Posted by [EMAIL PROTECTED] :
From: Laura <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Thanksgiving Address
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Please note my new email address: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(previously [EMAIL PROTECTED], or [EMAIL PROTECTED], aka Laura Blain)
Happy turkey day!
exerpted from the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, Greetings to the Natural World
Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given
the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now,
we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as
people.
We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for
life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she
continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time.
We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing
us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many formswaterfalls and rain,
mists and streams, rivers and oceans.
We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to
cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful
that we can still find pure water.
Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the
Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms.
With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the
garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have
helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too.
Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning they were
instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are
happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants
for healing.
We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in
the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We see them near our homes and
in the deep forests.
We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have
their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with
fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol
of peace and strength.
We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over
our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy
and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader.
We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in
the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring
the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and
giving us strength.
Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With
lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life.
We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail
he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the
source of all the fires of life.
We put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who
lights the nighttime sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she
governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it
is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth.
We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in
the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and
growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home.
We gather our minds to greet and thank the Enlightened Teachers who have come to help
throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way
we were instructed to live as people.
Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and
thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here
on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds
together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.
We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have
named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we
leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.
>>>>get involved-learn the truth-spread the truth<<<<<
DEMAND JUSTICE FOR LEONARD PELTIER
>>>>> http://www.freepeltier.org/ <<<<<
>>> http://www.dickshovel.com/Aim.Pine.html <<<
Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine
of international copyright law.
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Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
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