On June 25, 1876, a thug commissioned in the U.S. Army and 200-some goons under his command attacked yet another peaceful Indn camp - but this time, instead of slaughtering The People, these hired goons got what they deserved. Today, we ITI commemorate this as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. White people commemorate this as the Battle of the Little Bighorn or Custer's Last Stand. We won the battle, but because our ITI cultures were not oriented to annihilation and the Euro-'American' culture was, we didn't win the war.
The war isn't over, however. It's still going on.
There is a myth promoted in the majority culture that we ITI are "conquered". There used to be a myth-conception that we ITI were going to become extinct. We've pretty well gotten rid of that one. Not entirely - but almost. We're working on it.
But so long as we ITI - Indigenous Turtle Islanders - refuse to be 'acculturated' and/or 'assimilated' - which would be a giant step down and backward from our Traditional Ways - the war will continue.
So long as we ITI have to continue to sue to get our Treatys both recognized and adhered to by the U.S. government - which never intended to adhere to them initially, according to the official historic record - the war will continue.
Supreme Court Justices have written of their distress at the raw deal we have gotten from the U.S. government. It has made a dent in the wall of abuse handed out to us by officialdumb. In a few spots, we have made pinholes.
But so long as we ITI have to 'justify' our desire for such things as eagle feathers, which are central to our spiritual practices, to officials of the U.S. government while no other group has to justify anything to any officials of the U.S. government, we are not "full" citizens of the U.S. despite the words of the Snyder Act of 1924. So long as we have to guard our sweat lodges against destruction by racists, particularly when we have them off of our Reservations, which are 'countries', and so on a par with the U.S., the war continues.
So long as we are forced to welfare-as-lifestyle, particularly in those states with a large Indn population, the "Custer Effect" is still in effect, and the war continues.
So long as officials in any part of government - at any level, not just federal - try to keep us from accessing our full Constitutional Rights, the war continues.
And eventually, we will win it. It does strike this Indn as sad, though, that in the Age of Enlightenment, with so much accurate information available at the touch of a button, some humans - supposedly the only animals that think - continue to resist the fact that we are human beings with equal rights throughout this land - which is technically still ours, since the Treatys were broken first in every one of the 389 cases we know as Treatys by the U.S. government.
Tomorrow the whites of this country will celebrate "Independence" Day. The reality is, however, that so long as any part of the majority culture tries to subjugate another, so long as the U.S. government tries to restrict Indigenous Peoples' religious / spirituality - Freedoms guaranteed to us all by the Constitution and Bill of Rights (not of priviledges) - people here are not independent of anything except a form of government.
Bigots are prisoners of their dedication to ignorance and all that attends it. And that continues the Indian Wars. To me and many other Traditionals - it's just a day with pretty fireworks displays at night. We had independence; the majority culture which so busily celebrates its illusions is the one that doesn't really believe in them, yet, and so doesn't have them or want anyone else to have them, either.
I shall continue to pray for their enlightenment, and ask you to do so, too.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Everything Has Limits
Hanh mitakuyapi.
I was reading a back issue of National Geographic this morning as I ate breakfast and there were several articles on decimation of species, both land and sea.
It occurs to me that the tone of National Geographic's articles has changed in the past roughly 10 years, from reporting on how marvelous various places and/or species are to how endangered. Have you noticed this, or are you just a passive watcher, but not a wonderer?
There are only 3 kinds of people, after all.. those who watch what happens, those who make things happen, and those who wonder "what happened?!?!". With luck, I'm generally in the first 2 categories, and I strive to stay out of the 3rd one. Still, when I find myself in that 3rd category, I use failure analysis to try to determine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and with luck, how I can prevent recurrences in the future. I learned it long ago from an article on a major glass maker; I figure if it was good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for me.
Throughout history, and until recently, everything I've read about the oceans and the "New" world (i.e., Turtle Island, my Peoples' home) stated how "limitless" they are. The prairies, the buffalo, the passenger pigeons, the virgin forests, the fish, the water, the air, the sky. What a gigantic lie!
Just as there ain't no free ride, there ain't no such thing as "limitless", at least within the bubble we live in - the biosphere surrounding and including our Holy Mother the Earth. And if you notice, every entity I listed above as considered "limitless" is now either extinct or in danger of extinction.
