Issue 28
In this issue:
1) Welcome Letter by Sibyl McLendon
2) Sun Dance by Sibyl McLendon
3) Enhancing Self-Love in Your Daily Life, Aromatherapy article by Françoise Rapp
4) The Tower Card by Eagle Dancing
5) The Power Of Music
6) Authenticating The Kachina Doll by Patty Baldwin
7) Cultivating Happiness by Rinatta Paries
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
Beauty and ugliness are everywhere - even in some of the same things. To some a wide open prairie is empty and colorless - but to others it is uncluttered simplicity - the way life itself ought to look. Physical appeal is high on some lists, but nu tso se dv na, which is cherokee comfort, lasts longer. Whatever is in our hearts is in our sight. To love something or someone makes us see the beauty of it - not the wrong. It is to our advantage to be gentle in our observations - to see and cultivate the best in who we are and in those around us. We love quiet; we suffer the mouse to play; when the woods are rustled by the wind, we fear not.......
~~Unknown American Indian~1796
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
Welcome Letter
by Sibyl McLendon
Ya'ta'he' and Greetings. Welcome to the new subscribers. I pray that your week has been a peaceful and rewarding one, and that this coming week will bring only joy to you.
I have had a lot of reminders this past week that life is exactly what you make it. So many people feel as if they are blown this way and that by the winds of fortune, but really, this only means that you are not taking your personal power and being responsible for your own life. I do a lot of counseling on the Internet. I also do psychic readings on
Keen.com. I never cease to be amazed at the people out there who feel as if they have no say in their lives. These people constantly expect the worst, and then are almost satisfied when the worst happens. The words, "self-fulfilling prophesy" are meaningless to them.
And yet I have learned the hard way in life that we get what we expect to get! Look for trouble and you will always find it. Look for the good, instead, and the good is there as well. I am reminded of the old joke, "Hurts when you do that? Then don't do that!" Old and dumb but very true. If you are feeling this way at all, then I invite you to go and read some of the old articles that have come out here in MousePages
or to Spirit Mouse and try to get a handle on your life.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this week's articles. There is an interesting one on the site about Navajo Kacnina Dolls that you might find interesting. Oh, and I have been approached about starting a newsletter that is strictly about American Indian Spirituality. If any of you have any feedback for me about this, I sure would appreciate your comments.
The Brown
Mouse Medicine co.
Spirit Mouse
Pages With Spirit
American Indian Art
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
As a people we can't forget our heritage and traditions. For if we forget where we came from,we can lose sight of who we are."
~~CANUUK (Maliseet)
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
Sundance Ceremony
By Sibyl McLendon
The Sundance ceremony is one of the most misunderstood ceremonies of the American Indian culture. Non-Indigenous people look upon it as barbaric and bloody; a sign of cruelty and ignorance. Nothing could be further from the truth, yet the intolerance for this ceremony has persisted to this very day. The Sundance is one of the seven sacred ceremonies given to the Lakota (Sioux) by White Buffalo Calf Woman. The other six ceremonies include the pipe ceremony, the sweat lodge, the vision quest, the naming and the adoption ceremonies.
To understand the Sundance ceremony, you will have to understand the very soul of an American Indian. We live for the group. Family and the tribe is everything to us. If the group prospers, we all prosper. There is a funny saying in the Dene' culture, that if a Navajo has any money, it means that he is not taking care of his relatives! The point is that the health and well being of each person within the tribe is important to all. This is, of course, the traditional view. Modern times and the influence of modern culture have rendered this belief somewhat archaic. But with traditionals, which still flourishes.
So, if the goal is the good of the tribe, and everyone within it, then the Sundance ceremony is a way that we have of insuring the health and well being of that group. The dancers are making a sacrifice for the good of the group. They are showing that they place the group before themselves.
The Sundance requires a four-year commitment from the participants. They agree that they will live in a certain manner following their involvement. They have prayed and purified themselves before the dance. On the day of the dance, some will decide to be pierced, some will not. There is no stigma attached to participating without being pierced. It is all according to the individual's vision and path. Those who have decided to be pierced will have a skewer inserted though a portion of their chest muscle, which is attached by a thong to the Sundance pole. All of the participants will dance around the pole for 3 or 4 days, depending on the decision of the Medicine man who is conducting the ceremony. They will dance without food or water. Many will blow on an eagle bone whistle as they dance, calling for visions and for the Above Beings to be with them. Eventually, the chest muscle will tear, releasing the skewer. Breaks are taken during the dance, but no food or water is ingested. There are also women participants, who will dance and fast, but not be pierced.
