January 2009

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 you all to know that your replies to this letter mean a lot to me. To touch a heart or inspire a soul is an immense honor, and what this letter is really all about. So please feel free to share even a sentence or two if these words have meant something to you. I pray you are blessed....

EAST - Wiyohinyanpata - Yellow (Four Winds)
The Audacity of Hope....
As I write this, the United States of America is about to swear in it’s 44th President. In doing so, the U.S. will take a step forward. A step toward cultural, ethnic and racial equality. A step away from racism, hate and ignorance. And a step closer to the concept of ‘We the People.’ It is a step that has taken the U.S. over 230 years. And yet, the man who is about to make history as the first African American President of the United States is not only an African American. Many may not know that his mother, who the media always says was ‘white’, was actually a woman of mixed ancestry. You see, she was not only ‘white’, she was also American Indian. Many may also not be aware that Barack Obama’s paternal grandfather was an African medicine man. So the man who is about to become the 44th President of the United States is someone who, by his own ancestral blood, embodies ‘We the People.’ The historical nature of this inauguration is generating a lot of media hype and excitement. And rightfully so. But I feel there is more going on here than just the making of U.S. history.... Globally, a shift is underway. A transformation has begun. The election of Barack Obama did not cause this shift. On the contrary, it is the other way around. President Barack Obama is a product of the change he so often referred to during his campaign. The man he is today was shaped by growing up and coming of age in a time of increasing global consciousness, and by having come to understand and embrace his own diverse multi-cultural heritage. The transformation which is upon us at this time is calling forth a consciousness and awareness that inspires all of humanity to reach beyond culture, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, politics and nationality and realize our common bonds. Yes, we are diverse and different from one other. And we have spent centuries killing each other over these differences. Can you get more ‘different’ from one another than African, European and Indigenous? Probably not, and yet Barack Obama has all three of these racial, ethnic and cultural bloodlines in his veins. Still, in the harmonious coming together of the three, he has found within himself the transforming power of acceptance, hope and love. Before he ever ran for President, Barack Obama wrote a book called ‘The Audacity of Hope.’ The title begs the question, should it always have to be ‘audacious’ to hope? Should it always have to be far-fetched to believe in possibilities? The answer, which is part of the shift we are experiencing in these times, is a resounding NO! I have not read ‘The Audacity of Hope’(yet - sorry Barack!), but even without reading it I know this: the intent of the title is to throw hope in the face of cynicism. To believe completely in what may seem impossible. And to have faith, especially in times of great change. My sisters and brothers, change is coming. And it is coming because of people around the world like you, who have chosen to hope for a better day and believe in a brighter tomorrow. The United States electing Barack Obama its 44th President is historic, and yet it is not the reason for hope, but the result of it. You are the reason for the hope of tomorrow. Together, we - humanity, can and will change the world, one heart and hand at a time. At this U.S. Presidential Inauguration, Barack Obama will raise his hand and take an oath to lead. The day before, he raised his hand with a paint brush to help the homeless, and demonstrated what true leadership is - action. After all, love is a verb. And so as Barack Obama raises his hand tomorrow to take an oath, may we all reach out with our own hands to all our brothers and sisters around the world who are hurting, hungry and homeless, and take a private oath to do our part to make the world a better place for all. We are the change that is coming to the world. May 2009 be a year of deep meaning, purpose and fulfillment for you and yours....


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

Hello friends:
2009 crept in on us and I haven’t yet even been able to say hello to the new year, but to be honest with you I am kind of happy to say goodbye to 2008. Many feel this way.
Ok……..are you waiting on the world to change? I am. Are you hopeful? I am. Are you angry? I am. While I wait, I will begin to become that change the world is waiting for and if you all will join me we will see a world of honor and love and peace.
What can I do… well, the anger will help me to have the energy to create in myself the change that needs to take place. For instance, this financial rip-off artist Madoff, stealing billions of dollars from others to line his pockets is basking in his hot tub today eating lobster and watching videos… this makes me real mad!
I can’t change him, but it makes me mad enough that I don’t want to rip any one off in any way.
It makes me mad enough that I want to live with honor and integrity in all my affairs.
I can change my world! I can affect the worlds that touch me and I can hope and wait and experience true beauty, spirit beauty in the wonder of Mother Earth and Father Sky. While the crooks steal and trade, in their unreal material world, I can join with a Circle of Nations family across the globe in an embrace of a new reality, a new direction and real change.

A little info about concert locations and schedule for 2009 and also some new exciting products
Annual concerts………
Ohio Concert in conjunction with Ohio Mending Medicine retreat - August 1st
Eureka Springs Mothers Day Concert (free for mothers). Christmas Concert at the Aud.
New Years Concert, Rogers AR. We are also looking at Iowa, Michigan and Italy.
The schedule page will be up soon.

New PRODUCTS…
You can now order the 2009 John Two-Hawks Signature Series Woodpecker Flute! This is a traditional Lakota design, signed and numbered. There will only be 28 of these flutes ever made, so order yours now. New CD COMING SOON! Wind Songs!! See the cover of the new CD on the homepage of our sites!
Make sure you register for the Mending Medicine Reunion Retreat… we have opened up the number of spaces to 80, but spaces are going fast!!
Read About it Here
Click Here to Register Online Now

Check out all of our other Retreats here:
http://www.johntwohawks.com/theRetreats.html

love you all
Peace,
Peggy
www.nativecircle.com/redearth
www.johntwohawks.com


WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)
It was an American Football NFL playoff game. It didn’t look at all like he would make it. He had intercepted the ball and was running for the goal. To score would mean absolute victory. But opposition was everywhere. Defenders closed in and it seemed almost certain he would fail. Yet, something about his gallant, powerful stride made him seem invincible. One hit came, then another, and another. One by one the opponents came.... and went. Quickly, it became apparent that he was not going down easy. He may have seen those defenders, but his eyes were fixed on the goal. As he thundered toward the line that separated defeat from victory, the opposition closed in even more. They were everywhere. And just as it seemed they had him in their grasp, he saw a small window of opportunity, a tiny seam of weakness in the defense that was trying so hard to stop him. He turned himself sideways, and blasted into that seam and through the last of the opposition. He took one last hit, but that final turn and burst of energy deflected it and powered him across the goal, into the end zone, and to victory....
Regardless of where you are in the world, struggles and challenges are part of life. Obstacles and opposition can seem overwhelming. Sometimes our path changes direction and doesn’t go where we thought it would go. The important thing to remember is that obstacles are like guard rails or detours, either way they help you with your direction. Guard rails are one thing, but detours are a pain. And yet, many times you come across something on a detour you never would have otherwise. Sometimes you have to change your complete direction to find another way. But often on the other end of what seemed like a ‘detour’, a ‘seam’ opens up and you find a window of opportunity. It is one thing to watch a player score with no opposition. It is another thing entirely to witness a player outsmart, outmaneuver and overpower an opponent for the score. So look for that seam. Keep your eyes fixed on the goal. If your eyes are on the opposition, the opposition is all you will see. But if your eyes are on the goal, you find the way. You just might have to break a few tackles....


NORTH - Waziyata - White (Words of Wisdom)
a few thoughts from my contemplations....

No matter what is going on in the world, the forest is always still....

The one thing that is constant and reliable in this life, is change....

No human being is ‘ordinary’....

Hope is the stuff the future is made of....


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)!