The only tall grass prairie left is the Flint Hills in Kansas. The buffalo have been brought back from near extinction - there were fewer than 500 left when someone decided to save them.. The passenger pigeon is gone. Saving virgin forests from loggers is a constant battle, and there aren't many patches of them left - certainly nothing like the thousands of square miles that were here when the enviornmental rapists began invading from Europe. Fish? Over 90% of the oceans' fish stocks are gone due to over-fishing. Over-fishing, of course, is due to 2 things - gross human over-population and waste of caught species not intended to be caught. Water pollution is an ongoing battle; and recently there was a spate of articles on contaminants found in every water sample tested, from every part of the land. Air pollution is rampant - witnessed by smog, often called 'the price of progress' by enviro-rapists.. If that's progress, I'll take regress gladly, although the fact is, much 'progress' can be had without pollution - it is simple greed that makes the enviro-rapists fight so hard against doing things in a responsible fashion, and showing respect for our Holy Mother the earth and our place in the web of life. But then, such people don't respect anything - including themselves - thus they fight having to show that they don't know what respect is, and that they don't know how to show it.. As for the skies - satellites, airplanes, rockets crowd the skies. It's nearly impossible to go anywhere on earth - no matter how isolated, and not see one of more of them, or evidence thereof..
Once again, we has met the enemy, and he is us, takoszja. Humans. Not the "mightiest" species on earth save in one way - the potential to cause utter devastation by means of irresponsible treatment of the many resources available to us from Her bounty. Humans made the problem, other humans can turn the mess around - provided enough of us 'other' humans get busy and act.. The time is now. Actually, it was decades ago. Catch-up is never a fun game. Pity we 'other' humans have allowed this mess to develop.. My prayer is that it's not too late. The spiritual responsibility for the devastation that has occurred rides in varying degree on every one who has treated the biosphere with disrespect.
So what have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
I was reading a back issue of National Geographic this morning as I ate breakfast and there were several articles on decimation of species, both land and sea.
It occurs to me that the tone of National Geographic's articles has changed in the past roughly 10 years, from reporting on how marvelous various places and/or species are to how endangered. Have you noticed this, or are you just a passive watcher, but not a wonderer?
There are only 3 kinds of people, after all.. those who watch what happens, those who make things happen, and those who wonder "what happened?!?!". With luck, I'm generally in the first 2 categories, and I strive to stay out of the 3rd one. Still, when I find myself in that 3rd category, I use failure analysis to try to determine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and with luck, how I can prevent recurrences in the future. I learned it long ago from an article on a major glass maker; I figure if it was good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for me.
Throughout history, and until recently, everything I've read about the oceans and the "New" world (i.e., Turtle Island, my Peoples' home) stated how "limitless" they are. The prairies, the buffalo, the passenger pigeons, the virgin forests, the fish, the water, the air, the sky. What a gigantic lie!
Just as there ain't no free ride, there ain't no such thing as "limitless", at least within the bubble we live in - the biosphere surrounding and including our Holy Mother the Earth. And if you notice, every entity I listed above as considered "limitless" is now either extinct or in danger of extinction.
The only tall grass prairie left is the Flint Hills in Kansas. The buffalo have been brought back from near extinction - there were fewer than 500 left when someone decided to save them.. The passenger pigeon is gone. Saving virgin forests from loggers is a constant battle, and there aren't many patches of them left - certainly nothing like the thousands of square miles that were here when the enviornmental rapists began invading from Europe. Fish? Over 90% of the oceans' fish stocks are gone due to over-fishing. Over-fishing, of course, is due to 2 things - gross human over-population and waste of caught species not intended to be caught. Water pollution is an ongoing battle; and recently there was a spate of articles on contaminants found in every water sample tested, from every part of the land. Air pollution is rampant - witnessed by smog, often called 'the price of progress' by enviro-rapists.. If that's progress, I'll take regress gladly, although the fact is, much 'progress' can be had without pollution - it is simple greed that makes the enviro-rapists fight so hard against doing things in a responsible fashion, and showing respect for our Holy Mother the earth and our place in the web of life. But then, such people don't respect anything - including themselves - thus they fight having to show that they don't know what respect is, and that they don't know how to show it.. As for the skies - satellites, airplanes, rockets crowd the skies. It's nearly impossible to go anywhere on earth - no matter how isolated, and not see one of more of them, or evidence thereof..
Once again, we has met the enemy, and he is us, takoszja. Humans. Not the "mightiest" species on earth save in one way - the potential to cause utter devastation by means of irresponsible treatment of the many resources available to us from Her bounty. Humans made the problem, other humans can turn the mess around - provided enough of us 'other' humans get busy and act.. The time is now. Actually, it was decades ago. Catch-up is never a fun game. Pity we 'other' humans have allowed this mess to develop.. My prayer is that it's not too late. The spiritual responsibility for the devastation that has occurred rides in varying degree on every one who has treated the biosphere with disrespect.
