Elder’s Meditation of the Day – April 30

“Modern civilization has no understanding of sacred matters. Everything is backwards.”
–Thomas Yellowtail, CROW

Modern civilization says, don’t pray in school; don’t pray at work; only go to church on Sunday. If you don’t believe what I believe, you’ll go to hell. Deviancy is normal. Our role models cheat, drink and run around; these are the people in the news. The news sells bad news; no one wants to hear good news. Kids are killing kids. Victims have little protection. Violence is normal. Leaders cheat and lie. Everything is backwards. We need to pray for spiritual intervention. We need to have guidance from the Creator to help us rebuild our families, our communities and ourselves. Today, I will pray for spiritual intervention from the Great Spirit.

Grandfather, we pray for your help in a pitiful way.

These come from Whitebison.org to subscribe to them go to

You are guaranteed to lose weight and inches off you waistline using this exercise program. Most exercise programs charge you to learn how to use weight. After much deliberation and thought we decide that since this program is so effective we would give the instructions away free to the general public. Not only would be doing a service for you the reader but we would also help the horse population in the world that is standing around in a pasture giving them a chance to participate in helping people lose weight.

Here are the weight loss instructions. Now I know some of you may be saying, “Wait a minute when you ride a horse the horse gets the exercise and loses weight not the person riding.” This is one of the myths that has been passed around by non-horse owners over the years that is not true. Follow these instructions and lose weight.

It is important that you have the right partner to exercise with and horse selection is an important part of this fitness weight loss program. Most horse owners have a horse that fits the qualifications and if you do not have one I am sure it will be easy to locate a horse in your area that the owner will be glad to sell to you. Hopefully, they will not have read this post and have not raised the price of the horse. You will find that most people who own a horse that is suitable will be more then generous when letting you acquire the horse. Most of the owners will insist on a no return clause on the purchase of the horse.

The horse you want cannot be a quiet, well-broke, gentle as a lamb eager to please type horse. With the right horse you will receive a full body workout while raising your heart rate to the optimum level.

Here are the instructions for the full body weight loss fitness plan.

Once you have a suitable horse it is preferable to workout in the mornings. It is cooler and also it insures that you will not run out of daylight before you complete your daily workout. As you go through the instructions you will understand why you might run out of daylight.

The first step is to tone your chest and upper-arm and to begin to raise your heart rate. First you get the halter and lead rope for the horse and hold them behind your back as high as possible and enter the pasture where the horse is. Walk toward the horse with one hand extended in front of you and the other behind your back. After one or two times the horse will understand that it is exercise time and will do its part.

Walk slowly toward the horse softly speaking kind words to the horse. The well trained exercise horse will let you almost touch it before turning and walking away. Continue to approach the horse and the horse will repeat the moving away. Sometimes if it is a relatively cool morning the horse will turn away, kick its hind legs into the air and expel gas letting you enjoy the smell of processed grass in the morning.

The horse will continue the walk away routine until it senses that you are suitably warmed up physically and mentally and then will switch to running away just fast enough so that you cannot keep up and not catch it.

If your fitness level is high you can continue to chase after the horse to keep your heart rate up for a better workout.

At this point you can stop carrying the halter behind the back and sling it around at the end of your arm when trying to stop the horse. Remember when one arm tires switch hands to ensure a balanced arm workout.

Most people at this time will want to lean forward place their hands on their knees and take deep breaths. This also helps keep the sweat from you forehead from running into your eyes.

After you heart rate slows a little in most cases the horse, with what appears to be a grin, will walk over and allow you to put the halter on allowing you to move on to the next exercise routine.

If the exercise horse is well trained it will have done its part and rolled in a mud puddle to cover itself with mud that has to be removed. If it has not rained in a few days and the water trough did not run over use your imagination as to what liquid was used to create the mud. Continue the upper body work out by using a brush to completely remove the now as hard as cement mud.

Next is the stretching, bending and toning routine. For this part of the program you will need a hoof pick to clean the horses hooves with.

Bend down and pick up one of the hooves while working on your reflexes. You must be prepared to move quickly if the horse takes its hoof back and stomps. The horse in a spirit of cooperation will do this several time to make sure you are working on your reflexes. If you are not practicing using your reflexes the horse will place its hoof firmly on your foot to remind you.

Pick up the hoof with the knees bent to protect your back. The horse to increase pressure and benefits from this routine will very carefully lean over on you for support while you are holding the hoof. Remember the horse is only doing this to benefit you. Repeat routine 3 more times, pick up hoof, horse leans, support horse while cleaning the hoof.

Now it is time to stand up again. Relax you will not permanently be in a bent over position it only feels like it.

Next you must apply insect repellant to yourself. Get the insect repellant and spray on the horse while holding the lead rope. The horse will circle so follow it. Spray follow, spray follow, now you are getting the hang of it. When you get to the right spot in the circle the spray will automatically be applied to your body by the wind. A nice chant is appropriate at this point. Most people will chant, “Whoa you (any word or words you feel appropriate) Whoa!” This helps the lungs get treated by repellant if you are inhaling, chanting and spraying at the same time. Great lung work out.

