What is your name? - revisited

Spiritual resource to share: your nature


What is in a name? I remember choosing the names of my kids before they were born. We carefully considered every nuance of the possible names and their meanings, linked them to some family history, some inspired moments, weighed their sound and so on. I yelled them out to hear how it would sound when we would call them, whispered the names to hear how it would sound when we would talk softly. We put a lot into their names.

At a recent community meeting, a number of us have been gathering to heal a racial rift in the community that has been going on for decades. One Anishinabe who was at the meeting shared something very helpful - about where he came from, and about how his nation is named - and how this name brings honor and dignity.

He also asked us why we thought Indians were called Indians? We answered that the common thought is that when Christopher Columbus "discovered" America, that he thought that he had landed in India or the West Indies (we were mixed on that account), and so the indigenous population were called Indians.

He was raised with the explanation his grandmother gave him. That Colombus was enchanted with the richness and spirtuality of the native population and brought some of the people back with him. When he presented the people to the Queen, she asked who they were. His answer gave the name commonly used today. He said "Una gente en Dios." This means "A people in God." The "en Dios" stuck and the name Indians is derived from that. (Academics confirm this.)

What is in a name? It is a way of identifying who we are and what we are made of. So the basis of a name, in its spiritual sense, is how we are known spiritually.

I have felt such inspiration from knowing that we are made in the image and likeness of God. So, it follows that God knows Her own creation. God knows our nature, maintains our identity and we reflect in infinite ways, the infinite range of Love, Truth and goodness.


God knows us and calls us by our names, our spiritual nature. Even if we feel that we have been misunderstood, ignored, targeted or mistaken for someone else, it is a comfort to know that we are known, deeply, spiritually and eternally for who we are.


The Bible sings this out beautifully:

Isa 43:1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Ps 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Celebrate Native American Heritage Day in the United States!

Spiritual resource to share: our heritage

“For the first time, federal legislation has set aside the day after Thanksgiving — for this year only — to honor the contributions American Indians have made to the United States.”

This is the first year that National Heritage Day is being celebrated, having been passed into legislation by Congress and signed into existence by President Bush only one month ago. Although controversial, it brings out important points about what we honor and how we honor one another – specifically those tribes who first lived off this land that many of us call home now. It is purposely set for the day after Thanksgiving.

What I am honoring today is the noble and unselfish act of the Wampanoag Indians who kept the pilgrims from starving that first winter in 1621 – this act being referred to as our first Thanksgiving. Their ability to cross cultures, help at a basic humanitarian level, care for feed and teach a foreign group how to survive in an alien environment – is something we can work to achieve as our legacy to the world. It is a heritage to be proud of.

I am also honoring the work being done in my community. I’ve had occasion to participate in many community meetings about healing a divide that has come between the whites and the native tribes in my area. The call to understand one another has been made and a number of efforts have been underway – Ojibwe is taught at the high school, community groups have been educated about tribal customs, a church put on a workshop and talk about white privilege that was attended by an uncommonly large and diverse group, and much more.

I am also honoring a lesson learned about God and mankind. “Anishinaabe” is a word I learned that means “first or original peoples.” A tribal elder explained that in essence, we are all first people. I reasoned that we are all direct descendents from God. Diving below the surface of culture, traditions, history and character, we come to the purely primitive spirituality of who we all are: direct expressions of one God.

Looking at the world, we can claim our native heritage to Truth, to Love and to Life – all of which defines God. From the student at Oxford, to the hostage in Bombay, to the Ojibwe teacher in rural Wisconsin, to the grandparent in Buenos Aires – we share an amazing heritage under one God – from whom we are all directly connected.

This fundamental truth of our common heritage impelled the Wampanoag Indians to help another people to survive and thrive. It is the same fundamental truth that impels us all to prove our heritage and pray for one another, heal one another, and help one another. The outcome of this? Mary Baker Eddy explains it in terms most broad and practical:

One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, "Love thy neighbor as thyself;" annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.

photo copyrighted by swisshippo - Fotolia.com


To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

restorative justice

Spiritual resource to share: healing our communities

photo from Waswaagoning Village

To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

-Proverbs 1

In this community group that has been meeting in an effort to support youth and dismantle racism, we regularly share possibilities and stories of how to go about accomplishing these aims.

