The sun had yet to brighten the sky when I stood by the side of glorious trees. The energy of their caress, warm and reassuring, defeated that of a cold breeze making its way southward. I am confident that my prayer, though spoken in whispers, was heard clearly by All My Relations. Tobacco left my hand, an offering of gratitude to spirit for the goodness it promotes in our troubled world.
My daily ceremony begins with the skin of my feet touching the earth. It ends as the sacred tobacco from my bundle does likewise. When we stand near the trees and ponder the years they live and then reflect on the length of time the heart of a human being will last, we begin to understand why ceremony is necessary.
A great thing occurs when the physical communicates with the spiritual. A greater occurrence comes to pass however, when the spiritual communicates with the physical. Water spirit and that of a loving and supportive ancestor brought their healing gifts to my side after my accident (April 1991) and restored movement in my left arm. A nerve specialist had declared that my arm would never move again. The power of ceremony objected! My arm began to slowly return to the health it had known before life left it for a while.”Never give up, my friend, never give up.” Hear the words of an encouragement song, thousands of years old.
I bought a jacket a few months ago (see photo on FB). Never wore it anywhere but somehow it disappeared. I searched for it high and low but to no avail! I was sure that it was gone forever. One day, after weeks had passed since the mystery of the jacket began, I opened a closet in my home to retrieve a coat on the rack. As I pulled it free of the bar, something on the floor of the closet caught my eye. It was the arm of the missing jacket. Wow! The jacket had fallen from its hanger after I placed it there weeks ago. I had searched the bar of the closet (very crowded) but not the floor. The jacket was found! And I was happy as a lark!
In my view, too many people of this world have lost the natural connection they have with ceremony. They wonder about it. They search for it. They want it! “Where is it?” they ask themselves. It’s there, it’s waiting, look a little deeper, you’ll find it! I did and if I can find again my connection to ceremony after it had left me during all the years I lived in the grips of severe addiction, then cousin, so can you.
Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind (Albert Dumont)
It’s just to show You there Albert that you found a lost treasure and it surely made your heart sing bigtime once it was found! And Yes the power of Ceremony and the way You fully explained it, is how ‘The Way’ of the Old One’s showed Us how to accept the World around us that is in the Sacred Circle of Life in itself and how when One is ready to open their mind’s to the old ways, then the ‘Magic’ occurs! This is what so many of the Elder’s that I’ve personally been so priviliged to have crossed path with and whom have also shared their own ‘teachings’ by passing their knowledge onto Us, is this gift of Sacred Ceremonies that Heal the body, mind and spirit when properly applied! Chi-megwetch for sharing your stories, love the way You pour yourself in so well explaining all the writting on this blog.