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.

Tut, tut….for the first time it looks like wonderful rain for our Earthkeeper Dance which is such a blessing. Saturday’s weather, as predicted by The Weather Channel on line, calls for early morning showers and Thunderstorms through-out the day.

As difficult as it is to make the call, we are changing the start time for our September 18, 2010 Earthkeepers Dance ceremonies. Please arrive at 10:00 am at the Duneside Shelter in the Indiana Dunes State Park, (north of Chesterton, Indiana on Highway 49), for a meeting to determine how we want to go forward with our prayers for this year’s dance.

It has been suggested that we do prayers in the shelter with a Chooch ceremony, Ancestor Feast, Give-away blanket and final Chooch ceremony to honor the prayers.

We look forward to seeing you and praying with you in whatever way the community determines.

Again we thank John Many Voices Armbruster for the vision of the Earthkeeper Dance.

Hugs, Tracy, Dave and Janisse

We come together near sunset following the Appreciation of Mother Earth monthly ceremonial round. The Firekeepers, who are the ones of proven faith, have prepared the fire in a ceremonial way, honoring the tall ones who have come to help with the prayers, visions and dreams. We began by entering a purification circle. The songs we sing call the spirits of the trees to speak to us. We ask for the good feeling and peace of the land to calm us and give us strength so we can wait for the trees to speak. We ask for guidance from Creator.

And we remember the words of Hollis Littlecreek who shared,

“When you sit together, listen to the fire. It is sacred. It is the spirit of the wood, the days of the Sun, the days of the wind, the days of the rain and sleet and hail, it is the sacred Earth brought to us to give us those days back. There is history in those flames. There are stories of the Earth, which will not be told again in the same way. The spirit of the tree is giving its body and is leaving the Earth now. Watch the fire, there are people there. Some you know, some are spirits you have never known. They are there to explain things to you. They are the messengers of the spirits of the trees. They must send them to you, because we don’t have the patience to understand the way trees speak, the way they form their words and the gestures they make are too foreign and might frighten you. So they send their messengers. Feel and understand their meaning.”

And as another Midewiwin Elder shared, “There will be one who will catch the way on the wind and offer the Fire Dreaming Ceremony in the traditional way.  This ceremony is only offered by the Ancestors every 100 years and will be made available on one ocassion, to those who answer the call.” 

After our purification ceremony, we wrap ourselves in our shawls, shields, and blankets and move to the Sacred Circle to sit in silence and watch the fire until dawn. During the evening we may fill and pass our Chooch’s (sacred pipes) to offer our prayers of gratitude. We may sometimes drum and rattle quietly to pay tribute to the tall ones, land and fire. One by one we wait and honor what the trees bring to us.

The fire is tended, in such a way that when the fire reaches its peak, no more wood is placed on the fire. And we watch as it moves to embers towards morning.

At dawn the Firekeepers move the embers to the purification circle and we join them. The songs we sing honor the spirits of the trees who came to help with the prayers, visions and dreams. We give thanks for their words and honor their journey back to Creator. We share the messages they presented to us. And as we leave the circle, we offer tobacco prayers to the embers as a symbol of thanksgiving.

The Fire Dreaming Ceremony will be offered only this once, and only in 2010.  If you plan on participating in a Fire Dreaming ceremony, it is a commitment to participate fully in the traditional ceremony.  All who attend are in the ceremony from dusk to dawn (of course using the bathroom during the evening is a given).  

Fire Dreaming ceremony – starts Saturday, July 24, 2010 at Dusk and goes to Dawn, Sunday, July 25th, 2010

• Place: (location available upon request - youncedjt@verizon.net )

The ceremony will be in Northwest Indiana.  Bring:

A bathroom will be available during the evening as needed. We may go into purification circle during the evening as needed.

Hugs, Tracy ~ each person is responsible to find the ways they came to learn on Earth. We share what has come to us. Take what you want…leave the rest…we share because it is time.

I offer a few words John wrote years ago about the summer solstice:

Summer Solstice

The Solstice time is a time of intensity and passion. It is a time of extremes.            

The summer solstice is the Midsummer’s Night energy. It is the longest day of the year. Sensuous, even oppressive energy of the Sun. Unrelenting. It is a time when the planet is bursting with power. Overflowing with lifeforce. This is a time for celebration and release.

Many of the Sun dances occur around this time. The power of the Sun being strongest. In lower latitudes they are held earlier.

The Long Dance is good to be held around this time. 

One ceremony we have done over the years is a nature’s Spirit Dance, where everyone dresses up as a plant or animal. Strong drumming, passionate songs, and lots of clowning are appropriate.

The winter is a time of interior thinking, self examination and introspection. The Summer is the outgoing, the active. This mirrors the power of the Sun. Balancing the two takes place in different ways at different latitudes.

At the equinox, day and night are perfectly balanced at the equator. It is the time when the Sun is directly over the Equator at true noon. In effect, it is the time when the Sun appears to be entering or leaving our hemisphere (our half) of the planet. 

Because of this, it is a time to begin to shift into a different mode of action. In the Fall we begin to prepare ourselves for the darker days and colder weather. We make plans to make sure we are safe. In the Spring we begin to make bold steps toward new activities, new ideas. 

The ceremonies at this time should reflect these changing times. The Fall is usually a harvest ceremony celebrating the abundance of the earth and the goodness of the gift of life. It celebrates the storage of the power of the Sun contained in the food we store. This power carries us through the time when things are not so strong. It is, in some places, one of the last outdoor ceremonies until spring. Grieving or letting go ceremonies or ceremonies honoring the ancestors and the departed loved ones are good at this time.

(In the tropics this pattern is somewhat reversed. This time is a celebration of cooler weather. A time for work and productivity. The unrelenting sun begins to wane.) 

The Spring ceremony is usually one of emergence. It is a clean sweep ceremony often emphasizing putting the past aside and making a new start. Forgiveness ceremonies are good at this time. Also cleansing and fasting, visioning, and Sweat Lodges for cleansing are all good activities around this time. Affirmation work is also a good thing.

In keeping with the prophesy of the millennium and the tradition of the Twisted Hairs, this site honors our Sacred Earth in the same spirit Native Americans, Aborigines, Indigenous, and First Peoples around the world have honored the Earth for many generations. The teachings of these people have been adapted to sacred ceremonial celebrations of prayer for the people of today’s world. The ceremonies involve the Sacred Pipe, the medicine song, drumming, Vision Quest, Medicine Wheels, Sweat Lodges and sacred spirit dance . 

These ceremonies are done with respect, and with the intention of serving all the people of the world. Those of us who practice the EarthDance Way hope that today’s people will take courage from the ancient memories these ceremonies awaken and become environmentalist from not only their minds but from their hearts and spirits as well. 

We honor the Great Mystery, Great Spirit, and God in the many names and forms it/she/he takes in different cultures around the world.

Recently, three people died during a Sweat Lodge “event” at Angel Valley Ranch near Sedona. It was led by a charismatic life success guru called James Ray, who charged over $9000 for his weeklong experience. That’s Nine Thousand Dollars.  Looking at pictures of the lodge, I noticed it had been constructed using tarps, which do not allow the lodge to breathe as it must. What were these people thinking? Also, I understand over 60 people were in the lodge. I wonder how could the lodge leader have been able to track the well being of all these people, as is his responsibility.

Truly, I don’t know what to believe about this. Those I’ve spoken to, who are ”in the know,” say these ceremonies, like the sweat lodge, belong to the native peoples and the spirits that inhabit these ways. I’m told that this tragedy is perhaps the result of not recognizing who these ways really belong to, what their true purpose is, and how they must be honored.

And yet, I’m touched very deeply by what John wrote. I am one of the people too. I’m not a native american, nor was John. We created and participated in many ceremonies intended to respect and honor Mother Earth, including sweat lodges. I saw and still believe John’s work touched and enriched the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people. I trust that he honored the earth in a good way and that the spirits had no beef with him. Have the Spirits “let us slide?”

I don’t know what James Ray’s relationship to sweat lodge is.  How did Ray reconcile charging $9000 for a retreat that includes a lodge with the Spirits or those who carry these ways? Why would he allow 60 people into a lodge under any circumstances? What did these people think they knew about constructing a lodge that led them to cover it with tarps?

I have no answers, I see three people dead, a new age guru who seems awfully arrogant, accepting no culpability for this tragedy, and traditionalists saying he had it coming. One thing is certain, something went dreadfully wrong that day.

It is important to understand that in both cases the power to change always lies in the present. Our lack of awareness of the present will rob us of golden opportunities to absorb the joy and uplifting quality of the world around us. To do this we have to have an open channel to the energy of living all around us. Sorrow, regret, disgust, hurt, jealousy, anger, all sap us of the energy to see, taste, touch, FEEL the moment with all our senses and with all that we sense is us. Worry, dread, hopelessness, and hope can all turn our attention from the blessings we are receiving every moment of the day.

Drumming, singing, dance all help to strip away the dark smoke of our illusion… it is the illusion of being in the past or future. In addition, acceptance of the past will release us from that past. Faith and releasing total control will free us from the future. In the present we can let our energy flow into everything we do or everything we experience. In that way, our essential selves, the part of us that is sincere, exuberant, confidant, and committed will produce the future one present moment at a time.

I was asked at the Earthkeeper Dance in Appreciation of Mother Earth, what does it take to be the ceremonial leader of the Blue Heron People. And I smiled as I think we are all our own ceremonial leader if we chose the work. I said,

“Well, traditionally, one is chosen to be a ceremonial leader (as John surprisingly did with me). And yes, years of experience and wisdom help. But the most important part is…you have to be willing to do the work”.

It’s a 365 day walk which includes praying with the sacreds, supporting the Elders, doing sweat lodges, clearing the land, getting firewood & stones, Chooch ceremonies, talking circles, prayer ties, teaching circles, daily prayers, various ceremonies, dance rounds, dealing with issues, and being on call 24/7…to name a few…lol. And John Many Voices always sressed that,

“Earthkeeper ceremonial practice is not just a sweatlodge, or a drumming circle, or an encampment, or a dance, or a talking circle, or a web of life council, or a medicine wheel ceremony, or a pipe ceremony. It is a way of life.”

The Elders share,

“The Red Road is not for the faint of heart or spirit as it’s the hardest way you will ever love. Only those who are serious about the ways should enter the Red Road. Walking the Red Road is a metaphor for living within Creator’s Ways — a life of truth, friendship, respect, Spirituality, and humanitarianism. Walking the Red Road is mainly in our heart. It’s a way of walking with the earth instead of upon it.”

And we add,

“It is packed full of lessons and often a lonely path. If you commit to the ways, you no longer can just stay at home or show up and have another do the work.

However, I have found the blessings that come from Creator are well worth the effort.

Thank you Creator for these Ways. Thank you to those who kept them alive. Thank you John and Grandma.

Hugs, Tracy ~ each person is responsible to find the truth’s they came to learn on Earth. We share what has come to us. Take what you want…leave the rest…we share because it’s time.

…and the blessings come…

The day after this post, as we were doing ceremony with the sacred bundles from the Dance in Appreciation of Mother Earth, a Hawk landed on the railing of our porch. He held a vigil there until we finished the prayers, staying long enough after the ceremony for Janisse to snap a photo. Such a wonderful honoring of the prayer ties of the Blue Heron dancers and people. Thank you Creator. Thank you Mother Earth. Thank you Winged-ones. 

Dave said it was probably John checking up on our work…lol.

The EarthDance Way is such a path. Because it is not theological or dogmatic, it is a path of personal discovery. It is like a closet full of alternative realities which we can try on. Those that are in accordance with our spiritual mission will fit well. Those that don’t won’t. The decisions about which is which have always been between my creator and me. There have been those who would have it otherwise, but something always swept them out of my life.

My only task has been to not shirk from the adventure. To embrace the uncertain road with certainty. To look into the darkness and sense the goodness coming towards me. 

