Native American Wisdom

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

Got these two lists in an email today and wanted to share:


Native American Code of Ethics
Quote

1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak...

2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance...

3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you...

4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor...

5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours...

6. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth, whether it be people or plant...

7. Honor other people's thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression...

8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you...

9. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven...

10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism...

11. Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us. They are part of your worldly family...

12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life's lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow...

13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you...

14. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of one's will within this universe...

15. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self, all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails...

16. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions...

17. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others, especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden...

18. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you can not nurture and help yourself first...

19. Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others...

20. Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity...

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Re: Native American Code of EthicsQuote
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.

Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.

Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.

Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place.

Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.

Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

-- Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation

[BlancheSplanchnik]

1. I like this very much!

Thanks ayeshahaqiqqa.

It ties together so many truths.

RAther than thinking I have to do all of these, correctly, all at once--and then quickly hiding that thought from myself, so that all I'm left with is a vague feeling of futility .....

I think I will take ONE peice that I am weak on (waking up early and praying/meditating immediately), and ponder how it would be to improve that alone, and take a simple action to start with. (set alarm every day. Workdays and weekends.)

and how about looking at what I am succeeding at, which of those ideas I have pretty ingrained, and feel appreciative to self.....

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Yes, that is how you are to take it

I don't know if you have participated in Native American rituals or not, but the ones I've been to have been joyous affairs--and very supportive of one another. In the Native American lodges I have visited, there is no judgment, no condemnation--for your path is your own path, and it is honored. Only Great Mystery knows why supposed "missteps" are taken--and who is to say that those missteps aren't really valuable teaching lessons?

So yes, take things one at a time, and look at those successes in life with a smile of appreciation.

Ho Metaquiatsun

[Metta]

3. Mmm, good stuff. If more people followed this, there'd be less war.

I was touched by the parts about lost souls and acknowleding people when in a lonely place. Thanks for posting.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. when I read about lost souls

I thought about some of the posters here at DU that sometimes get my goat. If I can remember to look at them as lost souls, perhaps I will begin to better understand them.

[Metta]

13. Yes, I find that helpful, too plus it keeps me out of the drama which is always good.

and more into compassion. :hi:

[I Have A Dream]

4. Absolutely beautiful!

I'm so glad that you shared this with us, ayesha.

I would recommend this if I could.

[FirstLight]

5. So good to remember these Truths!

I have belonged to a Drumming Circle and worked in vision questing, etc... and I have always felt that Native American Spirituality is very close to "home" for me. It makes my soul sing...

This is the Introduction to our New Circle group experience .(..and we may just be trying something new, called "virtual Circles" where the participants can come via Skype or the like) - I wrote the part following the quote:

"You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round... Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing. Our tepees were round like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle. The nation's hoop, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to hatch our children.”
Black Elk
Oglala Sioux Holy Man


What is a Circle…it is the great equalizer, a place where there is no head or foot. King Arthur understood the relevance of this format when meeting with his knights…

In tribal council, it is to ensure that all come together with open hearts…
In childhood, if children are asked to gather on a carpet, they instinctively form a circle.

Today, we are used to a very linear way of life. The group in circle gives us the chance to remember that ideal - to share rather than demand, to heal rather than divide.

To have a group that meets in circle, is a commitment to yourself and the process. Each one of you holds a piece of the whole circle’s story. Each one of you carries ideas, mannerisms, and issues that will challenge and endear you with the others in the group.

The primary focus of the circle is to bring people together – encouraging the creation of healthy boundaries, while challenging the barriers that hinder growth and compassion.

Judgment is suspended in circle. When one person is sharing their emotions, struggles, or joys – we are asked to hold the space for them to feel it, work through it but without judgment or “fixing” - the circle IS the container for the process.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. Very wise words

in zkr, we are in a circle as well; as we join hands and the energy flows, we become One. As Murshid S.A.M. said, "Spirituality is not concepts. Spirituality is experience." The Circle is a great way to Experience.

[MagickMuffin]

6. Yum, perfect Food for THOUGHT ;=D

It is amazing how we project ourselves onto the World.

The other day someone posted a thread about a "smelly" co-worker and if they had the right to be "stinky". I decided to play along and posted a couple of pics poking fun of the person. After thinking about it I changed my mind about it. What possessed me to do something like that (?) possibilities of a few laughs. When I thought about my own situation of NOT being able to smell much of anything I was embarrassed by my own lack of self awareness. I deleted my post and felt a Great Relief in doing so. I did feel really really stupid but after I deleted the post I felt the burden of my stupidity melting away. Then I felt good about making the right decision to delete it before the time limit was up.

However, I should have posted that if anyone ever finds themselves in my situation they would welcome ALL smells no matter how offensive. Believe me I would love to be able to smell a skunk, an over zealous person with their perfume habits, flowers, fresh cut grass, these things seem like a distant past to me.

I have been trying to treat this olfactory problem by using a Neti pot twice a day and taking 600mg Alpha Lipoic Acid. The other night I smelled gas from our bathroom heater, last night I actually smelled the scent of the lemons I was zesting.


I guess what I'm trying to say, WE all have the capacity to be a Good Person in this Life it only takes a little effort to make our decisions a Positive One. The Wisdom of the Native Americans are indeed wise, and really not that hard to follow. There are some that are harder than others. I'm finding difficulty in "forgiving" people who have done harm to me. I just don't know if I can ever do that. What they did was to me was really BAD, BAD, BAD.


Thank you, ayesha :hug: for these reminders, of how we can strive to be better people.

Namaste

:loveya:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. MM, forgiveness can be our greatest challenge

I don't know what was done to you, though I can empathize. Betrayals and violations of trust and innocence, breaking of hearts--all are very painful burdens to bear. I would suggest that, from my own experience, that forgiveness is a key to your own healing. It should not be undertaken as a first step, but rather as a last step, I think. In my own case, which involved betrayal by a parent when I was very young, I went through the stages of fear, anger, and grief, with long periods of "rest" in between before I could begin the process of forgiveness. This process will continue through my entire life, I am sure, but when I can forgive, I feel a part of me within healing and becoming full of Light.

[MagickMuffin]

14. You are correct in what you say

However, at this point and time I have to address this over a period of time that will allow the process of healing. I can not personally forgive them in a face to face situation as I have severed my family connections. I might be able to forgive them through the process of asking the Cosmos to forgive them for me, but there is no way I can ever face them again.

The pain is very deep and I will work through it on my own terms, however painful that may be for me.

Thanks for understanding how difficult these matters can be to us.


Namaste

:loveya:

[LaurenG]

7. 20 excellent suggestions to live by -

I admire the native influence so much, and there is so much wisdom in these words. :hug:

[northernlights]

11. wonderful list

thank you for sharing them. I think I'm going to keep a copy by my bedside to read before I go to sleep and when I first get up, as a reminder...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

12. Thank you for the idea

I have sent this to others, but hadn't thought of keeping a hard copy near. Thank you for the suggestion.