Hau kola na tiyospaye (Hello friends & extended family),
Welcome to all new Circle members! Each section of the Circle of Nations newsletter is written 'facing' one of the four sacred winds, beginning with the east, then the south, west and finally the north. This is to honor the old ways. It is to teach and to help us to focus and find the center. I have designed the Native Circle website in the same spirit. I welcome you all to the Circle....
I want to begin with a special thanks to all who attended my Come to the Fire concerts in the last couple weeks. The show is everything I dreamed it would be, and I am so glad that so many wonderful people got to experience it with me. It truly is a journey, this show, and I am honored to have shared this journey with you. Wopila!
EAST - Wiyohinyanpata - Yellow (Four Winds)
Balance and Perspective, the givers of peace and contentment....
In all the multi-faceted layers of the things I teach, share and offer in my concerts, books and in one-on-one exchanges, there are two concepts which are anchors to all the others - balance and perspective. For me, regardless of what we experience in this life, an understanding and a peace can be realized if we filter all of our life experiences through the wisdom which is found in the concepts of balance and perspective.
One evening I was at a friend's place, sitting around the table with about a dozen people. A particular individual began to badger me, saying I was setting a ‘bad example’ for ‘healthy living’ with my diet choices. A friend came to my rescue with the following statement which I will never forget.... She said, “Hey, I know ALL about balance in your diet, and I can sum it up in two words - Ben & Jerry (Ice cream).” I never forgot that, and not because I wanted to be right, or because I want an excuse to eat ice cream, but because it really was a statement of balance and perspective. Each human being balances uniquely. That is, no two people ever have exactly the same life equilibrium. What this means is that there will always be things one does that another does differently. Some bodies are equipped for vegetarianism, where others would not be healthy as vegetarians. The reasons for these realities are mainly biological, emotional, spiritual and social. This applies not only to what we eat, but to how we respond to the world we live in, the choices we make, the people we like, our chosen spiritual path and so on. Now this does not mean that we have no choice in the matter, for we do. What it does mean is that many of our choices are affected at least in some way by our biological, emotional, spiritual and social realities. And that is okay! Those things are part of what makes us unique and diverse and special! The point here is that it is never one person’s place to insist that another person ‘balance’ the same way they do. I do, however, feel that it is always a good practice to be open enough to try new things and hear new ideas. In this way, we can avoid becoming too narrow with our thoughts and our daily choices, and remain open to possibilities for growth and enlightenment. And by the way, ‘balance’ means that being ‘healthy’ is not only about eating, thinking and doing the ‘right’ things, it is about living! It is about chocolate just as much as it is about broccoli! And it’s about dancing and taking risks just as much as it is about being careful and conscientious. And it’s about being weak just as much as it is about being strong. So live your life! And live it in balance.
Perspective is a powerful tool for achieving balance, and thus peace and contentment in life. I love the song “From a Distance” by Bette Midler. Especially the words: ‘From a distance, you look like my friend....’ This entire song is all about the peace giving power of perspective. When we are able to step back, take a wider look, a look from farther back, we are able to better able to understand things. We become more wide visioned and far sighted in our thinking, and can even catch a small glimpse of what Wakantanka, our Creator, sees. In gaining this ‘from a distance’ perspective, we can tune into the bigger picture, which always helps us to see more of what is going on. Sometimes there are reasons for things which we do not fully see until we step back to gain perspective and realize that all of life’s experiences are intertwined and connected to one another. And sometimes when we look at things from a distance, we discover a profound truth.... that sometimes the reasons are a mystery. And that alone, is a humbling perspective.
Seek perspective and balance in your life, and you may find that you see the world in a new light, and that you are more at ease with it, the people in it, and yourself....
SOUTH - Itokagata - Red (Red Earth)
A word from Peggy....
We have just come off of our first full weekend of "Come to the Fire" concerts and it was absolutely incredible!! Was wonderful meeting so many of you for the first time and seeing old familiar faces. There is so much to tell you all this month. We finished up our Artist’s Retreat two weeks ago and it was one of our most memorable weekends. The artists are all home now, planning and setting goals, reinvigorated and ready to share all the wonderful talents that Creator has given them. It was a truly relaxing weekend for me and I look forward to the another Artist’s Retreat next spring. Please watch for the new dates, we will post them soon.
