Earth is our Mother. Without Her, we would die. The rivers and streams that flow through Her are our brethren, gifts of love from Grandmother Ocean and Grandfather Fire in the form of sunshine. They sustain us and give us life. Remembering our sacred connections with the Elemental Beings — who were all dreamed into existence before we humans entered this realm — remembering and strengthening our bonds is at the heart of our healing.
Our roots are all bound together, deep in the heart of Mother Earth. We cannot live without Her. Our bodies are over seventy percent water. Without access to clean, healthy, moving water, we cannot live. All of life — plants, animals, humans — all of life relies on the relationship with the elements. Earth, wood, fire, water, metal, wind — these are the foundations of life.
The medicine wheels of the ancient healers are rooted deeply in this truth. Spirit breathes and life comes into being, but fullness of life is only possible in relationship – healthy relationship – with Spirit, with natural world and with one another. Body, mind and spirit cannot exist in a healthy way when one of the strands of this sacred web is broken.
There are many ways that this web of life can become worn. One strain on our communal strands is strongly on my heart. Native peoples and Allies in the heart of our country are standing against the oppression of big oil. They are working to protect our most precious resources: water and sacred burial grounds. Both of these sacred connections are integral to life. Connecting with our ancestors helps us to remember who we are and where we came from. Uprooting our departed from their resting places causes spiritual distress and removes a piece of our hearts.
Like many of you, each night, I light candles and pray for protection, wisdom, peace and a restoration of the sacred. The moment we lose sight of our sacred roots and the interconnection of our our web of life, we find ourselves in grave peril. The camp and the peaceful warriors at Standing Rock are helping us to remember who we are.
May we support our sisters and brothers in thought, word, prayer and action. May we each offer our unique gifts of the mind, body and spirit. May we come together so that, in the days to come we can drink deeply from the waters of life that flow through our Sacred Mother Earth.
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