So what have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
On Motivation
Hanh mitakuyapi. Motivation is an interesting thing. It comes from attitude, some sage has said, and is "everything" when it comes to whatever results one produces. I'm not entirely sure this is always true. Motivation comes from many sources, in my mind; some of them downright funny.
I was out at my initipi - sweat lodge - recently, working in the river it sits next to. I was wearing chest-high neoprene waders I had borrowed from a friend, as I thought the water would be too cold to wade in this time of year. Since I had had fibromyalgia since before the condition had a name, I avoid becoming cold and wet whenever possible, as I 'rust' and stiffen like the tin woodsman if I don't.
The day was alternately darkly cloudy - sometimes spitting rain - and partly cloudy - partly sunny. Beautiful day no matter, with scudding clouds, light breeze, and warm temperatures.
Anyway, when I waded into the river to plant sweet grass (wah-CHAHNH-gha) along the banks, I found that the muck close to the bank was half-way to my knees, making movement difficult; and that the water was actually quite warm. It felt like bath water, in fact.
Since my friend's waders have size 12 boots and they came up under my armpits, I decided not to wriggle my way back out of them, and just go on. Besides, the muck would ruin the only shoes I had with me, and I didn't want to do that, either. I looked pretty cute, you can be sure. So? I don't care.. I was there to do holy work, not be in a fashion show.
I shplucked my way slowly along the bank, the muck suuucking on the boots and trying to pull them off my feet with every step, making holes & inserting plugs of sweet grass,, then scooping water up and mudding the plugs in. Sweet grass is a marsh plant and loves being wet. It should be ecstatically happy where I put it. That's my hope and prayer..
Suddenly, the light dimmed enough suddenly enough to make me look up. Dark charcoal grey clouds were racing in from the northwest. Then the breeze picked up considerably. It was going to rain again, and it didn't look like it would just be mist this time.
Since the lodge site's entry road is difficult to get up or down in dry times, I didn't really want to get stuck there should we have a gully-washer rain. The Plains is notorious for gully-washers, and I would be camping there for a day or two if I got stuck. It wouldn't be a big problem, but it would inconvenient. I thought I would put in another plug of sweet grass and then head to the pickup, get out of the waders, and leave. Apparently the Spirits had another idea.
Suddenly less than a minute later, there was an earth-shaking CRACK! of thunder behind me on the ridge above the river! Thunder comes from lightning. Any water attracts lightning, certainly a river does.. And the charge travels up and down the river some distance from the strike, if the lightning hits the water. Neoprene waders or not, the Spirits were telling me I needed to leave the river "Right now!" This last thought occurred to me in a flash as I hauled myself up the bank and my size 12 boots out of the muck at a speed admirable in athletes, which I no longer am. (Most of the time, I walk with a pronounced limp from a number of old injuries.) Muck or no muck, oversize boots or no, I literally leaped up out of the river like SuperWoman and landed on the bank, scrambling for higher ground. Truly a video camera moment, and of course, no camera.
(a) There's never a video camera handy when these sights occur, and (b) cameras are not allowed at holy sights such as sweat lodges. Yes, takoszja, it is about 'capturing the spirit of the moment'. Thus no cameras are allowed to be used.
I clomped to the pickup, where the dog was at the end of his cable, panting to get back in the truck, and put him in. Then I did a really fancy wriggling dance to get out of the waders and put them away while jamming on shoes. Through all of this, the drumming of thunder, rising in intensity, but no rain. Insistent, the spirits are, sometimes..
I started the pickup and trundled up the access road out of the valley and as I got to the top of the hill, lightning began to dance along the ridges on both sides of the river. The cell phone can see a tower from up there, so I called my friend who lives further up the road & told her where I was and that I was going to wait out the rain and the lightning before coming by for a visit, since there are gates to open and close, and lightning likes to run along fence wire almost as much as it likes to play in water. She thought that was a super idea.
Forty-five minutes or so later, the rain, lightning, and thunder had passed by. I had some beautiful pictures of the greening ridges around the river. The lightnings did not come to shake my hand at any time. And the sweet grass was well mudded-in - a good omen, even if my leaving the river lacked grace and dignity.
