Daily Meditation
March 2010
Elder's Meditation
of the Day March 11
"The symbol of wholeness, represented by the medicine wheel, is still being used
in D/Lakota ceremonies today. The center where the "X" crosses is considered the
home of Tunkasila, Wakan-Tanka, God. I speculated, `If this is the symbol of
wholeness, the symbol of the psyche, with Wakan-Tanka at the center, then
Wakan-Tanka or God would be within you.'"
--Dr. A.C. Ross (Ehanamani), LAKOTA
The Medicine Wheel represents everything. All the directions originate from the
center outward. The center is the home of the Creator. The Medicine Wheel
represents the human being. At our center is the home of the Great Spirit. This
is why we are spiritual. The easiest way for us to find God and talk to Him, is
for us to become centered. This means, relax our bodies, still our minds, let go
of our emotions and listen quietly. Shhh. Be still.
My Creator, let me walk in the stillness today.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day March 10
"I know Grandpa told me that to smoke is wakan (holy). The smoke you inhale
represents the spirits of everything you put into the pipe. When you breathe in
the smoke, you are asking to become one with everything or to become whole."
--Dr. A.C. Ross (Enhanamani), LAKOTA
The smoke allows us to go from the Seen World to the Spirit World. It is in the
Spirit World where we are all connected. In this way, we can become one with all
things. Our pipe is sacred. We need to be respectful of our medicine. When we
smoke the pipe, we need to have good thoughts because these thoughts are shared
with the Spirit World. The pipe, the smoke, the spirits, our thoughts - these
things are Wakan.
Great Spirit, today, let my thoughts be Wakan.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day - March 9
"In the life of the Indian there was only one inevitable duty, the duty of
prayer, the daily recognition of the Unseen and Eternal. His daily devotions
were more necessary to him than daily food."
--Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa), SANTEE SIOUX
The most important habit one can develop is the daily act of prayer. Prayer is
our eyes, our ears, our feelings, our success, our guidance, our life, our duty,
our goal. There really is only prayer and meditation. We can only help others
through prayer. We can only help ourselves through prayer. You can never become
an Elder unless you pray. You can never stay an Elder unless you pray. You never
get wisdom unless you pray. You never understand unless you pray.
Great Spirit, today, teach me to pray.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day - March 8
"Balance is implicit in the Red Road. When you're on the Red Road, you are in
the center. Yet, you do not go to either extreme, and you allow both sides to
exist. This is accomplished by continually postponing surrendering to
temptation, whatever it may be. It is saying `later' instead of `no.'"
--Dr. A.C. Ross (Ehanamani), LAKOTA
The Sacred Path of life has a middle, a left side, and a right side. As human
beings, we are designed to walk this middle path as much as we can. As we walk,
we will stray to the left and to the right and come back to the middle. Straying
to the left or right side is as sacred as being in the middle. Sometimes we call
this straying our mistakes. We are designed by the Creator to walk the Sacred
Path of life, and realize that our mistakes are the source of lessons. These
lessons give us our wisdom. It is not wrong that we are tempted. What matters is
what we do with the temptation.
Great Spirit, today, let me enjoy the Sacred Path of Life.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day March 7
"We are responsible for the condition of the Earth. We are the ones who are
responsible and we can change that. If we wake up, it is possible to change the
energy. It is possible to change everything."
--Hunbatz Men, MAYAN
The environment we want outside will be created by the mental pictures we have
inside our heads. We must have the right environmental picture as well as the
right values. These values will give the mental picture its true meaning. If we
respected Mother Earth, we would not throw garbage on Her, nor would we put
poison in Her. We would not misuse Her in any way. Mother Earth is like She is
today because of the mental pictures of previous generations as well as the
mental pictures of our own generation. If we want the environment to change,
each individual must change their mental picture. "As within, so without."
Great Spirit, today, let me be alert to Your guiding voice.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day - March 6
"And there are Four Corners of the Earth that we talk about, the Four Colors of
people, and the Four Winds. You see the winds - they are spirits."