This story is an incredible example of how establishing restorative justice can do much to heal the hurt and bring understanding to those who have committed hate crimes. Restorative justice has its roots in native American and Aborigine culture. It basically provides a way for the victim and the perpetrator to come together to address the wrongs done and find a healing solution for themselves and their communities.

In this story, Nick and Charlotte, from the Ojibway nation, are the ones whose property was vandalized and who set up a jail time alternative for the perpetrators. These notes were taken from one of our community meetings:

As many of you remember, five (white) local Lakeland area boys vandalized and burned the Hocking’s Waswaagoning Village (a remake of an Ojibway village) a few years ago. It was a terrible act of hatred fueled by drinking. The boys were eventually caught and faced 35 years in prison-each.

Nick and Charlotte both felt that sending these boys to prison was not going to accomplish anything good-that in fact they might come out more prejudice than when they went in.

They did something really quite remarkable in order to try and make sure these boys lives were not destroyed-they offered the 5 boys a path through Restorative Justice-the option to fulfill certain requirements over a two year period instead of going to jail for arson felony.

They spent a great deal of time working with these boys and developed a path for them to follow: the boys had to read 4 books, write reports, answer 5 questions about racism, pay fines and complete 250 hours of community service.

They also had to make a video describing what they did to share with others-in the hope that others would learn from the mistakes these boys made and not do such things. This process had a powerful impact on these boys and the Hocking’s, through their actions, have shown the rest of us that there are other options for enforcing consequences while helping teach youth to learn from their mistakes. We watched the first two interviews of the boys and then took time to talk and share responses......

In the end, the process was successful for those boys who went through the restorative justice process.

From this meeting came all kinds of ways to further the role of restorative justice in our own local courts, as well as discussion on how the video could be used as a teaching tool. Other ways to spread this message of restorative justice were discussed.

The impact of the patience, dignity, understanding and trust the Hockings had that this situation could be healed is an inspiration.

For more on restorative justice practices, click here.


To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

the good news about bad news

Spiritual resource to share: uncovering sin

Our local newspaper headline today read: LUHS ( our local high shool) study describes 'toxic' culture toward Amerian Indians

The bad news is that racism exists in this idylllic setting of a rural community. But the good news is that it has been uncovered and widely acknowledged as something to be healed. During this past year, I have been involved with ongoing community meetings to deal with racism and its effects. I'm told that this has been a problem for decades and that this if the first time that so many community members have been so involved for so long to find ways to effectively deal with and diminish racism. So this newspaper headline is a helpful step.

I was inspired reading MBEddy's article called "The Way" in her book Miscellaneous Writings. In it, she says that in order for healing to happen, thought (or, as she states, mortal mind) must pass through three stages of growth: self-knowledge, humility and love.

Under the first stage of self-knowledge, she writes that we must know ourselves and that "error found out is two thirds destroyed, and the last third pierces itself, for the remainder only stimulates and gives scope to higher demonstration." This is the good news about bad news. Once it is exposed, it is on its way out. AND this exposure leads to healing.

As I continue working and doing my own prayerful work for our community, I'll be actively pursuing the self-knowledge, humility and love that are so necessary to this healing of racism that we are all earnestly pursuing. I'll keep you posted.







To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

the spiritual ingredient of organizations

Spiritual resource to share:
your own spiritual specialty baked into your work

In our fourth community meeting, reps from dozens of community organizations, individuals and parents continued to work together on a community wide plan. This is ambitious. This plan will help support our youth while at the same time build community and flush out racism and drug use. Tall, tall order.

To begin the meeting this time around, all were welcome to come into the kitchen and help make Native American fried bread.

Afterwards, we met in a group and the leader noticed that in making the bread, we were missing something. People guessed various ingredients, but no one had the answer. The leader commented that we were missing the blessing. Then he gave an Anishinaabe blessing.

This is a large, sometimes unwieldy group. But their general understanding on the spiritual elements necessary to make this group's work effective are so heartening! I'm sticking with this group until we're done!

Organizations have always been one of my favorite art forms. Whether as an observer or as the organizational architect, the spiritual element has the key roles of being the fuel, the direction and the glue.

