Elder's meditation

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 2

"When you get older and you are ready,
your ancestors will show up to guide you."
--Joe Coyhis, STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE

Many of us, when we are young, spend a portion of our lives in learn-
ing. Unfortunately, some of us spend this time learning the hard way.

When we are young we sometimes think we know everything. Some-
times we do foolish things. As we get a little older, we realize we don't
know anything. This is when we become teachable. There is a saying
that goes, when the student is ready, the teacher appears.

We usually aren't teachable unless we are ready. The ancestors are
waiting and willing to help. When we are ready, many beautiful teachers
start to come into our lives. Then we really start to grow and mature.
We are ready for the spiritual lesson.

Creator, help me to become ready and teachable.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day August 3

"Always remember you are Indian - do
things to make your people proud."
--Joe Coyhis, STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE

All our choices and decisions will reflect on our people. We need to
assume the accountability of honoring people. We must remember
to conduct ourselves in a sacred way.


Sometimes this is hard. But we must remember we have the assist-
ance of the Spirit World, and we have the principles and values by
which we should live written in our hearts. The Creator will help us
develop into a strong people if we just learn to depend upon Him.

Great Spirit, lead me on the path of the Red Road.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 4

"Telling our lives is important for those
who come after as, for those who will
see our experience as part of their own
historical struggle."
--Linda Hogan, CHICKASAW

How important it is for us to support one another. How important it
is for us to know our culture and to share our experiences with one
another. How powerful it is to be authentic. How important it is to
hold no secrets. I am as sick as my secrets.

Grandfather, allow me today to be willing to share with my brother
and sister. Let my eyes see You in their eyes. Let me not judge them
but only love them. Grandfather, help me, for I am Your humble
servant.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 5

"It is a paradox in the contemporary world
that in our desire for peace we must willingly
give ourselves to struggle."
--Linda Hogan, CHICKASAW

The Grandfathers have taught us about sacrifice. We have been
taught to pray for the people in a pitiful way. Struggle and conf-
lict is neither good nor bad, it just is.

Everything that grows experiences conflict. When the deer is born
it is through conflict. When the seed first grows, it is through con-
flict. Conflict precedes clarity. Everything has the seasons of growth.

Recognize - acknowledge - forgive and change. All of these things
are done through conflict.

Great Spirit, give me the courage today to see that struggle and
conflict are here to teach me lessons that are a gift from you.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day August 6

"We have to have one mind for the Four
Directions. Until we reach that one mind,
we cannot be filled with understanding....
The Creator will not answer until you have
just one mind, just like if you have one person."
--Grandfather William Commanda, ALGONQUIN

The Elders have taught us to balance our lives emotionally, ment-
ally, physically and spiritually. If I am out of control emotionally, I
get angry, doubtful or erratic, I am out of balance.

If I trigger bad mental pictures of my brothers and sisters, I am out
of balance. If I get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, I am out of
balance physically. If I don't pray and talk to the Creator daily, I am
out of balance spiritually.

To be centered, I must be in balance. The Creator talks to me in the
quiet and still place. So if I get angry, what I should do first is to
pause and get still so I can hear the guidance of the Grandfathers.

Oh Great Spirit whose voice I hear in the winds, protect and keep
me safe today - hear my prayers.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 7

"Everything I know I learned by listening
and watching."
--Vernon Cooper, LUMBEE

Sometimes my mind is talking so fast about so many different things
that I can't slow it down. All day long I am judging and making as-
sumptions about everything.

Great Spirit, help me this day to slow down. Help me to listen - quietly.
Help me to watch carefully. Help me to listen to my inner voice. Let me
listen and watch only the thing You would have me observe. Guide my
eyes and my ears to be focused on You. Grandfather, love me today
and teach me to be quiet.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 8

"The Creator told everyone of us in our
tribal beginnings to look after our cere-
monies, and each other."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE

Our ceremonies are important and each has a purpose. They teach
us about the Creator and about each other. The ceremonies teach
us to be humble and teach us to pray. They teach us to look inside
ourselves. We should remember to pray each morning.

Ask the Creator to guide our thinking. Think only good thoughts. Think
good thoughts about our relatives and about our brothers and sisters.
Pray for our children in ceremony. Give thanks to the Great Mystery
for life. All life is sacred. Pray in a sacred way.

Oh Great Spirit, I come to You this morning in ceremony. I come
to this sacred place to talk to You. I thank You for Your guidance
and protection. Give me Your eyes today so I may see the beauty
in all things.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 9

"Praying to seek a vision, to seek truth
is always right. Truth builds upon itself -
as the true mark of a warrior who conducts
himself/herself accordingly - so that its
beauty may shine in the faces of our children."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE

We move toward and become like that which we think about. What
we think about creates our vision. If our thoughts are wise and good,
then our vision becomes strong and truthful.

