The Earthkeepers

As our family continues to sing, dance and drum the Appreciation of the Ancestor’s earth ceremonies on the shores of Lake Michigan, it becomes more and more evident to us that prayer is a joyous act of people in love with life.

With each beat of the drum we are reminded that…a smile is a prayer. With each note we sing we know… laughter is a divine ritual. And with each step we take we understand… ceremony is about discovering the hidden power of your heart.

John used to say,

“The EarthDance way is a celebration of life. That it manifests in better health, more prosperity, and better relationship between people. It also heightens our awareness, our concentration, and our commitment to our Spiritual Path.”

These used to be just words. But as we continue our family ceremonies, this wisdom has come alive. We know earth ceremony as one of Creator’s masterpieces. It has brought us to an earlier heaven.

Hugs, Tracy – take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest…I share because I care.

Sharing what John wrote in June of 1998.

Hugs, Tracy – take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest…

The Power of the Individual
by John Arbruster

Central to any spiritual practice is the power of the individual to maintain a sense of clarity and integrity in his or her life. One can look at all ceremonial, meditative, and self-help practices as just that… practice. They are training programs to help us find our strengths and expand them. They will reveal our weaknesses so that we can better understand, compensate, and ultimately release them. We can do this with the help of our own discipline, a personal deep spiritual faith, and with a real feeling for the faith of those around us. So it is always advised to look for the power within even as you begin to understand the greater power all around you. You too are part of the Great Mystery. Your spiritual understanding breaks down the first illusion of being human. That illusion revolves around a widespread conviction that we are not divinely inspired in every thought, feeling, and action.

To bring light and harmony into our lives, we first learn to allow it in our lives. Once we choose to see our lives as a divine spark, a miracle of creation, we can begin to allow miracles to happen. We begin to see things in a different way. It is a productive creative way. It is a path of joy and revelation of the power of the spirit of life all around us. This is a power of laughter and good feeling for all those around us.

On the other hand, we can choose to allow fear, jealousy, and a sense of inadequacy to confuse ourselves into thinking that is not true. That is what spiritual practice can help us with. It can begin to clear our minds so that we might feel comfortable with choosing the power of joy. It helps us face with purpose the terrifying confusion of our mortality.

We have returned from the 2006 All My Relations Sundance, Sharing the Vision of the Condor and the Eagle. John was with us as Steve Purkaple finished John’s four-year Sundance commitment. Many had visions of John. The following vision came from a 1st year dancer who had never met John except to see him dancing. He remembered him because of his distinct “chicken” style dancing reminiscent of prairie chickens.

The weather was uncompromising the first few days of this year’s Sundance with heat indexes at 100% and temperatures over the 100-degree mark. The “new bee” was having a tough go at it, because by the third round on the first day, most Sun dancers had sweated out any precious fluids that had been stored in their bodies. As ”new bee” was struggling, the “chicken dancer” appeared up in the branches of the Tree, casually sitting on a chair covered by a blue star quilt. John said, “I do not have to do this anymore”, and proceeded to share how to make it to the fourth day without water or food. John visited until the dance was completed.

Additionally, visions of Mother Earth seem to abound among Sun dancers, visions showing Mother Earth as healthy and glowing with vibrant energy. John came in another’s vision saying,

“Mother Earth is fine…it’s the people who need the ceremonies.”

When Steve completed John’s commitment, he gifted us with the medicine he danced with. A vision signaled the time of the Parting of the Ways Ceremony that John had taught, (see below John’s words on it from his former website).

So Janisse, Dave and I will be heading to Lake Michigan, where John’s ashes were given back to Mother Earth and thank John once again for his teachings. We will honor the vision, “John was telling the Younce family to do the parting of ways ceremony”…(and we thought he was done giving us direction!!!).

Thank you Steve!

Hugs, Tracy – take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest – I share because I care.

Parting of the Ways Ceremony

This ceremony is designed to create a sense of completion and resolution primarily in relationships.

In many cases, the parting of ways refers to the mutual disagreement and dissolution of a partnership. In a teacher/student relationship, the parting of the ways refers to a break in teaching, as the student is ready to stand in their own power. In most cases, the ceremony is done because of physical separation or death.

In this ceremony it is good to go to a stream or lake. It doesn’t matter if those in the relationship are all present. Each person receives a blessing and a smudging. After a calling song, each person speaks of the goodness between him/her and her/him, speaks of what is unresolved and what is complete. Then the Pipe is smoked. After that, tobacco is offered and each offers a prayer for the well being of the other. Objects that represent the relationship of the past are smudged and buried if appropriate.

Then each person does a ritual cleansing in the water, and offers a prayer or song to the Sun in thanksgiving for the gift of life.

Then the leaving song is sung. If those who were involved in the relationship are present, they each leave the place by a different route being careful not to look back.