In this adventure knowledge is gained. Some of the knowledge helps me create beliefs that allow me to observe the miracles of life when they occur. This knowledge is like re-wiring a circuit so it can carry more current. 

Other knowledge adds to my knowing, my sense of life. Just this summer when an 8ft Grizzly was standing over me just 20 ft away growling, I understood the medicine of the Bear. I can describe it to you, but I cannot transmit that knowing through those words. What I can do is transmit that knowing through the way I live my life. In the same way, all the sunsets I have truly seen and allowed to touch me are in my eyes. All the sweet waters that I have bathed in, that I have allowed to caress my body and exercise their buoyancy on me are in my touch.

And so it is, in the process of learning about ourselves, we learn about the world around us. We often tempt the limits of our knowledge. When we enter into that empty space of not knowing, we are filled with the thrill of discovery. The Earth gives us thrills in abundance. We dare not challenge her power, for it is awesome. However, when one throws open the gates to life the secrets often come in out of the cold. Knowledge comes in its own time and of its own accord. Our job is to be willing participants…

…and so we sit by the fire. The smoky smell a sweet perfume in the night air. The Drum carries us into the dreamtime. We make our prayers. We smoke the Sacred Pipe together to seal our intent and honesty into them. We sing the sacred songs to carry them around the planet so all will hear and believe us. We dance in the sacred way, giving ourselves to the rhythm, giving ourselves to the people and the goodness of life. Our feet act out the completeness of our prayers so the spirit of the land will have no doubt about what it is we are requesting… And in this way we walk into the distant lands of our spiritual adventure. There is no way of knowing where it will lead us. It is the beauty of the Mystery of Life.

As we prepare to Dance in Appreciation of Mother Earth and our Journey on September 26th, we thought we would share some of what we’ve learned about the ways of ceremony.

Ceremony enables us to reach into those deep places within the soul. Ceremony is like the construction of a bridge that spans the barriers that we have created in our everyday lives, so we can touch the realms of our soul.

Ceremony is very intentional. When it is constructed with all the essential elements, we can very freely and easily move into the realm of the soul and have awareness in that realm as well as providing a means or a path for the soul to come forth and have expression in our everyday world. As change comes from the soul, from the Spirit interacting within the realm of the soul, ceremony can be very essential in our lives.

Ceremony, as you can see, is a catalyst for change in our world.

Is it any wonder that John Many Voices Armbruster would say, “What you do is no small thing”?

As we prepare for ceremony, let us be intent-ful. Let us individually set our pylons, steel spans, cables, concrete, pavement, and paint the reflective road lines. And when each one’s foundation is set, each of us can cut our ceremonial ribbon so the bridge is open for travel, so we can soar.

Remember, in our community, the Blue Heron people live through you. The peaceful, but fiercely individualistic approach to the spiritual life distinguishes you. I am so grateful for the precious way of ceremony that has been constructed over these many years with our Earthkeeper Blue Heron people.

Let us sing, dance, drum, and pray together with joy, appreciation and kindness. This moment in time is like no other, because what happens today may depend on what we do tomorrow.

Let’s also remember to laugh and not get all holy about it!

Hugs as always, 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…we share because it’s time.

 Time to act, I’ve had enough of this crap.

    …join us as we… 

Dance in Appreciation of Mother Earth

September 26, 2009

Indiana Dunes State Park

Join Us in Celebrating the Gift of Life

and the Beauty of the Earth Around Us…

Grandma Rosie shares, “We dance for the future of the Children”

Grandma Rosie Dancing Flower

Apache Elder, Head Pow Wow Dancer,

Teacher of Traditional Ways of Women and

Elder of the Earthkeeper Dance

Please contact us for a dance flyer and details at youncedjt@verizon.net

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Information on Blue Heron Dancers

In a Sacred Circle,

With a Blue Heron Dancer’s view,

The clarity of vision,

Comes to us anew.

Direction with purpose,

Great Mystery will bring,

Strong Spirit Allies,

To grace our Dance dreams.

The Earthkeeper Family welcomes you to the dance. The vision of the dance speaks of a time of new directions or strengthening of the present path based on personal truth. Sometimes, to find this truth it is necessary to enter a Sacred Dance.

A Sacred Dance is one tool used by those seeking direction in life. Every time anyone seeks truth of a balanced heart, the intuitive process can allow the truth to come forward. Truth is the final destination of any seeker’s path. When the truth is found inside of the Self, there is no need to look further.

All who attend the dance will be able to participate in this by entering the circle.

The purpose of committing to be a Blue Heron Dancer is to proclaim yourself as a seeker in finding a way to contact this state of inner knowing, so truth might be present on the dancer’s spiritual path. The goal of the Blue Heron Dancer is to find that place of inner-serenity thus bringing balance, which honors our Mother, the Earth.

The Blue Heron Dancer commits to participate in a full day of ceremonial rounds starting at 7:00 am and which concludes under the Star Nation at around 10:00 pm.

Please contact us by August 22, 2009 at youncedjt@verizon.net if you are interested in committing to being a Blue Heron dancer and/or for more information regarding the responsibilities and what is needed to participate as a Blue Heron Dancer.

Last week, a friend of mine passed who believed only oblivion awaited him after death. I’m confident he’s experienced a big surprise, just not sure what kind.

As I grow older, only now do I realize how clueless I really am, and that the Great Mystery is indeed just that. Nonetheless, there’s mountains of evidence that the world and it’s inhabitants are on the cusp of a momentous change, greater than anything in recorded history. For the first time, human beings have available to them, the knowledge of all the great wisdom traditions, we can see and hear each other regardless of geography or culture, and evolution has become visible and is in my view, undeniable. Ancient Secrets have been opened and are available to anyone who seeks them.  Even more, some of us are beginning to become free and responsible to consciously participate in our own evolution for the first time in human history.

A new age is dawning, but how it’s going to look, nobody can say. Historical evidence of emerging memes has always shown that the emergence of a new stage of human evolution is wholly unpredictable. Visions of “earth changes”, 2012, and such are always partial perspectives by nature, grasped onto by opportunists and fanatics, and inevitably proven off base. Remember California falling into the Pacific in the 1970s? Or Gregg Braden’s reversal of the earth’s rotation just few years ago?

Now the big theme is 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar. Even if this calendar’s end is a predictor of enormous transformation, it’s only a sign on the road. We’ve been evolving for millions of years and it’s taken every day of every one of those millions of years to reach this day on my calendar. So I just keep breathing and put one foot in front of the other as best I can. And try to pay attention. As I grow older, I think maybe my job as a human being is 90% suiting up and showing up. So that’s my prayer now. I pray I can add some beauty to this world by participating in life. Whatever happens, we’re in for a helluva ride in the coming years.

I pray you and I can celebrate witnessing and participating in the most amazing time ever on earth. Have a look.

Arctic ice is thinning even more rapidly than many of the more pessimistic projections about global warming. We’re on track to continue the decline in summer ice this year. If predicted weather patterns are correct, my home state of Arizona will become hotter and drier than it already is. We are in a decade-long drought. The prognosis is for more heat and less rain.

Here is the latest data: NSIDC.

Who are we? Where are we going? Why are we here? Imagine if more people searched the Mystery of their lives for the answers to these questions. Imagine if more people understood the passion of the Lakota war cry: “It’s a good day to die!” or the feelings of a man like Henry David Thoreau when he said that he would hate to face his death knowing that he had not lived. Imagine if the hearts of more people became like theirs… and the land became mother… and that which they share all things with became the Great Holy Mystery. Imagine…

I was a young man alone on my first vision quest. It was dawn. A strong salty breeze swept across the turquoise sea. It caused Gulf waters to ripple and the waves to swell and break into cool white crystals of foam that carried in the tide. I sat on the shore on my turquoise mat within a circle I had drawn in the bone-white sand. Golden sea oats and tall sea grass swayed near me. They cast shadows around a stone I had placed on the ground. The small stone was about the size of a marble. It had been painted with a sacred red ochre by an Arapaho medicine man. Only he and one other Arapaho man knew where this sacred paint could be found. I knew only that it was a journey which took him deep into the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming.

I can remember the night he returned with the paint and held the small stone with the fingers of one hand while he placed the fingers of his other into a small deerskin pouch, how he moved them around inside until they emerged glistening in dark crimson, how he rolled the small round stone between his fingers, mixing it with the paint until the stone turned red too.

A few days before my first vision quest, I had fallen into my old uncle’s arms and cried, for I’d just been fired from my first teaching position at an Indian high school. My marriage was falling apart. I had lost any sense of purpose and direction. These things conspired to make the long trip from Wyoming to my home in Florida even longer. Crossing such a distance seemed only to give my emotions more time to well up inside of me, so when I finally arrived at Uncle Nip’s, I was a storm ready to release itself. And I did. It was as if all I had worked for in college and whatever semblance of identity I had struggled for was suddenly torn asunder. I was a broken man whose ideals were as scattered as a flock of frightened gulls. I seemed lost and afraid. I felt alone. And I cried in my old uncle’s arms.

“Go for a vision”, Nippawanock said, his wrinkled hands on my shoulders, his starry eyes penetrating my darkness. “It’s time. If you are to walk the path of heart, then it is time…” Take your red stone with you to a place where you can be close to nature… a place where people won’t disturb you. Use your medicine stone as your intercessor. Speak through it to the Mystery. Go from surnrise as long as you can but no more than four days. Don’t eat, and don’t drink. Concentrate on that part of you that is all things. Concentrate on the Mystery. Meditate.

“I did what Uncle Nip advised and headed for the Island-Where-The-Great-Turtles-Nest. For days and nights I sat on my turquoise mat within the circle I had drawn in the sand as I called out into the Mystery for some understanding to my life. I wept for all the things I’d lost and for all those I had loved. Sometimes I shivered in terror at night, at having to face my own fears. Sometimes I lay silent, staring up at the stars. I remember how the sun rose each morning regardless of my state of mind and how the sudden emergence of dolphons made me feel light-headed and happy. I remember how the sun rose hot and lingered long and lasting… how it burned as I faced my own anger. And although I received great insight that time years ago when I was a young man seeking a vision, no vision came to me.

“The vision will come when you are ready” said Unlce Nip. “It will come at that special moment when time transcends reality and the Mystery of life reveals itself to you”. Unexpectedly, that would happen a year or so later on a cold wintry night in Minnesota. I had been teaching Indian children all day in the housing projects where the American Indian Movement school, Heart of the Earth, was located. And at night I had taught Indian adults in the basement of the Minneapolis Public Library. I had done this for days at a time, and living alone, I had no one to insist that I take time enough to eat or even to sleep.

I can remember the circle of elms and the snowy, sloping hills across the street from Powderhorn Park, where I lived. I can still recall standing outside under one of the great elms and gazing up at the glistening stars… how many more there seemed to be that night… how some of them seemed so big and close. So big and close I could touch them if I reached out my hand. Instead, the stars reached out to me, and a Being robed in red appeared before me. His eyes were large and shaped like almonds as black as the stone of Apache tears. He motioned for me to look, and I saw the spirit-breath of my people fading.

Then he motioned again, and I saw a woman as old as the Earth. She spoke about lies and half-truths, about ambiguities and manipulations of words. When I turned away, the Being robed in red held in his hands a book of stars. He pointed to a certain place among them, and then the book of stars became the pipe that I would one day keep and protect with my life. The vision I was given that night under the stars at Powderhorn, a thousand miles from the island where I first cried for one, became the guiding force and anchor of my life.

Whenever I need to know whether or not I am doing the right thing for the People and the land, I recall my vision. If whatever I contemplate on doing is connected to that moment of Vision, then I know it’s the right thing to do. And though time and experience and living in the Wheel has provided me dreams and ceremony, nothing has ever been like the Vision. It has kept me on the path of heart. It is the one thing that I know can never be taken away from me.

