When I was a kid I memorized the Rudyard Kipling poem “IF” for school. After that it kind of became my bible, I would look to it for advice. Yesterday I met a racist bully on twitter. I say racist because she made judgments about me and my work based solely on the colour of my skin. She did not bother to even read my website; not even the link I sent which would have answered all of her alleged questions. I say bully because she chose to attack and publicly defame me, rather than take on one of the many hugely successful (read wealthy) spiritual teachers; who could sue her ass. I choose to see our encounter as an act of the Divine… for some as yet unrevealed reason.   This encounter reminded me of these lines from "IF", “…or  being lied about don’t deal in lies. Or being hated, don’t give way to hating.  And yet don’t look too good nor talk too wise.”    Sage advice indeed, so  I bless this sister and wish that she finds joy, peace and love (and perhaps a valium). 
           For the several new readers I will restate what I said in the blog of 1/22/2013. This is NOT a Native site. I am here to share what I learn  about spiritualism with all people, from ALL sources. Wisdom is wisdom whether
it comes from Lao Tzu or Black Elk. It would be impossible to talk about  spiritualism and not included Native sources. The Native teachings are very clear and to the point. As you can see with my posts on the Grandfathers’ Teachings… two sentences from the actual teachings (reference source linked)  then 400 words from me musing about how that fits into 21st life.
          Personally I identify spiritually through Native symbolism… I do NOT practice or teach any religion (Native, Christian, or other). I respect
everyone’s right to practice as they wish. I have Native friends who express their spirituality through Eastern symbols and teachings, many of my Native Brothers and Sisters are Christians, one of my best friends is a practicing Wiccan. These things all converge in the metaphysical truths that they are grounded in; our connection to source energy (the God of your understanding), our connection to each other and everything else for that matter. Also understanding the power we have as creators of our reality through that energy.
           The 7 Teachings are good advice for anyone in any culture. Living from these virtues of Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Humility, Honesty & Truth; you will be the best person you can possibly be. 
           As for co-opting the pretty names and symbolism without accepting the struggles of Native people. I openly support Idle-No-More, both  personally and on my blog sites ( here & Angels of the Road). I have carried signs in  marches, I have participated in round dances, and I spread awareness any chance  I get. Idle-No-More is a fight for justice which should be supported by everyone. I am not a racist… I support the poor, disenfranchised and marginalized in society regardless of ANY factors. I lobby against injustice whenever I see it. I do no harm and inasmuch
as possible leave every situation better than when I found it.  
I walk my talk…I choose love over fear and compassion over greed. And my life is joyous in each moment.

Welcome to Spirit of the 8th Fire & have a joyous day.


 

           Today’s blog will just be an update about me. You have been so patient over the past month, miigwetch (thank you). In early June, everything was coming at me at once from every direction, probably
something to do with the super-moon; things have settled down now in ways which have surprised even me. 
          Confucius said, “The road of life is long”; as a spiritualist I believe
that I will not leave this life until I have accomplished what I was put here to do. I know that Spirit of the 8th Fire one day soon will open as a
spiritual healing centre. I know that I am to share my Angels of the Road
experience through my writing. I know that I have a short allegory fiction to write. Also there was the possibility of going back to work in an industry that I love, working with street people. 
          After six months of trying to get something happening in Victoria. The job which I was interviewing for passed me over… so I asked the universe/god for guidance.  What do I need to do first to move my life  forward? The answer was clear (or so I thought) to write. OK don’t have
to be in the big city to do that, so I decided to move up island (Vancouver
Island), I chose Nanaimo because it is a medium size town with services, lots of green space and still on the coast. 
          I had a strong feeling that my art (I’m a pretty good painter & crafter) is to support me while I write and my writing will support the healing centre. A simple chain of events; now that I have been given some guidance. 
           So I moved into a little bachelor apartment, fully prepared to be inspired to create a few canvases and get this ball rolling. Here comes the surprise (the one I mentioned in my blog a couple of weeks back). There is a large children’s playground across the street from my building and I thought it would be fun to take my drum over and tell some Native legends to anyone who wished to listen. I know several Ojibwa Legends from when I lived in Thunder Bay and a few Mohawk Legends from when I lived in eastern Ontario. Suddenly one morning a new legend starting downloading into my brain. It came as a rhyme, a creation myth which introduces spiritual concepts of vibration, manifestation and interconnectedness to very  young children. I did not see that coming… the idea of writing for children had never entered my head. 
          Surprise! I’m a children’s author LOL. I guess the expression of art will be illustrating this book ;-).  It will be available well before the Holiday gifting season. In soft cover it should sell for about $12 - $15. No decision has been made on how it will be distributed. I will need to consult with my friend Justis Chase (a medium & spiritual coach) who has done some self publishing.  If I decide to self publish, I will go with a small run of 100 books. There is also something called publish-on-demand I will look into as an option. Until I learn more I really can’t say… If you have any ideas you want to share on publishing options please email me. 
 Have a joyous week.    