Now comes the saddling. The way this is done is place a saddle blanket on the horse. Turn around and pick up the saddle. Turn around with saddle in your hands and realize blanket is off the horse. Turn around and place saddle back on rack. Turn around and put blanket on horse. Repeat at least 10 times while continuing with chant from the previous routine. Remember to move your feet while trying to place the saddle blanket and saddle on the horse for a lower body routine. Remember blanket, pickup saddle, put saddle down, blanket while chanting. This gives you an upper body and lower body workout.

Now you should have your heart rate up, and be sweating. At this point is perfectly okay if you are no longer softly speaking nice things to the horse as it is an expected part of the routine. Also you can shout what you want to say to the horse as it will help your lungs build strength and clear out excess but repellant.

This routine looks much better if done to music. It is the mounting routine. Place your left foot in stirrup, Hop, Hop, Hop as horse moves, left foot down. Breathe deeply. Left foot in stirrup, Hop, Hop, Hop left foot down. Repeat. An alternative to this which works your back a little more is to get a bucket, place it beside the horse, with your right leg step up on the bucket. Start to place your left foot in to the stirrup. Step off the bucket and move it close to the horse again. Repeat.

When the horse feels the time is appropriate and that your heart has exceeded the target rate it will quit moving and allow you to mount.

At this point it might be necessary to sit down on the bucket and take deep breaths while thanking the horse for the great work out. I am sure you will find the appropriate words to use to express yourself

After this work out riding is optional and many people feel that not riding and getting in the hot tub with a cold beverage is preferred.

Again all of this greatly depends on the properly trained horse and I am confident that there are horse owners in your area who will be more then willing to allow you to purchase one of their well trained exercise horses.

Anyone that has owned more then a couple of horses have owned one that would be great at this.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – April 26
“If those bad words come, I let them come in one ear and go out the other. I never let them come out of my mouth. If a bad word comes in your ear and then comes out of your mouth, it will go someplace and hurt somebody. If I did that, that hurt would come back twice as hard on me.”
–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
What do we do with temptations when they come? What do we do when we hear gossip? What do we do when we hear bad things? If we hear these things and pass them on we will not only hurt the other person, but we will do harm to ourselves. We must be careful not to hurt others. Whatever we sow we will simultaneously reap for ourselves. We must be accountable for our own actions.

Great Spirit, today, let no words come from my lips that would hurt another.

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http://www.whitebison.org/meditation/index.php

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – April 25
“In some mysterious and wonderful way you are part of everything, Nephew. And in that same mysterious and wonderful way, everything is a part of you.”
–Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE
In order to experience this, we must be aware of how limited our senses are—eyes, ears touch, smell, taste. These senses help us to function in the Seen World. What we see is interpreted by our minds and put inside our belief system, and this can become our reality. But there also exists an Unseen World. In this world we experience connectedness; we experience the mystery; and we experience another whole point of view. If we pay attention to both the Unseen World and the Seen World, our belief systems will print in our mind a new and wonderful reality. We will see and know we are a part of everything.

Great Spirit, today, give me the knowledge to know this mystery.

These meditations are from White Bison

http://www.whitebison.org/meditation/index.php

This makes sense to me and I am over 50 so bring it on I will do my part.

This is from an article in the St. Petersburg Times Newspaper on Sunday
February 9, 2009.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article973953.ece

The Business Section asked readers for ideas on “How Would You Fix the
Economy?”

Dear Mr. President,

Please find below my suggestion for fixing America ‘s economy. Instead
Of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money
On lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can
Call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. – Pay them
$1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following
Stipulations:

1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings – Unemployment fixed.

2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty million cars ordered – Auto
Industry fixed.

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage – Housing
Crisis fixed..

It can’t get any easier than that!

P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress pay their taxes…

Shhhhhh! Can You Hear It?
A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking
near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour and the
streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs
were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the
city were almost deafening.

Suddenly, the Native American said, “I hear a cricket.”

His friend said, “What? You must be crazy. You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket in all of
this noise!”

“No, I’m sure of it,” the Native American said, “I heard a cricket.”

“That’s crazy,” said the friend.

The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across
the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked
into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small
cricket. His friend was utterly amazed.

“That’s incredible,” said his friend. “You must have superhuman ears!”

“No,” said the Native American. “My ears are no different from yours. It all
depends on what you’re listening for.”

“But that can’t be!” said the friend. “I could never hear a cricket in this
noise.”

“Yes, it’s true,” came the reply. “It depends on what is really important to
you. Here, let me show you.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few
coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise
of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head
within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the
pavement was theirs.

“See what I mean?” asked the Native American. “It all depends on what’s
important to you.”