I was out at my initipi - sweat lodge - recently, working in the river it sits next to. I was wearing chest-high neoprene waders I had borrowed from a friend, as I thought the water would be too cold to wade in this time of year. Since I had had fibromyalgia since before the condition had a name, I avoid becoming cold and wet whenever possible, as I 'rust' and stiffen like the tin woodsman if I don't.
The day was alternately darkly cloudy - sometimes spitting rain - and partly cloudy - partly sunny. Beautiful day no matter, with scudding clouds, light breeze, and warm temperatures.
Anyway, when I waded into the river to plant sweet grass (wah-CHAHNH-gha) along the banks, I found that the muck close to the bank was half-way to my knees, making movement difficult; and that the water was actually quite warm. It felt like bath water, in fact.
Since my friend's waders have size 12 boots and they came up under my armpits, I decided not to wriggle my way back out of them, and just go on. Besides, the muck would ruin the only shoes I had with me, and I didn't want to do that, either. I looked pretty cute, you can be sure. So? I don't care.. I was there to do holy work, not be in a fashion show.
I shplucked my way slowly along the bank, the muck suuucking on the boots and trying to pull them off my feet with every step, making holes & inserting plugs of sweet grass,, then scooping water up and mudding the plugs in. Sweet grass is a marsh plant and loves being wet. It should be ecstatically happy where I put it. That's my hope and prayer..
Suddenly, the light dimmed enough suddenly enough to make me look up. Dark charcoal grey clouds were racing in from the northwest. Then the breeze picked up considerably. It was going to rain again, and it didn't look like it would just be mist this time.
Since the lodge site's entry road is difficult to get up or down in dry times, I didn't really want to get stuck there should we have a gully-washer rain. The Plains is notorious for gully-washers, and I would be camping there for a day or two if I got stuck. It wouldn't be a big problem, but it would inconvenient. I thought I would put in another plug of sweet grass and then head to the pickup, get out of the waders, and leave. Apparently the Spirits had another idea.
Suddenly less than a minute later, there was an earth-shaking CRACK! of thunder behind me on the ridge above the river! Thunder comes from lightning. Any water attracts lightning, certainly a river does.. And the charge travels up and down the river some distance from the strike, if the lightning hits the water. Neoprene waders or not, the Spirits were telling me I needed to leave the river "Right now!" This last thought occurred to me in a flash as I hauled myself up the bank and my size 12 boots out of the muck at a speed admirable in athletes, which I no longer am. (Most of the time, I walk with a pronounced limp from a number of old injuries.) Muck or no muck, oversize boots or no, I literally leaped up out of the river like SuperWoman and landed on the bank, scrambling for higher ground. Truly a video camera moment, and of course, no camera.
(a) There's never a video camera handy when these sights occur, and (b) cameras are not allowed at holy sights such as sweat lodges. Yes, takoszja, it is about 'capturing the spirit of the moment'. Thus no cameras are allowed to be used.
I clomped to the pickup, where the dog was at the end of his cable, panting to get back in the truck, and put him in. Then I did a really fancy wriggling dance to get out of the waders and put them away while jamming on shoes. Through all of this, the drumming of thunder, rising in intensity, but no rain. Insistent, the spirits are, sometimes..
I started the pickup and trundled up the access road out of the valley and as I got to the top of the hill, lightning began to dance along the ridges on both sides of the river. The cell phone can see a tower from up there, so I called my friend who lives further up the road & told her where I was and that I was going to wait out the rain and the lightning before coming by for a visit, since there are gates to open and close, and lightning likes to run along fence wire almost as much as it likes to play in water. She thought that was a super idea.
Forty-five minutes or so later, the rain, lightning, and thunder had passed by. I had some beautiful pictures of the greening ridges around the river. The lightnings did not come to shake my hand at any time. And the sweet grass was well mudded-in - a good omen, even if my leaving the river lacked grace and dignity.
Friday, May 30, 2008
China, Quakes, Population Problem
Hanh mitakuyapi. We've been reading about the death count after the earthquakes in China since May 12, and the number appears pretty hefty.
To those who have lost loved ones, the immediate impact and loss are tragedies, of course.
But in the face of human over-population of our Holy Mother the Earth - most of it in China - is 68,000 really all that many? I can hear the flack already from the "humans are sacred" camp, but the answer really is, "No. It's such a tiny drop in the bucket, that compared to the burden humans have become on the earth, it is negligible. Let's run the numbers and get a new - more realistic - perspective.