The dancers are sacred during the dance. They are not to be touched by anyone. To this end, they wear armbands made of sage or sweetgrass, wrapped with cloth. If they fall, or need assistance, a helper will only hold them by these armbands. At the end of the ceremony, these armbands are given as a gift to someone that the dancer feels a strong spiritual connection with. I am very honored to have received one of these armbands from a Sundancer, several years ago. It is one of my most cherished possessions.
They dance for healing, and for the good of the tribe, and Mother Earth. They sacrifice for us all. They have dedicated themselves to a Spiritual life. They are the honored ones.
Unfortunately, today some Sundances has become tourist events. People come to gawk, to take pictures and to spend a day as if they were at an amusement park. I personally feel that all Sundances should be closed to the public. Taking photos at any American Indian ceremony is usually forbidden, but people will do it anyway. Not understanding the significance, they dishonor the event. If would be like an American Indian going to a church service, and taking photos, eating a sack lunch and pointing things out to his kids.
Just like all of the American Indian ceremonies that involved a gathering of people, the U.S. Government outlawed the Sundance for many years. Only the restoration of our Religious rights allowed it to be performed again. It has recovered and is now performed on a regular basis all over the country. Unfortunately, there are still problems. I invite you to take a look at this web page:
Pine Ridge
It tells of the intolerance and attempt to stop Sundances on the Pine Ridge reservation. This occurred in 1997! The persecution continues.
This is not presented as a full description of a Sun Dance ceremony. If you are interested in the full description, I recommend these sites:
Satya
Southern Ute Nation
It is typical of the general culture of the U.S. to use our culture to hawk their goods, and the Sun Dance is no exception. There is a car made by Plymouth (another American Indian name) called the Sundance, there is a hot tub, and of, course, Robert Redford's Sun Dance film festival and film company.
If you ever go to a Sundance ceremony, or any other American Indian ceremony, please, go with the right attitude. Look upon it as you would going to your own church. Be respectful. Understand the important significance of the ceremony. We dance for you, too.
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
Enhancing Self-Love in Your Daily Life
by Françoise Rapp
Rituals have always played an important role in society. Many cultures use rituals to feel more in-tune with their Higher Self, and also help them understand their own inner sacredness. Perpetuating rituals at home on a daily basis will help you
bring harmony, balance and serenity into your life, and will also help you reveal your heart's desires.
The ritual detailed below comforts and heals your heart while connecting you to "Divine Love." It is particularly beneficial for those feeling lonely or depressed, or who are lacking self-love, self-confidence, and self-esteem. By making this a ritual
to enjoy regularly, you will find yourself feeling calmer, confident, and surrounded by love all of the time.
Start by finding a nice, quiet area in your home that will become your own magical space for these special rendezvous with yourself. Here you'll be creating an "altar" to practice your ritual. Allow your artistic creativity to blossom! Add objects that are special to you. Keep a journal close by where you can write your inspirational notes.
You'll also need the following items:
* A nice, light pink or gold fabric
* One rose quartz
* A bouquet of fresh roses 
* One fragrant candle, such as the Love Candle
(jasmine/pomegranate with floating rose petals)
* A picture of yourself
* One 10-ml amber bottle
* Rose essential oil
* Sandalwood essential oil
Arrange all the above items on your fabric. Create this special aromatherapy blend to enhance self-love: Pour 2 drops of the Rose oil and 5 drops of the Sandalwood oil into the 10-ml bottle. Add vegetable oil to fill.
Each day, take few minutes to sit in front of your altar, light the candle, and let its fragrant power embrace the room. Take a few deep breaths, allowing your mind to unwind. Continue until quietness occurs.
Apply the aromatherapy blend clockwise on your heart chakra and breathe in its beautiful scent.
Say the following affirmation while anointing yourself:
"I am Divine Love. Love is in me and surrounding me."
Hold the rose quartz on your heart. Feel its soothing and comforting energy. Stay still for a few more minutes.
***************************
Purchase the essential oils and prepare your aromatic blend by visiting these links:
http://www.aromalchemy.com/aromatherapy/rose.html
http://www.aromalchemy.com/aromatherapy/sandalwood.html
Purchase the love candle by visiting
http://www.aromalchemy.com/fragrantgifts/candleslove.html
***************************
In Good Health,
Françoise Rapp
Melusine-Arom'Alchemy
Healing through your senses
Aromalchemy
francoise@aromalchemy.com
This article was originally published by Françoise
Rapp in "The
Arom'Alchemy Newsletter," an electronic publication dedicated to educating and inspiring people to live a life of total harmony through the use of aromatherapy and flower essences. Françoise was formally trained in aromatherapy and perfumery by priests and alchemists in France, and her talents have been featured in RedBook Magazine and New Age Journal. To have her free newsletter delivered to your email, visit
www.aromalchemy.com/education/index.html.