This was sent to me by Bear Warrior http://www.freewebs.com/yona-adatiya/index.htm

What is important to you? What do you listen for? Do you take time to be still and listen? If not start.

This is a great daily meditation put out each day by an organization called http://whitebison.org. You can get the daily meditations in your email by subscribing here http://www.whitebison.org/meditation/index.php

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – April 19
“We all come from the same root, but the leaves are all different.”
–John Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA

We all come from one Great Spirit but we are all different and unique. Nothing in the Great Creation has a twin that is identical. Even children that are twins are different. Every single person is extremely special and unique. Each person has a purpose and reason why they are on the Earth. Just like every leaf on a tree is different, each one is needed to make the tree look like it does. No leaf is better or worse than the other—all leaves are of equal worth and belong on the tree. It is the same with human beings. We each belong here and do things that will affect the great whole.

Great Spirit, today, let me see myself as a valuable contributor to the whole.

For those of you that are into learning from Native American Elders there is a great daily meditation put out each day by an organization called http://whitebison.org. You can get the daily meditations in your email by subscribing here http://www.whitebison.org/meditation/index.php

It is a great service and I enjoy reading them each day. Makes me stop and think sometimes which is good. Take a minute and read about what whitebison does. I believe in what they are doing and support them.

Here is the meditation for today April 18, 2009

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – April 18
“Our people don’t come in parts. Either you are Indian, or you are not.”
–Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE

We really need to take a look at how Indian People are talking about Indian People. We say there are Rez Indians, Traditional Indians, Urban Indians and Breeds. This type of thinking will keep us separated. An Indian is an Indian, a brother is a brother, a sister is a sister. We are all related. Today, let us respect ourselves and our people. Today, let me realize Indians are Indians.

Great Spirit, let me see the Unity of the People. Indians are Indians.

Recently a routine Yakama, Washington police patrol car parked outside Pete’s tavern. Late in the evening the officer noticed a young tribal man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing.

After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five vehicles, the man managed to find his car, which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a fine dry night) flicked the blinkers on, then off, honked the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more vehicles left. At last he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive slowly down the road.

The police officer, having patiently waited all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and carried out a breathalyzer test. To his amazement the breathalyzer indicated no evidence of the man having consumed alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the officer said “I’ll have to ask you to accompany me to the Police station this breathalyzer equipment must be broken.”

“I doubt it,” said the man, “Tonight I’m the designated decoy.” Aye!!!! Old tribal trick!!?

This was written by David Macrae in 1870. (It Says 1870 not 1970)

What he talks about still holds true about us today. Some people have a hard time understanding why we do what we do. In this case we can say we learned it from our Great Grandfathers and Mothers. Because of what Mr. Macrae talks about we get labeled standoffish, uncaring, hard to deal with and other labels.

I posted this in response to a question that I received from someone about a Choctaw relative of mine who quit talking to them.

Americans at Home
By David Macrae
1870

pp 185, 186

… if you helped an Indian in distress he would generally do as much or more for you in like circumstances.

The engineer of one of the lake steamers in Western Canada gave me the following pleasing fact from his own experience :

— ” One day I met a wild Indian in the woods very downcast. The nipple of his fowling-piece had broken. He was far from his people, and, without his gun, he had no means of providing for himself. I screwed the nipple out of mine, found that it fitted exactly; and, as I had others aboard the steamer, I let him have it. He thanked me and went off into the woods. Next morning, before the steamer started, he came on board with some very fine game for me ; and he has never let a season pass since without paddling down in his canoe, sometime during our running season, with some little present of game or fish to show that he has not forgotten what I did for him.”

Indians are said to remember injuries much longer than kindness, and have probably got more of them to remember. They are proud also and very easily offended. I remember, while lounging with a friend at the door of a hotel, an Indian woman made her appearance with a basket of native bead-work for sale. The gentleman beside me, without waiting to see what she had, waved her off. The woman stopped, and with a look of magnificent scorn turned away. I was sorry that she had been hurt, and called on her to come back and show us what she had, but she deigned no response.

An Indian cannot be bargained with like another man. If you want him to carry you across a river, he will shove off in his canoe till an arrangement is made that pleases him ; and if, in trying to make an arrangement, you offend him, he will paddle stoically away, and no entreaties or promises even of whiskey and tobacco (the two things that tempt an Indian most) will bring him back, or so much as make him seem to be any longer conscious of your presence. You can very rarely engage Indians for money to be guides or servants. They will go with you as companions, and will not refuse the money given them ; but if you do or say anything to offend their pride, and make them think they are regarded as menials, they will leave without a word, and without the slightest regard to the difficulties of your position. If you ask them to clean your boots, they will decline without any indication of being offended, but in the morning you find them gone.

Remember this was written in 1870 and uses the language from that time. Mr. Macrea also reflects the attitude toward our people in the 1870s. So no nasty emails. I didn’t write it. I only say that our attitude has not changed. Offend us, look down on us and we are out of here.