As I travel through the autumn of my life, I find myself wondering about things more than I used to. I wonder how we can ever have a planet where people live in peace if people don’t seek out their place in the Mystery. I wonder how we can ever have peace in this world if people no longer feel their connectedness, their oneness with all things living together in the Great Holy Mystery. I wonder if we live in a land that will someday be called A-Place-Without-Vision.

I try to understand how it must feel not to be connected to everything in some magical, mysterious way? What would it be like not to live within the Wheel? What would it be like not to feel that the Earth is our Mother? What would it be like not to recognize that all Earth’s creatures are our relatives?

Is that why people can slaughter dolphins and whales and each other?

Is that why they can destroy forests, poison rivers, and pollute oceans?

Is that why they can dump toxic waste into the land - because they do not regard it as their mother?

Is it like being fragmented and not whole?

Is it an act of rage?

I recall a time when I was young that someone stood among the ferns outside our house and asked me how much Indian I was. He insisted that I couldn’t be a full-blood becasue of the green tint to my brown eyes. He also told me that he had studied Indians a lot in college and had learned that there were hardly any full-bloods left.

For some reason, I told him I was half. My uncle had heard me. When I went inside, old Nip asked me which half of me was Indian and which half of me wasn’t. I felt foolish. Then he told me to close my eyes and ask my heart what I was. My heart never hesitated. I was Indian. That night Uncle Nip handed me a necklace, one I’d seen him working on for several days. Before he placed it around my neck, he told me that the turquoise was Persian and the beads were European. He said that only the deer antlers were from America. A steel wire connected everything.

“Our people don’t come in parts,” Uncle Nip explained. “Either you are an Indian, or you are not.” Then he placed the necklace around my neck. As I studied it, he said, “Dissimilar things wre fitted together to make something beautiful and whole”. How many children who identify as Indians can withstand the daily challenges: How much Indian are you? Why is your skin so light? Why is it so dark? Why is your hair brown? Why is it curly? You can’t be all Indian - your eyes are blue. What’s your tribal number? How many children can withstand such challenges to their identiy without learning the importance of a vision.

Without a vision, they may grow up allowing others to tell them who they are. They may even think that being an Indian is someting defined by a government. But when they have a vision, they know who they are. They know how much Indian they are. I can remember gazing up at he stars the night of my vision. I can remember feeling like I wanted to touch them. I felt so close to them… I felt a part of them.

I remember watching dolphins the time I cried for a vision and how good they made me feel. I felt a part of them. I remember putting the ashes of my Uncle Nip into the Earth and thanking her for sustaining his life. And I felt a part of the land. “In some mysterious and wonderful way you are part of everything, Nephew. And in that same mysterious and wonderful way, everything is a part of you. That is the Great Holy Mystery. It always was and always will be.”

It is with such an awareness that I’ve traveled in the Wheel. Twenty years after I first sought a vision, I sit again near my Florida home on the shore of the Gulf waters, and I wonder. The warm salty breeze blows across my mind, and the sunlight shimmering on the surface of the sea helps reality to transcend… And I can imagine!

Today we remember John Many Voices Armbruster, who five years ago, took off to sing for the Other Side Camp. We miss you my friend.

Hugs All Around, Dave, Tracy and Janisse

I think John would have liked Obama and his vision. I do believe having a President who actually acknowledges global warming and our other challenges is a huge step in the right direction for America.
How about you? Are you hopeful?

There are so many different ways to celebrate the New Year. It is a time of catharsis, of new beginnings, of rejuvenation and new starts. Yet many celebrate this very important time by trying to forget. May auld acquaintance be forgot…

But this can be an exciting time to remember. To remember all the very important parts of your life that you have enjoyed or that you have neglected. It doesn’t matter, because the promise of the New Year is that there are always new opportunities to enjoy even more deeply or to attend to those parts of your life that you have neglected, and in so doing, find resolution and perhaps even emancipation and joy in the process. Remember, when you are drumming and singing and praying that it is always about possibilities and promise. There are 364 days out of the year to worry about the details. Take this night to concentrate on the promise of freshness and newness in every new day and in every new breath..

There is a Cherokee song that we sing in the sweat lodge when things feel very hard. It basically says “the dew is on the grass.” But in saying that it is pointing to the freshness that is important in the spiritual experience. The dew is so delicate, so special, and it usually comes just before dawn in the “wolf tails ” time of the night. It is a cool, fresh, quiet time of the night. The song suggests that our experience of life when we are truly in tune with our Creator is very much like that. New Year’s Eve is a good time to affirm and celebrate this.

 We continue the Earthkeeper Dance 

Dance in Appreciation of Mother Earth    

September 20, 2008

Indiana Dunes State Park

Join Us in Celebrating the Gift of Life

and the Beauty of the Earth Around Us…

Please contact us for a dance flyer and details at youncedjt@verizon.net

Hugs, Tracy

The following information was brought to us by Bear Warrior and is a guideline regarding honoring Elders, Teachers and Ceremonial Leaders in the Native Earth traditions.

The Elders, Ceremonial Leaders and Teachers hold the wisdom of our Ancestors.

They are to be honored and always treated with respect.

1. You are responsible for paying transportation expenses whenever you invite an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher to a gathering, teaching circle, for a healing or for any ceremony.
• This includes airfare, transportation to and from the airport or simply gas for their car, making sure to cover all mileage.
2. You are responsible for providing all the Elder’/Ceremonial Leader’/Teacher’s meals.
• Ask ahead of time, if there are any dietary restrictions, i.e.: sugar, fat, red meats. Find out which are their favorite foods.
3. Always approach an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher with tobacco for teachings, healings, or ceremony.
• Tobacco is not a gift to the elder directly; it is the means by which the Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher makes a connection with the Ancestors to receive instructions. It is a respectful way to recognize Elder’/Ceremonial Leader’/Teacher’s knowledge and spirit connection.
• When you ask for teachings in the traditional way, you never push. You wait until the Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher is ready to teach you. During the wait, the Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher is watching, praying, and listening. The Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher may not get back to you for months, even years. They may never respond, but they are still watching, praying, and listening. It is said that it is traditional to ask respectfully four times (This means with tobacco.) The Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher can then decide if you really are truly interested and will do the work.”
4. Do not disrespect Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher by interrupting while they are talking or working with another.
• If it is necessary for you to talk with them, stand in their field of vision a short distance away until they acknowledge you before you approach them.
• If they do not know you, introduce yourself and state what your purpose is. Then listen carefully to anything they may share with you.
5. Respect their traditions and teachings even if they are different from yours.
6. When transporting Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher be sure to show respect. ·Be considerate, help them by opening their door, assist them into the vehicle if they need help, and make sure they are comfortable.
7. When assisting them with their belongings, ask which ones you may touch.
• Their medicines may be in one of the bags and it is inappropriate for you to touch their medicine without their permission.
• Respect their silence on the way to a destination, and once you get to the destination. They may be tired from their journey or preparing themselves for the event. Please allow them to do so without interruption. If they invite conversation, they will let you know.
8. When housing Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher, respect their need for privacy and rest.
• Give them a room to themselves with a good bed and attend to any needs that they may have, especially food, beverages, and water.
• Introduce them to anyone they do not know.
• Inform them of the location of the bathroom, and where they may smoke or pray if they are smokers or pray with a pipe.
• If they wish to visit with you, they will make that known to you.
• Please do not keep them up all night visiting. Recognize their need for sleep.
9. Do not expect the Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher to do any work other than the ceremony or teachings that have been requested of them. If they wish to help in any way, they will offer.
10. When an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher enters a space, offer them a seat and ask if there is anything that you can get for them.
11. When receiving teachings or healings from an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher, it is customary to recognize the value of what you have received by gifting them accordingly.
• In time, as your understanding of the teachings deepens, it is appropriate to gift them again. In the past when we all lived in villages or closer together, all the Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher needs were taken care of. You need to recognize the gift they bring to you and help them so they may continue to share with everyone.
12. If you have the opportunity to visit an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher in their home all of the same considerations listed above will apply. Additionally, you might consider the following as other ways to support them.
• Working in his/her garden
• Running errands
• Cutting & stacking wood
• Stocking refrigerator and shelves with food
• Care for pets
13. Working with and for an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher is a lesson in humility and respect for each one of us fortunate enough to have that opportunity.
• If an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher is awake, I cannot sleep.
• If an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher is hungry, I cannot eat If an Elder/Ceremonial Leader/Teacher is cold, I cannot be warm.

Thank you Creator for our Elders. Thank you Creator for our Ceremonial Leaders, Thank you Creator for our Teachers. Thank you Bear Warrior for bringing these instructions to us.

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…we share because it is time. May each person come in-sync with Mother Earth so each might find their Ways. ]]> http://theearthkeepers.com/sing/news/instructions-for-honoring-eldersceremonial-leadersteachers.html/feed/ http://theearthkeepers.com/sing/ceremony/tobacco-offering.html http://theearthkeepers.com/sing/ceremony/tobacco-offering.html#comments Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:38:17 +0000 John Armbruster Ceremony Earth Teachings http://theearthkeepers.com/sing/ceremony/tobacco-offering.html Tobacco has been abused in our culture. It is a powerful plant that drinks in the Sun. It has been used as a medicine in different forms.

When it is used in a ceremonial way, it is obvious why it has been used to make offerings and to convey the sincerity of our purpose. It is a very good energy receiver. As we hold the tobacco in our hands, it begins to take on the energy of our prayer. Our prayers combine with the energy of the sun to radiate out into the world. When we leave the tobacco, when we let it out of our hand, the energy departs and is magnified by everything around it. It is a very synergistic (sacred) act.

Tobacco is often left when something is taken such as wood or water. If game is killed or even if a beautiful moment is shared with the land around us.

Used in ceremony, the tobacco offering is made to the fire or to a container at the center of the circle. It allows everyone to become involved in the ceremony by bringing each of them in their own way and in their own turn to the center of the circle.

Nonviolent Communication

• It is said that a new people would come. They would be wise in many ways, but like children in the ways of the Earth. But, it is said, they would be willing and eager to learn just like the curious children of the Mystery that they represent.
• It is said that the keeping of the fire would be passed to them, because they would cherish and understand it in a way that had been lost to many of the people.
• The ways of the fire will change in their hands. It will be different, but it will be strong in a way that it has not been for many many generations.
• The fire will flare up suddenly and then will be understood. The new people will share it with all who come to them with the same respect and curiosity that they came to the fire.

And it will warm the hearts and souls of many.

-John Armbruster

 Peak Oil News: A Sign of the Times

 Here’s what our friend John Armbruster had to say about the February full moon:

This is the moon of great preparation. The first glimpses of productivity coming out of a time of reflection and introspection. 

In this Moon we see the light of the sun having some power. There is revival and hopefulness. Begin the spring celebration. Give thanks for the days of darkness and diminishment for this time of quiet. 

I replied, “I don’t know that I have anything to share right now,”… …and through the silence on the other end of the phone, I knew she was giving me “that look”!!! You all know “that look”…the one that only the Elders can give you… OK…I give…Uncle!!!!

So, I burn sacred herbs, as I share…(let’s see what comes)…:

We need to remember that the essence of a give-away is to identify an object that we are attached to and want very much to keep…but we give it away as a sacrifice or surrender if you will. Remember, our emotional self is often connected to our possessions, and releasing them can heal us, as well as our relationships. I share this so our 2008 give-away blankets, instead of “garage sale” type gifts on them that we no longer need or can use, can be full of gifts from the heart that help us all to heal.

I recalled the new era, called the “New Pachacuti”, which began in 1989 as shared by our Andean teachers. In that year, the Dalai Lama traveled to South America to meet with the Spiritual Leaders of the world. He acknowledged that the center of spiritual power on the Earth was moving from Tibet to the Andes with a shift from the male to female energies so we might come to balance. Mother Earth was moving the energy from Tibet to a mountain in Chile bringing it through every region of the earth for cleansing and adjustment.

When it passed through our Midwest region in 2000, we did a ceremony called the Earthkeeper Dance for Peace, dancing on the back of the “Dragon”, which the earth energy is called as well as “Kundalini Serpent” and “White Serpent”.

