October 2007

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....

EAST - Wiyohinyanpata - Yellow (Four Winds)
The heartbeat of the World Drum....
Just a few weeks ago, the World Drum was here in these ancient mountains with us during our weekend one Mending Medicine Retreat. It was the one year anniversary of its worldwide travels, its purpose being to bring peace and healing to our mother planet and all who live here upon her. For this one year anniversary, I was honored to have been asked to lead a public ceremony for the World Drum. It was an amazing weekend, and I must say that, as beautiful as the World Drum is, the man who envisioned and started the World Drum project is equally remarkable. His name is Morten Wolf Storeide and he is from Norway. One of our Circle of Nations members (an Osage brother - love ya Bill!) generously flew Morten here and he attended the Mending Medicine Retreat that weekend. When he arrived, he was a friendly new face. When he left, he was family - a brother in the truest sense. As we gathered that weekend, the World Drum sat in a place of honor during our retreat, and was the center of attention at the public gathering and ceremony in the heart of our small, but powerful village here in these Ozark Mountains. As this World Drum spent the weekend with us, I thought a lot about the message it carries with it. It is both a sad and hopeful message. It is a stern, yet loving message. It is the message Indigenous people have whispered for centuries.... Whatever we do to the earth, to the web of life, we do to ourselves. So love, honor and respect Mother Earth. And all who dwell within and upon her will return that love, honor and respect to you. It is the law of nature, the law of our creator. It is the sacred circle of all life. As I thought more and more about this message, it became more and more clear to me what the real message of the World Drum is. The real message is that we are all the World Drum. The sacred heartbeat which sounds on the skin of this humble, powerful drum, exists in the center of every being on the planet. It is in you, and it is in me. It is in every tree, every rock, every bird and every fish. The sacred heartbeat of the World Drum beats in us all, and it is up to each of us to stop long enough to quiet our minds so we can hear that still small voice of the Spirit which calls us back to the place of balance, respect, humility, honor, courage and wisdom. All who have touched the wood and skin of the World Drum and played and prayed with it are connected as relatives. In Lakota, there is a term we use quite often. It is mitakuye oyasin. What it means is this - all are my relatives. And when we say all, we mean all beings which exist in our world. We have always understood and respected the power and truth of that connection with all that is. With or without a World Drum, the reality of our interconnection and interdependence has always been. We have always known this, as indigenous people. And yet, here comes this humble skin drum from Norway, drawing people from all cultures around the world together in unity and connection. And I see that this humble drum is mitakuye oyasin in action. It is a vehicle by which we can see that, yes indeed, we really are all relatives. And so I honor this humble drum that is the World Drum, and I thank you Morten for having the courage and wisdom to listen to your vision and send this drum and its very important message out into a very hurting world. It was truly an honor to have it here, to play and pray with it. And having you here was a very, very special blessing to me and to all. And so, as the World Drum continues its global journey, may we all come to understand that the heartbeat of this humble drum beats inside all of us. The World Drum really is you and I. Let us all listen to that heartbeat of connection, peace and mending. After all, Mother Earth, all her children, and the seventh generation are all hanging in the balance....

SOUTH - Itokagata - Red (Red Earth)
A word from Peggy....

Wow... where to begin. We just came off of three very busy weeks, The World Drum, two Mending Medicine Retreats and several concerts. Today, for the first time in about 5 weeks I was able to actually casually drink a cup of coffee and read the paper, a routine I rather enjoy. The fall colors are amazing here in Northwest Arkansas. I am not sure I remember them ever being so vibrant and alive. It’s as if Mother Earth is waving and saying thank you World Drum, thank you my children who remember, appreciate and respect me. Since I have spent the last three weeks with people who love and honor Mother Earth and Creator I am feeling very positive! I am full of hope and full of promise.
Last month John and I were stuck on a plane in Dallas Texas. Neither one of us were feeling too well. John had food poisoning and I was feeling a little panic, as I am not particularly fond of planes anyway and I just wanted to get home. For two hours they held us captive on that plane, (some rule or procedure that a bunch of suits decided in a stuffy room while being held hostage by insurance companies I suppose). Anyway here we were stuck on this plane. I glance out the window and there in the sky is the absolute most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen!! I was calmed and thankful (not as thankful maybe as I was when we stepped off that plane), but still all around us are signs that we are loved and that our Creator God has not abandoned us or is not dead.... Hope is a good thing. I hope you all have a heaping helping of it today!!

Well, holiday shopping is underway and what better gift to give a loved one than the gift of healing, balance and relaxation.

Check out our three packs of CDs $36.00
or our New Wisdom and Music Greeting Cards which are only $8.00 each and make a great gift!
If you don't have the Christmas CD by John Two-Hawks, Peace on Earth, then you are truly missing out! It is an incredibly spiritual and relaxing holiday CD.
We also have World Drum boxed cards, t-shirts and prints, these are one-time items so call to order these at: 888-790-9091.
We have all sizes in t-shirts and great deals on all World Drum items.
Why not purchase a Retreat? Great gift for a loved one or for yourself for 2008!

We hope you will do your Christmas shopping online with us this season. It’s easy, quick, and secure, and you can do it in your PJs! Ok enough advertising!!

Please remember to reach out today and to soak in all you can of the natural beauty Mother Earth offers you. This is the moment that you are in, honor it by being in it...
love ya bunches,
peace,
Peggy
Red Earth
JTH Shop


WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)
An important part of the way to world peace is respect. How we treat others (and not just humans) has a powerful effect on the planet, believe it or not. Case in point, the child who is quietly bullied and abused for years may one day go crazy and bring a loaded gun to school. The often tragic results of acts like these leave a profound scar on communities. This unquestionably affects the state of the world. This is just one among countless examples of how respect, or in this case a lack thereof, can deeply influence the world we live in. In short, where there is little or no respect, there is arrogance, chaos and destruction. Whenever little or no respect is shown to a particular cultural, ethnic, racial or minority group of people as a whole, the results to that group of people are catastrophic, and what the world loses is incalculable. Can you imagine what kind of world we would live in today if all human beings of the past had just afforded each other respect? What kind of world could we live in today if human beings of the present could all afford each other respect? Wars would cease. Racism would end. Physical poverty would be no more. Street gangs would dissolve. Inner city violence would stop. In fact, most crime in general would cease to be. In addition to what would cease, we would also stand to gain amazing things. Can you imagine the diverse wisdom, stories, music, art, and knowledge we would have gained, if we had shown respect to all people and embraced each other’s differences in the spirit of respect? What we could have gained is unimaginable. What we lost because we did not have respect for each other is unfathomable. And so, as the World Drum traverses the globe with its message of peace and mending for the earth, know that it carries with it as well a message of respect. We must all learn to afford each other respect, even when we have different ways. This is the pathway to wisdom, and it begins with humility. We must also show that same respect to the earth, and to all that dwell upon her. The world will not be healed overnight, but with enough love and respect, the mending of the sacred hoop really can happen. Yes, it really can....


NORTH - Waziyata - White (Words of Wisdom)
Some thoughts for pondering....

Laughter is the most sacred medicine of all

Mis-takes are our only true teachers

A locked door keeps in and keeps out, an open door lets in and lets out

Spirit always trumps the law



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)!