The current estimate of human population on our Holy Mother the Earth is 6 billion 500 million. That's 6,500,000,000. The death count in China is about 68,000. If you divide 68,000 by 6,500,000,000 - breaking it down in easy steps - you get 68 / 6,500,000; or about 1/ 1,000,000. If you want to express this number as a percentage, it is 1/10,000 of 1 %, or 0.0001 %.
In terms anyone can relate to, if you have 1,000,000 $1 bills in a room and you lose one of them, can you tell at a glance? No. Is there 'noticeably' more air, water, food, or space in the room? No.
Our Holy Mother the Earth is our "room". We humans all share her bounty for our entire lives. We ITI refer to the earth as our Mother because She provides us with every physical thing we need to survive during our lives. The passing of 68,000 humans from this life is not a tragedy for them. They have no cares now.
Unfortunately, the loss of 0.0001% of the current human population is not a real big stress-reliever relative to the needs of the rest of us who share the room on this planet - the Standing Nation (plants; rain forest, for example); the water people (fish, many species in danger of extinction from over-fishing to feed humans); the four-leggeds (too many to mention, especially those in danger of extinction due to human over-population); and concerning all.. global warming, which is caused by human activities - and there are too many humans. The ongoing mass die-offs of bees is a warning sign no one should ignore - most of our food crops require bees to pollinate them or we get no crops!
The most responsible thing humans can do these days is not reproduce themselves. We should be rewarding women who refuse to have babies and men who refuse to sire them. This doesn't mean living without bed-sports; it means dedicated use of contraceptives, including tying tubes and vasectomies. It also means ceasing to caterwaul about human deaths as 'tragedies' when in reality, they contribute to saving the rest of the world from mass extinctions. Every 'drop' counts, in this bucket..
So - what have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
To those who have lost loved ones, the immediate impact and loss are tragedies, of course.
But in the face of human over-population of our Holy Mother the Earth - most of it in China - is 68,000 really all that many? I can hear the flack already from the "humans are sacred" camp, but the answer really is, "No. It's such a tiny drop in the bucket, that compared to the burden humans have become on the earth, it is negligible. Let's run the numbers and get a new - more realistic - perspective.
The current estimate of human population on our Holy Mother the Earth is 6 billion 500 million. That's 6,500,000,000. The death count in China is about 68,000. If you divide 68,000 by 6,500,000,000 - breaking it down in easy steps - you get 68 / 6,500,000; or about 1/ 1,000,000. If you want to express this number as a percentage, it is 1/10,000 of 1 %, or 0.0001 %.
In terms anyone can relate to, if you have 1,000,000 $1 bills in a room and you lose one of them, can you tell at a glance? No. Is there 'noticeably' more air, water, food, or space in the room? No.
Our Holy Mother the Earth is our "room". We humans all share her bounty for our entire lives. We ITI refer to the earth as our Mother because She provides us with every physical thing we need to survive during our lives. The passing of 68,000 humans from this life is not a tragedy for them. They have no cares now.
Unfortunately, the loss of 0.0001% of the current human population is not a real big stress-reliever relative to the needs of the rest of us who share the room on this planet - the Standing Nation (plants; rain forest, for example); the water people (fish, many species in danger of extinction from over-fishing to feed humans); the four-leggeds (too many to mention, especially those in danger of extinction due to human over-population); and concerning all.. global warming, which is caused by human activities - and there are too many humans. The ongoing mass die-offs of bees is a warning sign no one should ignore - most of our food crops require bees to pollinate them or we get no crops!
The most responsible thing humans can do these days is not reproduce themselves. We should be rewarding women who refuse to have babies and men who refuse to sire them. This doesn't mean living without bed-sports; it means dedicated use of contraceptives, including tying tubes and vasectomies. It also means ceasing to caterwaul about human deaths as 'tragedies' when in reality, they contribute to saving the rest of the world from mass extinctions. Every 'drop' counts, in this bucket..
So - what have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
Scam Warning for Writers
Hanh mitakuyapi. I don't have much patience with whining, but I'm fond of complaining when complaint is due. This post is a complaint as well as a warning.
Recently there have been sites coming out on the Web for writers. Some of them promise payment for your writings. They appear to be practice sites as well as posting places for aspiring writers.
I'm not an "aspiring" writer - I've got over 30 copyrights; I've been published since high school (when guys went around in iron suits, rescuing damsels and fighting dragons..) The site interested me, though, so I began to read and rate for one of them - Helium.
