Tag: ancestors

4 Directions – Prayer of Native Americans

Native Spirits

Four Directions Prayer

Creator, it is I. Thank you for today’s sunrise, for the breath and life within me, and for all of your creations. Creator, hear my prayer, and honor my prayer.

As the day begins with the rising sun, I ask, Spirit keeper of the East, Brother Eagle, Be with me. Fly high as you carry my prayers to the Creator. May I have eyes as sharp as yours, so I am able to see truth and hope on the path I have chosen. Guide my step and give me courage to walk the circle of my life with honesty and dignity.

Spirit keeper of the South, Wolf, Be with me. Help me to remember to love and feel compassion for all mankind. Help me to walk my path with joy and love for myself, for others, for the four legged, the winged ones, the plants and all creation upon Mother Earth. Show me it is right for me to make decisions with my heart, even if at times, my heart becomes hurt. Help me to grow and nurture my self worth in all ways.

Spirit Keeper of the West, Brown Bear, Be with me. Bring healing to the people I love and to myself. Bring into balance the physical, mental and spiritual, so I am able to know my place on this earth, in life and in death. Heal my body, heal my mind and bring light, joy and awareness to my spirit.

Spirit Keeper of the North, White Buffalo, Be with me. As each day passes, help me to surrender, with grace, the things of my youth. Help me to listen to the quiet, and find serenity and comfort in the silences as they become longer. Give me wisdom so I am able to make wise choices in all things which are put in front of me, And when time for my change of worlds has come, Let me go peacefully, without regrets, for the things I neglected to do as I walked along my path.

Mother Earth, Thank you for your beauty, And for all you have given me. Remind me never to take from you more then I need, and remind me to always give back more than I take.

– Vera Dery, 2002

Spirit Within : ancestors

Our Ancestors walk with us. They stand over us as tall as the mountains. They walk beside us as quiet as the air we breathe… yet, we hear them. We hear them as they whisper to the trees, we hear them in the rustle of the leaves, the sway of the tall grasses in the fields, and in the songs sung from the tall pines. We can feel their warmth through the colors, see their reflection looking back at us from the waters. They touch who we are and we absorb their wisdom through the vibration of Life surrounding us. Walk quietly, walk gently, let Spirit guide you.

– redskyhawk

Walking the Earth Touching the Sky

© 2022 RedskyHawk/Tina Phillips

Generational Trauma

Generational trauma is real but what is it, exactly? Simply put, it’s trauma that’s passed down (to future generations) through families. It encompasses all the psychological effects that had impacted earlier family members. That’s why it is so important to resolve these painful issues as soon as possible so that the negative cycle stops completely. It can look like depression, PTSD, anger issues, substance abuse, anxiety, and domestic violence for example. You don’t have to go at it alone—help is out there. Here’s a quick read on generational trauma https://loom.ly/pSKzgVI

#akuamindbody #mentalhealthtreatment #addiction #werecover #walkingsober #generationaltrauma

She Lived 122 years , 124 days

Meet Madam Jeanne Louise Calment, who had the longest confirmed human lifespan: 122 years, 164 days. Apparently, fate strongly approved of the way she lived her life. She was born in Arles, France, on February 21, 1875. The Eiffel Tower was built when she was 14 years old. It was at this time she met Vincent van Gogh. “He was dirty, badly dressed, and disagreeable,” she recalled in an interview given in 1988.

When she was 85, she took up fencing, and still rode her bike when she reached 100. At the age of 114, she starred in a film about her life, at age 115 she had an operation on her hip, and at age 117 she gave up smoking, having started at the age of 21 in 1896. She didn’t give it up for health reasons; her reason was that she didn’t like having to ask someone to help her light a cigarette once she was nearly blind.

In 1965, Jeanne was 90 years old and had no heirs. She signed a deal to sell her apartment to a 47-year-old lawyer called André-François Raffray. He agreed to pay her a monthly sum of 2,500 francs on the condition he would inherit her apartment after she died. However, Raffray not only ended up paying Jeanne for 30 years, but then died before she did at the age of 77. His widow was legally obliged to continue paying Madam Calment until the end of her days.

