Elder's Meditation of the Day - July 30

Elder's Meditation of the Day - July 30   

"You want to know who's a real medicine man? He's the one
who doesn't say 'I'm a medicine man.' He doesn't ask you to
come to him. You've got to go and ask him. And you'll find he's
always there among his own people."      
-- Louis Farmer, ONONDAGA     

The Medicine Man is a role model of what it is like to live in harmony and balance
with the Creator. It takes a long time, a lot of sacrifice and discipline to become a
Medicine Man. A Medicine Man is humble and never crass about anything. He
knows he lives to do the will of the Great Spirit. He knows he is to help the people.
He lives very low key - the more low key he lives, the more people seek him out- and
such is life. The more one serves the people and is quiet about it, the more he is sought
out. The quieter he is, the more powerful is his medicine.   

Great Spirit, allow me this day to be humble. Allow me this day not to seek attention,
but to live quietly and keep my focus and attention on serving You.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day August 1

Elder’s Meditation of the Day August 1
“Everyone has to find the right path. You can’t see it so it’s hard to find. No one can show you. Each person has to find the path by himself.”
–Charlie Knight, UTE
There are certain times in our lives when a voice whispers to us. The voice doesn’t always talk. Usually we hear it best when we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Inside every person is the knowledge that a Supreme Being exists. Sometimes a restlessness occurs and it makes me feel I need to be doing something or I need to be going somewhere or maybe I start wondering who am I? Often when this happens, I feel lost. Inside of everyone is the natural, built-in desire to be walking the Red Road, or to be seeking a relationship with the Creator. No one can force us to make this journey. We must make this journey because we want to. This journey is not on the outside. The path is inside of ourselves. It is inside that we must begin our search.

Oh Great Spirit, help me this day to look within myself. If trouble arises, let me realize that it’s not what is going on but how I am looking at what is going on. Give me Your power this day to conduct myself according to Your way of life.

Elder's Meditation of the Day - July 31

Elder's Meditation of the Day - July 31   

Look behind you. See your sons and your daughters. They
are your future. Look farther and see your sons' and your
daughters' children and their children's children even unto
the Seventh Generation. That's the way we were taught.
Think about it: you yourself are a Seventh Generation."               
-- Leon Shenandoah, ONONDAGA   
       
The Creator designed us with a free will. That means we function from choices
and consequences. It is important that we practice thinking about consequences
before we make decisions about choices. Every choice I make is like setting up
dominos one after the other that produce consequences. Not just for me but also
for my children and for the children that are unborn. My choices and decision today
will have consequences for seven generations. For example, if I work on my own
spiritual development and I walk the Red Road, the odds are that my children will.
They will marry and their children will follow the Red Road and so will my
grandchildren even up to the seventh generation. This will happen because of the
choices and decisions that I make today.    

Great Spirit, grant that the choices and decisions that I make today will honor
Your laws and values. May I live in peace today that will ripple into the seventh
generation.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 29

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 29
“When we want to talk to Him we burn tobacco and it takes our prayers all the way up to the Sky World.”
–Louis Farmer, ONONDAGA
Our herbs and our medicines are all here for the purpose of serving. Offering tobacco as a gift to the Creator is proper use of our medicine. In this way, we are able to communicate from the physical world to the spiritual world. Sometimes we have a hard time coming up with the right words when we pray, especially if we are really mixed up. The tobacco and the sage will take the intent to the spirit world. The meaning behind the words are more important the the words. The Creator always knows our intent. The tobacco helps us get to the Sky World.

Today, my Creator, I offer You this tobacco. I want to thank You for being in my life. I want to tell You how much I appreciate the honor of being here to serve You. Tell me this morning what I can do for You. You are the reason I live.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 27

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 27
“Let us put our minds together as one.”
–Irving Powless, Sr., ONONDAGA
If we sat in a circle and put an object in the center of the circle and we all described what we saw, everyone would see different points of view from each other. Some would even see opposites because they would be sitting on opposite sides of the circle. In other words, you don’t have to see what I see for you to be right. In fact, everyone in the circle is right based on their own point of view. If we are willing to listen to everyone’s point of view, then we can get a more accurate description of the object in the center. This is one way to put our minds together. When we get the clarity from each other, we should give thanks and be grateful to each other.

Grandfathers from the four directions, guide me today with Your wisdom from the east, from the south, from the west and from the north.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 26

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 26
“These are our times and our responsibilities. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth, from whom all life comes. In order to do this, we must recognize the enemy – the one within us. We must begin with ourselves…”
–Leon Shenandoah, ONONDAGA
The outside is merely a reflection of our insides. My mind is designed to tell me that I’m not crazy for thinking what I am thinking. Even if I have angry thought, my mind is giving me excuses and reasons why it is OK to think what I’m thinking. I need to be knowledgeable about the laws of harmony and balance. I cannot twist the laws to serve me, but I can adjust my life to serve the laws. This is the law – I am here to serve the Earth. The Earth is not here for me to misuse and abuse.

Oh Great Spirit, allow me the insight and knowledge of how to live in harmony and balance with my surroundings. Grant me change from within.