It seems that there are many people these days who are trying
to find a spirituality that they can believe in. For whatever
reason, we are beginning to pay more attention to our spirit and
to our direction in life. Many of us have found ourselves drawn
to the First Nations beliefs, perhaps because they are seen as
clean and pure, and based on the simpler times that we all seem
to miss.
As we make our way along the Red Road, with luck we are led to
a person who has been given the wisdom and knowledge to be a teacher.
We call these people Elders, and from them we begin to learn the
ways and traditions that form the heart of First Nations beliefs.
While these Elders generally do not think of themselves as anything
special, they are usually highly regarded and treated with great
respect.
For some of us, however, these early times can be dangerous.
Being human, most of us have a desire to be respected by the people
around us. When we see the respect being given to our Elders,
we may begin to hope that, someday, we may earn that respect for
ourselves. We try to learn as much as we can as quickly as we
can, hoping to impress people with our wisdom. We forget that
knowledge of facts is not the same as wisdom, which only comes
from a lifetime of reflecting on these facts.
The danger is greatest at the time when we realize that there
are people who share our road that know even less than we do.
These people may be easily impressed by the tiny amount of knowledge
that we carry. Such people might even mistake that knowledge for
wisdom, and we may find ourselves receiving some of that respect
that we crave. We may find that we enjoy the taste of that respect,
and our egos may even lead us to think of ourselves as Elders...
and the trap is sprung!
It is important to understand what an Elder is. Aboriginal traditions
hold the elderly in high regard, because a long life full of experience
leads to wisdom. But an Elder in the spiritual sense is not just
old; today an elderly person may have no knowledge whatsoever
of spirituality. While such a person may have valuable wisdom
in other areas of life, they obviously cannot be a spiritual Elder.
A real Elder carries facts about their traditions AND the wisdom
that comes from long study and practice of those traditions. However,
when you are just starting out on the path, it can be hard to
tell the difference. Those who are impressionable can be fooled
by an older person with a small amount of knowledge, claiming
to be an Elder.
Another very popular claim is to be a Healer. True Healers are
those who are given the ability to Heal others using only their
own energies and resources. Such people are extremely rare: perhaps
a handful walk the earth today. My wife and I do not know of any,
and probably neither do you. If you know someone who is claiming
that they are a Healer, rest assured that they are either lying
or deluded... true Healers never advertise, because they know
that the people who need them will be brought to them, quietly
and without fuss. They do not seek recognition, because they are
only too aware of the heavy burden of responsibility they carry,
and they do not wish to add to it.
Finally, there are all the self-proclaimed Visionaries. At best,
these people learn from real Seers, then pass on the visions as
their own. At worst, they will invent any vision that will impress
their audience. Once again, if the person brags of it, then it
is not so. True Seers do not advertise, because they do not need
to. Again, those who need their help will be brought to them,
and they know it. They never seek the spotlight.
The lure of prestige and notoriety can be hard to resist. I am
saddened that there are people within our own circle of friends
who have started to call themselves Elders, and pretend to carry
far more knowledge than they actually have. There is one who has
appointed himself a spiritual leader, and has created a following
of people who have virtually no knowledge of tradition. He tells
them that they are Elders as well. There is another who claims
to be a Healer, and performs smudging and purification ceremonies
for others. Because she has not learned the proper use and purposes
of sacred medicines, she has no understanding of the danger this
poses for both herself and for the people she tries to help. There
are still others who ask questions of Elders, then pass on the
answers to other people claiming to have received them direct
from the spirits. We call this 'riding someone else's tobacco,'
and it is a simple attempt to gain notoriety at the expense of
others. In each case, these people have brought a great deal of
trouble into their own lives by doing these things. However, despite
these warnings, their egos lead them to continue to misguide others,
and they cause much suffering as a result.
Each of us has a best possible path to walk, and each of us is
here for some specific purpose. For most of us, our walk is all
about learning. While we may not see this as significant, the
Creator does not make mistakes: each life interacts with many
others, so each one is as important as any other. Ignoring our
path and trying to do something more spectacular simply wastes
a lifetime, and possibly endangers ourselves and others. While
a person's life is their own, to waste if they so choose, causing
someone else to waste or misuse their life is perhaps the vilest
and most disgusting thing that one human can do to another.
It is time for all the pedestals to be torn down, and for each
of us to walk the paths we were intended to walk. We must push
aside our egos, and listen to the spirits and to the quiet voice
of our own hearts. To do any less is to break faith with ourselves,
and with the spirits who agreed to help and guide us. Let the
true Elders to do the teaching. Let the Healers do the Healing.
Let the Seers do the Seeing. Be content that your life, lived
as it supposed to be lived, is as important and necessary as that
of any other person. Learn, love, and be humble.
All my relations...
If you would like to learn more about the Mi'kmaw culture, please
visit Mi'kmaq
Spirit
Copyright 2005 Daniel
Crowfeather
Native American Legends A-B