Llama Norbu, who had left Tibet with the Dalai Lama, arrived a few years later to dance with us, honoring the ceremonies.

However, the “Dragon” was delayed or held back at the Panama Canal…and many of you remember doing ceremony in 2003 with the Mayans, (earthkeepers did one on the shores of Lake Michigan), so the “Dragon” could cross to it’s final resting place in Chile. In actuality, the Mayan Elders shared recently that they had done the ceremony in 2001 with the “Dragon” crossing in September of 2001. And by “coincidence”, we were dancing our second Earthkeeper Dance for Peace at that time, with John Many Voices listening to Mother Earth to guide us.

It’s very important to note, that there is no time in Spirit, so whenever the prayers are done is the right time. Not one person or one group’s prayers or ceremonies are more important than others. When the “critical mass”, if you will, of prayer is reached, each prayer that has happened and each prayer that will come is essential. It’s like time travel or more a “no time” phase that is foreign to us corporeal beings.

I share all this now because the Elders say that by the middle of 2008, the final ceremonies will be completed to anchor and honor the “Dragon”, in preparation for 2012 and the ushering in of the new energy. Everyone of you who has been called to do ceremony, from offering a prayer as you head out for the day, to participating in a dance…remember, it is no small thing you do. Mother Earth has responded. And I believe the ceremonies will go on and on and on!!!

I observed the secret of Ceremony. Ceremony is often thought to be about the ritual or the skills of the leader. However, ceremony is truly about the light…the light within. Ceremony creates a world of balance, so each person participating can illuminate that which is within them, thus giving them an opportunity to transform and be in joy. And those opportunities arise during and after the ceremony…with folks experiencing their “buttons being pushed” …pushed so those areas in need of change or healing are illuminated…giving each person a chance to “make good”, or “make nice” as our young people say today.

I learned through Drunvalo Melchizedek that the Maori Elders - the Waitaha in New Zealand - shared with the world, one of their sacred prophecies; “a pivotal moment in history will happen in August of 2009 when the heavens will open and our brothers and sisters of the universe will reveal themselves”. And I remember Grandma B sharing long ago, that she does not worry about our future because the star nation will return. (Drunvalo has a new book out called, Serpent of Light.)

I learned it’s important to do ceremony with computers and be mindful of thoughts around them. Computers exist because of crystals. It is the living nature of the crystal/silicon that allows computers to do what they do. The crystals hold the program, and computers are nothing without the use of crystals. Not only do crystals hold programs but they hold thought patterns too. So be mindful of your thoughts around crystals. No wonder the Elders say, “leave handling or working with crystals to those who understand them”.

I revisited that Creator already has placed within us all that we need. If you have forgotten who you are and think it’s someone else or something outside of you, then you have no power to find the solution. If it is someone outside of you who can only change the problem, then you’ll have to wait for some miracle worker to come and change it for you. However, if you see you are the problem, then you can see that you are the solution as well. You have the power to transform.

Finally I am to share that I learned the answer to any question….and the answer to any question is always, LOVE.

OK…I shared what made itself known…now to wait for the next call… Thank you Mother Earth. Thanks for the journey and the chance at peace. Hugs, Tracy ~ Each person is responsible to find the truths they have come to learn on Earth. We share what has come to us. Take what you want…leave the rest…we share as it’s time. May each person come in-sync with Mother Earth so each might find their Ways.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Drunvalo’s book is available through www.spiritofmaat.com

The Poem “The Night Before Christmas” has shaped our perception of Christmas Eve and has immortalized Father Christmas into a legendary and symbolic representation of Christmas that, in many minds has supplanted the image of Christ. 

It is interesting that Christ’s birth came out of the night and was heralded by the mystical powers of the universe, took place during an oppressive time of Roman Government, and emphasized the humility of spiritual birth.

The celebration was moved to the time of the Roman Saturnalia. This was a weeklong celebration of the Winter Solstice and the Sun’s greatest distance from the Earth. The 25th of December is the point of least light. The Christ, bringer of the light, represents the return of the Sun.

For every Christian this time is a time of inner understanding and quiet contemplation of the order of life, the gift of life given by their creator to each and every living thing. In Christ, the divine became human… or was our divinity simply revealed to us…?

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.

(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.

This is not an easy process. It is best to take a full day to work with the children and the adults who are supporting them. Often the children feel that the ceremony is really for the adults and not for them. This is partly right and is not to be denied. The trick then is to establish a positive link between the ceremonial activities and other activities that they enjoy.

Camping, games, and free play are important. A wide range of ages is helpful, because it is like a chain of understanding… each age group relating in some ways to those older and younger than them. 

We have seen positive results with red rover red rover, crafts - key chain making with putting prayers into them and other craft work to bring out creativity. Having the children take over the drums worked. Having a very focused teenage leader was very productive for the children’s talking circle.

The honoring dance is based on a simple fact. The children will be the ones to touch the future, not us. It is their future we are deciding every day. Though it is up to them to make of it what they will, we are leaving them the starting point which will define their world view and influence their decisions for the rest of their lives.

In this way, during the honoring dance, the alter or tree which is the central part of the dance is touched only by the children. The adults touch the alter by touching the children. This can be a very powerful image. A very telling comment on one of the very compelling facts of life. 

It is important to understand that in both cases the power to change always lies in the present. Our lack of awareness of the present will rob us of golden opportunities to absorb the joy and uplifting quality of the world around us. To do this we have to have an open channel to the energy of living all around us. Sorrow, regret, disgust, hurt, jealousy, anger, all sap us of the energy to see, taste, touch, FEEL the moment with all our senses and with all that we sense is us. Worry, dread, hopelessness, and hope can all turn our attention from the blessings we are receiving every moment of the day.

Drumming, singing, dance all help to strip away the dark smoke of our illusion… it is the illusion of being in the past or future. In addition, acceptance of the past will release us from that past. Faith and releasing total control will free us from the future. In the present we can let our energy flow into everything we do or everything we experience. In that way, our essential selves, the part of us that is sincere, exuberant, confident, and committed will produce the future one present moment at a time.

— John Armbruster

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.

At ceremony on Saturday, we were asked, “Why is ceremony so powerful” or as we would rather say, energetic.

Regarding Ceremony

First we must say, no matter how much we discuss and examine the ways of ceremony, it is important to understand that the energy of every ceremony is still in the magical discovery and joyful revelation of the Great Mystery of Life itself.

Having said that, we share that we have come to learn that the energy produced by ceremony, or what folks may call power, comes because of those participating, which includes their songs and the sacred implements used. It is through the participants that the ceremony comes to life and takes on a life force.

We have learned and been taught that it is a mistake to think that ritualistic actions are the energy behind ceremony. On the contrary, the energetic changes due to ritualistic activity are only the underpinnings of Ceremony. What transforms the energy is the consciousness of the participants. Understanding this, helps one understand why John Many Voices said, “Ceremony must serve the people”.

We have come to say, ceremony must serve the participants, because the word “people” has become synonymous with humans, and humans are not the only ones consciously participating in ceremony. Participants include the earth, wind, fire, water, sacred directions, or what we call - All Our Relations, who come…each bringing their prayers. And the synergistic energy resulting from ceremony comes from the blending of all present. Thus the ceremony brings the participants into what John Armbruster called, “a shaft of light” which vitalizes and expands the energetic field of the planet. So participating in ceremony is no small act.

So often we humans do the reverse regarding ceremony, having the participants serve the ceremony or more specifically the ritual. When this happens, the energy dissipates and energy blockages often form. So it’s good to remember that ceremony needs to serve the participants.

We have learned that all ways are sacred…one type of ceremony is not more holy than another type of ceremony, or one way of praying is not more holy than another way of praying, or one sacred object is not more holy than another sacred object. Assigning importance is a human action and ego based. To Creator, all ways and things are holy, whether considered great or small.

Regarding Universal look at Ceremony

We conclude with a universal look at ceremony. Ceremony transcends the individual cultural experience and is a part of a greater planetary and universal mind. To see ceremony only from the viewpoint of a single culture is to look with only our eyes, not our heart. For us as Earthkeepers, it is from the heart that ceremony comes. It is done for the planet. It is done for the participants. It is done as an expression of the power of our personal Creator. We know ceremony as dynamic and ever changing as is the energy of the planet and each individual. The wisdom of any tradition must serve the participants and All our Relations.

Thank you Creator for being so patient with us and loving all equally.

Tanakia, Dave and 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.

As the Spirits prepare the way for the 2007 Earthkeeper Family Ceremonies, our 13th year of doing ceremonies at the Dunes of Lake Michigan, may we come together on April 14th, 2007, in harmony to pray for others.   John Armbruster shared a ceremony that prepares us:  

This ceremony should be treated like a vigil. Take an evening and start at dinner and go until midnight. In that span of time make several rounds of prayers with breaks in between.

Open with a prayer and the making of an altar. Those who are ill, those in need of healing or those who are experiencing difficulty, should have pictures on the altar. The opening prayers should state their problems and a prayer for spiritual help and support should be made. 

Then break for dinner. 

The second round should include a calling song followed by prayers by each person attending for each person on the altar. A closing song ends the round.

Take some time to talk together and be with one another.

The third round should involve the offering of tobacco and burning sage and cedar to “clear the air around the people who are experiencing difficulty.” A pipe filling song and prayer song should be next. Again prayers are made by each person attending for each person on the altar. A single closing prayer should emphasize surrendering the outcome to the higher power, whatever that happens to be for each person in the group.

Take some time to feel yourself release the people you are praying for to the higher power.

The fourth round starts with the  smoking of the Pipe (Chooch). A celebration song is appropriate. This will be the round where each person attending will make a prayer about seeing each person on the altar being better, having a better life and better health. A final song ends the ceremony. 

~ John Many Voices Armbruster

The ceremony is done in preparation for the 2007, Earthkeeper Family Ceremonies in Appreciation of the Ancestors who Ride the Winds that starts April, 21st.

Ceremony:   Healing Prayers Ceremony 

Date:            Saturday, April 14, 2007 

Time:            5:00 pm to 12:00-ish midnight

Place:            Wilson Shelter, an outdoor shelter, Indiana Dunes State Park, north of Chesterton on Hiway 49. We will have a fire in the fireplace.

Bring:    

Thank you John for gifting us all with the ceremonies. 

Hugs,  Dave, Tracy and Janisse ~ Take what you want…leave the rest…we share because we care. 

 “The problems we face will either defeat us or develop us — depending on how we respond to them.”

“Some people confuse “clearing the air” with wanting a pound of someone’s flesh.” 

“The power to change always lies in the present. Drumming, singing, dance all help to strip away the dark smoke of our illusion… it is the illusion of being in the past or future.

“To be an EarthKeeper is a spiritual act. It is a practice which is mastered as part of our everyday lives. It is about the heart, it is about our fears. It is about the limitations we have placed on ourselves and the limitations others have placed on us. It is about finding out about a very important piece of who we are as human beings.” 

“Deeply honor the land, and in so doing, we honor ourselves.”

“Christians talk about love, but they practice judgment.  New Age-ers talk about oneness, but they are the most divisive people I know.  And those who practice Native American ways are – often – like both.” 

Tanakia, Dave 

I once had a teacher who was invited to lead a ceremony on Schnebly Hill in Sedona Az. This canyon is like no place on Earth. Deep in a canyon, the climate is warm and pleasant at night with a little nip in the air. The red  and white sandstone cliffs towered over us but didn’t loom over us. The sky was big there. Because the canyon had a steep uphill grade, the horizon at sunset is very low. The moon rose with a bright white glow preceding it for hours because the east wall of the canyon was the headwall of the canyon. Faces in all the rocks seem to watch over us as we sat and prayed together. We had a nice fire which flickered and cast wonderful shadows all around us. 

