The Tree Of Life Explained in Lakota Terms

The CHA WAKAN card - Tree of Life, #32, from The Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards by Chief Archie Fire Lame Deer and Helene Sarkis

In many traditions, the TREE OF LIFE is recognized - for all people see the tree as having roots buried deep in Mother Earth, and branches reaching up to Great Spirit, and Father Sky.  

The Lakota say that the humans are like leaves - when we become a certain age, or ripeness, we leave this plane and go into the Spirit World.   We die, our bodies go to the Earth, like the leaves from the tree.

The guidance on this card is one that is timely, as we move towards Christmas, a time that is very stressful for many people who either visit family or have family stay with them. 

"Open your heart to all your brothers and your sisters and to all of creation, relinquishing your judgements and expectations (of yourself and others).  Allow all our relations to be exactly who they are; accept all that you are."

If you feel the need to judge or criticize someone tomorrow, stop and ask yourself  - "Why does this bother me so much?"  For, often what bothers us in others is what we can not deal with in ourselves.  If we can identify why it bothers us, we are on the path to releasing that issue, like the tree releases the leaves.  When we release something that has bothered us for ages, we feel a deep stillness and peace.  The Shaman says that one must continually work on themselves-- if you believe that you have dealt with an issue and yet you remember it, then the issue is not solved.  Work towards Oneness and Peace!

Be compassionate...

Many Blessings,

Judy

Moose Is An Ancient Four Legged One

 

Moose in the snow from a set of winter pictures of Jasper, Alberta

As we approach Christmas, notice that in many yards in Calgary, and I am sure elsewhere, there are stunning light displays of a moose.  Some are large while others are small.  Since moose often comes to the city and hangs out along the river in Fish Creek Park.  Moose seems to represent the wildness and ruggedness of the West.  Here is a bit about this huge animal.

Moose are one of the more ancient four legged ones. In Alberta, we see them in the foothills, in wooded areas, and sometimes even along the rivers in the city. Moose was named from the Algonquin word “Moz” which roughly means stick or twig eater. Moose are totally herbivores and may eat up to 112 pounds of food per day in the summertime as the winter time is almost a time of fasting for them. Their great size – averaging six and a half feet at the shoulder, and one thousand pounds – makes sustenance a full time occupation. Their colouring allows them to blend into the bush, grass and water that are their habitat. Moose runs at about twenty-eight miles per hour, and swims quite rapidly as well. Even with its huge antlers which may weigh seventy-five pounds, the bull moose will move silently through the forest, and will appear invisible as well. When we do see Moose, it is so powerful a presence, one cannot help but feel a sense of the majestic force of Nature.

Our Ancestors have many legends surrounding Moose. Some are that those born with Moose’s shape – long legs and arms – will have Moose’s ability to connect with the higher realms. Moose’s gifts – presence and invisibility are also the message to those Moose appears to. Moose says to go and do what ever your journey is without drawing attention to yourself. If Moose has antlers, the message is to open up the crown chakra and connect to the universal consciousness and connect with the Heavens and Mother Earth and understand that balance is required. Moose reminds you that you do have great wisdom and that the wisdom is to be shared discretely; and that one should not be troubled by the garbled advice from those around them.

Moose’s habitat in summer is water. Here, Moose pulls up the tenderest shoots of marine plants, and feasts on the water lily, a brilliant yellow flower. This is a reminder that one must constantly plunge the depths of emotion to find the true moments of love and swallow them whole to incorporate them into one’s being, for love is the one true thing. All other emotion must be examined, and blessed and released to prevent this density from holding one back from growing into their full power.

Blessings,

Judy

What About Cardinal?

Picture of "Cardinal" from Wikipedia....

 

As I was writing Christmas cards, I noticed how many of the cards have a picture of the "Cardinal" on them.  I looked at the cards I had accumulated and realized that I had not really bought a box of cards on birds.  Yet, several cards in a row were showing me Cardinal.  Therefore, there must be a message for me.

First, the brilliant red Cardinal is usually found in through Ontario, Quebec, and some of the Maritimes, and then down into Maine and the eastern States.  In western Canada, the Cedar Waxwing is more orangey-red than red in colour.  When the early explorers and settlers saw this bird, the crest reminded the people of the red robes of Catholic Cardinals, hence the name.  Cardinal, then, does have significance for people on either a religious or spiritual journey - and often the two are exclusive of each other.  

My task is to figure out what Cardinal was trying to say to me.  The colours of Cardinal - black and red - are about the base chakra, and a reminder to be more in touch with Mother Earth and to stay grounded.  The base chakra is about survival - having food and shelter and feeling secure from harm - the very issues that our Ancestors faced when they ventured out from their cave or their village.  Cardinal is very much about survival and she knows which seeds to eat, summer or winter, that will benefit her.  At this time of year when over indulgence may become a habit, Cardinal reminds us to eat healthily and to avoid harmful foods.  I paid close attention to this information about food and eating because we have many social eating situations over the next several weeks.

Cardinal has a very high, loud whistle that echoes through the air.  Cardinal may be singing to its mate - male and female sound alike.  The message is to integrate our masculine and feminine traits and then use the combined skills of intuition and logic to achieve a very large goal.  Only by moving forward with our being totally integrated will we achieve the steps on our life mission.  This message is especially true for me right now as I am working on new workshop materials. I see the message that my communication must also be loud and clear!

As the colour of Cardinal is red, one often associates attributes of life with the colour.  So, Cardinal's message in this area is to live with assertiveness, courage, and to be pioneering in the areas of work/hobby that one does.  Cardinal may also imply that one is insecure, or fearful, or even self pitying or a victim, and urges the individual to be more like Cardinal - full of fun and life.

Again the message of courage and pioneering struck a chord with me as I am working on several things that go beyond the information that I have learned, and synthesizes ideas into something more - in fact, being a pioneer.  That message of pioneering felt good and right, and was affirming the steps that I am taking.  I am grateful for the message.

Blessings,

Judy