Until very recently, I was the "Job Search" sub-channel steward for this site. They promise payment for "contestants" who read and write for the site, so over the winter, I wrote and rated enough for the site to receive an email from them telling me I had earned $194.00 in a "competition" that was to end April 14, 2008.
Suddenly on April 2, 2008, I could not access the site. Others tried and they couldn't access my account, either. It was there, but I couldn't get "on". I immediately became suspicious. My contacts further up the hierarchy assured me there was no reason for my suspicions, and they felt "terrible" on my behalf. They did what they could to straighten out the problem, they said.
Except it didn't straighten out, and ultimately, the highest ranking of these people told me she "had" to go along with "the wisdom of those higher up" who "have a bigger view" of the site and those who write for it - they weren't paying me the $194.00 the email stated unequivocally I had earned. I had definitely earned it; there is no doubt.
I lambasted her and them and left the site.
So - if you are an "aspiring" writer looking for pay for your words - avoid "Helium". We can't say they're full of hot air over there, but we can say you can't breathe their atmosphere and survive over there, and they are nothing but dishonest and a scam.
Recently there have been sites coming out on the Web for writers. Some of them promise payment for your writings. They appear to be practice sites as well as posting places for aspiring writers.
I'm not an "aspiring" writer - I've got over 30 copyrights; I've been published since high school (when guys went around in iron suits, rescuing damsels and fighting dragons..) The site interested me, though, so I began to read and rate for one of them - Helium.
Until very recently, I was the "Job Search" sub-channel steward for this site. They promise payment for "contestants" who read and write for the site, so over the winter, I wrote and rated enough for the site to receive an email from them telling me I had earned $194.00 in a "competition" that was to end April 14, 2008.
Suddenly on April 2, 2008, I could not access the site. Others tried and they couldn't access my account, either. It was there, but I couldn't get "on". I immediately became suspicious. My contacts further up the hierarchy assured me there was no reason for my suspicions, and they felt "terrible" on my behalf. They did what they could to straighten out the problem, they said.
Except it didn't straighten out, and ultimately, the highest ranking of these people told me she "had" to go along with "the wisdom of those higher up" who "have a bigger view" of the site and those who write for it - they weren't paying me the $194.00 the email stated unequivocally I had earned. I had definitely earned it; there is no doubt.
I lambasted her and them and left the site.
So - if you are an "aspiring" writer looking for pay for your words - avoid "Helium". We can't say they're full of hot air over there, but we can say you can't breathe their atmosphere and survive over there, and they are nothing but dishonest and a scam.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Shut Down What??
Hanh mitakuyapi. I've been sick on and off the whole last year or so, and most of the time, didn't know it. A-maz-ing! I all-but-never get sick. Injured, yes; sick, practically never.
Given that I have fibromyalgia, I thought it was something to do with that. Turns out I was wrong.
My life is stressful to a degree most people can't imagine. "Ordinary" mortals will say - and have - "So relax! Take some time off! Take it easy!" I am the Woman who Dances The Four Winds, so this is not an option for me like it is for the rest of you. The Four Winds is a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world (Indn world first). The Spirits have made this plainly and abundantly clear to me. No complaints.. It's why I'm here. Sooner or later, I would have ended up back here on the earth, doing what I am.
But somewhere in 'the fine print' there's a catch. Namely that if the physical body feels enough of certain kinds of stress, it can shut down, either in part or in whole. Mine shut down in part, and nearly 'in whole' last year.
Once we had a handle on this, we could begin treating it to some degree. But.... I'm a Traditional healer of my People and majority culture medicine doesn't generally do me much good. It often has harmed me, in fact.
What shut down? My endocrine system; and when it did, it either took my liver with it or the liver hiccupped and took the endocrine system with it - seems you can't have one operate properly without the other.
I'm mending now - taking lots of supplements, both nutritional and herbal, to detoxify my system and then to rebuild it again. But it is another adventure of the type - I'd rather have heard about it....
Symptoms - you might like those.. No energy. None. Desperate need to rest even after only being up a short time; not resting when sleeping. Stiffness far worse than usual. Inability to focus up close. For someone who makes a chunk of her living doing beadwork and leather restoration, this is crucial! No strength despite good muscle tone. Strange colors to urine and feces. since I've lived healthy all my life, these symptoms really bothered. Inability to keep my mind on things. No concentration.
It finally came to a head one morning when I woke up and found that, while I could move my fingers and toes, I couldn't move them quickly, and I couldn't turn over! I didn't have enough strength or energy to move. It took close to 20 minutes to wiggle around to where I could move an arm to get the phone so I could call a friend for help.