MBEddy has some great points about organizations.

• In her autobiography, Retrospection and Introspection, she advises Christian Science teachers to form associations, churches and "any other organic operative method" that is useful and beneficial to mankind. Organization as an organic operative method. Interesting, yes?
• In another article in (from Miscellaneous Writings, p358) MBEddy talks about leaving organizations and its material forms after "a higher spiritual unity is won." She recognizes the value and also the peril of organizations. Referring to organization as a material form of cohesion and fellowship, she recognizes that once it has done its job, it can retard spiritual growth and should be laid off.

What strikes me about her take on material organizations is that they are fluid - an "organic, operative method." And that while they are important in the beginning of an enterprise, one shouldn't overdo it, once its purpose of spiritual unity and fellowship is accomplished.

I can see this -- I have left organizations when I knew it was my time to move on because I felt "done." In other cases, I have known organizations to change to meet their objectives, or an organization simply was not needed -- things just got accomplished organically (I'm thinking about all the times our extended families of 25+ people come together to make holiday meals).

As this community group moves forward, its newly developed goals are lofty, but noble. We are at those first stages of building the organizational structure. It requires of everyone a measure of fluidity, humility, patience and commitment. But first and foremost, we are starting to see the blessing of this work together: spiritual unity in the community. I'm in.







To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

weapons of mass distraction

Spiritual resource: our shared heritage

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

Yesterday I had a serendipitous meeting in my favorite bookstore with Greg - owner, and Richard, another healer from the Anishinaabe tradition.

We talked about the recent community meeting that brought out the desires of so many people to understand and support each other. For all that happened at that meeting, the momentum to heal the hatred and prejudice in our communities and so help our children got a big boost that day.

I was glad to talk with Richard face to face. It was Richard's talk at that potentially divisive community meeting that turned the meeting around. He turned it around to see where the healing was coming from. It was coming from our willingness to step outside of our own comfort zone to connect with others and to keep connecting until we could see that there is no "other," no divisiveness.

Regardless of race, we all share a common heritage of respect and doing good for one another. This heritage goes far beyond one's heritage as an Ojibway, a white, a WASP, etc. It is spiritual. I see it as being from God.

With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.

We kept talking. What would distract us from moving forward? It is the anger, hatred, past hurts. As Richard said, if you bring these into the conversation, we don't go forward. These, Greg added, are the weapons of mass distraction. These weapons of anger, etc. try to derail progress, a natural response to loving motives and unselfish care.

In my own healing work, I rely on my growing understanding of the law of God that states good is not helpless, that God, good, is all powerful, and governs and guides us all. This law is self-enforcing, and so good is all that CAN go forward.

The belief that something else is more powerful, more threatening, more tenacious is a belief that is itself a distraction, not a reality. It is a distraction to what is true: God's law. Removing the distraction uncovers the attraction and operation of God's law.

But all this being said.....a healthy and progressive community is all about love. And love can pull down the strong holds of racism and hate and show that we all share a heritage of love. Coffee finished, connections made, heartfelt conclusions drawn, we said our goodbyes for now and went back into the cold sub-zero with a lingering warmth of soul.

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

We are all healers

Spiritual resource to share: our passion for healing

Traces in Blood, Bone, & Stone Edited by Kimberly Blaeser

"I cannot think of any collection of American Indian poems.... in which Native writers continue to bring the past into the present, celebrate the future, [and] not just survive, but thrive as a vital part of world literature."-Joe Brachac, Abenaki writer and storyteller

In my last post, I shared our progress in identifying and working together to eliminate racism in our community in the first of a series of town meetings. There was much more to that meeting.

At that meeting, as the larger group gathered, we were warmly welcomed not only for our willingness to help value our youth, but also for the wisdom we brought. Then, as a way to maximize our time together, we were put into small discussion groups and were told to answer two questions.

As we introduced one another, I found that I was sitting next to a woman from Russia who is a healer, and an Anishinabe healer and of course, me, a Christian Science healer. As others introduced themselves, we acknowledged that we were here to do good, that good is universal, and that respect and honor help to forge unity in a diverse group. In the light of that, we realized we all came together as healers.