If our thoughts are junk, then our vision becomes contaminated, so
it's important to be aware of what we are thinking about. As I live my
vision, my children watch and they will live their lives the same way.
We need to live the walk of the Warrior. We need to walk in beauty
and respect.

Oh Great Spirit, give me a vision for today. Let me see truth. Let me
walk in beauty. Let my heart guide me in truth. The law says the truth
shall set you free. Let me be free today.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 10

"Nature is the storehouse of potential
life of future generations and is sacred."
--Audrey Shenandoah, ONONDAGA

We need to honor and respect our Mother Earth. She is the source
of all life. The sun shines life to the earth, then the earth produces
life in all forms and in a balanced way.

Everything is here to serve everything else. If we interrupt the flow
in any way, we leave nothing for the future generations. Before
every decision is made, we should ask, and answer, a final question,
"If we do this, what will be the effects on the seventh generation?

What will we cause our children to live with?" We need to have re-
spect and love for all things and for all people. We need to do this
for ourselves and for all the children still unborn.

My Creator, let me look at nature today and let me have the highest
respect for all the things I see. All the two legged, the four legged,
the winged ones, the plants, the water, the air, the Mother Earth.
Let me have respect for myself.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 11

"May there be peace when we meet."
--Audrey Shenandoah, ONONDAGA

The Elders tell us the greatest gift we can seek is peace of mind,
to walk in balance, to respect all things. For us to do this, we must
have peace within ourselves and peace within ourselves cannot
come unless we are walking the path the Creator would have us walk.

Sometimes the tests on this path are difficult, but we know that each
test makes us stronger.

Oh Great Spirit, I ask You to whisper Your wisdom in my heart. You are
the only one who knows the secret to peaceful living and the mystery
of harmony. Teach me of Your peace, understanding and balance and
guide me onto your good path.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day August 12

"With one mind we address our acknow-
ledgement, respect, and gratefulness to
all the sacred Cycle of Life. We, as humans,
must remember to be humble and acknow-
ledge the gifts we use so freely in our daily
lives."
--Audrey Shenandoah, ONONDAGA

The sacred Cycle of life - the baby, the youth, the adult, the Elder.
Let us respect all directions, the four directions of the Grandfathers;
let us respect their power.

Let us remember we belong to the earth, the earth does not belong
to us. Help us to be respectful to all the gifts You have given us.

Oh Great Spirit, help me this day to be humble. Let me not attack
anything in deed or in my thoughts. Let my thoughts focus on the
beauty You have created in all things.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 13

"A bit of sunshine, a drop of rain, a puff
of life from the Great Spirit as He gently
breathed upon that spot, created the
Native Americans. They were well formed
and agile, copper colored and proud.
--Harriet Starleaf Gumbs, SHINNECOCK

We are made in the image of the Great Spirit. A long time ago He
breathed life into our ancestors. He made the Indian strong. He
created a Warrior. Our ancestors created more warriors.

We have been tested throughout the seasons and we are still here,
stronger than ever. It is good to be Indian. We are proud of ourselves
and our ancestors. Mostly we are proud the Great Spirit has never
forsaken us, and continues to guide us.

My Creator, let me live my life today in a way that would make
my ancestors proud. Let me remember each month that I am
here to serve You. Today let me conduct my life in a way that
also would make You proud.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 14

"It's time Indians tell the world what we
know... about nature and about God. So
I'm going to tell you what I know and who
I am. You guys better listen. You got a
lot to learn.
--Mathew King, LAKOTA

A long time ago the Creator came to Turtle Island and said to the
Red People - "You will be the keepers of the Mother Earth. Among
you I will give the wisdom about nature, about the interconnected-
ness of all things, about balance and about living in harmony.

You Red People will see the secrets of nature. You will live in hard-
ship and the blessing of this is you will stay close to the Creator.
The day will come when you will need to share the secrets with the
other people of the earth because they will stray from their spiritual
ways. The time to start sharing is today."

Oh Great Spirit, today I am ready for You to use me as a channel
of Your peace. Let my walk today be visible so the people will say
"There goes a Man of God." I want to know what He knows. If they
ask, I will tell them to go out into the wilderness and pray for You
to guide them.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day August 16

"The best teachers have shown me that
things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing
that means anything happens quickly - we
only think it does."
--Joseph Bruchac, ABENAKI

There are no short cuts. Every tree must grow according to the
growth plan of the Creator. Every flower must grow according to
the plan of God. The moon must make its trip around the earth
according to God's plan.

Every human being must grow according to the plan of the Creat-
or. Sometimes we look at ourselves and we think we are not grow-
ing but we are always growing. Because we cannot see it with our
mind does not mean it is not happening. we must be patient with
ourselves and let the Creator direct our growth.