As we came to the part of the ceremony that my teacher was to speak a great silence overtook us.  After a while there was some stirring, but he did not speak. After a longer time one could feel the anticipation and  nervousness begin to wane. The crackling of the fire, and the howl of coyotes were the only sounds to break the silence. Some insect sounds here and there. Some movement in the underbrush. But it was the fire that made most of the sound. It was the fire that flickered and danced, its light changing everything around it. It was as if a magician were passing a wand across the world around us and changing it from moment to moment.

Finally, he spoke: “When you sit together, listen to the fire. It is sacred. It is the spirit of the wood, the days of the Sun, the days of the wind, the days of the rain and sleet and hail, it is the sacred Earth brought to us to give us those days back. There is history in those flames. There are stories of the Earth which will not be told again in the same way. The spirit of the tree is giving its body and is leaving the Earth now. Watch the fire, there are people there. Some you know, some are spirits you have never known. They are there to explain things to you. They are the messengers of the spirits of the trees. They must send them to you, because we don’t have the patience to understand the way trees speak, the way they form their words and the gestures they make are too foreign and might frighten you. So they send their messengers. Feel and understand their meaning.”

With this he said nothing else. the Fire Dreaming ceremony is based on this teaching. We come together in a protected quiet area. We create the fire together at sunset in a ceremonial way. The songs we sing call the spirits of the trees to speak to us. We ask for the good feeling and peace of the land to calm us and give us strength to wait for the trees to speak. After that we all wrap ourselves in our shawls, shields, and blankets and sit and watch the fire.

One by one we leave quietly when we feel we have seen enough. The fire is tended, but in such a way as when the fire reaches its peak no more wood is placed on the fire. Many times people stay until the final embers turn to ash. - John Armbruster

We will be keeping the earthkeeper fires going my friend.

Hugs, Dave, Tracy and Janisse ~ Take what you want, leave the rest, we share because we care.

On January 22nd, it will be 3 years, since John moved to the Other-side Camp.  In honor of John Many Voices Armbruster, we put together a slide show with some of our memories… http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=2745911&alb=0    Click on web address, turn on volume, at website click inside black box to start slide show. (forgive some of the pictures for being grainy as they are copies of copies..if anyone has better pictures of John in the earlier days or any days they want to share, please contact us youncedjt@verizon.net)

We thought folks might want to remember John’s Vision of our Earthkeeper’s Dance for Peace:

 ”The Earthkeepers Dance for Peace is an unusual chance for people to create ceremony which can change the world.  It is an opportunity for ordinary people to do extraordinary things by claiming their birthright as keepers of the sacredness of the Earth.  An Earthkeeper Ceremony is an act of sanctifying the land with our prayers, our love, and our gratitude.

It is not a small thing we do.  If we as a people completely lose our spiritual connection to the land, we lose an important aspect of our humanness.  We lose a way of being in this world with one another as a village of humans loving life and loving each other, by loving the divine gift of life on this planet.  This work is supported by the prophesies of Earthkeepers around the world and throughout time.

Even a few keeping this connection alive, are keep it alive for all.  Someday our descendants will look back and say:  “There were some who knew … they took the responsibility for parts of the human experience that most had, unknowingly, turned their backs on … we are thankful to them for their foresight …”

We invite you to join us in this keeping of life, keeping of spirit, in this celebration of mind, heart, and human passion.  Make the joyful noise.  Raise your voice.  Call the spirits of the land to join us as we dance into this mysterious future together.” 
John Armbruster

We miss you my friend…….and we carry-on the Earthkeeper Ceremonies.

As you said…Hugs All Around,

Dave, Tracy and Janisse

As we prepare our celebrations for the New Year, thoughts of John come.  It was a week or so into the New Year in 2004, that I last talked with John. In that last call, he talked about his New Year’s celebration, among other things. So I thought I’d share what John taught about New Year’s Drumming.

There are so many different ways to celebrate the New Year. It is a time of catharsis, of new beginnings, of rejuvenation and new starts. Yet many celebrate this very important time by trying to forget. May auld acquaintance be forgot…

But this can be an exciting time to remember. To remember all the very important parts of your life that you have enjoyed or that you have neglected. It doesn’t matter, because the promise of the New Year is that there are always new opportunities to enjoy even more deeply or to attend to those parts of your life that you have neglected, and in so doing, find resolution and perhaps even emancipation and joy in the process. Remember, when you are drumming and singing and praying that it is always about possibilities and promise. There are 364 days out of the year to worry about the details. Take this night to concentrate on the promise of freshness and newness in every new day and in every new breath..

There is a Cherokee song that we sing in the sweat lodge when things feel very hard. It basically says “the dew is on the grass.” But in saying that it is pointing to the freshness that is important in the spiritual experience. The dew is so delicate, so special, and it usually comes just before dawn in the “wolf tails ” time of the night. It is a cool, fresh, quiet time of the night. The song suggests that our experience of life when we are truly in tune with our Creator is very much like that. New Year’s Eve is a good time to affirm and celebrate this…

We’ll be drumming with you my friend.

Hugs, Tracy ~ take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest…I share because I care.

John Many Voices Armbruster shared these words about the importance of Elders.

The Elder is the Keeper of the wisdom of time.

The Elder holds the power of time in their hands. Even as the Drum marks time, the heartbeat of the Elder brings us together in a prayer for the people, the children and the Village. The Elder leads us into the Circle in the first and final round of our ceremonies.

There is no denying their understanding of us. Their wisdom does not deter us, it opens our eyes to new possibilities. Their steps celebrate the richness of life well spent. ~ John Armbruster

Hugs, Tracy ~ take what you want…find your truths….leave the rest…I share because I care.

The Solstice time is a time of intensity and passion. It is a time of extremes.

The summer solstice is the Midsummer’s Night energy. It is the longest day of the year. Sensuous, even oppressive energy of the Sun. Unrelenting. It is a time when the planet is bursting with power. Overflowing with lifeforce. This is a time for celebration and release.

Many of the Sun dances occur around this time. The power of the Sun being strongest. In lower latitudes they are held earlier.

The Long Dance is good to be held around this time.

One ceremony we have done over the years is a nature’s Spirit Dance, where everyone dresses up as a plant or animal. Strong drumming, passionate songs, and lots of clowning are appropriate.

The Winter Solstice is a time of deep reflection. It is the longest night of the year. It is a time of deep yearning and introspection. It is a good time to become passionate about the choices you are to make in the coming years. Since the Winter Solstice comes so near Christmas (in the Northern Hemisphere) it often gets lost in the big holiday. However, it is important to remember that Christmas was actually placed in the Calendar to coincide with the winter solstice.

Meditation, deep heartfelt songs, burning of the lists is a good ceremony around this time. ~ John Armbruster

Hugs, Tracy ~ take what you want…find your truths….leave the rest…I share because I care.

The feelings and energy which is embodied in an object are magnified and more open for examination when the object is consciously given away. When it is done in public the energy is brought into the community circle. It is a point of vulnerability and innocence, and should be carefully respected and supported.

The give away is traditionally done when an honor or change in life status occurs. It can be part of any ceremony and acts to blend the energy of the person who is doing the give away and the energy of the community surrounding them.

The give away is very different for our culture to understand because it is in reverse to our cultural norms. When someone is getting married, we give them presents. In the give away thinking they give us presents. In a way they do just that. They give a reception. They give gifts to members of the wedding party etc… When someone has a birthday, they receive presents. In the give-away way of thinking they should give presents to all who attend the party. When we are honored, we are given an award. In the give away way of thinking the person receiving the award should do a big give away. Could you imagine what the Oscars Ceremony would look like if that were the social norm?

The give away blanket ceremony is something we use at our encampments.

It is a great way to complete the energy of the encampment. Each person brings an object which means something to them and places it on the blanket. The oldest person at the gathering begins the choosing. The person who placed the object on the blanket then says why it is important to them. Then that person picks something off the blanket. At some point the person who picked first will have his/her object picked. They then have the honor of picking someone to pick next. Often times people bring more than one object or they bring objects for others. In the case of bringing more than one object, when their second object is chosen they have the honor of picking the next person to choose. People who have not brought anything are good candidates at that point. This gets everyone included. Those people usually participate to a greater degree as time goes on.

There is something very powerful that happens at these give-away blankets. So very often, the gift chosen and what it means to the person who put it on the blanket matches the experience of the person who chooses it in a very deep and mysterious way. It sometimes feels like our hands are guided by a larger hand.

–John Armbruster

Duke, Lama Norbu, John Many Voices, Joseph Many Horses

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Duke Joseph Big Feather Schallmo on October 31, 2006. Duke was the Leader of the: Two Feathers Medicine Clan; Intercessor of the All My Relations Sundance - sharing the vision of the Condor and the Eagle; Roadman for the Native American Church of North America of the Cowlitz Indians and the Four Directions Lodge and our Western Hemisphere Affiliates; and a Dog Soldier.

As part of the Earthkeeper family, as well as the Sundance family, we are ever grateful for Duke’s support. We can still hear him entering the Earthkeeper’s Dance Circles saying, “Happy…Happy…Joy…Joy!!!”

It is with great reverence that we share Duke’s photo’s taken at the Earthkeeper Dances.
We have posted photo’s from folks at this website: photoshow.comcast.net/watch/It4pP6ne (Click: watch, full screen, turn on the volume and wait for advert to finish.)

Fly High Duke!

Hugs, Dave, Tracy and Janisse

P.S. - Added INFORMATION:

Raven has posted photo’s as well at photoshow.comcast.net/watch/VF2Bn7as

Also, a Photo Show with focus on Sundance has been posted at www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=116995 . When site comes up - click on left box under All My Relations. When presentation is loaded, click anywhere in black box to start. Make sure your sound is on. I understand Mac users cannot access, so I posted one that does not have the same Sundance music track at photoshow.comcast.net/watch/xz6EU8mn with additional pictures added to this one.

If you’d like to leave thoughts, memories or memorial to Duke, click comments, found above photo, and follow directions. We will forward messages to the family.

Some Southern Ute Lodge Ways, as I understand it:

In Ute tradition, firekeepers are men as fire is male. The Stone People carried into the Lodge are the seeds of wisdom coming in union with the womb and the water which is female. As is the natural order of things for two leggeds, man carries the seed into womb. This keeps the balance.

To become a pourer in the Ute way, one needs to have been a Chooch (Pipe) carrier and attended lodge regularly for at least 7 years or more. If the Elder Medicine person is guided by Spirit that someone is ready to lead ceremony, they call the person to go on the hill. If the Spirits give a vision to pour, then one would apprentice in the Ways of the Lodge for as long as the Elder deems necessary before pouring their first lodge for the people.

Our Ute Elders say, “People who lead or provide ceremonies because they have attended rituals performed by a Ceremonial leader, is like putting a shingle up to practice medicine because you have experienced medical procedures done by a medical doctor. Ceremony is the ‘tip of the iceberg’.”

Some Earthkeeper Lodge Ways, as I understand it:

Hollis Little Creek, a respected Midewiwin from the Marten Clan of the Anishinabeg nation, taught John. John apprenticed for years before pouring his first lodge. John told us the story of how he always got into “hot water” because he was listening to Mother Earth when he was suppose to be listening to Hollis. When it came time for John to pour his first lodge, he told Hollis, “I cannot pour in your traditional way. I can only pour as Mother Earth guides me.” John expected he would not pour lodge. However, Hollis not only had John pour, he honored him by pulling the stones for John. Additionally, he had John awaken Joseph Many Horses’ Chooch in the lodge. Hollis taught him, “So many make the mistake of listening to “Spriit” without having the foundation and knowing the “Spirit”. It has caused many hard lessons on the path. You have the foundation John and hear true.” John commented, “I don’t know why Hollis saw that in me as I caused him such grief with my screwing-up.”

