Imagine sitting quietly around a campfire. Deep throated Native drums are playing softly in the distance and somehow remind you of the beat of your mother's heart. A Native flute echoes in the wind from tree to tree, and an uncommon peace begins to settle over you. A sage old Native Warrior, in the full wisdom of his years, is sitting with you . . . and begins to speak . . . and you close your eyes to listen. He speaks of the old ways, he speaks of the old honors, and he speaks of his love for his people and their devotion to the balance in Nature. His heart and his words are kind and gentle . . . but the space between those words is filled with foreboding. He offers hope, but . . . . . "This is the way I would begin describe my waking vision . . . a solo journey of four days and three nights alone, into the wilderness . . . a Lakota style "vision quest" with no food and no water. It was a trail that would lead deep into the heart, and the mind, and the body, and the Spirit" . . . . . . . . . Robin Miller
Songs Of The Shaman
The Path of the FeatherBy Red Moon HombreAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 Red Moon Hombre
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4520-2113-3 Contents
Foreword.....................................................viiIntroduction.................................................ixChapter 1 Songs of the Shaman................................1Chapter 2 Sacred Hoop........................................7Chapter 3 Reflections on the Lake............................13Chapter 4 Seasons of Life....................................19Chapter 5 Path of the Feather................................25Chapter 6 The Way ... Forgotten..............................31Chapter 7 How Far - To Tomorrow?.............................37Chapter 8 Mist at First Light................................43Chapter 9 Miracle of the Light...............................49Chapter 10 Koyaanisqatsi.....................................55Chapter 11 Journey of the Soul...............................61Chapter 12 Source of Life....................................67Chapter 13 Visions ... Without Words.........................73Chapter 14 Seventh Fire......................................79Chapter 15 Songs of Power....................................85Chapter 16 Revisiting the Garden.............................91Chapter 17 Eagle Boy (Wanble Hoksila)........................97Chapter 18 Falling Waters....................................103Chapter 19 A New Look at the Old Village.....................109Chapter 20 The Path Back.....................................115Chapter 21 Tree Spirit.......................................121Chapter 22 Prayer Feather....................................127Chapter 23 Laguna Pueblo Prayer..............................133
Chapter One
Songs of the Shaman
Verse One
1.1 Come ... sit with me ... and we will speak of many things.
1.2 I have been listening to your Spirit Songs for some time now.
1.3 I first heard them whispering in the cattails along the lake ... and I knew you were coming.
1.4 I have seen your shadows too ... in the flash of fireflies at the edge of the woods.
1.5 You have been lingering like the smoke from a campfire; transparent, yet floating all around me.
1.6 It feels as if you have been waiting for just the right moment ... to draw near. And now we have met, you and I.
1.7 Together, let us sit and listen to the songs of the flutes and the rhythms of the drums.
1.8 Listen ... then find that place in your heart where the call of these sounds resonates ... and your Spirit will soar like the hawk!
1.9 The flutes and the drums are to remind us of Nature's songs ... and she sings to us everyday in countless ways.
1.10 Her voices emerge as the calls of Earth's many creatures ... her heartbeat, is the rhythms of everyday events.
1.11 These vibrations of life ... these songs ... are the universal dialogue all things use to communicate.
1.12 It is the only true language! And the songs of Nature are everywhere; resonating from every material object.
1.13 They are called the Mystery Songs ... and they are referred to, like that ... because they know things!
1.14 Our elders taught us about the wisdoms embedded in Nature's songs. They saw that path clearly ... with birth following the beating of a heart.
1.15 But before the beating of that heart ... there came our singing of the Earth Songs ... those sacred chants ... full of courage ... full of intent.
1.16 Yet before our singing of the Earth Songs ... we first had to pass into dreamtime. Ho Hecetu Welo! (It is so!)
Verse Two
2.1 There was a time ... when The Master of life spoke to us exclusively through the Mystery Songs ... of the plants, and the animals, and the seasons.
2.2 The First Peoples knew these songs well ... for the wisdoms in all songs were shared freely ... throughout all creation.
2.3 Those people were the grandfathers of the grandfathers ... who in some long forgotten past ... taught the fathers of our fathers.
2.4 Yet, today, no one knows ... what ... of those original teachings may still remain.
2.5 We had learned to be patient observers ... from the owl.
2.6 We had learned to build the lake of our dreams ... from the beaver.
2.7 The oak taught us courage ... to stand alone against the storm, if we must ... arms raised in prayer, yet still offering the shelter of our branches to those in need.
2.8 The bear taught us the use of power and agility.
2.9 The buffalo taught us the skills of the hunt ... to take only what we need ... and nothing more!
3.10 The coyote taught us to be crafty and gave us our sense of humor, too.
2.11 The wolf became our guardian ... the hawk, our eyes in the sky.
2.12 And Eagle ... Eagle taught us to soar ... in our hearts, and our minds, and our bodies, and our spirits.
2.13 And these teachings ... these offerings ... these songs ... became the nourishment for our souls.
2.14 And we were humbled by the fact that the very ground where we laid our blankets to rest ...
2.15 Was made from the dust, and the blood, and the bones ... of every grandmother and every grandfather that passed before us.
