The Earthkeepers

The National Audubon Society compiled a list of ways to improve our planet. Based on conversations with America’s top scientists, the society is encouraging individuals to make simple changes in daily routines to minimize human influence on the Earth’s environment. “If each person who reads Audubon (magazine) does just one of the resolutions, that will be 450,000 people who will have acted in some way to preserve what we have and they will be more aware of how their actions (or inactions) affect the planet,” says Audobon’s Lisa Gosselin. Below are Audobon’s top 10 recommendations. Read carefully; some of the suggestions may surprise you.

1. Say “no” to exotics. To help the plight of endangered species, don’t house exotic pets or purchase products that are made using animals at risk.

2. Go veggie. Vegetarian diets put less strain on the environment. Livestock guzzles nearly 50 percent of all water consumed in the United States and eats nearly 16 pounds of grass and grain for each pound of beef produced. Eat vegetables for personal health and the health of the environment.

3. Coffee in the shade. Buying shade-grown coffee supports the preservation of rain forests and safeguards the habitat of many species.

4. Be picky, not fishy. When choosing fish to eat, avoid over-fished species such as swordfish.

5. Be heard. Voice your opinion by supporting local and federal legislation to protect the environment and its endangered species. Every person at your town’s planning-board meetings can make a big difference.

6. Pay your dues. Some states offer the option of contributing part of your income tax to fund the protection of non-game species. Look for this option on your next form.

7. Buy the plate that pays. Some states donate revenue from special license plates to wildlife conservation programs. License plates with a conservation theme also help spread an important message.

8. Conserve energy. Buying energy-efficient appliances can significantly decrease energy use at home. If every US household was equipped with the most energy-efficient refrigerator available today, 10 power plants would quickly become obsolete.

9. Don’t be afraid of the dark. Electricity used to generate light produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, which in turn contributes to global warming. Use timers or movement sensors to minimize electricity use. Fluorescent light bulbs outlast incandescent bulbs and yield significantly lower levels of carbon dioxide.

10. Stay cool. Make sure your furnace is working at optimal efficiency and keep the temperature as low as possible. Decreasing the temperature by even a few degrees lowers carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of pounds over the course of a year.

Bonus Tip: Be gentle on the earth; substitute synthetic animal fur for the real thing. 

The teachings of the Medicine Wheel have been surfacing, stirring the waters of our consiousness in the past months. And we have come full-circle in the Appreciation of the Ancestors and Mother Earth ceremonies…honoring each direction and it’s lesson on the Sacred Hoop. It’s time to share what’s been making itself known about the Medicine Wheel teachings of the four winds as taught to us by our Andean teachers, don Tapi, donna Tita, don Pauli, don Alberto Villodolo and don Eduardo Calderon.

We have been taught that the Medicine Wheel is a path of knowledge. It is undertaken to awaken vision and to discover and embrace the Divine within ourselves. It is a path to re-establish ones connection with Mother Earth and the mysteries of the universe. It is a simple path that will test our very being to the core.

Photo by Janisse Younce

We enter this path of knowledge through the East gate…asking for illumination…so that we might know what it is we are to embrace.

Photo by Janisse Younce

Our journey begins in the South, where one goes to shed the past. We shed the notion that we were banished from the garden and that the ground was cursed on our account. We embrace Nature as our family and understand that we are a caretaker, an earthkeeper. We free the Spirits of our past, that they might find peace and that they may no longer feed on our present. It is the place to heal our physical and recognize the childlike gifts within. It is where the element earth resides.

Bear sits in the West to help us. Photo by Janisse Younce

The West is where we lose our fear and face death. We face the unknown and that which we fear the most. We free ourselves from the grip of fear so death can no longer claim us. We remember we have many lives in this life-time, and acknowledge that each one will come to it’s natural end. It is the place of healing our emotional. It is where the element water abides.

Photo by Janisse Younce

In the North we discover the wisdom of the ancients, the trustee’s of the Earth, those who have gone before us and who will follow, and create a union with the Divine. We claim our lineage as one with knowledge. It is the place to heal our Spirit. It is where the element air/wind lives.

Photo by Janisse Younce

Finally, we return to the East - the journey back to one’s home to exercise one’s vision and overcome pride and self-importance. We assume full responsibility for who we are becoming and influence our destiny by envisioning the possible. It is where we heal our mind. The element fire burns here.

And so we come full circle on our Sacred Hoop. Remembering, that coming full circle does not mean that we are finished…as our work with the Medicine Wheel is never finished.

Do you hear it?…the next Hoop is calling…

Thank you Creator for this journey of the Medicine Wheel. Thank you for the Way of Knowledge.