My Creator, let me be patient. Let me realize that You are in charge
of all things. Let me realize that I must grow my roots a little at a
time to become strong.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 18

"You have to have confidence in your own
ability to be able to go it alone, to go against
what the rest of the culture is doing."
--Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Ph.D., PENOBSCOT

God, this is hard. Today, allow me to be a Warrior. Let me be strong. Let
Your voice be clear to me. Let me hear Your guidance. My goal today is
to serve You, to develop myself to be the kind of Indian person that
You would have me be. To Walk the Red Road must sometimes be
walked alone.

Great Spirit, let me walk the Red Road today with the confidence that
You are with me. If I fall, I will quickly ask You to help me know what I

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Elder's Meditation of the Day August 17

"If a child hasn't been given spiritual values
within the family setting, they have no fam-
iliarity with the values that are necessary for
the just and peaceful functioning in society."
--Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Ph.D, PENOBSCOT

When we are born, we start with a beautiful empty mind ready to
be given our beliefs, attitudes, habits and expectations. Most of
our true learning comes from watching the actions of others.

As we watch our family or relatives, whatever their actions and
values are, so will be the children's values and acts. If we see our
families living a just and peaceful way of life, so then will the child-
ren. If we see our family shouting, arguing and hateful, so will it be
for the children. The cycle of life - baby, youth, adult and Elder is
all connected. If the older ones have good values, it will be con-
nected to the children.

Oh my Creator, if there are values I have missed, it is not too late.
I can get them from You. Teach me today Your spiritual values.
Respect, trust, giving, honesty, wisdom - teach me these.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 19

"If we keep everything in balance, we
are in harmony with ourselves and are
at peace."
--Fools Crow, LAKOTA

As within, as without, our present thought determines our future. If
we want peace outside ourselves, we must first have peace inside
ourselves.

It's not what is going on but how we are looking at what is going on.
We need to keep ourselves in balance. We must be careful to not get
too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. We must know the times - time to
work, time to rest, time to play, time to sleep, time to pray, time to
lighten up, time to laugh, time to eat, time to exercise.

There is a saying "The honor of one is the honor of all." This means
when we work with all, we need to also work on one. We need to
take care of ourselves. You cannot give away what you don't have.

Great Spirit, let me walk in balance today. Remove from me resent-
ment, self pity and self seeking motives. Let me love myself so I can
love my neighbors.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 20

"...remember and think about the close-
ness of Wanka-Tanka. If they live in this
wisdom, it will give them endless strength
and hope."
--Fools Crow, LAKOTA

The value of staying close to the Creator is the immediate help
we have available to us whenever we need it. I can listen to the
whisper of my heart for this is the place He communicates with
me.

Staying close helps me remember that we are here to serve Him
and to help other people. The Grandfathers are my direct access
to wisdom. He who has wisdom has everything. If we have wisdom,
then we will see our lives become more effective in the areas of
jobs, relationships, family, friends and finances.

My Creator, today grant me the wisdom to seek Your wisdom. Help
me to Walk of the Red Road.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 21

"The greater the faith, the greater the result."
--Fools Crow, LAKOTA
The Creator designed us to act on faith. We are able to do this by
holding firm to our beliefs. If we believe something and if we don't
want the belief to change, we need to add the power of the Great
Spirit to this belief.

We must always have the spiritual added to our beliefs. If we don't
add the Spirit, then we may very well change our minds during the
first time we are tested. Each time we are tested and we don't
change our minds, we get stronger.

The wind may blow on the red willow trees bending them and causing
the roots to grow deeper. The more the wind bends the tree, the big-
ger, stronger and deeper the roots grow. We should be happy that we
are tested. It's the Creator's way of making us have greater faith for
greater results.

Great Mystery, Grandfather, I know if I am tested today that I can
count on You to give me the courage to get to the other side. On
the other side of every test is the reward of strength. Make me strong.

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 22

"When life is too good, we think too highly
of ourselves and our blessings. Then we
decide we are the wisest and the favored
ones, and we don't think we need Wakan-
Tanka and the Helpers anymore."
--Fools Crow, LAKOTA

It is sometimes easy to get off track when times are good. We start
to take the credit and start to think we are in control. We start to
think we are smart.

Then we quit praying or pray only with lip service. We say the words
but don't mean them. Sometimes our head is our greatest enemy. We
start acting like a foolish child. We must develop the discipline to be
humble during the good times. We need to remember how honorable
it is each day to come into the presence of the Creator.

How happy we should be to talk to the Grandfathers, to have the
choice to start each day on the Sacred Spot - our place of commun-
ion with the Great Spirit.

Oh Great Spirit, first let me thank You for the honor of talking to You
today. To have the insight of Your love, that only You can love me
when I don't deserve to be loved. Let me be reminded to talk to You
all day long.