January 25 - Daily Feast
Volume II
Dust trails on the ground and vapor trails in the sky where man travels with such speed we can only see where he has been - and these are everyday wonders. Others have left tracks for us - men and women we may never have heard about, or it may be our own mothers and fathers. Eras pass leaving only the faintest signs. Hills stay pretty much the same, the sky changes and changes again. The wind sweeps a trail of seeds that give us trees and flowers. Universal tracks - footsteps we hear again and again. Will ours be marching - or rolling softly as the steps of an evening walker?
~ I thank the Great Spirit for making me a Sauk, and the son of a great Sauk Chief. ~
BLACK HAWK
"A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 25
"Also ask your heart to purify and cleanse this defect and harmful desire. Ask also the help of the inner father and mother. Every time we eliminate a defect, we build our soul, our inner temple. We ascend, like going up a stairway."
--Willaru Huayata, QUECHUA NATION, PERU
The building blocks to knowledge and wisdom are constructed through the lessons of our character defects if we constructively review our conduct each day, asking where we are resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid. Remember, we need to review constructively, not destructively. Destructive review is when we ask, "what's the matter with me anyway." or "how could I be so stupid?" These question lead to morbid reflection or remorse and seriously affect our self esteem. In constructive review we ask, "what will I do next time?" With constructive review we progressively eliminate the defect and replace it with wisdom.
My Creator, allow me to have my defects because through them I gain in knowledge of Your will.
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THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
A pair of great horned owls swoop through the woods and light on an oak limb. They are hunting and their great heads swivel in all directions while they take in the view. A lone rabbit hides in a stack of wood and our domestic cats scatter to safety.
Beau is our black tomcat and he came home one morning with long scratches down the length of his thick black coat. Something barely touched the skin but took the fur so that it will take a long time to grow what is missing. We suspect the owls and we bless Zsa, our female part-Siamese cat because she is so easy to spot. We know she is swift and can outrun many predators, but she is also ten years old and we do not leave her safety to how fast she can run.
We should never leave our lives to ability -- they can have weaknesses, but Spirit has no weakness.
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Dance to Heal the Earth
Whenever you dance, wherever you dance, dance to heal the earth!
Dancing is power. Dancing is prayer. Some say that all is dance. Maybe. Now there's a big dance coming, a dance to heal the earth. If you're reading this, you're probably part of it. You take part whenever you do whatever you do to help heal the earth. When you recycle. When you choose to show love, to fight for justice, to bring healing, to bring out what is good in others. When you avoid cruelty and dishonesty and waste. When you are outraged. When you speak out. When you give. When you consider the generations to come. When you protest to the oppressors and encourage those who feel the cutting edge of injustice. And, of course, when you dance. There is a tree that all the prophets see, and whenever you let your love show, you make the flowers grow.
Soon this dance will be done in a big way, in the old way, on sacred ground. All living things will take part. If you want to, you can take part. No one is twisting your arm. You can stop any time you need to, and start up again whenever you're ready. If you've read this far, you probably know what I'm talking about. You've probably been doing it in one way or another for a good while. Soon will be the time to make no bones about it! Cut loose!
Anytime you dance, anywhere, whether at a party or in church, dance to heal the earth! Let your feet beat a healing rhythm into the earth. Let your feet beat a strengthening rhythm for those who struggle the hardest. Let your feet beat a life-giving rhythm for all peoples, regardless of race or national boundary, regardless of whether we're human or whether we're the trees, the air, the fish, the birds, the buffalo, the bear, the crow. We come out of hiding, we come back from the dead, and we dance, and our dance is a prayer, and our songs and our rhythms and our breath give life.
Is the music they're playing some mindless jingle? Never mind, as long as it's not bad music, and you can dance to the beat! Make your own words, and make the words a prayer. A prayer for the end of exploitation, a prayer for the end of lies, a prayer for healing, for justice, for life. Remember your prayer-song, feed it and let it get strong and pass it along. Dance and pray, whenever you dance, dance to heal the earth.
Have you seen anything? Wear it out! Make it so that all can see what you see! Take a white T-shirt and mark it with your dreams. Is there anything you'd like to tell the world? Take your shirt and mark it with your song! This is the way it has been done, so you can do it too. Use any color except black (there are reasons for that that will become clearer later), and you'll probably find that a loose, pure cotton T is most comfortable for dancing in. Cos this is an actual dance, you dance hard, you sing and breathe hard and sweat. Wear it when you plan to go out dancing, to dance to heal the earth.
Some people do this dance while fasting, and dance for several days straight. But even a few minutes of dancing helps, and joins with all the other dancing going on, everywhere on Earth. Not everyone can fast these days. Besides, you never know when you're gonna dance, and you have to eat sometimes! But if you plan to dance, hold off eating till later, or just have a little. It's easier to dance if you don't have a hotdog weighing you down.
Some people say, do not do sacred things where people are drinking and partying. But all the universe is a sacred place. It really doesn't matter what others are doing, you can make a place sacred wherever you are, with your intention and your prayers. Some people use smoke to make a place sacred; a cigarette or incense stick will do fine. You can dance to heal the earth anywhere, even a party or a bar! The earth is everywhere, so you can dance anywhere to heal her. Only one thing. Please hold off drinking or using any other intoxicants till you're done. It works better that way.
The Lie has gone far enough. It spreads and makes everyone sick. Now is the time for this dance to begin. It, too, will spread, and it will bring healing to all. In the beginning, they say, God put a rainbow in the sky, to let us know that Spirit never forgets. Now is the time for us to put a rainbow across the earth, to let God know that we, too, remember.
Dance to heal the earth. Not just when you're dancing, but always. Live the dance, whenever you move, in all you do, dance to heal the earth.
Final Vision
Life is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of the buffalo in the winter.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.
-Crowfoot (Blackfoot)
The Rock
The rock lays near
While light comes and goes
The rock only exists
Said to have no soul
The rock cannot be sad
It knows not the time
It has no life to hold
It canít feel love
As we admire it
It remains in stillness
Yet in its own way
May watch!
-Lloyd Carl Owle (Cherokee)
God's Minute
BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER,
FORGIVING EACH OTHER, JUST AS IN CHRIST GOD
FORGAVE YOU.
( EPHESIANS 4:32 *NIV )
Dear Member's,
It is easy for us to ask God for forgiveness, but we often
find it very difficult to forgive others. Therefore when you
find yourself angry with someone and thinking about revenge,
remember that it is written; DO NOT TAKE REVENGE, MY
FRIENDS, BUT LEAVE ROOM FOR GODS WRATH, FOR
IT IS WRITTEN: "IT IS MINE TO AVENGE; I WILL REPAY,
SAYS THE LORD!" ( ROMANS 12:19 )
After all our Savoir Jesus Christ gave us this warning as well;
"FOR IF YOU FORGIVE MEN WHEN THEY SIN AGAINST
YOU, YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE
YOU. BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE MEN THEIR SINS,
YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL NOT FORGIVE YOUR
SINS." ( MATTHEW 6:14-15 )
Therefore; FORGET THE FORMER THINGS; DO NOT
DWELL IN THE PAST. ( ISAIAH 43:18 ) For the past is gone
and no one can change it anyway! All we can do is make
today the best that we can by forgiving our enemies, just as
God has forgiven us!.
So why not make peace with those who may have
angered you, remembering the Words of our Savior Jesus
Christ; "BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS: FOR THEY
SHALL BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD!" Amen.
( MATTHEW 5:9 )
With My Love & Prayers,
your servant , Pastor CougarMoon
