The Wakan Circle

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PRAYERS

How many times have you received a message sent out to "pray" for such and such about events and situations that are about to unfold? Or for an individual that is faced with a hardship and want it resolved though other peoples' prayers?

To me, prayers are something very personal and private yet at the same time there is a power in the joining of individuals in a common prayer. It is in the contents of the prayer that an understanding should be for that to be said. Each time a prayer is said, I feel it should be with a clear understanding of what a prayer is and what is involved. We, as a human being, are asking that which is so complex and beyond our understanding to first feel what we are to ask is important enough to be brought to the attention of that Being which is Creator. We are like a grain of sand relative to the universe and beyond. We are asking that which is something beyond our comprehension to give importance to the events we face.

It is a poor example but how much greater Creator is than all the people of the world yet if we use that as an example, how many times would you ask for all the people of all the world to intervene for what you ask in prayer???? Yet people pray expecting that kind of response from Creator.

I CANNOT bring myself to ask for Creator to stop or change that which I personally might have to face for when I even start to pray I think of how great the difference is. I ask only for understanding for if we understand that we, as human beings, should deal with the problems we create. I ask for two things in prayer that I hope are not extreme. I ask that Creator help the people walk this road and for health and happiness. It is our responsibility to UNDERSTAND so we can apply actions to bring this about.

I was shown an understanding on Bear Butte once. I was filled with self importance I think and I looked upon the Thunder Beings as if they were a friend or "buddy". They have been loving and generous in those things given to me. They revealed their awesome powers for me to see and taught me one of the greatest lessons I have received in this life, HUMBLENESS. I am nothing more than dung and of no greatness or power. Yet one thing I do claim. Even though I am nothing. Creator has blessed me with a personal experience of his love that NOTHING in this life time will climax. In spite of my nothingness. Not because I am someone or something of great importance.

Our actions and choices determine many things in this life we must experience. We also are here to serve Creator and each is as a lesson for others. We can be a lesson as an example of blessings or, we can be a lesson of our follies. In choices we make lies the results.

Words are not the prayers. Our walk in this life is our prayer.

I do also give thanks of gratitude to Creator for continuing in the renewing of life each year. For those things of creation that over come the destruction of man kind’s making that would destroy this world He has created. I give thanks of gratitude for the compassion of our foolishness of actions and also the blindness we show to the examples we have before us. I pray for the children and the born and unborn that they be protected from harm in their purity. I pray for understanding of those lessons and examples set before us that we might learn and be as he would have us. I pray for blessings upon our ancestors for the sacrifices they made and endured that these understanding be passed on to us.

When we walk our prayers, they become a constant thought in our hearts and understandings come with being in this state of mind.

One of the most powerful statements comes to mind is the one that we are responsible for seven generations after us. This says so much yet it has been one of the most neglected responsibilities of the nation as a whole. Instead of living on this earth as part of it we as a people are living as it is a source to be used up. Greed being the reasoning to gain all the material possessions as possible. We see this each day from the destruction of mining gold in Montana, the oil fields wanted in the arctic circle and the forests of South America.

I also feel it is necessary to first pray an acknowledgment to Creator, the one that created the heavens and the earth and the moon. The one that created the fire and the water and the stones. All those ones that fly in the air. All those that walk upon this earth. All those that live in the earth. All those that live on the waters. All those that live in the waters and all those that live beneath the waters. That one that created all the trees and fruits and grasses and plants and roots that we that live upon this earth might live in health and happiness. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that can declare this is anything but good. That all may call Creator by many names but only one has did all this and there is none equal to or above Creator.

Mitakuye Oyasin

I cannot speak for all the ways that are practiced by the many tribes but I feel

in my heart this same thing applies to all the people if they listened to their elders

and medicine people.

I know in the lakota way. One might approach a medicine person and petition

them for a ceremony for help in some manner of conditions or state of health.

It is also told to them that after that ceremony is done, the one petitioning should,

within one year, petition for a woputa ceremony. That is one where thanks are

given to spirits help in the first ceremony. I have witnessed many times where

this isn't a high priority for most people but it is the completion of the "whole

ceremony", not just a part soon forgotten.

I have watched and checked back after some time and asked when that person

has completed the second phase and sadly, in many situations, that part was

neglected and not done. Not meant as a warning but I tried to keep track of

those people that received help and see how their lives continued. For those

that took this to heart and did as they were instructed, I seen a change take

place in their lives. For those that didn't do this. Their lives reverted back as

before and they complained how "it is so hard to walk this path."

Life might be difficult at times but when you acknowledge what you receive,

you slowly realize the lack of need for asking more....Even when others might see

the material aspects of life the same, they see the harmony and contentment

in that person's life. Hmmmmmmm wonder sometimes if many follow up and

watch this happen under these conditions?

You see people envy and wonder how another can be so content when their

lives may be in poverty relative to the material world, yet always have a smile

and good thoughts. This lesson is repeated so many times all around us and

one has only to think upon these things to be impressed how easy it seems to

Another aspect of this is time being relative to events taking place. If we give

equal importance to good events as well as negative ones. We will find the

positive are so much greater than the negative ones. A famous ol codger that

gave the math formula of E=MC2 stated something I am not smart enough

to figure out what it means. But he mentioned something else that really stuck

in my mind. That the length of time one realizes that passes is relative to the

event. He gave the example of being aware of the length of time two people

in love are aware of. Where hours seem like minutes. He used a negative

experience of the same length of time and our awareness of it as being drug

out as an endless stretch of time.

If we think on this, we realize we receive far more than what is asked of us

to endure. It is only our own concepts of it that may cause it to appear as

a life of suffering.

i must agree wholeheartedly with your teachings. i am not lakota yet my teachers gave me the same teachings. for all those who want to learn to follow this path the teachings must be repected and followed. the thing is , that we address the things that come to our attention as they come and there is no special order like a text book. so if you need to save the gifts we pass on from the elders do so and refer to it as you need to. dont be afraid to ask respectful questions , we are all here to help each other and are at different levels of learning.

thank you tom for taking the time to help those along the path.

with love and respect maclaak

Ancestor Song
To our elders who teach us of our creation and our past
So we may preserve mother earth for ancestors yet to come
We are the land
To our brothers and sisters and all living things across mother earth
Her beauty we've destroyed
And denied the honor the Creator has given each individual
The truth lies in our hands
All my relations

Thank you Annie for sharing that.

Jacquie

It is SO GOOD to have you back!

Important Announcement The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
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