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."
~~Black Elk (Oglala Sioux)
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
The Tower Card
by Eagle Dancing
The Tower card depicts a tall edifice, sometimes associated with the Tower of Babel. It is being struck by lightening, and the force of the blow has torn the roof (shown as a crown) from it. A man and a woman are shown falling, head-first, from the tower.
The Tower represents powerful changes. These can not be avoided. It may be in your relationship, you attitude, you job or your living arrangements. Understand that these changes are necessary and can often be positive. Many people are frightened of these types of upheavals in their lives, but
sometimes a shake-up can be the best thing to happen.
Reversed
This means that the changes are going to be more disruptive. You may go to work to find the business closed with out warning. You may be left by your partner and not know why. Watch out,
forewarned is forearmed!
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
We give thanks for the Sun who rises each day to give warmth to the earth and also to the hearts of men."
~~Edgar Red Cloud (Blackfoot)
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
The Power Of Music
Secret O' Life
James Taylor
The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time
Any fool can do it
There ain't nothing to it
Nobody knows how we got to
The top of the hill
But since we're on our way down
We might as well enjoy the ride
The secret of love is in opening up your heart
It's okay to feel afraid
But don't let that stand in your way
'Cause anyone knows that love is the only road
And since we're only here for a while
Might as well show some style
Give us a smile
Isn't it a lovely ride
Sliding down
Gliding down
Try not to try too hard
It's just a lovely ride
Now the thing about time is that time
Isn't really real
It's just your point of view
How does it feel for you
Einstein said he could never understand it all
Planets spinning through space
The smile upon your face
Welcome to the human race
Some kind of lovely ride
I'll be sliding down
I'll be gliding down
Try not to try too hard
It's just a lovely ride
Now the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
Authenticating The Kachina Doll
It's virtually impossible to begin writing about The Kachina Doll without first exploring the rich history
behind these treasures.
The first people to arrive on the American continent did so by crossing the Bering Strait between 15,000 and
40,000 years ago, arriving in Alaska from Asia. Theories on their travel range from sailing in kayaks,
walking across an ice cap to the possibility of a land bridge connecting Asia to North America. Whatever
their mode of travel, over thousands of years, these Paleo- Indians migrated across the face of the North
American continent.
The ancestral heritage of the tribes which now occupy the Southwestern United States, is derived from three
distinct prehistoric cultures. The Anasazi (a Navajo word meaning "ancient people who are not us"), The
Hohokam and The Mogollon.
It is believed that sometime between 900 and 1100 AD, the Anasazi cultural dominance absorbed much
of the Mogollon culture reaching a total meshing around 1450. It is also believed that this merging
contributes to the cultural background of the Hopi, Zuni and Acoma.
When referring to the Navajo or "Dine" (Navajo for the People) in contemporary terms, we are speaking
of those Native Americans who now occupy the American Southwest. The Navajo arrived here much more recently than
the ancestors of the Pueblo People referred to above. They come from a region in Alaska called Athapaskan,
arriving here about the same time as the Spanish. Merging many of the cultural traditions of their adopted
heritage with their own, the concern of the Navajo suggests a refined set of values: order, stability,
harmony and the interaction and interrelatedness of all things.
These values are all contained in the concept of" hozho", a central principle of Navajo religion, philosophy and
aesthetics. The term is roughly translated as "beauty," but its broad meaning has no exact equivalent in English.
Hozho expresses the intellectual concept of order, the emotional state of happiness, the moral notion of good,
the biological condition of health and well-being, and the art characteristics of balance, harmony and beauty.
The relationship of art to the concept of hozho is especially interesting. For the Navajo, a finished work
of art must incorporate the elements of hozho and communicate to the viewer just what it is to achieve
the condition of hozho. All who participate in a creative action must thus be
in a state of hozho. All aspects of Navajo culture are interconnected through their association to hozho.
The finished piece, from the Navajo perspective, is merely the vehicle whereby beauty, hozho, is transmitted
from an artist who is in a state of beauty, to a recipient or audience. The end result is that the receiver will also
be brought into a state of beauty through viewing, wearing or appreciating what the artist has created.
All of which finally brings us to authentication. Discussing the history, names and spirituality of The
Kachina Doll will be left for another time.