During that meeting, each small group gave summaries of their answers to the larger group. Although we were half and half in our group, I was asked to give the summary. Deferring to the eldest Anishinabe in the group, I gave the summary and then bent down and asked if I did it right. The group laughed, I got hugged, and an elder walked behind me and said, "Now we can accept you." This meant so much to me. Humility and respect go a long way.

As the group talked about the healing in the community that was needed and the great need to value and nurture our youth, I heard of the long history of abuse that led to further problems of alcoholism, abuse, racism, and violence. We agreed: We needed to first be healed ourselves so we can provide a safe foundation for our children. We need to heal the fractions and divisions amongst ourselves.

The three healers spoke:

• We need to break a pattern of behavior that has not moved us forward. We can, together, break out of that and envision what peace can look like in new fresh ways.
• We need to start with ourselves and develop our self-worth and learn how to heal in a community of so many diverse belief systems. We need to honor our healing prayers, healing ceremonies, our healing sweat lodges - all the healing we bring.
• We can start by recognizing that now we are complete. Now we are made in the image and likeness of God. The Creator created us perfect. All we do in healing is lift off the obstacles and barriers to reveal what is already complete and perfect.

The others in the group shared ideas of what steps could be taken. Each was taking responsibility and sharing their Truth. It reminded me of something Mary Baker Eddy wrote:

It is possible, — yea, it is the duty and privilege of every child, man, and woman, — to follow in some degree the example of the Master by the demonstration of Truth and Life, of health and holiness.

Later I prayed. The history of prejudice and abuse seemed long and impenetrable. But the bright light went on when I saw that the length of time of that abuse only means what we make it to mean. It isn't the length of time that determines the severity. It is only our thought. I could see that now is the only time we ever have. Right now, we have the consciousness of Truth. And we always had that consciousness every moment of our lives.

In Mary Baker Eddy's autobiography, she writes that "the human history needs to be revised, and the material record expunged." Not that history is ignored, as its importance lies in how we progress beyond each step we have taken. Mary Baker Eddy's take on time helps show that it is our spiritual growth that is important - and that is our measure of progress.

The objects of time and sense disappear in the illumination of spiritual understanding, and Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolded.

What moment of time do we want to be defined in? Now seems to be a good time. Now seems to be a good time to break out of those repeating patterns of destructive behaviour. Now seems to be a good time to shed light on who we really are.

How long does it take the light to lighten a room that has been dark for a day? The same amount of time it takes for a light to lighten a room that has been dark for decades.

If we have the power and dominion to determine the meaning and impact of the past, we have that same power and dominion in envisioning a future. We are free to see our future as our Creator sees it : an ongoing expression of goodness, respect, honor, creativity, productivity and meaning.

We can see that we are all healers and sing with the song of David

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my
lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

And learn again with the Anishinaabeg that the fundamental essence of life is unity - the oneness of all things.

More later.......
[]

Photo from cover of Traces in Blood, Bone, & Stone - Contemporary Ojibwe Poetry edited by Kimberly Blaeser ISBN 092614717X available through LoonFeather Press

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea and Christian Science healing further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

I'll walk with you anywhere

Spiritual resource to share: humility




The Ojibway work “Dodaem” means “That from which one draws one’s purpose, one’s meaning, one’s being”, and comes from the root word “Doodem”- to fulfill, and “Doodosh”- that from which I draw my substance.



There has been a slow boiling racism going on in this community for years between the Ojibway (Anishinabe) and whites. Moving here last year, I hardly noticed it right away, but little by little, different experiences came my way that indicated this was a problem with deep roots.

Recently there were racist threats at the high school, a preventative lockdown was called and now there are regular community meetings happening -- all in the efforts to heal this festering division.

I went to one of the meetings last night. It was put together by a dedicated and earnest group who had already had some successes dealing with this issue. They set up the meeting, identified the mission of the meeting, some rules of engagement, broke the group up into smaller discussion groups and gave them all two questions to answer - all this as a way to get to some solutions. The meeting was to end at 8pm.

The trouble was, the whole meeting was unnatural to the way the Ojibway worked. They expected to share their hearts; not be timed as the came up with their answers to prepared questions. By halfway through the meeting, all the elders of the tribe had left. Out of about 50 people remaining, only about a dozen were Ojibway.