She came, I told her how to find and massage acupressure points for energy and tonifying, she did, and I eventually could move enough to crawl to the bathroom. Maybe this isn't important for you on waking, but it is for me, and has been my entire life. Crawling to get around is not high on my list of fun things to do, by the way..
I'm recovering now. I'm not "into" long, drawn-out 'leavings', so I like this. For all of you Type A's out there - you might think about this as a repulsive option to simply dropping dead from stress. Just a thought, on behalf of your loved ones.
Given that I have fibromyalgia, I thought it was something to do with that. Turns out I was wrong.
My life is stressful to a degree most people can't imagine. "Ordinary" mortals will say - and have - "So relax! Take some time off! Take it easy!" I am the Woman who Dances The Four Winds, so this is not an option for me like it is for the rest of you. The Four Winds is a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world (Indn world first). The Spirits have made this plainly and abundantly clear to me. No complaints.. It's why I'm here. Sooner or later, I would have ended up back here on the earth, doing what I am.
But somewhere in 'the fine print' there's a catch. Namely that if the physical body feels enough of certain kinds of stress, it can shut down, either in part or in whole. Mine shut down in part, and nearly 'in whole' last year.
Once we had a handle on this, we could begin treating it to some degree. But.... I'm a Traditional healer of my People and majority culture medicine doesn't generally do me much good. It often has harmed me, in fact.
What shut down? My endocrine system; and when it did, it either took my liver with it or the liver hiccupped and took the endocrine system with it - seems you can't have one operate properly without the other.
I'm mending now - taking lots of supplements, both nutritional and herbal, to detoxify my system and then to rebuild it again. But it is another adventure of the type - I'd rather have heard about it....
Symptoms - you might like those.. No energy. None. Desperate need to rest even after only being up a short time; not resting when sleeping. Stiffness far worse than usual. Inability to focus up close. For someone who makes a chunk of her living doing beadwork and leather restoration, this is crucial! No strength despite good muscle tone. Strange colors to urine and feces. since I've lived healthy all my life, these symptoms really bothered. Inability to keep my mind on things. No concentration.
It finally came to a head one morning when I woke up and found that, while I could move my fingers and toes, I couldn't move them quickly, and I couldn't turn over! I didn't have enough strength or energy to move. It took close to 20 minutes to wiggle around to where I could move an arm to get the phone so I could call a friend for help.
She came, I told her how to find and massage acupressure points for energy and tonifying, she did, and I eventually could move enough to crawl to the bathroom. Maybe this isn't important for you on waking, but it is for me, and has been my entire life. Crawling to get around is not high on my list of fun things to do, by the way..
I'm recovering now. I'm not "into" long, drawn-out 'leavings', so I like this. For all of you Type A's out there - you might think about this as a repulsive option to simply dropping dead from stress. Just a thought, on behalf of your loved ones.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Obama, Elitists, and Jeremiah Wrong
Hanh mitakuyapi. I got an email from a political site recently asking for comments on Obama, elitists and elitism, and Jeremiah "Wright"s comments. Let's discuss JW first.
Jeremiah "Wright" is well & truly Wrong. About nearly everything I've heard him comment on. That said, we come to some Traditional Lakota Teachings about such: (1) Bad words are like the wind blowing around you. Ignore them and keep to your trail. (2) Some statements are so stupid, they don't deserve the dignity of further response. This proves that lack of response does not mean you thought the speaker was right.. Remember "the silent majority".. They subscribe to this Teaching.
Reconsider (1) and ignore the noisy mouths such as J Wrong. If all else fails or you need reinforcement for (1) and (2) above, there's (3) Consider the source (of the remarks) and rise above it. Is sometimes harder to do than it sounds, but is well worth the effort. It's about dignity and keeping your self-respect.
On to elitists and elitism. My perspective on them is, elitists are people of small souls, small minds, and small views. They 'think' others "suck up" to them.
Since I Walk with a Holy Pipe, there is no one for me to "suck up" to, so I don't..
In our Lakota Way, the Teaching about that for 'everyone else' is, "As the Keeper of a Pipe lives, so live the People who come close to Them." So now there's no "sucking up" for you, either. So much for elitists and elitism. And with luck, Obama. And Hilary. And John McC. I plan to write in either "None of the above. Give us some REAL choices for a change!" or vote for my dog. His name is Chakli, if you want to join me.. (It means "coal" in my language.)