Given the brief narrative here, perhaps one can grasp a better understanding of the importance of insuring
that you are collecting a representation of the ancient history of a very proud heritage.
All Navajo artisans authenticate their work with their name or initials and a census number for verification.
If you purchase a contemporary Kachina that does not carry these identifiers, this is an indication of two distinct
possibilities.
The first possibility is that you have a genuine artifact created before authentication became necessary. If this
appears to be the case, we recommend you have the item appraised. Genuine artifacts are difficult to find outside of museums.
If you are ever approached to purchase such an item, it is recommended that you proceed with extreme caution.
These items are sacred to native americans and the purchase of an artifact may involve you in a fraudulent
situation.
The second and more prevalent possibility, is that you have purchased a "knock-off." Authentic Navajo Kachinas
are not turned out in a factory. Each is a unique, hand crafted work of art representing the hozho of the individual
artist.
Respect the hozho living within The Kachina Doll. Mak ecertain you are buying from a reputable dealer.
Patty Baldwin (c) 2001
*******************************************************
Patty Baldwin is a former Better Business Bureau executive and the owner of 4Bs Trading Company. A successful net
marketer, she invites you to stop by and browse the store at:
http://www.4bstrading.com
<<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>>
Cultivating Happiness
We always seem to want those things we don't have. Moreover, we are often convinced that if we had those things we want so
badly, we would finally be happy.
Singles who want to be in a relationship often believe once they are in one they will finally be happy. Those in shaky
relationships hope their relationship will work out, because having worked it out will finally make them happy.
"I will be happy when I am in love." "I will be happy when he/she does really loves me." "I will be happy when I know he
or she is committed to me." "I will be happy when my husband/wife is more considerate." Sound familiar?
The truth is that happiness is an attitude. It's not something created by outside circumstances, but instead is completely
within your control. This means that you can be happy regardless of whether you are in a relationship or not. You can
be happy regardless of whether your relationship is working out or not. If fact, if you cultivate happiness, your relationship
will improve.
You will not get that deep sense of satisfaction and happiness you crave just by getting or improving a relationship. Nothing
will give you that sense of happiness, unless you cultivate it consciously.
Is the glass half empty or half full? Life and relationships work better when the glass is half full. Below are some simple
yet specific steps you can take to cultivate happiness and see the glass half full, regardless of your relationship status.
1. Be grateful
Create a sense of gratitude for what you have, for what is working, for what is wonderful and sweet in your life. A
morning or evening gratitude list, written each day, can do wonders for helping you feel grateful.
2. Take care of yourself
Identify the small things in life that make you feel good, and do one daily. A short walk, a few minutes of writing in your
journal, a short meditation, watching the sunset. Whatever reminds you that you are a human being and not a human doing
will improve your outlook on life.
3. Be creative
Creativity and self-expression generate happiness. Schedule some creative time each day, even if it's just a few minutes of
writing, painting, sculpting, etc.
4. Move
Moving our bodies generates feel-good hormones called endorphins. Move a little every day to stay happy.
5. Get someone to take care of you
It feels good to be taken care of, even in small ways. Get a massage, a manicure, someone to carry your groceries, launder
your clothes, or fix something for you.
6. Read inspirational material
It helps to be reminded of positive thoughts and positive attitudes. Get a small book of positive, inspirational thoughts
and keep it by your desk. Read one or two thoughts each day.
7. Contribute
Stand up for something that matters to you. Contributing, making a difference feels good. It boosts your self-esteem,
your gratitude and feeling of well being.
8. Get some time
I know this one is hard, especially if you are a single parent. But if you are determined, you can find some time every day to
just be. Make sure you do this - it will make a big difference in your ability to be happy.
9. Be in nature
Nature rejuvenates and restores the human spirit. Whether your brand of nature is mountains or the ocean, give yourself the
gift of visiting it frequently.
10. Be happy
No matter how many wonderful things you do to create a positive, happy, satisfied life, you could still end up unhappy.
Ultimately, happiness, gratitude, a feeling of satisfaction is a choice. People often do not choose happiness. Many feel
refusing to be happy will somehow get them what whey want, like a child holding his breath. Holding your breath will not get
your what you want. It is happiness that attracts.
Your Relationship Coach,
Rinatta Paries
What It Takes
This article was originally published by Coach Rinatta Paries in "The Relationship Coach Newsletter," a weekly e-zine for
people who want fulfilling relationships. For singles, the newsletter will help you attract your Mr. or Ms. Right. If
you're in a relationship, you will learn to create more closeness and intimacy with your mate. To subscribe, go to
What It Takes
Home