John taught that the tradition of the firekeeper determines who carries the stones and moontime practices. As for the Earthkeeper Lodge tradition, I will share what John did. John was given a vision while on the hill, that he was to offer tobacco to Dave and I to teach us to pour. We turned down the tobacco. However, three months later John said, “I am not one to offer tobacco a second time, but I had a vision to offer it again.” As I had talked with my Ute Elder and gone on the hill and Dave had been having dream visions, we accepted. To pour in the earthkeeper way one must be a Chooch (Pipe) Carrier and listen to Mother Earth. John did teaching lodges with us. We poured for one year under his guidance and when Mother Earth guided John to let us continue pouring, we did.

What is said about non-traditional lodge ways:

The Southern Ute Elders are cautious. Balance for the participants is a major concern as is short-cutting the prayers by short-cutting the training process.

John taught that the sweat lodge is one of the oldest universal ceremonies of the earthkeepers. One must know the teachings but follow your guidance from Mother Earth.

I can only offer, in my small way, my belief…that sweat lodge ceremony is a relationship between the participants and the spirit of the land. The pourer needs a deep-rooted foundation so they can pour in a balanced way thus the participants can make the connection and do their prayerwork in balanced energy. As our prayers in lodge are actually impressed into our body. Our cells radiate our prayers for many days afterward. So balance is paramount.

For as many traditions as we have across our nations, there are that many different paths to becoming a lodge pourer.

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest…I share because I care.

We return to the first teachings, where it all begins in ceremonies as we embark on a new cycle of the Medicine Wheel. As the Medicine Wheel is the circle of lessons that each of us must pass through on our journey, may we honor the lessons learned, so we might see the gifts of growth that each upcoming direction will offer us as we…Step into the Circle.

Smudging

Smudging is a purifying ceremony that occurs at the beginning of most ceremonies.

We use the smudge to take time with each person. It gives them some personal attention and honors their part in the ceremony. More importantly, it is an opportunity for the smudger to transfer his/her meditative state to the participant. (Smudgers should prepare themselves carefully.)

Smudging marks the beginning of the ceremony for the participant. It is a precise beginning and is very satisfying because of that.

It is important to remind the group that they are not being smudged because there is anything wrong with them. It is just that we take on the cares of the everyday world and smudging is done to allow us to release the everyday and honor ourselves by spending some time with the Earth and our Creator. It marks the beginning of our “sacred time”. We make the effort to release outside thoughts and focus ourselves on this very special time of ceremony. ~ John Armbruster

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest. I share because I care.

We dance in balance of those who dwell in the Within…beyond the illusion…home of “All That Is”, purple, seven…and place of inner reflection where the sacred hoop is made whole, and you are shown the medicine that allows you to know your place in the Sacred Hoop.

If you are unable to join us in person, please join us in Spirit.

Date: Saturday, September 30, 2006

Time: 4:00 pm set up circle — 4:30 pm Ceremony begins

Place: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Dunbar Beach near the town of Beverly Shores (see directions below)

Bring:
§ An open heart, happiness, pleasant thoughts, and rattles.
§ Sacred item that represents your within, to be placed on an altar, symbolizing your prayer for this ceremony.
§ Blanket may be needed to sit on in the circle at times and you can bring a chair as well.
§ Chooch (Pipe) carriers may bring their chooch.
§ Dress appropriately for the weather and ceremony.

We will be eating at a local restaurant afterwards for those who might want a bite to eat.

We thank our friend, John Many Voices Armbruster, for teaching us Earthkeeping Ways.

Any questions contact: Dave, Janisse or Tracy - email address: youncedjt@verizon.net

Directions to Dunbar Beach: 1) starting at Interstate 94 and Indiana Highway 49 (Chesterton exit) go north on Highway 49 about 3 miles to US highway 12. 2) The exit to US highway 12 is on the left, turn left onto exit, then bare right onto US highway 12 going east. 3) Travel east on US highway 12 about 5 miles to the stop light at Broadway Street. 4) Turn left (north) onto Broadway and follow road to Lake Michigan. 5) At Lake Michigan, turn left (west) onto West Lake Front Drive and take it to Dunbar Avenue stop sign. 6) Turn left (south) onto Dunbar Ave and start up hill. You will see the parking lot on the right (west). The ceremony will be directly north of Dunbar Ave on the beach at Lake Michigan.

My goodness, has it been 7 years since John lead us down this dance road?

As I walk down the memory “driveway” recalling how the Earthkeepers Dance got started, I thought others might enjoy the tale, so…….

Danceprints in the Driveway

In June, the Year of our Lord, 2000, a rag-tag group of Earthkeepers attended the Illinois Sundance….John Armbruster, Diane Adams, Caroline Eberline, Danielle Ferrette, Patty Freehling, Tritia Hamilton, Kathy Lima, Karen Martin, Mike Milewski, Dusanka Mitchell, Thayne Oppelt, Sondra Riccardi, Larae Smith, Dan Wenglarz, Saffira Windsinger, and Dave, Tracy and Janisse Younce.

While this collection of old friends and new arrivals prayed together, a dream was seeding. Unwittingly, this gathering was witnessing the start of a miracle. While Spirit brought forth songs, a humble drummer boy beat to the rhythm of Mother Earth. His respectful beat merged with the Sundancers feet as they prayed for the People.

As he drummed, bits and pieces of an Anishinabeg Elder’s vision kept working it’s way into his awareness. Visions he would ponder over for the next week. When John Many Voices Armbruster returned with the Younces to La Porte, IN, on June 25th, to his humble sanctuary on wheels, he noticed the sun-bleached van was in stark contrast to the dark pavement of the Younce’s driveway. “Balance”, he thought. “If only we had balance on Mother Earth.”

Then the Vision emerged. In this modest driveway, his fingers started sailing across the laptop. “The Earthkeeper’s Dance for Peace is a remarkable opportunity for people to create ceremony which can change the world,” he started. For a week he kept up this vigil, rarely stopping to eat, drink or sleep.

The Younce’s watched in awe as the flicker of light grew into a Sacred fire. Finally, it happened. On a driveway, in a small Midwestern town, the Earthkeeper’s Dance for Peace was born. At Insights, on July 2, 2000, John unwrapped it’s swaddling clothes, and laid the infant at the feet of his contemporaries, introducing the newborn dance to the caretakers who would help it grow.

Not long after, John got in his van and drove away…..leaving the caretakers wondering (and scratching their heads), how would they help the dance mature enough to be ready for it’s Coming of Age Ceremony in only two and a half months…………and the rest is History.

I can remember the days before John left. He spent hours pacing the driveway, phone glued to his ear, talking to the small group of Ant Clan caretakers, helping them with the task that was ahead. Who was to know the many lessons (darkness) and successes (light) that would ensue as the child grew. But, Ahhhhhhhhh……….isn’t that what Balance is?

Happy, Happy…Joy, Joy!

Hugs, Tracy ~ at peace in the wilderness, but heading back to civilization soon

Date: Saturday, September 9, 2006

Time: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm CST

Place: Indiana Dunes State Park, North of Chesterton, Indiana on Hiway 49, - at Duneside Shelter, (rain or shine) - the shelter is reserved for us

Beforehand: Go within for guidance on what your personal intent will be for this ceremony, and on what sacred items you might bring.

Bring: Your joy, laughter, drums, rattles; items to help set-up circle and altars; personal sacred item (s) to place on Altar(s); a blanket may be needed to sit on in the circle at times and you can bring a chair as well; women may wear a shawl; dress appropriately for the weather and ceremony; we will have a potluck lunch and dinner, please bring food to share for both meals. Don’t forget to bring your own table service. There will be a give a way blanket at the close of the last ceremony so bring a gift to place on the blanket.

Remember, as always, we dedicate our ceremonies to joy and laughter on Mother Earth.

We thank John Many Voices Armbruster for sharing his Earthkeeping Ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest…We share because we care.

Their bodies are conduits for the group mind to think of itself and come into union with the Ainya of the land and the piercing light of the sky… It is hard sometimes… but they fast and drum and sing and dance… and the hardness softens and the veil between the worlds becomes transparent… the wind becomes the sweet kisses of our creator… the Sun becomes the penetrating power of divine Love… the ground quakes and the land begins to speak through the soles of their feet…

They bring this power to the people in the form of Tobacco as an honoring… compassion and good will as the anointing oil, and blessing with the brushing of the fans..

-John Armbruster

Some of the unintentional lessons were:

~ each person has a degree of dysfunction or we wouldn’t be on earth.

~ yin (negative) and yang (positive) are part of life.

~ dysfunction comes when it is enabled by those involved.

~ we think we are being tolerant when we say, “live and let live, or to each his own”. However, it enables the current paradigm, be it functional or dysfunctional.

~ it takes hard work to keep functionality alive…that’s why dysfunction is so prevalent in our world…because it’s the easy way out.

George Soros said, “Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human condition, there is no shame in being dysfunctional, only in failing to learn from it.”

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…leave the rest…I share because I care.

With each beat of the drum we are reminded that…a smile is a prayer. With each note we sing we know… laughter is a divine ritual. And with each step we take we understand… ceremony is about discovering the hidden power of your heart.

John used to say,

“The EarthDance way is a celebration of life. That it manifests in better health, more prosperity, and better relationship between people. It also heightens our awareness, our concentration, and our commitment to our Spiritual Path.”

These used to be just words. But as we continue our family ceremonies, this wisdom has come alive. We know earth ceremony as one of Creator’s masterpieces. It has brought us to an earlier heaven.

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest…I share because I care.

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest…

The Power of the Individual
by John Arbruster

Central to any spiritual practice is the power of the individual to maintain a sense of clarity and integrity in his or her life. One can look at all ceremonial, meditative, and self-help practices as just that… practice. They are training programs to help us find our strengths and expand them. They will reveal our weaknesses so that we can better understand, compensate, and ultimately release them. We can do this with the help of our own discipline, a personal deep spiritual faith, and with a real feeling for the faith of those around us. So it is always advised to look for the power within even as you begin to understand the greater power all around you. You too are part of the Great Mystery. Your spiritual understanding breaks down the first illusion of being human. That illusion revolves around a widespread conviction that we are not divinely inspired in every thought, feeling, and action.

To bring light and harmony into our lives, we first learn to allow it in our lives. Once we choose to see our lives as a divine spark, a miracle of creation, we can begin to allow miracles to happen. We begin to see things in a different way. It is a productive creative way. It is a path of joy and revelation of the power of the spirit of life all around us. This is a power of laughter and good feeling for all those around us.

On the other hand, we can choose to allow fear, jealousy, and a sense of inadequacy to confuse ourselves into thinking that is not true. That is what spiritual practice can help us with. It can begin to clear our minds so that we might feel comfortable with choosing the power of joy. It helps us face with purpose the terrifying confusion of our mortality.

The weather was uncompromising the first few days of this year’s Sundance with heat indexes at 100% and temperatures over the 100-degree mark. The “new bee” was having a tough go at it, because by the third round on the first day, most Sun dancers had sweated out any precious fluids that had been stored in their bodies. As ”new bee” was struggling, the “chicken dancer” appeared up in the branches of the Tree, casually sitting on a chair covered by a blue star quilt. John said, “I do not have to do this anymore”, and proceeded to share how to make it to the fourth day without water or food. John visited until the dance was completed.

Additionally, visions of Mother Earth seem to abound among Sun dancers, visions showing Mother Earth as healthy and glowing with vibrant energy. John came in another’s vision saying,

“Mother Earth is fine…it’s the people who need the ceremonies.”

When Steve completed John’s commitment, he gifted us with the medicine he danced with. A vision signaled the time of the Parting of the Ways Ceremony that John had taught, (see below John’s words on it from his former website).

So Janisse, Dave and I will be heading to Lake Michigan, where John’s ashes were given back to Mother Earth and thank John once again for his teachings. We will honor the vision, “John was telling the Younce family to do the parting of ways ceremony”…(and we thought he was done giving us direction!!!).

Thank you Steve!

Hugs, Tracy – take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest - I share because I care.

Parting of the Ways Ceremony

This ceremony is designed to create a sense of completion and resolution primarily in relationships.