Hugs, Tracy ~ Each person is responsible to find the truth they have come to learn on Earth. We share what has come to us. Take what you want…leave the rest…we share because it is time. May each person come in-sync with Mother Earth so each may find their Ways.

On Saturday we danced our 8th Earthkeeper Dance in our 13th year of ceremonies at the Indiana Dunes. We came together in gratitude of Creator, Mother Earth and the Ancestors. We began our prayers on the beach of Lake Michigan, and the winds laughed at the ambitious schedule that had been set. And as we stepped into the waters, the schedule dissipated, and we purified our bodies and Spirit, preparing for the ceremonies that were yet to come.

(Photo’s by Vera)

As the song John taught us, “We dance, we sing, we pray, ei cheeco Mantiou” resonated on the wind, we entered into Sacred time. We stepped into the circle honoring those that have gone before us…

(photo on back of dance T-shirt)

 …and began our work to prepare the way for those who are yet to come.

We shared with love, laughter and tears as we honored the Ancestors. And Creator, Mother Earth and the Ancestors responded by helping us do the work we had come to do.

Each of us experienced the dance differently because it mirrors or reflects that which is within us. And through the grace of Creator, that which is in need of change and healing makes itself known, giving each of us an opportunity to transform and be in joy.

In the weeks to come, be mindful, as there is work the Ancestors have yet to fulfill. Be attentive as tests may come and you may experience your “buttons being pushed” so to speak…pushed so you might transform and be in joy. This is the way of ceremony. Go within and know.

May Creator bless our journey on this Sacred Hoop.

Hugs, Tracy ~ Each person is responsible to find the truth they have come to learn on Earth. We share what has come to us. Take what you want…leave the rest…we share because it’s time. May each person come in-sync wih Mother Earth so each may find their Ways.

We have been taught by the medicine people of the Andes, the Southwest and John Many Voices, that the tools of an Earthkeeper are forged from the vibrational fabric of our lives. Nothing more, nothing less. This fabric is made up of our thoughts, words, deeds, beliefs and perceptions.

In other words, how one lives their life is the greatest spiritual tool in aiding our planet.

So the responsibility for ourselves, is the same as our responsibility for the Earth’s destiny. No separation exists. This is the Earthkeeper’s role.

As Earthkeepers, we touch the web of life directly with our hearts and minds as our vibrational patterns affect and alter the Web of Life of our planet. Fear, hurt, anger and pain produce areas that are generally experienced as being imbalanced, blocked, negative or places of “ill-fortune” on the planet. Whereas joy, love, peace, and bliss produce areas that are generally experienced as being balanced, open, harmonious, friendly, or places of “good fortune” on the planet.

So how does one change the vibrational patterns produced by our ignorance of the effect of our fear, anger, hurt and pain?

We have been taught that these vibrational patterns can be transformed through ceremony….a ceremony from the heart. And a ceremony can be as simple as choosing Joy as an act of Sacred Celebration each day. The thought, feeling, deed and words of Joy, influence the greater system of energetic flow. This simple ceremony, or any ceremony from the heart, emanates fresh life-force into the Web of Life system on our planet. So, one type of ceremony is just as holy as another type of ceremony from the heart, as all transform the planet.

Someone asked us once about the reverse of this, “What if someone tries to misuse the energy, by sending energy thoughts of fear, anger, hurt or pain? ” Our medicine teachers taught us, “Not to worry. There are protections built into the system. These safeguards include the mirroring factor which creates a boomerang effect for anyone directing energy.” Our teachers shared that once the cloak of innocence is raised, we are totally responsible for our “blundering” energy patterns. It is especially critical for one walking in a medicine or spiritual way, as their actions and words have a profound impact on their own lives. Not being responsible invites or can create some drastic emotional and mental aberrations in the person making these choices. As don Alberto V said, “Knowing these teachings generally has a civilising effect on the recipient.”

The Elders teach us, “With the power of the spiritual ways comes great responsibility”. That’s why the medicine people and Elders offer us sacred ways and items four times before it is placed in our hands.

All of us have a choice regarding our vibrational fabric. And the choice can be as simple as making a subtle change in our words. One could change, “If I get a better job, my life will get better”, to “If I improve my life, the clarity of my vibration and energy flow, then I’ll get a better job.” See the difference?

As ceremony transforms the planetary vibrational patterns, we encourage all people to engage in the everyday practice of ceremony. May our thoughts, words, and intent be that of Joy. As Duke would say, “Happy, happy…joy, joy”!

Thank you Creator for the simplicity of the ways and the gift of making a difference on this planet through our thoughts, words, deeds, beliefs and perceptions.

