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Duality 
and the Order of Life and Energy

This subject of the duality of life should not be confused with Dualism, which acknowledges the duality but declares that one side is “good” and should be embraced, while the other side is “evil” and should be rejected. Also this subject is inexhaustible and in its unity is beyond comprehension. It also covers other subjects that will hopefully be addressed in future issues such as Sacrifice and Bliss, Life and Death, Suffering and Compassion, Freedom verses Habits and Belief Systems, Emotions of the Body Consciousness and Thoughts of the Mind.

To introduce this subject I would like to quote Joseph Campbell who talks about God:

“We want to talk about God; God is a name, God is a thought, God is an idea, but its reference is to something that transcends all thinking. He is beyond all categories of being and non-being. He neither is nor is not...

“Whenever one moves out of the transcendent [Universal Spirit of God. Ed.], one comes into a field of opposites. One has eaten of the tree of knowledge, not only of good and evil, but also of male and female, of right and wrong... Everything in the field of time is duel: past and future, dead and alive, being and non-being, [love and hate Ed.]. But the ultimate pair in the imagination [psyche Ed.] is that of male and female...

“One of the problems of life is to live with the realisation of both terms, that is to say, “I know the centre and I know that good and evil are simply temporal aberrations, and that in God’s view, there is no difference.”

(Joseph Campbell ‘The Power of Myth’)

Fred Alan Wolf, in ‘The Eagle’s Quest’, speaks of the electrons of subatomic matter as having a tendency to avoid each other, which is called “exclusion”, and he equates this to hate, the ultimate cause of illness. But he says that without this pattern of exclusion, “all electrons would tend to form tight orbits about their respective atomic nuclei, thus making Chemistry and life impossible.” On the other hand he knew that subatomic particles of light, or “photons”, had the tendency to cohere, seem to become one, which is called “inclusion”, and he equates this to love and healing energy. Saying that: “Between these two forces of exclusion, which enables atoms to form all of the molecular structures needed for life, and inclusion, which allows atoms and molecules to communicate with each other and vibrate sympathetically, human life exists.”

Also Fred Alan Wolf says that the material, physical being operates in the thinking-sensation world, which is ruled by Chronos, our ordinary chronological clock time. However the human spirit operates in the intuitive-feeling world, which is ruled by Mythos, the symbolic, metaphoric world of metaphysics, which has a sense of timelessness. It is only by realising that both worlds are constantly affecting us and are therefore necessary, that we become healed, all one again. And he says that in Chronos we use our five senses of sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell. But we have another five senses, that the shamans use in the world of Mythos, which have been removed from Western education. These other five senses he calls the Imaginal Senses, which are:

1. THE SENSE OF SELF-HEALING.
“When you cut yourself, your body heals... It is possible to recognise when you are healing yourself. I remember that all of my healing took place with a great sense of emotional release. But to fully realise this sense... I had to release my controlling mechanical mind and, in a sense, “go crazy”.

2. THE SENSE OF SELF-DESTRUCTION
“I was certainly aware of this sense. It overcame me in times of depression, times when I felt my self-worth was extremely low. During this time I would feel very much alone and isolated, regardless of where I was and whom I was with. It was only now that I recognised that this too was only another way of “seeing” - another way in which I “went crazy”.

3. THE SENSE OF PENETRATION
“To be able to penetrate other levels, other worlds, other dimensions. I had only a dim awareness of this sense... when I noticed, for example, extraordinary synchronicities in my life. These were messages from the mythic time of my own life. I would feel this only dimly at such times as when I fell in love or when I became aware of deep intuitive ideas. My ability to penetrate depended only, again on my willingness to release any preconceived ideas about what I thought the “real” world consisted of."

4. THE SENSE OF PERCEPTION
“To be able to perceive events and the surrounding world in a different light... Here, again, once I was able to release my mechanical mind, any event could be perceived in an extraordinary manner. To fully realise this sense, one had to trust one’s intuition even if the concepts one realised were totally “off the wall”. There were many times I ignored this ‘inner sense. And invariably I made mistakes when I did."

