Universal Native American
Spiritual Principles
Native American spiritual principles evolved over time to be practical in addition to spiritual. Since each Nation lives in different climates and terrains, each developed unique traditions, teachings, and cultures that allow them to thrive in the lands where they live. Only the elders of that particular Nation have the right to choose with whom they share their wisdom. If ever you wish to learn the ways of a specific tribe, you must ask, respectfully, the elders of that Nation. However, the essence of certain teachings are universal and expressed in various forms regardless of where in the Americas you would travel. In order for you to have the full benefit of this book, you must understand these basic concepts.
Great Spirit
One of the names for the Creator spirit is the Great Spirit, although the One has countless names in many cultures. The Creator is benign and is in all things and beyond all things. The Great Spirit is so vast it is impossible for us to be able to comprehend the complete nature of the Creator. All of us have the ability to connect with the Great Spirit at any time about anything by going into our Hearts. The teachings to help us live in harmony and balance with creation and with each other as a human family come from the Great Spirit.
It is said that all things come from and return to the Great Spirit. Since the Great Spirit is in all things and beyond all things, it is placed in the center of the Medicine Wheel. Because of this, the center of the Medicine Wheel is the most powerful point and spirit is the most powerful of all the five elements.
It is said that this divine force has allowed itself to be understood in many ways, nature being only one of them. In the Medicine Wheel, the Great Spirit has a male face that represents divine masculine force. This is represented by Sky Father. The Great Spirit also has a divine feminine face and represents all that is female, which is represented by Earth Mother. This element of spirit is invoked whenever there is a need to have different aspects or elements that are discordant work to come into alignment with each other.
It is also taught that the Great Spirit lives in our Hearts. This is why, when it comes to a location, the Heart is so important. It represents the breath and divine power of the Creator that will hold the essence, expression, and healthy sacred energy to govern and flow throughout an entire home or work space. Later in this book I will teach you how to carefully choose objects to place within the Heart of the space that you are working on.
Medicine Wheel
Although the Medicine Wheel is drawn as a circle with two intersecting lines it is more than merely a two-dimensional image. Just as we are more than beings who live in a three-dimensional world, the energy and effects of the Medicine Wheel go beyond this dimension to include the energetic and spiritual worlds and dimensions beyond our own. I would like for you to envision the Medicine Wheel similar to an atom. The position of the Great Spirit, which includes Earth Mother and Sky Father, would be considered the nucleus and axis of the atom.
Consider the compass points that are across from each other as defining the borders of the orbits that are moving around that nucleus. The center of this “atom,” which is the place of the Great Spirit, carries the true Heart, or essence, of what you are trying to build. A hoop is created when two points opposite of each other on the Medicine Wheel are connected to create a circle around the center point, say, for example, east to west and back again, or southwest to northeast and back again. This hoop completes a circuit of energy that continuously flows back and forth. Each time it completes a circle it recharges the circuit. Even though the compass points are at opposite ends I do not want you to mistake them as conflicting forces.
As an illustration, I will use the hoop that goes from east to west and back again. Although in reality Earth is orbiting around the sun, I ask you to imagine the sun’s movement across the sky as we perceive it. It appears in the east, tracks across the sky and sets in the west. Now, further envision the sun as it hides under the horizon, setting in the west to complete its cycle and rising back in the east again. From a spiritual standpoint the east represents birth and new beginnings, like the dawning of a new day moving forward into maturity, and outward expression as you move from east to west. The west represents going within yourself in order to truly understand what your life is about and who you are so that you can move forward, take a new perspective, and plan the next step into the next stage of your life. This is the flow of energy going from west to east.
This introduces the concept and energetic flow of sacred cycles, or Sacred Hoops, of Native American spiritualities. In this spiritual pathway it is taught that all things aspire to harmony. If you strive to increase harmony in your life, you need to take the time to understand the natural flow and rhythms of our magnificent Universe.
Power
When Power is capitalized it means Breath of the Great Spirit. It is a divine neutral energy that is in all things and moves beyond all things. It brings life and vitality as well as the cycles of creation and destruction, life and death, renewal and release. This sacred energy is recognized and described in a similar fashion in other cultures as well. In Chinese culture it is known as chi, in Japanese culture it is known as ki, and in India it is known as prana. It is this sacred force that we respectfully harness when we manifest or let go of people or things in our lives.
Heart
The Heart is the place within you where you connect with the Creator, your Sacred Self and All Your Relations. Conscience, intuition, gut feelings, and emotions are some manifestations of Heart. It is capitalized to differentiate it from the physical organ in your body. This is the place within you where Power can be most easily felt and directed. It is also known as the Throne of the Soul. Within your physical body it would encompass the area from the throat to the solar plexus. Heart gives you the ability to communicate beyond words. It is through listening with your Heart that you will be able to correctly choose that which truly resonates in harmony with you to grow your greater good and promote your well-being.
All My Relations
It is taught that all things come from and return to the Breath of the Great Spirit. This Breath, this Power, is similar to the concept of chi or prana. Since all things in the creation come from this Breath, including us, it is said that all things and creatures of nature, seen and unseen, are All Our Relations. Humans are viewed as just another creation and not the pinnacle of it. It is said that we are no greater than the ants and no less than the mountains. We are spirits having a human experience, not humans having a spiritual experience.
Sacred Hoop
Native Americans observe the cyclical patterns of nature that strive to be in harmony. We see these patterns, or smaller hoops, in the waves of the ocean, the turning of the seasons, and the touching of generations. The interweaving of these cycles makes up the Sacred Hoop: it is both physical and spiritual and all of us are a part of it.
Good Red Road
Native American spiritualities, collectively called the Good Red Road, are earth-based spiritual paths. The Good Red Road is a way of life. It is connecting with the Breath of the Creator within us and around us that allows us to evolve with compassion as an individual soul and as a community of souls. Following the teachings of the Ancestors guides us to be good people and exist gently upon our Earth Mother by being ever mindful of the natural and spiritual worlds. We also acknowledge that the Creator gave each one of us an individual destiny as we try to reach our own dreams and goals.
As we strive to do all these things it creates a truly unique life path that is known as the Good Red Road. Even though we may seek guidance from teachers and helpers throughout the years, ultimately our life path is between us and the Great Spirit since no one else can completely comprehend our lives.
Medicine
The Breath of the Creator manifests within us as talents. Each one of us has a unique set of talents that are spiritual, physical, and mental, in addition to our personal way of being. When we apply these in a benign way, it is known as Good Medicine. Since the Power of the Great Spirit moves through all things and beings of nature, everything has the potential of being Medicine. In order to make Medicine you need to harness Power, and how Medicine is applied determines whether it is Good Medicine, or Bad Medicine.
The Seven Arrows
The teachings say that there are seven sacred cardinal directions that are watched over by powerful divine spirits. They are known as the Seven Arrows. These sacred Beings maintain harmony and enforce the will of the Creator. Each of the Seven Arrows holds a unique energy, has specific teachings, and is associated with a particular element. As we go further in this book, I will teach you how to work properly with the Seven Arrows in relation to the Heart of the Earth method.
The Five Elements
Similar to several cultures around the world, many of the First Peoples also believe that everything is made of five elements. These elements are fire, air, water, earth, and, the greatest of them all, spirit. Each of these elements serves a different function in maintaining harmony and balance, and it is when these elements are out of balance that sickness, strife, and needless destruction occur. In the coming chapters I will go into greater detail about these elements and how to engage them to enrich your life.
Although this only scratches the surface of the teachings of the Good Red Road you have enough of an orientation for now. It is time to introduce fundamental principles that will put you in the proper frame of mind and Heart.