November 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....

EAST - Wiyohinyanpata - Yellow (Four Winds)
A few weeks ago we had our Mending Medicine Retreat and Circle of Nations Global Community Reunion. As I sat at that dinner Friday night and looked around at all the faces gathered together, I was deeply humbled and happy. On paper, it says that I am the ‘Founder’ of the Circle of Nations community. In truth, all I did was agree to take the journey. Oh sure, I’ve done a thing or two, but the real ‘Founders’ of the Circle of Nations were sitting at that Friday night dinner a few weeks back. Incredible people like Carley & Fr. Bob, Bill & Jan, Phil & Jo Ann, Luella, Seamus, Morten, Jim & Mary, Sue, Van, Poco & Sir Charles, Jim & Kathy, my sweet Peggy, and of course the esteemed Richard Seifried, just to name a few. There were many others who I came to know for the first time that weekend who are equally incredible human beings. What amazing people I get to spend my life with! Now before I totally take myself out of the equation, I will say that as I quietly observed the room that night, I saw the first manifestation of my lifelong vision. People from countless backgrounds, from all over the United States and the world, from Ireland to Norway, all gathered in the spirit of peace, love and healing. My heart leapt in my chest, as it can do when a dream hints at becoming reality. And yet, being a contemplative, my eyes are rarely closed. I see the sickness of the world. The madness. The brutality. The rage. And the sorrow. These things have weighed heavily on my soul throughout my life. This I know, light washes away darkness - darkness cannot wash away light. Water washes away fire - fire cannot wash away water. And love washes away hate - hate cannot wash away love. If you are reading this, I want you to know that, to me, you are united in spirit with those people I sat with at our Friday night Mending Medicine Retreat dinner a few weeks ago. You are part of us. We may never have seen your face, but you belong, nonetheless. And when I think of all of you who are part of our Circle of Nations Global Community, I see more than hope. I see the mending of the sacred hoop of the nations of the world happening right before my eyes....


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

Hello friends, family and all you wonderful people of peace in the Circle of Nations.
Well we finally have our awesome Arkansas fall.. beautiful warm sunny days.
We just completed our Mending Medicine Reunion retreat and honestly words cannot
describe the love the healing and the laughter and warmth of those four days of spirit connection. So I won’t even try, but if you were there you know.
I understand that many of you are connecting on myface or spacebook or something like that!

I have so many feelings that I wish I could express……. the main one I think is gratitude
Pure thanksgiving….. In a world torn with troubles, I see a community of people with hope, love and vision. We have what it takes to put goodness and peace back into this world and it only takes one honest four letter word, love. Not the mushy gushy false romantic version, but the “give you my time, my care, my life”… sacrificing love. The love that hurts a little, the love that can get rid of ego and MY WAY to consider THE way. The love that listens, the love that laughs and cries, the love that doesn’t count the cost and has courage to take a risk. That passionate, wild, spontaneous, undaunted, radical, fearless love…… that will change the world……….that we all have in us, and that is what the Circle of Nations Global Community is all about.
Wow, so much for nothing to say (lol)!

We are currently celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary of Native Circle/Circle Studios!
So listen up!!!
On Nov 10th for just 10 days we will be offering a 10 CD special for $10 each
That is 10 JTH CDs for only $100 …. 10 Christmas gifts for an incredible price!
But only for 10 days….from 11-10-09 to 11-20-09
And on top of that every order will receive a free gift!
So do your Holiday Shopping with us at:
John Two-Hawks
Native Circle
Look for other incredible specials in Nov and Dec.

Where we will be:
To finish up our 2009 touring
Nov 17th Conway AR
Nov 28th 29th Eureka Springs AR Fall Art Show Inn of the Ozarks
Dec 5th Eureka Springs 7th Annual JTH Christmas at The Aud Concert
Dec. 31st New Years Eve Concert, Rogers Arkansas, Victory Theatre
Get Tickets Here!

Watch soon for 2010 Schedule
Feb - Botanical Gardens Fayetteville AR New CD release Concert
April - Chattanooga Tennessee Symphony and Creative Expressions Retreat in Eureka Springs
May - Dayton Ohio area 2 retreats 2 weekends Women’s Retreat and Flute Discovery Retreat
May and June – off to Ireland! Late June - Men’s and Women’s Retreats in Eureka Springs
July – Spain
August - Dayton Ohio, Concert and Mending Medicine Retreat
Sept - Flute Discovery Retreat in Eureka Springs
Oct Mending Medicine Retreat in Eureka Springs
Check out the Schedule page… More dates and cities to be added!!

Love ya!
Peace,
Peggy


WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)
Let me just come out and say it with gentle conviction: There is a right way, and a wrong way, to conduct traditional American Indian ceremonies. In fact, the way to conduct all of our traditional Indian rites is quite specific, exact and complicated enough that it takes actual years to learn, if you are so called by the Spirit to do so. Yes, it is true, ceremony is indeed all about experiencing the Spirit. And it is also true that the Spirit can and does move in many ways, even to the point where, on rare occasions, the protocol of the ceremony changes. But don’t take that to mean that the Spirit is without form or order. Indeed, it is that very order, those small details, the specifics of how to conduct a given traditional ceremony which actually unlock its power. To better understand this, imagine that a ceremony is like a very sharp knife. If you know what you are doing with it, and have learned how to properly utilize it, it can help to feed and nourish you. If you do not, you can badly hurt yourself or somebody else with it. This is the way it is with all instruments of power, whether they be a physical object or a ritual activity. It is for this very reason that we insist that people who participate in a handful of our traditional ceremonies resist the urge to start trying to conduct their own. Such limited experience can be a recipe for disaster. The tragedy several weeks ago in Sedona Arizona is a sobering example of what can happen when someone learns just enough to be very, very dangerous. That so-called ‘sweat lodge’ was the furthest thing from a traditional Inipi purification ceremony I have ever heard of. My heartfelt prayers go out to all who were hurt by that senseless, tragic event. And so.... just as it takes a Catholic Priest decades to fully understand and appreciate the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of conducting ceremony, so it is with our ancient traditional rites and those of us who are called to serve our people in this way. Just wanted to share that from my heart to yours, as a brother and a friend....


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

Real ‘medicine’ happens when no one is looking....

Be kind, you may not get another chance....

This moment will never come again....

You can never give too much compassion....


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)!