2.16 That soil made rich ... through their final act of giving. Soil that ... to this very day ... is still sacred to all Native Peoples!
Verse Three
3.1 This whole thought process is contained in the words "Mitakuye O'Yasin" ... literally meaning "All My Relations".
3.2 But this is not a reference to "blood relatives" alone! These two simple words are actually meant to encompass every element of the Sacred Hoop.
3.3 For the earth is not a system where new elements are introduced every day. Instead, it is a system that recycles what it has ... over and over.
3.4 Therefore, by inclusion alone ... everything is braided together, interdependent ... related ... embedded in its Source.
3.5 The Sacred Hoop is that source ... it is that whole family of related objects... it is our Earth Family. It is, "Mitakuye O'Yasin"!
3.6 So, in this way, we have come to recognize that there is intelligence, and purpose ... hidden in the formation of every leaf and rock.
3.7 That when the wind whispers from tree to tree ... its songs have been mentored by the wisdoms of the forest.
3.8 That when the crickets sing their night songs ... peace has settled among the prairie grasses.
3.9 Spirit-Songs express that formation of the "everything" surrounding us ... and every song is a sacred reading from The Book of Life.
3.10 Every song is the sharing of a few of Earth's secrets ... some great and some small ... but all, worth knowing.
3.11 It is the glow of the enlightened spirit ... that flame that already burns in every heart.
3.12 It is the wisdoms ... still emanating from the dawn of our first knowing ... and the markers for our many transitions.
3.13 And every transition has its thunder ... that point where the contrasts between opposites sing the loudest.
3.14 And the child of that thunder is known as ... CRISIS ... who names the paths we may choose for the next leg of our journey.
3.15 This is where choices must/needs be made; where no one person may claim to know what is right for another.
3.16 And where the groundwork is laid ... for our Sacred Spirit Path.
Verse Four
4.1 The history of your path is known ... and the potential for your arrival here was foretold. So finding these teachings was no accident.
4.2 Like the buffalo in search of summer pastures ... there was a hunger that led you ... inevitably ... to this time and place.
4.3. You have been seeking truth and wisdom. And now in response to your songs ... truth and wisdom have found you.
4.4 There is much to learn ... if you have come in a good way!
4.5 Should you choose to walk the path called The Red Road ... these teachings will, forever, be at your side.
4.6 They are part of the Mystery Songs ... and cannot be un-learned. The Mystery Songs change you.
4.7 Their purpose is to renew the old perspectives ... where humans did not believe in dominion ... but were partners in the Earth journey.
4.8 It is called The Path of the Feather ... and it is an honor bound commitment to Namaji.
4.9 It is a "Ute" word and a pledge, like that ... to walk a path of "Dignity, Honor, Respect, and Pride". It is ... Namaji.
4.10 But this is not an assignment ... nor is it even a blood right. It is about choice ... it is about recognition and acceptance.
4.11 It is the acknowledgement ... that our every thought ... our every word ... and our every deed ... forms the basis for the paths we walk.
4.12 And who can say what lies in the hearts of those who cannot feel The Great Spirit ... in all things.
4.13 So I invite you to soar with me ... over mountains and meadows, and in the dreamscapes.
4.14 I invite you to accept your Spirit Path ... as a Sacred Spirit Path. Because it has always been so!
4.15 I invite you to look into your heart; as well ... it will know that these teachings are offered in a good way.
4.16 It will know that my words are straight ... that they may go as sunlight into your heart.
Ho Hecetu Welo
Chapter Two
Sacred Hoop
Verse One
5.1 Let us now speak ... about the way this world behaves.
5.2 There are those who believe we live in a straight line, like the flight of an arrow ... moving from one point to another ... ever forward.
5.3 Yet the closed system I described earlier ... that Sacred Hoop ... clearly suggests a circular journey.
5.4 One that curves back on itself ... to recycle, to replenish, to rejuvenate ... yet to leave signs of where we have been.
5.5 The Great Spirit sings ... and those vibrations become life as it enters our bodies ... but people are not the only living things on this earth.
5.6 And living things are not earth's only material objects. Still, all physical things are spawned by the vibrations in their creation-songs.
5.7 These are the songs of conception ... the songs that consign the influence of Spirit to a physical structure, and bring life.
5.8. For these vibrations represent "intent" ... they initiate the gathering of the elements ... they create structure from the void. 5.9. It is the manifestation of an earthly template ... the activation of a physical experience ... it is the launch of reality, form, and function.
5.10 Mother Earth is the physical perspective ... that confluence of raw materials ... and she designs the templates to be occupied by the Spirits.
5.11 Each template behaves like a personal quest ... each a project, intended to be extinguished during the course of its earthly pursuits.
5.12 This is the character of our world. This is the true nature of our physical existence. This is how our world behaves.
5.13 Take a moment to reflect on the full implications of these teachings. It flows much deeper than you might, at first, expect.
5.14 For you see ... we are spirit life ... in the midst of a physical experience ... as are all the other objects around us.
