Elder's meditation

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 12

"The first thing that we want you to under-
stand is that spirit has no color or race to it.
It doesn't matter whether your skin is white,
black, red, Hispanic, whatever. No one out
there is any better than you, and you are no
better than anyone else out there."
--John Peters (Slow Turtle), WAMPANOAG

We are all created to be of equal worth. We may be different sizes,
different heights, different ages, different colors, we may have dif=
ferent beliefs and be of different cultures.

In the unseen world, we are all spirit formed into different shapes
and colors but we are all worthy. For example, you can have water,
you can have steam, or you can have ice. Which of these is not made
up of H2O?

My Creator, today, let me see equal worthiness in all people.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day January 14

"It is a native tradition to sit in a circle
and talk-to share what is in your heart."
--John Peters (Slow Turtle), WAMPANOAG

The talking circle is also a listening circle. The talking circle allows
one person to talk at a time for as long as they need to talk. So
much can be gained by listening.

Is it a coincidence that the Creator gave us one mouth and two ears?
The power of the circle allows the heart to be shared with each other.
What we share with each other also heals each other. When we talk
about our pain in the circle, it is distributed to the circle, and we are
free of the pain.

The talking circle works because when the people form a circle, the
Great Mystery is in the center.

My Creator, give me the courage to share, and the courage to listen.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 15

It's all spirit and it's all connected."
--Grandfather William Commanda, ALGONQUIN

If everything is connected, we cannot disconnect. To disconnect
is not a real choice. This is why we are always spiritual no matter
what we do.

Every alcoholic is spiritual. All our brothers and sisters are spiritual.
We may not be behaving correctly, but nevertheless, we are spiritual.

Our choice is to live out of harmony with spiritual ways or in harmony
with spiritual ways. Everything is spiritual.

Great Spirit, give me the knowledge to be in harmony with the spirit
today.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 16

"If people are going to get back into balance
one of the things they have to do is seek
the truth. They have to start really speaking
the truth themselves, and that's a difficult
thing to do. The way it is now in the world,
we don't mind lying."
--John Peters (Slow Turtle), WAMPANOAG

Well everybody's doing it. Do unto others before they do unto you.
If it wasn't for back luck I would have no luck at all.

These are excuses and rationalizations for giving up accountability.
Be true to yourself. Seek the truth, The Great Spirit is the truth.
The truth shall set you free. This is the truth. We cannot be free if
we are dishonest nor can we live a balanced life if we are dishonest.

As we grow, we need to start taking stands. All warriors take stands.
The warrior's belief is constantly being aligned to truth. The warrior
will always know where he/she stands.

Great Spirit, help me today to seek Your truth, not my tuth.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day January 17

"In our story of Creation, we talk about each
one of us having our own path to travel, and
our own gift to give and to share. You see,
what we say is that the Creator gave us all
special gifts; each one of us is special.

And each one of us is a special gift to each
other because we've got something to share."
--John Peters (Slow Turtle), WAMPANOAG

We are all equally special. We need to focus on what is right for
ourselves. As we focus on what is right for ourselves, we will start
to see our special gifts.

Then we can see how to share our special gifts with others. If we
focus on what's wrong with ourselves, we will not be able to see our
gifts.

Then we will think we have nothing to give others and we become
selfish and withdrawn. The more we focus on our good, the more we
see the good in others. The more we see the good in others, the more
we see the gifts they have to share. What you sees is what you gets!

My Creator, today, let me use the gifts You have given me. Let me
use them wisely.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 18

"Silence is the absolute poise or balance
of body, mind and spirit."
--Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa), SANTEE SIOUX

Be still and know. All new learnings, all ideas about new things,
creativity, daydreaming and mental effectiveness come to those
who learn about silence.

All warriors know about the power of silence. All Elders know about
stillness. Be still and know God. Meditation is about the place of si-
lence.

This is the place to hear God's voice. We can find tremendous
amounts of knowledge in the place of silence. This is the sacred
place of God.

Great Spirit, teach me the power of silence.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 19

"Heal yourself-your physical and spiritual
bodies. Regenerate yourself with light, and
then help those who have poverty of the
soul.

Return to the inner spirit, which we have
abandoned while looking elsewhere for happi-
ness."
--Willaru Huayta, QUECHUA NATION, PERU

It is difficult to look inside ourselves, especially when we see conflict
or confusion. During times of conflict we need to realize that we are
talking to ourselves about our thoughts.

This conversation is printing in our subconscious and forming our be-
liefs.

