Indigenous Wisdom: Healing the Rift (10/8 Vital Conversation)

Join us for a heart-based inquiry into the teachings and the history of indigenous peoples.  Share in  the beauty of ritual, the power of deep wisdom and the dignity of struggle against oppression.

PODCAST OF FULL CALL AVAILABLE HERE AND ERNESTINE HAYES EXCERPT HERE.

We have three very special conversation starters lined up for our Monday Cafe Call (bios available here):

  • Ernestine Saankalaxt' Hayes
  • Phil Lane Jr.
  • Stephanie Nestlerode

This Cafe Conversation continues our Occupy a New Story collaboration with Jeff Vander Clute and Duane Elgin of New Stories and Great Transition Stories, where this page, offers an introduction to the topic and a number of powerful videos for your exploration.

We are beginning our inquiry here on the Occupy Cafe forum, and then continuing with our regular Monday Cafe Call on 10/8:

Register for our Monday Vital Conversation Cafe Calls
8-10a PDT | 11a-1p EDT | 3-5p GMT

Note: this theme will also inform our Tuesday "Connect2012" and Thursday "Occupy Heart" calls.

We start with the following question:

  • How are indigenous wisdom and history alive for you today?

South Brisbane street art photo courtesy of Leonard John Matthews

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On this morning's call, Ernestine Saankalaxt' Hayes spoke of how "we belong to the land." Here's a video from the Global Oneness Project titled "The Land Owns Us." I have come back to this video repeatedly over the last few years.
Also, I just noticed that the Global Oneness Project is currently featuring portraits / photo essays of the 99%. Beautiful!

Here is the piece that Ernestine Hayes read at the end her moving talk today:

"Remember the land is enspirited. It is quickened. When as you conduct your life you chance to see an eagle, or a wolf, or a bear, remember that it too is conducting its life, and sees you as well. 
As does a tree. And the forest itself. The very land sees you.
When you remember this, and feel this, and know this, you will want to hug the land. You will want to embrace it. And when that happens you can be sure that the land feels the same way about you.
The land loves you. She misses her children."  E. Hayes

Anyone who would like to connect with her about the longer piece that she read from describing what it would be like for the USA to be colonized as the indigenous peoples were can email that request to connect@OccupyCafe.org.

"The Earth owns us." was a quote by Ernestine on today's call.

In me Mother Earth evokes a construct of the unity, for the 'me-and-all-things' as earth and the heavens... I name it also...  intelligence, balance, harmony, love, infinity... among the many names for God.  Surely it's undeniable in nature- the endless, varying cycles that prevail and balance... that sustains life, creates anew, and necessarily destroys or ends it. 

(note, I limit this... but acknowledge that perhaps most connections are not directly observable even in the physical, also in the spiritual and the occult.)

Isn't Mother of all the seasons small and great... the ancient cycles of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva (Creator, Sustainer, Destroyer)?  And aren't seasons, to the best of our observation and experience, inherent of existence and inevitable?  To me, the cycles/Seasons is a comfortable construct... like being in the hands of Great Intelligence.  I repeatedly see and experience and 'know' the wondrous results of death and birth and growth... 

But for most, when I bring the 'me' into the idea of 'ending' there is resistance, conflict... fear, no?  "Why don't I want to end?"  Do I think I'm separate, exempt, special, not a part of this unity?  I'm confused and conflicted and so maybe in denial my whole life.  So, I suffer my submerged fears all my life, being in conflict with reality, and then even more as I near my actual ending of life... until the great teacher readies me to surrender and learn.

But, now it's obvious we must be within one or more of the Greater Seasons, no?.  And to me it seems our cycle has past the Sustainer and is within the Destroyer.  Why is this so bad?  Why would we, who are mere specks of dust, question the Great Intelligence with her endless no-strings-attached promise of abundance and love...

Maybe OUR job is simply to find our true selves... to our highest capability, learn to serve others and the earth....

... "and leave the driving to the Mother"

This lovely video for Ena Vie's "Earth Prayer" arrived in my inbox yesterday. It emanates the energy of healing and reconciliation that is alive for me in this conversation.

Thanks, Jeff.  This brightened up my day!  A lovely coda to yesterday's conversation.

I'm sad to have missed the conversation yesterday - it was Thanksgiving here in Canada and my family was calling to me at the same time. We were out in the Quebec forest, which was red and gold with Fall colors. 

As I've been reading through the comments here, I'm frustrated not to have a "like" button for each!  So much wisdom and generosity.  I'm grateful for this community. 

Hi again friends...

I have just written a blog post about a project that I am initating around the question of the role of indigenous wisdom in these changing times and emerging world. Check out the post if you are interested or would like to learn more...

http://www.occupycafe.org/profiles/blogs/the-role-of-indigenous-wis...

En solidaridad,

Aerin

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Regular Calls are no longer being held.  Below is the schedule that was maintained from the Fall of 2011 through Jan 10, 2013.

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