Mystical Musings - Choices

“Only after the last tree has been cut down, Only after the last river has been poisoned, Only after the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find money cannot be eaten.”
~ Cree Prophecy

I was sitting in my backyard the other evening.  We have a birdfeeder filled with bird seed hanging from the tree and another feeder sitting on the ground filled with sunflower seeds for the squirrels.  The squirrels were off somewhere else, apparently full from earlier in the day.  The birds were eating from the hanging feeder as well as the one filled with sunflower seeds. 

By the one with sunflower seeds was a pair of cardinals, male and female.  The male would reach into the feeder, pull out a seed, crack it open with his beak, and feed it to the female.  He would then get a seed for himself and then another for the female.  As I watched them, I thought how wonderful it would be if all humans could care for one another, the way the male cared for the female cardinal.

Long ago, before Columbus discovered America and the first settlers landed at Plymouth Rock, the First Nations People roamed this land.  They lived in tribes.  They raised and taught all of the children of the tribe.  The food hunted and gathered was for the entire tribe, not just a single family.  All members of the tribe cared for each other and made sure the needs of the entire tribe was met.  They lived in harmony with nature and gave thanks for the sustenance the Earth Mother provided.

Even after the settlers came to America, they lived in settlements.  The crops grown were for the entire settlement.  The settlers worked together and the needs of everyone in the settlement were taken care of.  No one did without.  Even today, there are some communities who still do this, but they are far and few between.

What happened to change this?  When did self become more important than the whole?  While there are still those who care for and help their fellow human beings, more and more society has become about self.  You see it everywhere.  In commercials on television, in the homeless on the streets being ignored, and in the stores as people go about collecting things.  Materialism and self-absorption has become the mainstay of today’s society.  Children roam the streets at night and gangs terrorize inner cities.  Parents are working two or more jobs to make ends meet and food banks cannot keep the shelves filled to meet the demand.  In addition, more and more people turn a blind eye to what goes on around them.

We cannot continue to only care about self and those closest to us and ignore the rest of humanity.  There is coming a time when society as we know it will change.  When the change comes, it will be drastic.  When the society of today comes to an end, we will all be faced with a choice.  There is no getting around it; a choice will have to be made.  Will we continue to be self-absorbed and only care about self and those closest to us or will we choose to go back to the Old Ways?  The ways of the First Nation People where we come together as a community and work for the good of the whole community and the Earth, not just those that can afford it.  That time is coming; it is unavoidable.  When the time comes, what choice will you make?  Choose wisely.

I leave you with this:

“Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.”

An Ute Prayer

Until next time:

“May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house.  May the Great Spirit bless all who enter there.  May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows, and may the rainbow always touch your shoulder.”  (Cherokee Blessing)

Aho and Blessed Be!

Disclaimer:  This blog is my personal thoughts and opinions.  I have arrived at these thoughts through meditation and/or several years of study.  I share them that we all might think on them and have a healthy discussion that we can all learn from.  Ultimately, it is up to each individual to take these words, go within, and connect to your own inner spirit.  Only there will you find your truth.