During times of conflict we need to ask the spirit to control our self-
talk. Only thorough finding that inner place and going there during
troubled times will we ever find happiness.

Great Spirit, You are my peace and you dwell within me. Let me look
for You within myself.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 20

"The most important thing now is to reveal
the inner temple of the soul with right think-
ing and right activity."
--Willaru Huayta, QUECHUA NATION, PERU

The key to growing a strong tree is to have a good system of roots
and to feed the roots with good medicine. If we put poison in the
root system, it will affect the tree, and it will become obvious to the
rest of the forest what is being fed to the roots.

This is also true of the human being. We need to feed our roots with
right thinking. If our thinking is right, it will become obvious to the
rest of the people. We don't need to tell people about ourselves with
our mouth because our actions always tell them.

Great Spirit, direct my thinking today. Feed my roots.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 21

"This is the time of awakening to the inner father
and the inner mother. Without this we will receive
no high initiation; instead we get initiated into
darkness.

That's because any investigation or revolution with-
out God leads, not to freedom, but to more slavery."
--Willaru Huayta, QUECHAU NATION, PERU

Honor the Father and the Mother. Father stands for wisdom and
Mother stands for feelings. Inside each of us is the Father and
the Mother.

If we do not honor both, we will not grow in balance. To honor
both the Father and the Mother helps our masculine and feminine
sides grow.

The winter season is a good time to focus on this. This is our sea-
son of reflection. Honoring both sides allows us to see the Creator
is both Father and Mother.

Great Spirit, Father Sky, Mother Earth, guide me today. Let me ex-
perience balance.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 22

"The first factor in the revolution of conscious-
ness is the mystic death of the ego- the death
of negative thinking, negative personalities.

We must purify the soul of the inner enemies.
Every time a defect manifests- envy, gluttony,
anger, lust, whatever-that impulse to the heart.
Ask, `Do I really need to invoke this?' And then
honor the heart."
--Willaru Huayta, QUECHAU NATION, PERU

Our egos have character defects. These character defects we some-
times act out and they invariably bring results to our lives that we
might not want.

If we continue to use these character defects, we will continue to
have undesirable results in our lives. How do we change ourselves or
get rid of a character defect We can go to the heart-ask a question,
make a decision-then honor the heart.

For example, say I get angry today. I would go to the heart and ask,
would I rather be right or would I rather be happy? How we answer
this question can have an enormous impact on how our day goes.

Once we decide the answer to this question, we need to honor the
heart by saying, "Thank you for the power of changing my thoughts.
I choose to be happy and to experience peace of mind."

Great Spirit, today, let me teach only love and learn only love.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 23

"Our true enemies, as well as our true
sources of strength, lie within."
--Willaru Huayta, QUECHUA NATION, PERU

A long time ago, the Creator put inside the human being the secrets
to the laws of life. We usually know this is true even though we may
not know what these laws are.

If something goes wrong with our lives, we usually try fix the blame
on something outside of ourselves. We tend to give up accountability.

One way or another we say, "It's not my fault." We need to realize that
all permanent and lasting change starts on the inside and works its way
out. If it's meant to be, it is up to me.

Oh Great Spirit, let me realize fully that my problems are of my own
making. Therefore, so are the solutions.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 24

"Always listen to what the Elders say."
--Dona Josefa Medrano, HUICHOL, SIERRA MADRE, MEXICO

In school we have been taught to go to the encyclopedia when
we need information about certain subjects. From the time we
are little, we have a natural tendency to seek out role models.

When we need information about living we tend to seek out books
about living. These maybe self help books. The world is full of in-
formation. For the Native people, we have our Elders. All races have
Elders.

Our lives will run much smoother when we listen to the Elders. They
don't always tell us what we want to hear but they always tell us
what we need to hear. The Elders have the ability to make the truth
sweet.

Creator, thank You for the Elders. Help me this day to listen to them.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 25

"Also ask your heart to purify and cleanse
this defect and harmful desire. Ask also the
help of the inner father and mother.

Every time we eliminate a defect, we build
our soul, our inner temple. We ascend. like
going up a stairway."
--Willaru Huayata, QUECHUA NATION, PERU

The building blocks to knowledge and wisdom are constructed
through the lessons of our character defects if we constructively
review our conduct each day, asking where we are resentful, sel-
fish, dishonest, or afraid.

Remember, we need to review constructively, not destructively.
Destructive review is when we ask, "what's the matter with me
anyway." or "how could I be so stupid?"

