Setting the Intention
A number of years I was on a journey to find myself, exploring the world and its offering all to discover who I was in the world and what it meant. A spiritual path was called to me and I explored a number of directions only to realise that my calling would be the place I called home. It was home, it was a place where my grandmother grew up and though she was also seeking herself all this time, she found it in the evening of her life, unable to explore as much as she could have or wanted to. There is a lot of trauma in our shared history, being indigenous people and having much of our culture taken away, only recently has it been legal to perform more of the old ways, when much of it has been forgotten. I am grateful for those that hid it away and waited for the time to come again when we can once again be what we are. A people of patchworks, restitching heritage where it once was torn. Find and put pieces together and bonding the rips with patches. Creating a work of art, bright with colour and patterns that wouldn’t otherwise go together.
My journey in this, finding and doing my best to live the teachings of my ancestors. Those teachings aren’t secret, it remains to be the most shared of all of our traditions and I do my best to do the same. In my case, I feel them shift in me, because of my chosen path. I am a counsellor and given the title of healer by some in my community. I am compelled to look deeper, find meaning in them and how they affect me. Having a question, if I were truly to live a path with these teachings as a foundation, how would I be changed? How would it shift the way I live? Would those insights be valuable to anyone else by me? The last question isn’t a driving force to this exploration but it is an interesting point to make, knowing how many others are seeking to reconnect to our shared heritage. My interest alone is the driving force in this exploration and to further my understanding of the many ways the teachings affect me and the way I live my life. Because I am mantled in a healing role, I pause to wonder the effect of these simple words on my wellness. These are the things I am hoping to explore.
The seven great laws are the wisdoms handed down through the ages, and through the stories of the grandfathers before us. Instances where humanity was given these lessons during a time of chaos and unrest by spiritual beings and the animals themselves. Although these stories are not the focus but on the words themselves. It would be a disservice if I ignored the theme altogether. Where these lessons come from is important, it is part of the lesson to acknowledge the teachers from whom these insights originate. Also knowing where to go on my path, asking those important questions to acknowledge where in my life these insights have shifted and changed the person I am.
Those who find these words find, won’t know the person I was, let alone the person I am reaching out through the paper and ink, or the digital fonts on a screen. What I will share is that I wasn't a person that loved myself, I often avoided my reflection. I didn’t like who I was, and what life had shaped me to be. As much as I acknowledge that this is a far sketch from being an autobiography, but in parts it may as well be. This is my journey into the teachings and what I've learned thus far in this, my current stage in life.
The medicine wheel is also an important symbol for me. It has several meanings and has significance for different people. It reminds me of my humanity and those four factors that define us all. The Mind, Heart, Body and Spirit. The way I think, and feel. The way I have chosen to be and what it means. So too, do I dive deeper to find and explore how to better understand the laws: Humility, Courage, Wisdom, Truth, Honesty, Respect and Love. The laws are spiritual in origin, but to make them part of my practical routine, bringing those teachings into my everyday life. Where my intention is to live much like my ancestors did. Where I can model it for the generations today and tomorrow, living in a way which combines the laws and the medicine wheel.
This work is the result of that reflection.
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