In many cases, the parting of ways refers to the mutual disagreement and dissolution of a partnership. In a teacher/student relationship, the parting of the ways refers to a break in teaching, as the student is ready to stand in their own power. In most cases, the ceremony is done because of physical separation or death.

In this ceremony it is good to go to a stream or lake. It doesn’t matter if those in the relationship are all present. Each person receives a blessing and a smudging. After a calling song, each person speaks of the goodness between him/her and her/him, speaks of what is unresolved and what is complete. Then the Pipe is smoked. After that, tobacco is offered and each offers a prayer for the well being of the other. Objects that represent the relationship of the past are smudged and buried if appropriate.

Then each person does a ritual cleansing in the water, and offers a prayer or song to the Sun in thanksgiving for the gift of life.

Then the leaving song is sung. If those who were involved in the relationship are present, they each leave the place by a different route being careful not to look back.

Like most Earthkeepers, I seem to focus on the feel good experiences, the wonderful ceremonies and fun on the path. However, it’s good to remember that a commitment towards peace includes the lessons that come to help rid us of that which no longer serves us. That’s why balance is Yin and Yang…dark and light. I get it!!!

So when the dis-harmony comes, as it will, instead of sweeping it under the rug, we embrace it as it has come to help us move closer to peace. The tough experiences are part of our commitment. So it is truly no small thing we do, because when we commit to ceremonies and dance on the path of peace, we commit to learning the lessons that come with the path.

The Elders have always taught that the spiritual road is a rocky road. I can hear Grandma’s voice, “Be careful before you commit to it. It will be the hardest and best road you will ever walk but it is not for the faint of heart or fair weather folks.”

I would much prefer that rocky road just be an ice cream flavor!!!!

We are heading out to Sundance…we’ll be back to post in a few weeks.

Hugs, Tracy

Or maybe don’t want to know! I don’t know where John found this list, but many of these “facts” sound absurd. Who knows, maybe they’re all true!  –Mark

1. The venom in a Daddy Longlegs spider is more poisonous than a Black Widow’s or a Brown Recluse, but they cannot bite humans because their jaws won’t open wide enough.

2. A pig’s orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.

3. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

4. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

5. If you toss a penny 10,000 times, it will not be heads 5,000 times, but more like 4950. The heads picture weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom.

6. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

7. Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.

8. Humans and Dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

9. The pop you get when you crack your knuckles is actually a bubble of gas bursting.

10. 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan (Wendy) are the only two Disney cartoon features with both parents who are present and don’t die throughout the movie.

11. The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara falls froze completely solid.

12. There’s no Betty Rubble in Flintstones Chewable Vitamins.

13. It’s impossible to get water out of a rimless tire. 14. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

15. Did you know that you are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider?

16. In Minnesota it is illegal to cross state lines with a duck on your head.

17. In Indiana it is illegal to ride public transportation for at least 30 minutes after eating garlic.

18. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.

19. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

20. Polar bears are left-handed.

21. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.

22. Some lions mate over 50 times a day.

23. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects’ legs in it.

24. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair.

In this ceremony, forgiveness was not treated as something that is good for the person that is being forgiven. Instead, the approach to forgiveness is that carrying around resentment, hurt, or ill feeling is unhealthy. We can improve our health by forgiving and start the process of peace in our lives.

Look at the act or event, which we derived our hurt from as being real. We assume that whatever hurt we have felt is justified. Remember, we don’t have to visit that territory at all. We also do not look at forgiveness as necessarily reducing the distance between two people. Being in a state of forgiveness does not automatically require things being the way they were before. Two people being together may not be appropriate anymore after forgiveness as before.

However, what does change is that we let go of the emotions of judgment, anger, resentment, and fear, which served us when we were freeing ourselves from a situation we had decided, was not healthy or productive. Sometimes those kinds of emotions serve us well in the interim. But once those feelings no longer serve us, we go through the ceremony of forgiveness to begin the process of letting these emotions go.

The ceremony itself begins the process by forgiving the only person involved in the situation who is present at the ceremony - you.

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest. ~ I share because I care.

Just a reminder that the 2006 Tecate Earth Dance in Baja California outside of El Hongo is fast approaching. This event is a multicultural, international ceremony open to all races, tribes and religions, where we hope to offer prayers and healing for Mother Earth and All Creation.

Earth Dance is a public event, open to all who come in a good way. As it is a spritual event, there is no charge for attending and participating. Donations are accepted to help meet the costs of the dance.

This may be the last year of a four year period where the dance will be held at Rancho Los Juntas. We wish to thank Horacio, his family, the ranch staff, and the representatives and residents of El Hongo for their kindness, generosity, and continual support demonstrated over the last four years.

We also wish to thank all of the supporters and donors who have offered so much to this year’s dance preparations in terms of donations of goods, work at the site, prayers throughout the year, organization and other services to date. This year’s Tecate Earth Dance will commence in two weeks. The main dance dates are May 11 - 14, 2006. Camping on site should be open between May 7 and May 18, 2006. Everyone is welcome to come as a supporter, where we arrive to provide support to dedicated dancers who vow to fast and pray for four days and nights. During time of rest between dance, supporters may choose to be involved in a wide range of activities amongst themselves, including teachings, activities for children, sweat lodges, a communal kitchen, the help of healers, etc..

As supporters, people can come to Earth Dance from one afternoon to up to two weeks duration, as their schedules and interests allow. Please go to www.earthdance8.org for complete details, including protocol, what to bring, maps to the dance site, etc. Those who feel called to be dedicated dancers are requested to call the dance leaders (men call Adam Yellow Bird DeArmon in the USA c/o 928-646-3000; women call Laura Espinoza in Mexico at (011-52) 686-566-0083 right away if they have not already done so, in order to have such participation considered, be directed as to preparations, arrival times, and so on. The Mexican Earth Dance Council is still in need of funds to support this year’s dance, and all donations from the heart will be gratefully recieved. If desired, call Laura (above) for more information on this matter. In advance, we thank you for your attendance and/or support at the 2006 Tecate Earth Dance in beautiful Baja California, Mexico.

Go to www.earthdance8.org for more information in English and in Spanish. Feel free to pass this email along to anyone who might be interested in supporting and/or coming to Earth Dance. Thanks to the Creator, the Council of Elders and Ancient Ones, Father Sun and Mother Earth.

Goyo …………………………………………

Los queridos Amigos - Los saludos a usted, su familia y los conocidos, saludos a todo. Apenas un recordatorio que el 2006 Danza de la Madre Tierra de Tecate en Baja California fuera de El Hongo se acerca rápidamente. Este acontecimiento es una ceremonia multicultural e internacional abre a todo compite, los tribus y las religiones, donde esperamos ofrecer las oraciones y curando para la Madre Tierra y Toda Creación. Es un acontecimiento público, abre a todos los que entra una manera buena.

Esto puede ser el último año de un cuatro período de año donde el baile se tendrá en Juntas de Rancho Los. Deseamos dar gracias Horacio, su familia, el personal de hacienda, y los representantes y los residentes de El Hongo para su bondad, para la generosidad, y para apoyo continuo demostrado sobre los últimos cuatro años. Deseamos también dar gracias todos los partidarios y los donantes que han ofrecido tanto a estas preparaciones del baile del año en términos de donativos de bienes, el trabajo en el sitio, las oraciones a través del año, la organización y otros servicios para fechar.

Este Danza de la Madre Tierra de año Tecate comenzará en dos semanas. Las fechas principales del baile son el 11 de mayo - 14, 2006. Acampar en el sitio debe estar abierto entre el 7 de mayo y el 18 de mayo de 2006. Todos es libre de vienen como un partidario, donde llegamos a proporcionar apoyo a bailarines dedicados que prometen a rápido y oran durante cuatro días y las noches. Durante tiempo del descanso entre el baile, los partidarios pueden escoger ser implicados en una gran variedad de actividades entre sí mismos, inclusive enseñanzas, las actividades para niños, sudan los alojamientos, una cocina comunal, la ayuda de curadores, etc..

Cuando un partidario, una persona puede venir al Danza de la Madre Tierra de una tarde hasta dos duración de semanas, como sus horarios y los intereses permiten. Vaya por favor a www.earthdance8.org para detalles completos, inclusive protocolo, lo que traer, los mapas al sitio del baile, etc.

Los que se sienten llamaron a ser dedicado a bailarines son solicitados para llamar los líderes del baile (hombres Le llaman a Adám Pájaro Amarillo DeArmon en EEUU c/o 928-646-3000; mujeres llaman Laura Espinoza en México en (011-52) 686-566-0083 )en seguida si ellos no ya han hecho para tener así, tal participación considerada, sea dirigido en cuanto a las preparaciones, tiempos de llegada, etcétera.

El Concilio Mexicano del Danza de la Madre Tierra es todavía necesitado de fondos para sostener este baile de año, y todos donativos del corazón serán con gratitud recieved. Si deseado, llama Laura (arriba) para más información en este asunto. En el avance, nosotros gracias para su asistencia y/o sostiene en el 2006 danza de la Madre Tierra de Tecate en Baja California, México. Vaya a www.earthdance8.org para más información en inglés y en español. Gracias al Creador, el Concilio de Ancianos y Antiguos, el Padre Sol y Madre Tierra. Goyo

The EarthDance Ceremonies arose out of the People’s need for a way of connecting in a fresh, spontaneous way. hrough the efforts of medicine people, spiritual guides, spiritual councilors, and ceremonial leaders thousands of people around the country have enjoyed these ceremonies for the new people. The ceremonial practice has taken its own course. Many teachers have taught that the Ceremonies come from the people’s needs, and that they are done to honor the participants not for the participants to honor the ceremony. The respect shown to the ceremony is self respect.

But there was another factor involved with the adaptation and development of the ceremonies of the EarthDance Way. This is a bit unique.

The actual energy of the Earth (the planetary aura you might say) is measured before and after the ceremonies using the passive dowsing technique and a Radionics Antennae. The effectiveness of the ceremony is evaluated based on the response of the Earth’s energy. When the response is positive then the ceremony is enhanced and expanded in that direction. When the response is sluggish those parts that seemed to dampen the power of the ceremony are changed. In this way the basic teachings of the Native Peoples and original Earthkeepers are substantiated and modified to work for today’s people and for today’s world..

In a sense, the Earth is the ultimate teacher of the ceremonies, because the form of the ceremonies is a direct result of responding to the Earth’s direction. This is a dynamic process and continues to this day.

In this way, each ceremony works as part of a network of sacred ceremony which strengthens the lifeforce or Feng Shui of the planet. In this, we are working with the Shamans, Priests, Medicine Men, Gurus, Swamis, and Spiritual leaders all around the world to hold a vision of conscious evolution for the planet. Working together in this way, we are part of a greater national Ceremonial Village.

Because of this approach, the EarthDance Way is not theological. It is experiential. It offers good questions and potential beliefs not rules and answers. It is a practice.

It is a way of training the mind, heart and spirit to open to the beauty of the gift of life, the power of the Earth’s healing. It is not exclusive in any way. It is always hoped that a person’s EarthDance Practice will stimulate them to explore other ways of expanding and enhancing their spiritual and emotional evolution.

For the last four years of John’s life, the Blue Heron People of Illiana hosted the Earthkeepers Dance for Peace, which John led as the Ceremonial Leader. It was an undertaking that took a village to make happen, an undertaking that still continues today.

We were part of the group that birthed the Earthkeepers Dance for Peace and we were fortunate enough to guide the monthly ceremonies and lodges that led up to the dance.

In the twelve-year journey with John, many teachings came, each person, experiencing them in their own way. We are grateful to share our learning and experiences periodically as they come. Thank you to Mark for inviting us to do so.

Tanakia, Dave, Tracy, and Janisse Younce

John’s Foresight on Ceremonial Practice by Dave Younce

John Many Voices Armbruster taught that, “Ceremony must serve the people. The wisdom of any tradition must serve the people. It is not for the people to serve the wisdom or the tradition that produced it.”