5.15 So our physical world ... and everything in it ... isn't just from Spirit.
5.16 It actually is Spirit ... wearing many different skins.
Verse Two
6.1 So it is ... that we have chosen to honor the Sacred Hoop, the Medicine Wheel, and the Seven Directions of life.
6.2 We pay homage to The Great Spirit ... that singer of songs ... that creator of all things.
6.3 We look to the east, the south, the west, the north ... we look to Mother Earth ... and to Father Sky.
6.4 We look ... but our point of reference ... that seventh direction ... lies within ... where Spirit dwells.
6.5 We honor and acknowledge the Sacred Hoop ... because we know that the center of the universe lies equally ... in all things.
6.6 The world is fashioned, like this ... so we are always in exactly the right place ... always at exactly the right time ... always centered.
6.7 And from this center we experience the panorama of life ... a lifescape ... ever changing with the songs we sing.
6.8 A lifescape ... filtered and interpreted by our five senses ... and experienced through the enigma we have come to call Time.
6.9 However, in the theater of the Earth ... only the physical body experiences the present ... the now ... this moment ... this breath.
6.10 It is Spirit that catalogs our memories of the past ... it is Spirit that builds our hopes for the future.
6.11 And our body is surrounded by an aura .... a delicate sphere that I refer to as a Thought Field.
6.12 This Thought Field ... is the physical vehicle for your Spirit Essence ... and operates in a world designed to respond to the vibrations in your daily songs.
6.13 It encompasses everything that is, that ever was, or ever could be ... everything ever imagined ... and everything that might be imagined, too.
6.14 And every earthly event is manifest as a project of your intentions ... because it was your song ... your part of that chorus of Earth Songs.
6.15 In this way ... every experience is tuned to the mystery of your own system of beliefs.
6.16 And every minute ... is a testament to, and a study of, your beliefs ... as applied to a physical reality! And we call it ... The Way!
Verse Three
7.1 So the earth is our theater; it is our stage; it is here where we act out our life dramas.
7.2 Dramas braided into the trails we follow ... and rooted in the choices we have made.
7.3 And these trails play out as the attitudes of our conscious thoughts ... as the positioning of our beliefs.
7.4 Which often gives rise to the notion we are somehow separate from the whole ... when we are not!
7.5 In truth, we are like a single drop of water ... that leaps from a river as it goes over the falls.
7.6 It has but a brief opportunity to experience separation ... to experience that freedom ... to experience independent flight.
7.7 But that single drop ... and that river ... are inseparably "The Water" ... each experiencing a slightly different aspect of a Life Path potential.
7.8 In a similar way, you are of the Spirit ... and inseparable from it ... living in a place where the center of the world exists simultaneously in all things.
7.9 This too ... is part of the personality of our world ... radiating in a chorus of co-operations ... and bound by the necessities of balance.
7.10 So life begins as Spirit individually partitions the Earth-Songs ... and each partitioned song solidifies a Spirit-Essence ... as it inhabits an earthly template.
7.11 A template that is the host for our behaviors, and a base from which to position our influence ... to practice our beliefs.
7.12 Our mission is to explore every aspect of duality ... of contrasts, in the field of time ... and experience those contrasts as real physical events.
7.13 That we might finally be able to realize the fully-expanded implications of Love. Not love of things. Not love of self.
7.14 But that place ... that perfection ... where Physical Reality, Love, and The Master of Life ... are all the same thing.
7.15 So those flowers, that brook, and those grandfather stones are all worthy of recognition and respect ... as the embodied shadow-song of the living spirit.
7.16 For each is pursuing a separate and unique physical perspective. Yet each finds its source ... in that single creator.
Verse Four
8.1 Now, some earth-songs are intended to be dark and cold. They sing the pain of war ... the sting of cruelty ... the stain of prejudice.
8.2 Such things are essential to the structure of the life drama ... for duality is the gift ... and the challenge ... of this world.
8.3 Yet, it is also true that many shadow-songs are bright and warming.
8.4 Singing of love and friendship; of dignity, honor, respect, and pride.
8.5 So no good-deed, no kindness ... however small ... is ever wasted.
8.6 For all songs reverberate across the entire web of our common earth consciousness.
8.7 Each voice ... singing to all the others ... in one chorus ... in one symphony.
8.8 And in this oneness ... this masterpiece ... we explore all those trails formed by opposites.
8.9 It is an extraordinary place ... where a problem and its solution ... cast but a single shadow.
8.10 A shadow filtered by our senses ... to exhibit the contrasts of duality. And it is those contrasts that inspire our daily dramas ... and dreams.
8.11 This is where, based on opinion alone, we craft the differences between beauty and ugliness ... all while using light from a single sun.
8.12 This is where the smile and the frown ... are shapes commonly formed from a single face.
8.13 This is where we are slated to be the teacher ... and the student; to be the hunter ... and the hunted.
8.14 To be the observer ... and to be the observed.
8.15 To be the snow that falls and melts ... then falls and melts again.
8.16 To build that spray of creative energy, light, and song ... that emanates from our personal aura.
Ho Hecetu Welo!
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Songs Of The Shamanby Red Moon Hombre Copyright © 2010 by Red Moon Hombre. Excerpted by permission.
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