The Earthkeepers

Earthkeeper Blue Heron People Fire Dreaming Ceremony

We come together near sunset following the Appreciation of Mother Earth monthly ceremonial round. The Firekeepers, who are the ones of proven faith, have prepared the fire in a ceremonial way, honoring the tall ones who have come to help with the prayers, visions and dreams. We began by entering a purification circle. The songs we sing call the spirits of the trees to speak to us. We ask for the good feeling and peace of the land to calm us and give us strength so we can wait for the trees to speak. We ask for guidance from Creator.

And we remember the words of Hollis Littlecreek who shared,

“When you sit together, listen to the fire. It is sacred. It is the spirit of the wood, the days of the Sun, the days of the wind, the days of the rain and sleet and hail, it is the sacred Earth brought to us to give us those days back. There is history in those flames. There are stories of the Earth, which will not be told again in the same way. The spirit of the tree is giving its body and is leaving the Earth now. Watch the fire, there are people there. Some you know, some are spirits you have never known. They are there to explain things to you. They are the messengers of the spirits of the trees. They must send them to you, because we don’t have the patience to understand the way trees speak, the way they form their words and the gestures they make are too foreign and might frighten you. So they send their messengers. Feel and understand their meaning.”

And as another Midewiwin Elder shared, “There will be one who will catch the way on the wind and offer the Fire Dreaming Ceremony in the traditional way.  This ceremony is only offered by the Ancestors every 100 years and will be made available on one ocassion, to those who answer the call.” 

After our purification ceremony, we wrap ourselves in our shawls, shields, and blankets and move to the Sacred Circle to sit in silence and watch the fire until dawn. During the evening we may fill and pass our Chooch’s (sacred pipes) to offer our prayers of gratitude. We may sometimes drum and rattle quietly to pay tribute to the tall ones, land and fire. One by one we wait and honor what the trees bring to us.

The fire is tended, in such a way that when the fire reaches its peak, no more wood is placed on the fire. And we watch as it moves to embers towards morning.

At dawn the Firekeepers move the embers to the purification circle and we join them. The songs we sing honor the spirits of the trees who came to help with the prayers, visions and dreams. We give thanks for their words and honor their journey back to Creator. We share the messages they presented to us. And as we leave the circle, we offer tobacco prayers to the embers as a symbol of thanksgiving.

The Fire Dreaming Ceremony will be offered only this once, and only in 2010.  If you plan on participating in a Fire Dreaming ceremony, it is a commitment to participate fully in the traditional ceremony.  All who attend are in the ceremony from dusk to dawn (of course using the bathroom during the evening is a given).  

Fire Dreaming ceremony – starts Saturday, July 24, 2010 at Dusk and goes to Dawn, Sunday, July 25th, 2010

• Place: (location available upon request - youncedjt@verizon.net )

The ceremony will be in Northwest Indiana.  Bring:

A bathroom will be available during the evening as needed. We may go into purification circle during the evening as needed.

Hugs, Tracy ~ each person is responsible to find the ways they came to learn on Earth. We share what has come to us. Take what you want…leave the rest…we share because it is time.

An equinox is a balancing point in time for the yearly movement of the Sun. It is a time of balancing the darkness and the light. This does not mean balancing good and evil, but means the balancing of the internal and external. The darkness is the interior, introspective mind set. The light is the exterior or outgoing aspect of life.

The winter is a time of interior thinking, self examination and introspection. The Summer is the outgoing, the active. This mirrors the power of the Sun. Balancing the two takes place in different ways at different latitudes.

At the equinox, day and night are perfectly balanced at the equator. It is the time when the Sun is directly over the Equator at true noon. In effect, it is the time when the Sun appears to be entering or leaving our hemisphere (our half) of the planet. 

Because of this, it is a time to begin to shift into a different mode of action. In the Fall we begin to prepare ourselves for the darker days and colder weather. We make plans to make sure we are safe. In the Spring we begin to make bold steps toward new activities, new ideas. 

The ceremonies at this time should reflect these changing times. The Fall is usually a harvest ceremony celebrating the abundance of the earth and the goodness of the gift of life. It celebrates the storage of the power of the Sun contained in the food we store. This power carries us through the time when things are not so strong. It is, in some places, one of the last outdoor ceremonies until spring. Grieving or letting go ceremonies or ceremonies honoring the ancestors and the departed loved ones are good at this time.