On Obama.. I haven't liked the man since he first began to run, and it has taken awhile for me to figure out why. He's what we ITI call "a salesman". He's an elitist, he's slick, and while he seems to believe he's telling us the truth, I don't hear the ring of it when he speaks. My gut reaction is to tune him out and look elsewhere for a candidate for President. My gut reactions have never been wrong, and I'm a great grandmother now..
When GWB first ran for President, I asked myself my standard question for determining if I should vote for him - "would I buy a used vehicle from this person knowing no more about him/her than I do right now?" My gut reaction was a screaming, "No! No way!" History has proven my gut reaction right, hmm?
I'll talk about Hilary and John McC separately. Back to Obama..
He doesn't seem to be part of the mainstream black 'tribe'. He strikes me as some kind of sellout, from whatever "black tribe mindset" may exist, to what I call "white middle-class blahness". He has made disparaging remarks about "blackness" in America. He and his wife made $4.6 million in 2007, which definitely puts him apart from mainstream blacks in the U.S. He just doesn't seem real.
What he reminds me of most is Bill Clinton without the dick-think problem. He wants what he wants, and to heck with what we want. Or need. He 'thinks' he knows better than the rest of us what we most need. I'm always leery of people like that.
Obama reaches out, but he doesn't make contact. Not with this Indn, anyway. And to heck with what "the tribes" have decided. Tribal councils have almost never been in line with the wants and needs of their People since some time in the 1850's, and more so since IRA 1934. So don't be fooled that most ITI want Obama just because some tribal councils have said they think he's the best choice. The majority of us ITI don't necessarily agree.
Jeremiah "Wright" is well & truly Wrong. About nearly everything I've heard him comment on. That said, we come to some Traditional Lakota Teachings about such: (1) Bad words are like the wind blowing around you. Ignore them and keep to your trail. (2) Some statements are so stupid, they don't deserve the dignity of further response. This proves that lack of response does not mean you thought the speaker was right.. Remember "the silent majority".. They subscribe to this Teaching.
Reconsider (1) and ignore the noisy mouths such as J Wrong. If all else fails or you need reinforcement for (1) and (2) above, there's (3) Consider the source (of the remarks) and rise above it. Is sometimes harder to do than it sounds, but is well worth the effort. It's about dignity and keeping your self-respect.
On to elitists and elitism. My perspective on them is, elitists are people of small souls, small minds, and small views. They 'think' others "suck up" to them.
Since I Walk with a Holy Pipe, there is no one for me to "suck up" to, so I don't..
In our Lakota Way, the Teaching about that for 'everyone else' is, "As the Keeper of a Pipe lives, so live the People who come close to Them." So now there's no "sucking up" for you, either. So much for elitists and elitism. And with luck, Obama. And Hilary. And John McC. I plan to write in either "None of the above. Give us some REAL choices for a change!" or vote for my dog. His name is Chakli, if you want to join me.. (It means "coal" in my language.)
On Obama.. I haven't liked the man since he first began to run, and it has taken awhile for me to figure out why. He's what we ITI call "a salesman". He's an elitist, he's slick, and while he seems to believe he's telling us the truth, I don't hear the ring of it when he speaks. My gut reaction is to tune him out and look elsewhere for a candidate for President. My gut reactions have never been wrong, and I'm a great grandmother now..
When GWB first ran for President, I asked myself my standard question for determining if I should vote for him - "would I buy a used vehicle from this person knowing no more about him/her than I do right now?" My gut reaction was a screaming, "No! No way!" History has proven my gut reaction right, hmm?
I'll talk about Hilary and John McC separately. Back to Obama..
He doesn't seem to be part of the mainstream black 'tribe'. He strikes me as some kind of sellout, from whatever "black tribe mindset" may exist, to what I call "white middle-class blahness". He has made disparaging remarks about "blackness" in America. He and his wife made $4.6 million in 2007, which definitely puts him apart from mainstream blacks in the U.S. He just doesn't seem real.
What he reminds me of most is Bill Clinton without the dick-think problem. He wants what he wants, and to heck with what we want. Or need. He 'thinks' he knows better than the rest of us what we most need. I'm always leery of people like that.
Obama reaches out, but he doesn't make contact. Not with this Indn, anyway. And to heck with what "the tribes" have decided. Tribal councils have almost never been in line with the wants and needs of their People since some time in the 1850's, and more so since IRA 1934. So don't be fooled that most ITI want Obama just because some tribal councils have said they think he's the best choice. The majority of us ITI don't necessarily agree.
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