A fire was lit, bringing spiritual warmth and physical comfort to the people standing close to its welcoming flame. Tobacco from an honourable hand was offered to its coals and the fire, at that time, became sacred. The spirits of the nearby human beings stirred when the energy produced by the fire’s sacredness reached them. With that, the ceremony began.
Friends from Ottawa travelled to my home at Kitigan Zibi on November 23. They took the time out of their busy lives to join me in prayer. And then, of course, to celebrate with a thanksgiving feast afterwards. Our purpose was to stand as one in the circular energy created by the fire and request wellness and health for our families, friends, neighbours, colleagues and the life in the nearby forest.
Many heartfelt words were spoken. The spirit of the sacred fire captured not only the truth of what was being said but also the humility, honour and respect which poured from the heart of each speaker. A young woman removed her moccasins from her feet when her time to speak occurred and stood in the snow, leaving her feet bare for all of the moments it took for her to express herself in the most eloquent manner possible. Some of the older people in the circle recognized the young woman’s action as a ritual, perhaps performed by human beings long ago, at the time of the Freezing Moon ceremony.
I remember about 30 years ago mentioning to an elder how I believed that the trees in the vicinity of our ceremonial sites must be happy when human beings acknowledge them by requesting, through prayer, wellness and vigour for the forest. “You’ve got it all wrong,” the elder stated. “It is the trees who are in constant communication with Creator requesting enlightenment for us, the People. For it is not the trees who have lost their way. It’s us.” I instantly agreed.
I love trees! I could never have been a lumberjack, especially at the time when settler lumber barons acquired untold wealth by the cutting down of the old growth forests of Algonquin Territory. No ceremony was done for the trees before they were felled. Not a word of acknowledgement was spoken for the birds, animals, snakes and so on whose sanctuaries were destroyed when their forest home violently disappeared.
Does the life of a turtle or bear have a higher measure of worth to that of a great pine tree who has lived for 400 years in the eyes of the Good Spirit? I wonder?
The circle which was conducted at my home was special for human beings. But the trees which encircle the lot where my house stands were very much part of it. Their wisdom and pureness of energy is something no human being will ever live to match. Of this I am certain.
At this spiritual time, as Mother Earth sleeps, we ponder the beginnings of our faith beliefs. We rise as one, to acknowledge the right all human beings have to embrace and love spiritual teachings they feel are filled with Creator’s blessings.
Our spiritual guides, those who arrived here with the first moon of winter, speak to us. Through them, we request a joyful and accident-free winter for all our family members, friends and also, for all the good people who make up the citizenry within the perimeters of the Algonquin Homeland.
May Creator bless you all in 2020,
South Wind (Albert Dumont).
Thankyou thankyou thankyou
for sharing so freely your knowledge, insight & experiences. Your generosity of spirit is very humbling. May the new year bring you blessings, joy, the teachings you wish for.
Such a beautiful heart Albert. So alive with the spirit of us all. You’ve inspired me again….and here is a combined head and heart perspective in the hope that we can continue to walk together in a good way.
your friend, Maureen
Today is the last day of the calendar year 2019.The last day.
Tomorrow the year is called 2020.
All of its days will contain the number 2020 as their ‘last name number’. In a few hours 2019 will never be used again to name this live moment in time.
Because we can change names of pieces of time, we think time changes and ends. It does not.
But life forms, of which we are one, do end.
Does earth, wind, fire or water name, control and master time in this way? Or is it something only humans do?
Human actions measure and reward blocks of ‘time’.
Does the earth either tilt speed up or slow down its spin because of the idea that ‘its time is running out’?
Do trees colour their leaves because it’s now October?
Do squirrels bury nuts because it’s August?
A pretty crazy question isn’t it?
But just because we can imagine that time can be divided into parts, does that mean that time is not its own master?
Do we truly believe we can “master or control” time just by giving it different names?
We can have a conscious relationship with this live moment expressing itself namelessly as the wisdom that is not only the tilt, and the spin of the earth but also namelessly as all living life forms.
We are an element of this planetary live connection with all other life forms.
We are an indivisible interdependent life form on and of this planet.
We are alive because the earth is alive.
As the life form of the earth changes, all life forms change including us.
As the earths air changes, all life forms including us, change.
As the earths water changes, all life forms including us, change.
As the earths fire changes, all life forms including us, change.
As earths land changes, all life forms including us, change.
The earth is the knowing that knows this.
The trees know this. The squirrels know this!
Tomorrow it will be 2020…I hope that means that we are clearly, ready willing and able to know this too!
Are we ready to join all other life forms knowing this?
Is it time?
Blessed it be! Albert and family!
Deep Chi Migwich Albert
In these times of winter as Earth slows down may we too as people quiet our minds and our hearts.. to listen..listen deeply to the wind in the air, and to look up at the stars..calling us to link our minds and our hearts in these times of great human challenges.. only in nature can we quiet our minds and open our hearts.. to truly hear the call.. it is time now to awaken the seed planted in us all to rise and to walk and to collaborate together in these “Times of the Sixth Sun” to explore Vision 2020 so to create a ” Sustainable World”
I hope you can join us in the Circle on Sunday, March 29 the theme is ” The Grandfather’s Speak” would love your voice and wisdom heard and your many books shared on Sunday, Jan. 26 the theme is ” Sustainability” and we are thrilled to have Romola Trebilcock come to be our opening speaker from http://www.Asinabka.com
Events page http://www.OutaouaisWellnessLearning.com has a list of this Series we are holding space for so that people can meet many Wisdom Leaders who are inspiring us to share in conversations of the heart and listen deeply to the deep wisdom Elders like yourself who bring and live wisdom.. so to awaken those of us learning to in listening deeply to remember who we are.. as One Universal Human Family.
All called to care for and connect to our deep relationship with nature, ourselves, each other and our One Earth and Creator of the All that is and All our Relations. Deep Gratitude for feeding our souls the rich wisdom we need to feed ourselves. Will be contacting you soon by phone re: your presence if possible for Sunday, March 29. In your busy lives we value your spiritual presence and leadership both by pen and presence in our lives deep Gratitude. See http://www.timeofthesixthsun.com/trailers