These question lead to morbid reflection or remorse and seriously
affect our self esteem. In constructive review we ask, "what will
I do next time?" With constructive review we progressively elimin-
ate the defect and replace it with wisdom.

My Creator, allow me to have my defects because through them
I gain in knowledge of Your will.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 26

"All life is a circle."
--Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE

The atom is a circle, orbits are circles, the earth, moon, and
sun are circles. The seasons are circles.

The cycle of life is a circle: baby, youth, adult, elder. The sun
gives life to the earth who feeds life to the trees whose seeds
fall to the earth to grow new trees.

We need to practice seeing the cycles that the Great Spirit gave
us because this will help us more in our understanding of how
things operate.

We need to respect these cycles and live in harmony with them.

Great Spirit, let me grow in knowledge of the circle.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 27

"The journey to the Spirit World is a long
one, my friend. But when you die, that
doesn't mean that this is the end."
---Buddy Red Bow, LAKOTA

The Elders tell us of the other dimension, the Spirit World. Our
spirit in our bodies does not die, it only looks that way to our
eyes and our brains.

Some of our ceremonies allow us to see into the Spirit World.
Death is only part of a process of life. It shows the transition
into the Spirit World. The Elders tell us this is a joyful life journey.

My Creator, help me to understand both the seen world and
the unseen world. Let me not be afraid of the world You live in.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 28

"We call it the `sacred' red road because
it is the road that will lead us to living the
good life, an honest and healthy life."
--Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

The Red Road is the path we walk on when we want a direct
relationship with the Great Spirit. This requires sacrifice. This
requires us to have our beliefs tested.

To walk this path is really an honor. The returns for doing so
are exciting, not only for ourselves but for the effect that will
be felt for three generations.

This means your children will see the benefits as well as your
grandchildren. Do I want to walk this sacred road?

Great Spirit, guide myself and my family on the Red Road.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 29

"We grieve more because we have been
disconnected from our earth, our first
Mother, our spiritual Mother."
--Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

Where does all life come from? The Earth. Where does every-
thing return to? The Earth.

Where do values come them? The Earth. Many people are lost
because they don't know the importance of connection to the
Earth.

They connect to money, to relationships, to success, to goals.
When we are disconnected from the Earth, we have feelings of
being sad or lost. When we are connected to the Earth, we feel
warm and secure.

Great Spirit, help me to stay connected to the Mother Earth.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 30

"Bright days and dark days were both
expressions of the Great Mystery, and
the Indian reveled in being close to the
Great Holiness."
--Chief Luther Standing Bear, SIOUX

The Great Spirit created a world of harmony, a world of justice, a
world that is interconnected, a balanced world that has positive
and negative, this way and that way, up and down, man and wo-
man, boy and girl, honest and dishonest, responsible and irrespon-
sible, day and night.

In other words, He created a polarity system. Both sides are to be re-
spected. Both sides or anything are sacred. We need to do good and
we need to learn from our mistakes.

We need to honor what takes place in the daytime and we need to
honor what takes place in the nighttime. WE learn that we need to
learn and we see what we are supposed to see by staying close to
the Great Spirit.

We need to be talking to Him all the time, saying "Grandfather, what
is it you want me to learn?"

Great Spirit, let me learn today that all things are sacred. Help me
stay close to You, my Creator.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 31

"In sharing, in loving all and everything,
ne people naturally found a due portion
of the thing they sought, while in fearing,
the other found need of conquest."

-Chief Luther Standing Bear, SIOUX

There are two systems of thought that are available for us to
choose from. One is the love-thought system and the other is
the fear - thought system.

If we choose love, we will see the laws. principles and values
of the Creator. If we choose fear, the results will be so para-
lyzing that it will cause us to take over and not rely on the
Great Spirit.

The fear-thought system will automatically cause attack, con-
flick, need to control over others.

The love-thought system seeks peace of mind, unity and
causes us to be love seekers.

Great Spirit, today let me see only love.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day February 1

"You can't just sit down and talk about
the truth. It doesn't work that way. You
have to live it and be part of it and you
might get to know it."
--Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE

We all read books that have much information in them. Often we
pick up on little sayings that we remember. Inside of us is the little
owl, the owl of knowing.

It talks to us- guiding us and nurturing us. Often when we get infor-
mation, it's hard to live by, but it's easy to talk about. It's living the
Red Road that counts-Walk the Talk.

If we really want freedom in our lives, if we really want to be happy,
if we really want to have peace of mind, it's the truth we must seek.

My Creator, help me in my search for the truth today.