January 2010

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)
Maka etanhan wicasa wan pelo.... I am a man of the earth. Indigenous to the soil, the fire, the water, the wind.... the fabric of my being deeply woven into the web of all life.... one with the strands of connection which exist within and between all things seen and unseen.... feeling the life force of every humming insect, every silent tree, every soaring eagle and all that dwell upon this earth. I cannot be far from the sacred heart of the ancient earth for long before I hear the voice from the forest calling, the whisper of the pines beckoning, come home child, come home.... and home I must return. To my quiet place on the ground.... the place where silence is language and stillness is prayer.... the place that hums with the energy of life, and where the Indigenous heart beats as one with all that is....

We are all made of earth, fire, water, wind.... the sacred four elements, which were fashioned by Wakantanka, the Great Mystery, for the creation of life and all that is. Long ago, we were close to the sacred four, and to Spirit. Now we have lost our way. We must return to our place in the web of life, touch the sacred elements we are made from, and come home to our quiet place on the ground. Only then will we hear the voice of ancestral knowledge, and find once again the sacred balance....

These are the things the music on my newest ‘musical messenger’ expresses. I humbly invite you to experience:

The NEW ‘Earth ~ Fire ~ Water ~ Wind’ CD


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

I had high hopes for 2010 and especially was ready to bid 2009 farewell. Now 24 days into the New Year I am even more full of expectations and joy. For a very long time, over 10 years now, John and I have had a vision for a musical project that would express the depth of our hearts for a true healing and mending of the sacred hoop.
With Earth ~ Fire ~ Water ~ Wind, we have seen that dream vision unfold. So with the project now pre-released, I am basking in a sea of contented satisfaction. Besides that I found a handbag at the Doggie Thrift store that I can carry to the Grammy’s for $2.50 so I am very happy right now.
It always seems to be the little things that carry the greatest pleasures in life.
I am watching the way the world is coming to the aid of Haiti and the beautiful Haitian people and it rejuvenates my soul and reminds me of all the good in the world. This is what it means to mend the sacred hoop of nations. Haiti will need our prayers, our volunteering and our financial help for a long time and so we will have many opportunities to give and giving is a good thing!

Hope you all enjoy the new CD, it is available for purchase now at www.johntwohawks.com
Please check out the schedule updates, we are adding new concert and retreat opportunities in 2010.

blessings, peace
Peggy
http://www.nativecircle.com
http://www.johntwohawks.com


WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)
Are you going green? Are you living a sustainable life? Do you recycle? Do you car-pool? Do you utilize solar or wind energy? Do you compost? Do you use less detergent, only wash clothes that are actually dirty, turn off the water when you brush your teeth, close the refrigerator door for the few minutes you need that gallon of milk, turn lights off when you leave a room, etc., etc....? Sound like a lot to think about? I want to encourage you. When you do these kinds of things, you are reconnecting yourself to the web of life. You are showing respect for the earth, something humanity has lost touch with in this time. These acts of respect and conscientiousness may seem small or insignificant, but they are not. Many drops of rain wear away the greatest of stones. We must think of the 7th generation, or the next generation for that matter. We are borrowing this earth from them. Let us do our best. We have distanced ourselves from the sacred four elements, and have forgotten that our very lives depend on them. We rarely touch the actual earth very often anymore. For many, fire is felt only by way of a furnace or the occasional candle. Water is experienced mainly through a faucet of some kind. And wind is kept out by walls and windows. I extend my heart to you with love as your brother and say - come back home.... put your feet on the earth again.... feel the warmth of fire again.... let the waters of a river wash over you again.... and let the winds caress your skin again. Earth ~ Fire ~ Water ~ Wind.... You are part of them. They are part of you. Reconnect with them in this real way, and when you recycle that bottle or turn that light out, it will mean something to you. You can’t really ‘go green’. We are already ‘green’, whether we know it or not....


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

Humility is the only way to peace....

Life’s answers come slowly, like the opening of a flower....

Live with the earth, not on top of it....

Go last....


Something I want to share....
I was recently nominated for a Grammy for my ‘Wind Songs’ CD. I will be attending the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Show in Los Angeles this Sunday, January 31st. Within the last few years a Platinum Album award and an Emmy nomination have come my way as well. All of these things are very special to me as a musician. It means a lot when your peers give you a nod of appreciation, and I am deeply humbled and thankful for these moments. Having said that, I want to also share that what matters more to me than anything is that the music I dream to life is filled with the sacred energy that comes from that place in the deep forest I spoke of earlier. Nothing means more to me than to hear that my music made a positive difference in another human being’s life in some way. That is the greatest award I could ever dream of. The Grammy Awards is a long way from my quiet place in the woods. And yet, wherever I am, the silent stillness of that place is with me. It is the whispering wind that calls me home.... Thank you all for not only listening to my music, but for really hearing it....

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)!