Kathleen Haskett

Those who live closely with Nature, as the indigenous people have, don't make a distinction between the wisdom of Nature and the principles by which we live.  For example, the Wind of the South is symbolized by "great serpent" which represents survival (certainly a very strong principle for most of us).  When they open "Sacred Space" they ask for the teaching of survival to include "teaching us to walk in beauty, and to shed our past the way you shed your skin -- in one whole piece." Each direction (north, south, east, west) represents a different principle, symbolized by a different animal. The animals and principles are not categories, but part of the wholeness of that which is sacred. Sometimes I think we become too compartmentalized which only increases our focus on our differences. We are all in this activity of life on this planet together, "plant people, stone people, two-legged, four-legged creatures, the finned, the furred... all creation our relation."

Today my pastor spoke about Columbus Day and Indigenous People Day happening (both of them!) tomorrow. It seems thoughtfulness is a part of this challenge, and I would invite those of you who are not aware of the many gifts from indigenous people to consider this now. If you want to begin your search about the shamanic wisdom handed down from the Laika people of Peru, descended from the Incas, I invite you to theFourWinds.com and the teachings from Alberto Villoldo, a man of science and shaman traditions who was one of my teachers in 2007.

I have been interested in these topics for many years now.  But despite the familiarity, I realize that I have become complacent about some things I need to change. I do a lot, but I certainly can do a lot more.