Good news!!! We are going to open an additional weekend in 2006 for the Mending Medicine Retreat. Since the third weekend in Oct is full, we have decided to open an additional weekend the last weekend in Oct. That means many more of you will be able to attend. Please look at the new dates and the info on the Mending Medicine Retreat at:
The Mending Medicine Retreat - Weekend Two
John is currently in the spotlight at Native Radio, please check out the wonderful spotlight they have given John. Also please, please take time to vote for John at
http://www.nammys.com/ He is listed in two categories, New Age and Spoken Word. Vote and have your friends vote and your mom should vote and your granchildren and the neighbor down the street and....well I guess you get my drift. I would love to see him win!
The Come to the Fire CD is incredible and now we are working on publishing the book and producing the video... hopefully available by the fall retreat!
As you can discern I am in the work mode, but it is just cause I am so excited to share all this cool stuff with you. I know many of you are planning on attending the Springfield Mo "Come to the Fire" concert and we will just have a great big PARTY!!
Another cool thing, we raised $300 for Heifer International at our concerts this weekend. We will buy a goat, some trees and some bees for some needy families. It is good to help out people who, across this planet, don't worry about gas prices but worry about having enough food for their children to eat. The more we give the easier life gets!! So just keep on giving.
I love you all!!
Peace,
Peggy
Red Earth
WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)
Preserving the old ways....
I spoke with my friend Joseph Marshall III last night. He is one of very, very few Lakota people who still know how to make bows and arrows in the old traditional Lakota way. We talked about how important it is that we preserve and retain these old skills, customs and concepts. When a given custom or art is lost, so much more is lost than most could imagine. For with it goes not only the skill to make such items, but the philosophies and concepts which contribute so greatly to the culture and traditional thought of a people. For example, when one thinks of bows and arrows, we might think of them as a weapon for hunting or for battle. We may even conjure up images of Indians on horseback, using old handmade bows and arrows. But what most would not know is that the bow and the arrow was, and is a great teacher. While making traditional Lakota bows and arrows, one learns deep lessons of interconnectedness, of the powerful gift of struggle which makes us incredibly strong, of the need for respect for the flow of life, and lessons of balance, endurance and patience. These lessons are only the beginning. Much more is learned as more bows and arrows are made, and as they are used. It is this wisdom which is the greatest loss if these skills and concepts are not continued and passed on. I am privileged to know a handful of people who I consider ‘keepers’ of these old ways. I am happy and humbled to be a ‘keeper’ of an old way myself - the way of the hokagapi, the flute. The importance of preserving these old ways is much more than just for historical reference or nostalgia. It is my belief, and the belief of many others, that the wisdom of these old ways may very well be a key to our ultimate survival on this planet. Equally important is the fact that the world we live in today is in dire need of the values, morals and spiritual insight which is found in these old ways. It is for these reasons that I am honored to learn what skills and concepts I can of the old ways, and to pass on what I know and what I learn. The old ways are not really ‘old’ at all....
NORTH - Waziyata - White (Words of Wisdom)
Some thoughts from ol Two-Hawks here....
Never allow anger to steal your grace
Pride is a good thing, so long as it is not chumming with ego
Just because you can, does not always mean you should
Convince yourself to see the silver lining
Be thankful for the little things which, if taken away, are not so little
Experience the liberation of real forgiveness
Never, ever curse the wind
May Wakantanka encircle you and yours with faith to believe, hope for the future, and love for all....
As always, in the spirit of mending the sacred hoop of the nations of the world
Your Oglala Lakota friend and brother,
John Two-Hawks
http://www.nativecircle.com/
http://www.johntwohawks.com/
Reprinting of this Circle of Nations newsletter is encouraged! All I ask is that it be printed in its entirety, with no changes, and that I be given proper credit, unless I have otherwise okayed it. Wopila (great thanks)!
found here 31 Jan 2008
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