(In the tropics this pattern is somewhat reversed. This time is a celebration of cooler weather. A time for work and productivity. The unrelenting sun begins to wane.) 

The Spring ceremony is usually one of emergence. It is a clean sweep ceremony often emphasizing putting the past aside and making a new start. Forgiveness ceremonies are good at this time. Also cleansing and fasting, visioning, and Sweat Lodges for cleansing are all good activities around this time. Affirmation work is also a good thing.

Tobacco has been abused in our culture. It is a powerful plant that drinks in the Sun. It has been used as a medicine in different forms.

When it is used in a ceremonial way, it is obvious why it has been used to make offerings and to convey the sincerity of our purpose. It is a very good energy receiver. As we hold the tobacco in our hands, it begins to take on the energy of our prayer. Our prayers combine with the energy of the sun to radiate out into the world. When we leave the tobacco, when we let it out of our hand, the energy departs and is magnified by everything around it. It is a very synergistic (sacred) act.

Tobacco is often left when something is taken such as wood or water. If game is killed or even if a beautiful moment is shared with the land around us.

Used in ceremony, the tobacco offering is made to the fire or to a container at the center of the circle. It allows everyone to become involved in the ceremony by bringing each of them in their own way and in their own turn to the center of the circle.

Nonviolent Communication

The children’s honoring ceremony is very dear to my heart. It is a time to turn to the children and express not only our affection for them, but to help them begin to realize that we see purpose to their lives. With our acknowledgement of this, we hope that they will also begin the process of finding within themselves that sense of purpose and direction that will carry them through the difficult times ahead of them and will glorify and enliven all the wonderful experiences of life that are still unrevealed to them.

This is not an easy process. It is best to take a full day to work with the children and the adults who are supporting them. Often the children feel that the ceremony is really for the adults and not for them. This is partly right and is not to be denied. The trick then is to establish a positive link between the ceremonial activities and other activities that they enjoy.

Camping, games, and free play are important. A wide range of ages is helpful, because it is like a chain of understanding… each age group relating in some ways to those older and younger than them. 

We have seen positive results with red rover red rover, crafts - key chain making with putting prayers into them and other craft work to bring out creativity. Having the children take over the drums worked. Having a very focused teenage leader was very productive for the children’s talking circle.

The honoring dance is based on a simple fact. The children will be the ones to touch the future, not us. It is their future we are deciding every day. Though it is up to them to make of it what they will, we are leaving them the starting point which will define their world view and influence their decisions for the rest of their lives.

In this way, during the honoring dance, the alter or tree which is the central part of the dance is touched only by the children. The adults touch the alter by touching the children. This can be a very powerful image. A very telling comment on one of the very compelling facts of life. 

The give away ceremony is important in bringing together the people of the community. The passing of objects which have meaning for a person is an act of magnification and resolution.

The feelings and energy which is embodied in an object are magnified and more open for examination when the object is consciously given away. When it is done in public the energy is brought into the community circle. It is a point of vulnerability and innocence, and should be carefully respected and supported.

The give away is traditionally done when an honor or change in life status occurs. It can be part of any ceremony and acts to blend the energy of the person who is doing the give away and the energy of the community surrounding them.

The give away is very different for our culture to understand because it is in reverse to our cultural norms. When someone is getting married, we give them presents. In the give away thinking they give us presents. In a way they do just that. They give a reception. They give gifts to members of the wedding party etc… When someone has a birthday, they receive presents. In the give-away way of thinking they should give presents to all who attend the party. When we are honored, we are given an award. In the give away way of thinking the person receiving the award should do a big give away. Could you imagine what the Oscars Ceremony would look like if that were the social norm?

The give away blanket ceremony is something we use at our encampments.

It is a great way to complete the energy of the encampment. Each person brings an object which means something to them and places it on the blanket. The oldest person at the gathering begins the choosing. The person who placed the object on the blanket then says why it is important to them. Then that person picks something off the blanket. At some point the person who picked first will have his/her object picked. They then have the honor of picking someone to pick next. Often times people bring more than one object or they bring objects for others. In the case of bringing more than one object, when their second object is chosen they have the honor of picking the next person to choose. People who have not brought anything are good candidates at that point. This gets everyone included. Those people usually participate to a greater degree as time goes on.

There is something very powerful that happens at these give-away blankets. So very often, the gift chosen and what it means to the person who put it on the blanket matches the experience of the person who chooses it in a very deep and mysterious way. It sometimes feels like our hands are guided by a larger hand.

–John Armbruster