Twenty years ago, when I was near death from a life-threatening illness, a vivid dream was more real than life. Floating out of my body, I rose up, up, and up inside the clouds above. With no door visible, I nevertheless knocked, repeatedly demanding entry. The sky whitened with my greeting as a Large Voice stated, "You have got a lot of work to do. "It sent me down, down back into my body with the life-long question: What is my Work? Is my present action leading to my Work?
"That's me singing," Charlie says. "That's me playing the water drum, too. If you know my song, you know Charlie. Everyone has a song. God gives each a song. That's how we know who we are. Our song tells us who we are.
~ from WISDOMKEEPER by Steve Wall and Harvey Arden
Sitting here talking — that's happening NOW, so I'm totally absorbed in it. Right here, this is the most important conversation in the world because it's happening HERE and NOW! Was I getting a glimpse of an accessible philosophy here? Something I could actually use to hone the dulled edges of my own soul? To learn to celebrate the present moment, the NOWNESS and HERENESS of life? NOW, the most sacred, the most precious moment of all.
A chief must never forget the Creator, never forget to ask for help. The Creator will guide our thoughts and strengthen us as we work to be faithful to our sacred trust and restore harmony among all peoples, all living creatures, and Mother Earth. We were instructed to carry a love for one another and to show great respect for all the beings of this earth. In our ways, spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics. When people cease to respect and express gratitude for these many things, then all life will be destroyed... 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, in WISDOM KEEPERS by Steve Wall and Harvey Arden