Jeanne retained sharp mental faculties. When she was asked on her 120th birthday what kind of future she expected to have. Her reply, “A very short one.”

Here are the Rules of Life from Jeanne Louise Calment:

“I’m in love with wine.”

“All babies are beautiful.”

“I think I will die of laughter.”

“I’ve been forgotten by our Good Lord.”

“I’ve got only one wrinkle, and I’m sitting on it.”

“I never wear mascara; I laugh until I cry often.”

“If you can’t change something, don’t worry about it.”

“Always keep your smile. That’s how I explain my long life.”

“I see badly, I hear badly, and I feel bad, but everything’s fine.”

“I have a huge desire to live and a big appetite, especially for sweets.”

“I have legs of iron, but to tell you the truth, they’re starting to rust and buckle a bit.”

“I took pleasure when I could. I acted clearly and morally and without regret. I’m very lucky.”

“Being young is a state of mind, it doesn’t depend on one’s body. I’m actually still a young girl, it’s just that I haven’t looked so good for the past 70 years.”

At the end of one interview, the journalist said, “Madame, I hope we will meet again sometime next year.” To which Jeanne replied, “Why not? You’re not that old; you’ll still be here!”

The image with the wings is a piece of art by

L. Lichtenfells

Cherokee Women

I have Cherokee blood 🩸; so this makes sense 🙏☮️

Cherokee Women and Their Important Roles:

Women in the Cherokee society were equal to men. They could earn the title of War Women and sit in councils as equals. This privilege led an Irishman named Adair who traded with the Cherokee from 1736-1743 to accuse the Cherokee of having a “petticoat government”.

Clan kinship followed the mother’s side of the family. The children grew up in the mother’s house, and it was the duty of an uncle on the mother’s side to teach the boys how to hunt, fish, and perform certain tribal duties. The women owned the houses and their furnishings. Marriages were carefully negotiated, but if a woman decided to divorce her spouse, she simply placed his belongings outside the house. Cherokee women also worked hard. They cared for the children, cooked, tended the house, tanned skins, wove baskets, and cultivated the fields. Men helped with some household chores like sewing, but they spent most of their time hunting.

Cherokee girls learned by example how to be warriors and healers. They learned to weave baskets, tell stories, trade, and dance. They became mothers and wives, and learned their heritage. The Cherokee learned to adapt, and the women were the core of the Cherokee.

Photo : ~ Cherokee mixed Native American actress, Faye Warren.

Matriarch

Matriarch

Maker

She who creates

She who forms worlds

Matriarch

Leader

She who knows

She who paves the way

Matriarch

Harvester

She who reaps

She who gathers

Matriarch

Sovereign

She who is empowered

She who knows herself

Matriarch

Queen

She who reigns

She who has triumphed

Matriarch

Survivor

She who has passed through the fire

She who rises from the flames

~ Rebekah Myers, Matriarch

copyright © by Rebekah Myers, 9/28/2021

Art: Maartje Van Dokkum aka Mary Feywood

Mary Feywood

#SacredSistersFullMoonCircle #Spirituality #WomensWisdom #WomensEmpowerment #RedTent #Goddess #GoddessStudies #GoddessCircle #SacredFeminine #CyclicalLiving #WheeloftheYear #Mythology #Magick #Folklore #FolkTradition #Matriarch #SeasonoftheMatriarch

Bloodlines

A few years ago, one of my DRT friends walked into a meeting wearing the most interesting necklace. A thin gold necklace with names linked one to the other. The names began with hers, then her mother’s, her grandmother’s, her great grandmother’s name, and on going back until her maternal line ended meeting her name once again: so special. Most genealogists have a difficult time following women as so often they are lost in the “Mrs.” In the Spanish tradition, women have their father’s name followed by a “y” meaning “and” with their Mother’s name- maternal family names don’t get lost. However you may trace your maternal line, I always think of my friend’s necklace: the names of her female ancestors encircling her neck.