Hugs, Tracy ~ Each person is responsible to find the truths they came to learn on Earth. We share what has come to us . Take what you want…leave the rest… May each person come in-sync with Mother Earth so each might find their Ways.

 Hollis Littlecreek

First let me share a little about Hollis Littlecreek as folks have been asking about his background.

Hollis Curtis Littlecreek was born on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota on November 12, 1924, as the only child of  Benjamin Littlecreek (”full”) and Elizabeth Mason (”1/4″).  Records show he died April 30, 1999 in Redby, Minnesota.  He was registered as 1/2 Chippewa on the US government roles from the Red Lake Band of Chippewa.  (note- Anishinabeg is the name of his tribe, with Chippewa being a band name given by the immigrants).   Hollis had 5 children with his wife Joan (Schielk) Littlecreek.  They eventually divorced.

John said, “Hollis would share he was from the last generation to be raised completely within the native tradition.  He is of the Marten Clan, and this is a clan he belonged to spiritually.  There is no Marten clan on the Red Lake Reservation as some have misunderstood.” 

John understood that when Hollis was five, he was thought to have died of an illness.  His aunt was quietly sitting with him for almost an hour after she thought he had passed away, when he ‘woke up’ saying that he had a vision in which he was instructed to share the pipe with people of all races.  He was taken to the circle of elders to share his vision.  They instructed an uncle to make a pipe for him which was kept for him until he was older. Hollis lived his life as a member of the tribe in all ways until he was 52.  Then he left the reservation to fulfill his mission”.   

John shared, “Hollis never became an Elder of his tribe because of his early departure so he does not hold the title of Elder…Hollis would say he was a simple man, honoring his vision”. 

Having shared this, we continue….as we prepare to pour lodge, I’ve been thinking about ceremony and what we have been taught. One very particular principle that John would say Hollis Littlecreek was very clear about was, “Ceremonies have been created to serve the people.” And John Many Voices Armbruster continued to share this universal principle.

This simple idea is sometimes forgotten in our passion of belief. In the fervor of dedication, folks often rush to the idea that the ceremonies, the organizations, the structure of our faith, which we call religion or the ways, are more important than the people who look to them for solace, comfort, and guidance.

John would say, “When the ceremony and the people who implement them become more important than the people the ceremonies are designed to serve, then success is unattainable.” This is a very basic premise. Its simplicity is its strength and it is what we support as Earthkeepers.

The Important Questions

Because of the pervasive and powerful influence ceremony has on humanity, it becomes essential to consider the ceremonies one participates in. Remember, identification in ceremony has the power to cripple as well as to heal.

Identification can be used to uplift falsely. This is done by creating the illusion of superiority of a set of beliefs, practices and even a way of life. This sense of superiority is highly motivating and gives many people the security and continuity that the state of the world seems to sweep away in our everyday lives. This superiority also may serve to galvanize a group into a more cohesive force. However, all of this is a false sense of community and security.

Identification in this form creates a tremendous weakness of the soul. The weakness is created when we define the connection to our Creator by using some quality of our relationship with others as a standard…more wealthy, poorer, better looking, smarter, more oppressed, more spiritual etc. Whatever standard we use, it makes our relationship with our Creator less direct and less personal. It is an outside connection, not an inside connection. It propagates the myth that ceremony, ritual or spiritual leaders are more important than the participants they serve.

Folks might want to ask themselves:

• How do the ceremonies I participate in, serve me?
  • Do these ceremonies help create a relationship with my Creator?
  • Do these ceremonies connect me to the higher energies and create integration and healing?
  • Do these ceremonies and the energy surrounding them help me see clearly new avenues for spiritual growth?
  • Do the focus of these ceremonies harness energy to propel me forward in my spiritual growth?

We have found that the beauty of ceremony is that it is designed to let you see your most uplifting and divine aspects. These aspects may not be readily apparent to you. Ceremonial Practice, in it most successful form, strips away the barriers of your own perception to reveal the love within that is interconnected to the divine love.

As Earthkeepers, ceremonial practice unlocks the encoded destiny for each of us stored in the vibrational frequencies of Mother Earth and our DNA. Our access code is accepted as our hearts come online with the pulsating beat of the planetary heart. As John would say, “Our lives become a sacred act, a ceremony celebrating the Gift of Life that we so graciously treasure from our Creator”.

So it is no small thing to have our ceremonies serve the participants.

Thank you Hollis, John and most of all Creator for showing us about ceremonies, so we might connect.

Hugs, Tracy ~ Each person is responsible to find the truths they came to learn on Earth. We share what has come to us…take what you want…leave the rest.  May each person come in-sync with Mother Earth so each might find their Ways.