of the desire for change and find ways to manifest those feelings, whether it looks exactly like our initial goal or not. Taking small steps forward gives us time to adjust and find secure footing on our new path.

Life doesn't always give us the opportunity to anticipate or prepare for a big change, and we may find ourselves overwhelmed by what is in front of us. By choosing one thing to work on at a time, we focus our attention on something manageable, and eventually we will look up to see that we have accomplished quite a bit. Forcing change is, in essence, a sign that we do not trust the universe’s wisdom. Instead, we can listen to our inner guidance and make changes at a pace that is right for us, ensuring that we do so in alignment with the rhythm of the universe.

[Spirit Dancer]

Clinging To The Core
When Our World Falls Apart
There are times when our whole world seems to be falling apart around us, and we are not sure what to hold onto anymore. Sometimes our relationships crumble and sometimes it’s our physical environment. At other times, we can’t put our finger on it, but we feel as if all the walls have fallen down around us and we are standing with nothing to lean on, exposed and vulnerable. These are the times in our lives when we are given an opportunity to see where we have established our sense of identity, safety, and well-being. And while it is perfectly natural and part of our process to locate our sense of self in externals, any time those external factors shift, we have an opportunity to rediscover and move closer to our core, which is the only truly safe place to call home.

The core of our being is not affected by the shifting winds of circumstance or subject to the cycles of change that govern physical reality. It is as steady and consistent as the sun, which is why the great mystics and mystical poets often reference the sun in their odes to the self. Like the sun, there are times when our core seems to be inaccessible to us, but this is just a misperception. We know that when the sun goes behind a cloud or sets for the night, it has not disappeared but is simply temporarily out of sight. In the same way, we can trust that our inner core is always shining brightly, even when we cannot quite see it.

We can cling to this core when things around us are falling apart, knowing that an inexhaustible light shines from within ourselves. Times of external darkness can be a great gift in that they provide an opportunity to remember this inner light that shines regardless of the circumstances of our lives. When our external lives begin to come back together, we are able to lean a bit more lightly on the structures we used to call home, knowing more clearly than ever that our true home is that bright sun shining in our core.

[Two-spirit]

Originally Posted by Spirit Dancer

"I received my education from my culture. My teachers were my grandmothers, and I am really thankful for that."

Mary One Spot, SARCEE

Hello,


AHO !....elders are great teachers to learn from..

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by Two-spirit

Hello,


AHO !....elders are great teachers to learn from..

Indeed Two Spirit
My mother is Cherokee and Choctaw
So we were exposed to both
tribal traditions. Very blessed indeed,
then exposure to our father's Polish traditions.

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by Two-spirit

Hi,

This post made me smile.I'm so happy yr daughter kept up and is proud of her nationality.Then teaching her children thier heritage.I love seeing the small children dance in the powwows..They are the future,and should be brought up to be proud..smiles..
I wasn't so proud to be Native when I was growing up.I was adopted and grew up in a mostly white community.I was called many racist names and wanted to look like everybody eles in my community and family.White,blond,blue eyes..
So reading this makes me smile..

Little Feather

Little Feather
it must have been difficult to for you to have those feelings growing up so glad you're embracing the spirit inside you now, I have four siblings 1 brother and 1 sister were always referred to as half breed to them they were fightinmg words. Even today as a adult I experience those who say you aren't native you're just a white women with words, it angers me then I step back and look at the source and think I feel sorry for you; i'm proud of who I am and of my parents for instilling the word of our the elders. It's in my soul.

[gaea]

as the story goes My great grandmother full blood Cherokee was purchased by an Irishmen , to save her life and thus 2 daughters were born My grandmother 1/2 cherokee 1/2 irish....I look like her, she died when my father (bio) was a small child...his father german 100% ....

My Mother is 1/2 Cherokee(father full blood) and 1/2 Norweigan (mother full blood)

I have been more in touch with my native blood line than any other my entire life....history etc...I did not get the teaching through family I had to set out and learn on my own about me and where i come from and who I am...Im still learning.

The hardest part for me growing up was my sisters were all fair skinned and haired and i stuck out like a sore thumb in the family....i'm grateful for it now...my skin doesn't burn

One of my favorite memories if i may, when we were headed to California when i was a wee little one we stopped at a reservation(i do not remember which one) and suddenly i looked like someone i resembled other people and suddenly i felt at home as my little hand caressed the most beautiful baby doll i had ever seen my mother could be heard saying don't touch that put it down etc, and then i was in the arms of an elder she was aged and beautiful in my eyes and i was on her lap and she was speaking to me in a language my ears did not understand and yet my soul did, she brushed my hair with her hand then placed the doll in my arms...that doll was with me for several years after....

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by gaea

as the story goes My great grandmother full blood Cherokee was purchased by an Irishmen , to save her life and thus 2 daughters were born My grandmother 1/2 cherokee 1/2 irish....I look like her, she died when my father (bio) was a small child...his father german 100% ....

My Mother is 1/2 Cherokee(father full blood) and 1/2 Norweigan (mother full blood)

I have been more in touch with my native blood line than any other my entire life....history etc...I did not get the teaching through family I had to set out and learn on my own about me and where i come from and who I am...Im still learning.

The hardest part for me growing up was my sisters were all fair skinned and haired and i stuck out like a sore thumb in the family....i'm grateful for it now...my skin doesn't burn

One of my favorite memories if i may, when we were headed to California when i was a wee little one we stopped at a reservation(i do not remember which one) and suddenly i looked like someone i resembled other people and suddenly i felt at home as my little hand caressed the most beautiful baby doll i had ever seen my mother could be heard saying don't touch that put it down etc, and then i was in the arms of an elder she was aged and beautiful in my eyes and i was on her lap and she was speaking to me in a language my ears did not understand and yet my soul did, she brushed my hair with her hand then placed the doll in my arms...that doll was with me for several years after....

Gaea
Thank you for sharing this moment in your life, the elders say the soul holds the key that awakens when it is time. That moment was yours and in that time your soul shined and was kissed by those elders who went before you.

[Two-spirit]

Although my adopted parents always supported me being native american and wanted me to go to powwows.it was still hard to be NATIVE when so many were mean..
Today I am very proud of who and what I am..I have since found both my biological parents..My bio-mother Trixie who is full apache, was looking for me and I found 5 sisters on my mothers side..
Two months later I found my biofather Tucson who is full Navajo(dine').and found 6 more siblings..In all 11 brother and sisters..I can see the resemblance on both sides..It made me smile to see my people on the rez.hear both the navajo and apache lang spoken..and find out I come from a wholeee line of medicine people.. my grandfather was a welll known medicine man of the tribe.I have uncles who are med.men for diff.things.my younger sister is a medwoman ..I am proud to be me...smiles