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Stepping into the circle this evning to feel the warmth of the fire and the presence of love, tolerance and understanding that comes fom my friends of many different beliefs around the fire whose spirits are sincere and kind..
Gp , prayers of comfort for you and your partner on the loss of her ex-husband who was loved and respected and has left pleasant memories for all who loved him..
Mooseketeer!! Welcome back! Missed you girl..What a wonderful wedding and meet-up with some of your cd friends, who kept me informed..
I hope the joys of marriage won't keep you too far away from us
Big hugs to Orion, because we all need one now and then..
83,000 views demonstrates the great interest in Native American culture...
Which is sometimes a good thing as people will understand us better, but sometimes it is not a good thing as there are many people who do not take the time to really understand the different beliefs and cultures of the Nations. Take, for example, the recent tragedy of that NewAge "guru" whiteman who held vision quests and sweat lodges (for a fee, of course) where two people died. This is a perfect example of the warning many real Indian people will give to those who mess around with things they neither truly understand nor possess the wisdom and experience to conduct such ceremonies. The moral of that tragedy should be: "do not try this at home or without the guidance of a real Native elder."
Which is sometimes a good thing as people will understand us better, but sometimes it is not a good thing as there are many people who do not take the time to really understand the different beliefs and cultures of the Nations. Take, for example, the recent tragedy of that NewAge "guru" whiteman who held vision quests and sweat lodges (for a fee, of course) where two people died. This is a perfect example of the warning many real Indian people will give to those who mess around with things they neither truly understand nor possess the wisdom and experience to conduct such ceremonies. The moral of that tragedy should be: "do not try this at home or without the guidance of a real Native elder."
I quite agree with you Fullback, it is unfortunate that two people had to die for such a senseless thing. That is the problem that we who are the true believers in a culture and ceremonies face all the time, there are those out there who unfortunately think that they know our ceremonies and our rituals because they read in a book somewhere or happen to observe a certain type of ceremony and decide to use that little bit of knowledge that they have gotten for their own gain. A true Elder will never ask for payment of any kind for performing such ceremonies and rituals, we never do it for our own gain and we do not do it for just anything or anybody, these ceremonies and rituals are sacred and are to be performed by those who have an extensive knowledge of such things and that takes many years to learn this. I am saddened by the knowledge that two individuals lost their lives because of this individual who does not know the true way of the native people and our rituals and although I do not know these two I will offer a prayer to the Creator for them.
Making new friends is no easy task if you strive to live a moral life. I have lost almost all of my friends because I simply made the choice to be a better person. That may not sound like it makes sense, but it really did happen that way. Most of the world is a cold dark place, I don't encounter very many people who are striving for truth, and I just randomly found this website today and so far some of the stuff I've read has been really promising. Hopefully people on here believe as strongly as they say, but one can never know.
bbok23, it is never easy making new friends when they don't understand you, you say you have lost most of all your friends because of the choices you have made, maybe they were not your friends to begin with, a true friend will stay by you no matter what you believe or do, a true friend will accept you for all your faults and all your indiscretions, a true friend looks beyond that and looks at the individual and accepts you for what you are and does not try to change that. We here in the sacred circle are from all different beliefs and religions and cultures and yet we all understand that we are all human beings, we are all the same and we accept each other for who we are and learn from one another and offer each other support and good words in time of need. I welcome you to the sacred circle, I'm glad you found your way here and I hope you will sit with us for a while and accept us for who we are, I know we will accept you for who you are.osay
[quote=camping!;3600913]I suppose that I have no belief. I honor those that have them, truly I do, regardless of what shape their religion takes. In fact, I somewhat envy them their faith. It would be nice to have a soft place to land.
omg, I was like that.... As a child I had no religion. We did a secular christmas and easter but I never learned about religion... I was allowed to question all of it. I spent years feeling left out and wishing my parents had brought me up in some religion. I was so lucky they didn't. I was allowed to follow my own path. I did and now I realize how lucky I was.
I learned about many religions and my heart led me to Judaism. My children will be allowed to make up their minds. They have learned about different faiths. My younger children have followed me into Judaism and will get to decide on if they want to make it formal at some point.
Who will sit with me in the sacred circle of peace, harmony and understanding.
Among my culture we have a tradition that has existed for centuries.
Whenever we come together to discuss things of great importance it is always done within the sacred circle. Anyone is welcome to come and sit within the sacred circle and participate in the discussions, however all animosity, hatred and prejudice are left outside of the sacred circle, these things are not allowed within its confines and each individual who steps within the sacred circle is expected to help govern it and be responsible to see to it that peace, harmony, and understanding prevail within the sacred circle.
So now my brothers and sisters, I invite you to step within the sacred circle and tell us about your beliefs or non-beliefs without criticism or animosity to one another.
Remember, all are welcomed here who come with a good heart.
I will step into your circle.
My beliefs are that their are different paths to God. God hears us all. Is with us all. That you will find your path if you look.
Good morning friends.. I have a dilema, and I do not know who, how or where to ask for the help to solve it. If anyone has any suggestions for me, please leave me a personal direct message. I hate to ask for anything, I have always managed things all by myself, but this time, I feel overwhelmed. Some of you know my last child graduated high school this year, and she dove into college on a wing and a prayer, bless her for the attempt!, however, the school just hit us with a tuition fee to cough up by Dec 15 or she won't be able to continue in her first year there, I suspect they will do it again in March. Is there any place that philanthropists look for college kids to help along their way? I set up a college fund bank account, but dont know how to ask people to help. Do I let the chips fall, and be prepared to help her accept our financial fate and leave school? or do I fight tooth and nail to keep her in? Oh Lord help me with this one won't you please? I hate to let her down. My other kids didnt get the opportunity but they also didnt fight for it, so they just exhist in low paying jobs, but this one is special, and she does have the ambition to make life better for herself. What on earth should I do? sorry to ask in here, but I dont feel threatened or pummelled in here if I ask. Thanks for your prayers...
Blessings
OA
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