Interfaith Harmony Week: The Indigenous Tradition

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2022-02-06

Country: Canada
City:

925-787- 9279

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THE INDIGENOUS TRADITION Interfaith Harmony Week February 6, 2022

Support Indigenous Environmental and Human rights
Cultural Survival provides support and resources to grassroots, indigenous movements across the globe. The mission is to support Indigenous People’s self-determination and the advocacy of their human rights—the right to their lands and territories, the right to practice their cultures and speak their languages and the right to control and sustainably manage their natural resources—so that they may determine their futures.

RESPONSE

Andrea petitioned the powerful on behalf of the poor
                 If we need to find our voice, we need to find our power. I might ask my employer or benefactors to support me in the cause of what is right, just, good, true, and beautiful. I have an obligation to invite others to stand with me in the quest for justice. My closest associates might not know the passions burning in my heart. I must not deprive them of the opportunity to share in my heart’s quest to be a force for good on behalf of the poor and hurting in this world.
                 Today I might ask those closest to me if they would share in my heart’s desire to help others in need. They might have power, influence, or resources which could benefit the poor I love.  I will practice being a bridge between the disenfranchised and those who have resources. I will break down the walls of ignorance and unknowing in ways gentle, honest, and courageous. I will practice the sacred act of asking not for myself but to those who have touched my soul.

REFLECTION

What would an Indigenous Grandmother Do?
I don’t want to change my thoughts.
I want to change the way I think.
I want to think in images, in stories
spun as threads arising long and
slow out of culture and out of the
Grandmother Spider of Indigenous mind.
I want to learn to live the old ways,
the ways of spirit.
I want to see signs and the deep,
precise wisdom of the true ones–
ancestors, elders, any and all trying to inform us
that there is a way—there is a way to heal,
there is a way to see, there is a way
to change direction,
there is a way to give the children what they need
to be safe, to be listening, to be healthy, to be whole.
I, too, want to be whole, all the way into death
and yes, I’ll say it, beyond death, beyond it
but not beyond the cycle of being—
the ring, the hoop of being together.
This is the place where Love remains,
where Love sustains, where Love comes into
and through all things.
Love is spirit flowing into the life of the world.
Knowing this I am left with one question:
What would an Indigenous grandmother do?
Maya Specter
The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. 
Black Elk
Notice
As things begin to return to a new normal, we at The Interfaith Peace Project are here for you in any way that you need us. The Antioch Center is now open to fully vaccinated people on Wednesdays, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. We are vigilant and will adjust to any and all recommendations from the state and county. We will continue our work through Zoom as we add in person programs. If you would like to schedule an in person or Zoom program or would like a phone appointment with any of us, give us a call.