           

                KNOW THAT YOU ARE EQUAL TO EVERYONE ELSE.
        NO BETTER OR NO LESS, JUST THE SAME AS ANYBODY ELSE.

           As someone who was raised in a White (European) culture, humility was considered the opposite of strength. And therefore one would not
want to be seen as humble (or weak). To be humiliated was to be subjecated or oppressed. Today humiliating usually is applied to a specific incident; he walked into the meeting with his fly open. To understand this 6th of the Grandfathers’ Teachings we need to open our mind to a different view of humility; humility as simply being the opposite of arrogance. 
           Again there is the problem of judgment that humankind has become
so fond of. Usually starting from a place of I am not enough, followed quickly with “but you are less than me, so I guess I am ok”. When we understand humility in the context of the Grandfathers’ Teachings we can move easily beyond judgment to acceptance; not just of others but of
ourselves.
          I wish I could say more about this subject but really it is quite clear, ALL HUMANKIND HAVE EQUAL VALUE.  At first you might look at all the
people society has labeled as worthless (my beautiful street friends), and
assert “I’m not the same them! I work, I pay taxes; surely I am more valuable than those people”.  NOPE you’re not. Here comes the bonus of practicing humility. Once you accept that you are no better than anyone else, you realize that you are no less than anyone else. No matter how rich, powerful, or famous someone is they are no better than you are. Classism is part of the 3rd dimensional mindset of lack; assigning value to persons so as to determine who gets the lion's share of limited resources.      
          As we move into a 5th dimensional understanding of manifestation, we are able to stop worrying about "getting our's" we simply trust that what we need will be available to us when we need it. We no longer need to be more deserving, we only need to be trusting.

 Have a Joyous Day
 p.s. I have a surprise coming very soon  ;-)

           Thanks to my lovely friend, Brenda, I am able to watch video on my computer again. So I watched installment 3 of the 8th FIRE series by
CBC, not as uplifting as the previous episode but it was still very informative and positive about the future of Canada. It is titled, “Whose Land is It  Anyway”.  It shows us models of good and bad faith economic development as it impacts our Native Brothers and Sisters.
          I used to be smug about Canada’s diamond industry (no blood diamonds here) but DeBeers is an example of old school bottom-line
business practices which no longer fit contemporary models of corporate
citizenship. These kinds of businesses will evolve eventually or die out… just as the auto industry is changing and pulp & papermakers moved into recycled products; so too other industries will need to become civically responsible members of the global / local community.
           The Native model of custodial responsibility fits very nicely with the emerging corporate consciousness. The documentary shows us very clear examples of how incredibly successful collaborations between established industries and Native bands have actually been. NO GOVERNMENT INTEREFERENCE REQUIRED. When Natives are taken into the process as a fully participating partner amazing things can happen. The old model of worry only about this quarter’s stock report (or this 4 year term in political office) is being rejected by the current and coming generations. We want to know, “What is your legacy?”  By focusing our business activities (as Natives do) on the next 7 generations we can create long-term sustainable prosperity for all.  
           This is one of those times when spiritualism meets advocacy, so this post will appear on both of my blog sites today. If you haven’t done so I urge you to watch the whole 8th FIRE series (don’t let the 1st one put you off) they are well worth the time. 

Have a joyous day.