--Grandfather William Commanda, ALGONQUIN
The Elders teach us about the four directions. If we learn about direction, we
also learn about attention, about focus, and about power. Each direction has
spiritual power. In the morning, go outside, face the east and get still; then,
listen to your thoughts. After you have done this for a while, turn and face the
west. Get quiet once again and listen to your thoughts. Did your thinking change
when you changed direction?
Great Spirit, teach me the power of the four directions.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day - March 5
"I have always searched for my place and my people."
--Wendy Rose, HOPI/MIWOK
For every human being to feel connected, we must have the feeling of belonging.
That is one of the values and benefits of a culture: it creates the feeling of
belonging. If for some reason, while you were growing up, you did not develop
the feeling of belonging, a search will be triggered and a restlessness will be
present in your heart. You will have a hole inside you, something missing, until
you find your place and your people. Remember, we can get this feeling of
belonging when we realize we belong to the Great Spirit and that He really loves
us a lot.
My Creator, today, I belong to You. Let me feel Your presence. Thank You.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day - March 4
"My father told me that Hopi earth does contain my roots and I am, indeed, from
that land. Because my roots are there, I will find them."
--Wendy Rose, HOPI/MIWOK
Everything that comes from the earth will return to the earth. We should be able
to realize the connectedness to the earth. We should be able to feel toward Her
just like She is our real Mother. We can easily feel this connectedness if we
can answer these three questions: why am I?, who am I?, and where am I going? If
we cannot answer these questions, then perhaps we need to talk to the Elders. Go
to the Elders and ask, "Grandfather, why am I?; Grandmother, who am I?; Oh Great
One, where am I supposed to go?" The Elders will help us with these three
questions.
Grandfather, help me to stay centered today
Elder's Meditation
of the Day - March 3
"For me writing has become prayers that say, `Great Spirit, return to us our
freedom, our land, and our lives. We are thankful for the present from which we
learn how to be thankful for the past, and how to be hopeful for the future."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
We Native people have really been tested. This testing is having our land taken
from us, our culture challenged, and our way of living altered. Gratefully, we
have not lost our spirituality. Our spirituality has been the key for our people
making it through all of these tests. Our prayers are strong. Indian people have
also been able to adjust to change and still keep their culture and
spirituality. Today, we should be grateful to the Creator for the present and
for the lessons of the past. May our future be guided by the Great Spirit.
Great Spirit, thank You for Mother Earth and Father Sky. Thank You for my life.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day - March 2
"The voice and the heart are not working together."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
We can say any words we want with our voice but we cannot hide the true meaning
and the true spirit behind the words. The true meaning is always understood. The
voice is heard in the physical world, but the meaning is transmitted in the
spiritual world. If our voice says one thing but the heart is saying something
else, it's the something else that is heard. It is said that the truth will set
you free. Reaching the truth means your voice and your words will be in
alignment with the heart.
Great Spirit, let my tongue, speak the truth today.
Elder's Meditation
of the Day - March 1
"The beginning is purification, that's the first step. And purification means
purification of body and mind. You don't purify the body without cleansing the
mind; that's the way it works."
--Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE
If we have bad thoughts or poison in our minds, they will eventually show up in
our bodies in the form of headaches, pains, and stomach problems. It works this
way because we are interconnected. Our minds and our bodies are one system. So
when we start to grow, or commit to the Red Road, we need to start cleaning up
our thoughts and start showing respect for our bodies. We start purifying our
minds by prayer and meditation, and we start cleansing our bodies by getting the
right amount of sleep and developing good eating habits. Today, I'm going to
observe my thoughts. Will my thoughts be clean today?
Great Spirit, let me focus on Your love today so my mind will be pure
Oh
Great Spirit, help me this day to look within myself. If trouble
arises, let me realize that it's not what is going on but how I am
looking at what is going on. Give me Your power this day to conduct
myself according to Your way of life