After the agenda was completed, each one started to speak. First chastising the group for not allowing people to come and speak what was in their hearts, then taking the group to task for not addressing the issue head on - racism. Others spoke of the need to tell the truth about racism.

Richard spoke.

Racism is a division where words of fear and anger separate us. But it is our love that will bring us together.
Our children - we keep burying them. Why is that? Something is missing inside and we need to find it to give it back to them.
I remember a teacher who accepted me. She was Finnish. She encouraged me to go to college and I did. It was that spirit of love that she had. That spirit that is in all of us.

In this group, I just met Greg. I would walk with him anywhere. I don't see his color, I just see his fuzzy face.
Racism scares me. But it is love that keeps me going.
When you don't get your way, don't walk out the door. Don't walk out on one another. We can apologize to one another.

I don't care what color you are -- you came here to help. I'll walk with you all anywhere.

The meeting turned. Others spoke, recognizing that everyone who came, stayed to help.

It doesn't matter what color you are. You are here. I want to welcome you here. Wherever the next meeting is, I'll be there.

We appreciate the hard work that has gone into getting us all together. We can change the structure of the next meeting. But I love this community and it tears at me to see it be divisive. I want this community to unite.

I am shocked at the racism here. I want so badly for this crap to stop.

We need a strong community effort. We need to keep working together. We need us all.

What moved me was the humility of those who set up the meeting. There was a passion to do something. The community is in crisis. And so someone had to have the courage to step forward and do something. Even if it meant falling on your face.

What moved me was the humility of the participants. Not comfortable with the structure of the meeting, they participated and then spoke their peace and graced the rest of us with their forgiveness and encouragement to keep going.

And I know that what will deepen this experience in all of our hearts is the humility and love that persists until healing is revealed.

We draw our purpose from the same source. We draw our substance from the same source and we are fulfilled by the same source. In humility, we will come together and find healing. More to report on later...............




Would love for you to share how you have overcome racism in your life and community...

...or be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

"The world is made up of stories...."

Spiritual resource to share: your story


"The world is made up of stories, not atoms." Muriel Ruykuyser

I had a meeting today with most of the area's spiritual leadership, otherwise known as a ministerial association. I like this group. Open-minded, respectful of diversity, it sees in itself the possibility of coming together to respond to social issues in our community and bring healing and a common unity.

Today's meeting was about the need to breakthrough a culture of failure in the high school, as there is more violence breaking out between the white students and the Anishinaabe students (also known as the Ojibwe). One of the members of the ministerial association is Anishinaabe, and he and his brother brought the rest of us along to understand more about this nation.

Anishinaabe means "first people" and in the broadest sense, they explained, we are all first people. We all need each other to live in peace. Unlike many with a European heritage who can go back to one's homeland, the homeland of the Anishinaabe is where we are standing. Their heritage and identity is in their stories.

There is much more to say here, but the one thing that struck me is the humble and persistent realization that we are all part of one another's stories. Acknowledging this and then taking responsibility for it removes the arrogance and ignorance that would distance us from solutions. And, being a part of one another's stories, we have great potential to bring healing.

To illustrate this point, we played a game. (This is a GREAT game for family gatherings, driving the point home how much we add to the richness of each other's lives!)

This is how the game is played:

One person starts by standing and saying a phrase that could be the beginning, ending or middle of a story. The next person gets up and stands to one side of that person and adds a phrase or a sentence or two, and then the two of them recite their part of the story. (People can add their part either at the beginning or end, or anywhere in the middle.) With each additional person, the story unfolds and is told. This continues until everyone has added their bit to the story. Finally when everyone has contributed, the full story is told, each person saying their part. If you want to designate a winner, it is that person who can tell the whole story back to the group in its entirety.

Fun, yes?

As I look at my life and the people that make it up, I see how much richer my life is for knowing all these people. We are all children of God, and each of us brings that dimension of God's love (a favorite and repeating theme of mine!) to each other's stories. Understanding who we each are individually and spiritually, we can encourage, enhance and support one another's stories with the highest recognition that we are all children of God -- children of one Creator - which would make us all "the first people."





To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.