It was so important to him that he wrote about it in a book. He said, “In order to do that, as an Earthkeeper, it is vital to look at Ceremonial Practice from a universal perspective. It is from the heart that ceremony comes.

It is done for the planet.

It is done for the people

It is done as an expression of the power of our personal Creator.

It is dynamic and ever changing as is the energy of the planet and each individual”

With that as his base, John taught that ceremonies could alter energetic reality. He saw it in four stages.

First Stage
“We are tentative. Our lives function but we are hurt, we are angry, we are happy and enjoy life now and again. We sometimes look for reasons for pain and sometimes we pray.

However, we start noticing that when we participate in ceremony, meditation or prayer, that something changes. It is as if the atmosphere of our lives clears after days of hazy weather. We look around at the world renewed and uplifted. However, old thought patterns, verbal habits and emotional baggage get in the way. The clouds come again and we wait for the next upliftment, like we wait for the weather to change.”

Second Stage

“Our confidence starts building. We are beginning to see that our practice mirrors our life. We internalize the cleansed “atmosphere” of our lives after ceremonies. It is as if the ceremonies are becoming less important and our own processes are becoming important. Often our ceremonial practice is graced with some sense of responsibility. This responsibility is either for a sacred object or a function within the ceremonial practice.”

Third Stage

“Our purpose seems to shift. The internalization of the ceremonial vibrations is part of our lives. However, though the importance of our own processes is still real, the importance of ceremony is even greater. This is because the purpose of the ceremony has changed.

In the first two stages our ceremonial practice was used to move energy. It was used to clear the sludgy vibration of our lives. At the third stage, we are taking full responsibility for creating these vibrations in our lives so we do no NEED the ceremonies, because our ceremonial practice has become a dynamic, synergistic experience that expands our energy and our zest for life. It has become a purpose in it’s own right. Our day to day lives are beginning to be celebrations.”

Fourth Stage

“We are making decisions based on the level of balance we are feeling with people and situations. We now see that as we take more and more responsibility for our choices, we have more opportunities from which to choose.

We live with great purpose. That is not to be misinterpreted as meaning that our purposes need to be great. We can live doing very ordinary things in our lives, but we can do them with clear understanding of their importance as our contribution to the world.

We can balance our energies very quickly. In other words when conditions of life,i.e. pain, can be experienced and transmuted into power fast enough that the individual seemingly never misses a beat.

The spirit calling power is quick and ever present.. It is almost like a person in the shaft of light.. Blockages appear and disappear very quickly as part of the natural synergistic process.”

He would say, “Remember that in reality, all these stages are present in our lives from time to time. It is up to us to choose the level we wish to live at, at any moment. Ceremonial Practice can help us in that choice every day.”

The EarthDance Way is such a path. Because it is not theological or dogmatic, it is a path of personal discovery. It is like a closet full of alternative realities which we can try on. Those that are in accordance with our spiritual mission will fit well. Those that don’t won’t. The decisions about which is which have always been between my creator and me. There have been those who would have it otherwise, but something always swept them out of my life.

My only task has been to not shirk from the adventure. To embrace the uncertain road with certainty. To look into the darkness and sense the goodness coming towards me.

In this adventure knowledge is gained. Some of the knowledge helps me create beliefs that allow me to observe the miracles of life when they occur. This knowledge is like re-wiring a circuit so it can carry more current.

Other knowledge adds to my knowing, my sense of life. Just this summer when an 8ft Grizzly was standing over me just 20 ft away growling, I understood the medicine of the Bear. I can describe it to you, but I cannot transmit that knowing through those words. What I can do is transmit that knowing through the way I live my life. In the same way, all the sunsets I have truly seen and allowed to touch me are in my eyes. All the sweet waters that I have bathed in, that I have allowed to caress my body and exercise their buoyancy on me are in my touch.

And so it is, in the process of learning about ourselves, we learn about the world around us. We often tempt the limits of our knowledge. When we enter into that empty space of not knowing, we are filled with the thrill of discovery. The Earth gives us thrills in abundance. We dare not challenge her power, for it is awesome. However, when one throws open the gates to life the secrets often come in out of the cold. Knowledge comes in its own time and of its own accord. Our job is to be willing participants…

…and so we sit by the fire. The smoky smell a sweet perfume in the night air. The Drum carries us into the dreamtime. We make our prayers. We smoke the Sacred Pipe together to seal our intent and honesty into them. We sing the sacred songs to carry them around the planet so all will hear and believe us. We dance in the sacred way, giving ourselves to the rhythm, giving ourselves to the people and the goodness of life. Our feet act out the completeness of our prayers so the spirit of the land will have no doubt about what it is we are requesting… And in this way we walk into the distant lands of our spiritual adventure. There is no way of knowing where it will lead us. It is the beauty of the Mystery of Life.

Those ideas, beliefs, and attitudes which serve us have definite energetic signatures. Those that don’t serve us have a different signature. By defining those attitudes and ideas that don’t work we can begin to vision and rethink the world in a way that is in alignment with your inner truth.

Inner Truth

The fundamental principle here is that when we are aligned with our inner truth our lives function more efficiently, with maximum joy and purpose. From a karmic point of view, the more we are in alignment with our inner truth the more we fill our birth agreement to clear our karmic path.

Auric Readings help us to find that inner or fundamental truth of our lives. At every reading, certain exercises are prescribed which will help retrain the mind and heart so that they are good tools in the soul’s pursuit of its life path.

There are many different kinds of Auric Readings:

• Life Path Reading- basic reading concerning 2 or 3 decision
• The Visioning Reading- rediscovering essential life dreams and goals
• The Affirmation Reading- developing affirmations which truly match your inner truths The Soul Retrieval- deep work with rejected parts of yourself
• Meditation Readings- fine tuning your meditation techniques
• Forgiveness/Grief Readings- working with hidden denial and resentment Readings generally last 1-1.5 hrs.

However, for many indigenous peoples, the Four Directions had symbolic meaning, ritualistic importance, and ultimately Ceremonial Power.

To acquire the power of the Four Directions it is said the Hopi traveled from their emergence point (Sipapu) to the Four Directions of the continent so that they could find the center of their world. It is said that they brought parts of each of the directions to that center and hence live in the power of life in a very strong way because of that. It is interesting that Black Mesa where the Hopi live is a core part of the North American continent. It has roots deep into the Earth’s mantle and is rotating independently of the rest of the continent. They may have truly found the “back of the turtle” of “Turtle Island” (North America).

Many people ask about the significance of the Four Powers or Four Directions. Many have written about the colors and animals associated with the directions.

However, to assign one set of meanings to the directions is to have a very narrow view of the world, much like the man who says that there is only one path to God, or the farmer who only wants one kind of crop in his field. It is dangerous. It is self defeating.

Because the planet is so different in its many aspects, so the powers are different in their aspects. In North Dakota the North represents cold, snow , long nights, and the white of blinding snow. In Florida, it might represent the great winds, shifting sand, relief from small biting insects… etc etc… So it is wise to consider the powers of the directions as they relate to the place that you are located.

However there are some universal characteristics which can be associated with the Sun. But even North and South characteristics are reversed in the southern hemisphere.

East- This is the place where the Sun rises. It is the power of beginnings and innocence. It is the place of intention and focus. Beginning, Childhood and Innocence, Spring… (more)

West- This is the place where the Sun sets. It is the place of endings. It the place where we look to see the memories of things. It is about letting go and moving on. It is in this place that we go into the dark of the night and find the wisdom which have in our inner being. Completion, Maturity and Humility, Autumn… (more)

South- This is the place where the Sun lives. In winter the Sun comes up more and more to the South and lies closer to the Southern horizon at noon each day until the winter Solstice. This is the place of vitality, the place where the lifeforce of the planet resides. This is the place of action, of doing. work, goals, passion. This is the place of desire. Growing, Youth and Impulsiveness, Summer…(more)

North- This is the place where the Sun moves towards but never really completely reaches. It is the place of night, of mystery, of hidden wisdom. It is the place of the Great Mystery. It is about stillness, and listening for the inner wisdom that comes from the experience of the other three directions. It is the place of the elders and the ancestors. Understanding, Old Age and Patience, Winter… (more)

The Sunwise or Clockwise direction (clocks run the way they do because the shadows on the sundials ran that way) is the direction of creation or advancing. The counterclockwise direction is for healing, undoing, or traveling back to a new beginning. (going back in time so to speak.)

The Medicine Wheel Ceremonies call the Four Powers and connect them for a time so that people can send their prayers to all parts of the creative process in their lives and to all parts of the world and to all parts of time.

The naming ceremony is a quest. At each turn, it has two parts. There is the requesting and giving of the name. There is the accepting of the name. You may ask several very sincere people to give you your name. Each will see you in a different way. Each will speak the name that matches that seeing. Each name given will carry some truth.

But it is up to you to accept that truth as being your own. It is up to you to own and understand that part of you which the name points to. It is up to you to pick the name given which points to the very core of yourself, the very part that is essential in every thing that you do.

The ceremony begins with the giving of tobacco and sometimes a gift to the name giver. It is good to smoke the pipe together, to speak of your life and your vision.

The name giver can give the tobacco and gift back, by leaving it where you placed it. If so he/she will not give you a name. You will need to go to someone else. There is no stigma to this, and in fact it is a very honest thing to do.

If the name giver takes the tobacco then you should wait for three days before expecting a name. It may take longer, sometimes much longer, before the name comes. Be patient. It will come in time.

Once the name comes and you accept it, it is good to take a sweat lodge and cleanse yourself of the old name. Praise it for what it has done for you, say what it is you would like to leave behind with it. Pray hard, sweat hard, feel the change in your body. It is good to change styles of dressing, wearing your hair, places you live, even places you frequent. This will help you be seen in a different way by people. It will help the old skin fall away.

After the sweat it is good to have a feast and a give-away. This is a nice time to pass on things that belonged to “the other person” as a remembrance of the goodness that was your other life. It also makes the break with the past more precise, more loving, and more to the point.

First they create an emotional togetherness. As we drum and rattle together we begin to feel in a real way that we are all there together. It is good to drum early in the ceremony until the drumming becomes second nature. At first it seems to go a little too long. then people begin to shrug it off and start getting into it. Then they start feeling those feelings that are associated with early alpha state.

Secondly the rhythm and the tones and overtones of the drums induces changes in the brain which create the sense of peace and openness that allows people to come together and to speak from their heart.

So it is that when we take on the responsibility of the drum we need to be in relationship with it. That is why we state our intention and work with the energy around the drum. We blend our prayers with the quality of the drum so that when we drum our prayers echo out into the world.

Drum awakenings depend on whether we do the awakening when the drum is being made or after it is made and it is about to be given, or received.

It is easy in the short term, but it is a path of our soul’s undoing. As Jesse Winchester said: “It takes patience to walk and spirit to run, it doesn’t take any thing to pity yourself, its just dangerous fun.”

If we believe that the natural and vibrant state of the Earth has healing power for us, we need to reach out for it. As keepers of the vision, it is for us to make this reaching a real and consistent thing in our lives. It is important to remember that our ceremonial practice helps keep alive humanity’s connection to the power of the Earth. Our practice literally radiates healing out to the entire world. It is out of the practice that all other possibilities flow naturally and without effort. Who are we to talk about the spiritual power of the Earth, if we have not made it a real and consistent thing in our lives?

Obviously the way to do it is to continue honoring our own lives, each other, and the planet we live on. John and I spent a lot of time working on internet projects dating back to the early days of the internet gold rush. So I thought it appropriate to have something here in cyberspace as well. OK, the blogosphere anyway.

I invite those who remember John to subscribe to this blog and add your memories, what you learned and shared with John, our friend. Over time, I will add some of his writings that I still have as well. If you have anything interesting to announce or discuss, either social, political, ecological or spiritual, please do.

Happy Trails,

Mark Schultz