5. THE SENSE OF REVELATION
“To be able to understand what you have perceived in these other worlds. During those times when I had perceived events as extraordinary, I was able to grasp the information I had received and use it when my mind once again entered into mechanical thinking. In other words, I was able to bring my feeling-intuitive self into my thinking-sensation world. I was able to put into words my understanding of what was revealed to me.”

In all of the worlds’ different mythologies there can be seen a cosmological split of one into two. For example in Genesis, when God said, “Let there be light”, he then separated the light from the dark. And in the Garden of Eden, from Adam’s rib God made Eve. This story of first man and first woman is identical to those in other cultures, like the Bassari Tribes in Africa. But I feel the best mythological story that expresses, not only the duality and it’s source, but also it’s relevance in my own life, and the source of my own life, is that of the ninth century B.C. Upanishads.

“In the beginning, there was only the great self in the form of a person. Reflecting, it found nothing but itself. Then its first word was: “This am I!” Hence arose the name “I.” Which is why, to this day, when one is addressed one first says, “I,” then tells whatever other name one may have.

“That one was afraid. Therefore anyone alone is afraid. “If there is nothing but myself,” it thought, “of what, then, am I afraid?” Whereupon the fear departed. For what was there to fear? Surely, it is only from a second that fear derives.

“That person was no longer happy. Therefore, people are not happy when alone. It desired a mate. It became as large as a woman and a man in close embrace; then caused that self to fall in two: From which a husband and wife arose. Therefore, as a sage used to say, “This body is but half of oneself.” He united with her; and from that human beings were born.

“She thought: “How can he unite with me, after producing me from himself? Well, let me hide.” She became a cow, he a bull, and united with her. From that cattle were born... In this way he projected all things existing in pairs, down to the ants.

“Then he realised: “I, indeed, am this creation; for I have poured it forth from myself.” In that way he became this creation. And verily, he who knows this becomes in this creation a creator."

(Joseph Campbell: ‘The Way of the Animal Powers’)

Carl Jung, in 1961, wrote in his book, ‘Memories, Dreams, Reflections’, about the two opposites thus:

“It may well be said that the contemporary cultural consciousness has not yet absorbed into its general philosophy the idea of the unconscious and all that it means, despite the fact that modern man has been confronted with this idea for more than half a century. The assimilation of the fundamental insight that psychic life has two poles still remains a task for the future.”

I think that all the above has indicated that every experience, every act, every thought, every intention and every thing in this time and space continuum yields pairs of opposites. Energy and consciousness is the same thing, they are the movements between the two opposites, which are orchestrated by man and Shaman, using conscious and unconscious thoughts, actions and intentions. And how we choose to see any situation depends on which opposite will be revealed to us. This energy or consciousness is the third element in the threefold order of life and energy. This is also the principal of Lha, Nyen and Lu, found in ‘Shambhala - The Path of The Warrior’ by Chogyam Trungpa.

Teresa Moorey, in her very concise and informative book on Shamanism, explains that most shamans have a concept that describes the universal order of three worlds, The Upper, Middle and Lower. This order appears in most cosmologies as a world tree. In discussing the upper section of the world tree she has this to say:

“This is the dreamed-about, sought-after realm, sung of by the mystics and yearned for by all those who seek enlightenment... This is the realm of the gods and angels, home of the blessed, of all that is beautiful and transcendent.

“This sounds wonderful, of course, but upper world has been subject to as much distortion as lower world, called Heaven, and reserved only for those who have been ‘good’. However, this section of the world tree, it’s fruit-bearing branches, the place where we hope to gather the harvest of our plantings, is nourished and is totally dependent for it’s existence on the under world roots...

“It is not always remembered by seekers of the “New Age” on a quest for enlightenment that neglects source and shadow. However, no true access to upper world is achieved without acquaintance and appreciation of lower world. Reclaiming the hidden powers of lower world is the true meaning of “redemption”.”

Brooke Medicine Eagle, in her book ‘Buffalo Woman Comes Singing’, says:

“The attitude of oneness requires something of us that has not been popular in New Age circles. In fact it has been denied by most of them. And that is the embracing of the dark side of life, in our own lives most especially. We have wanted to be all light and love but have overlooked one of the necessary means to attaining these qualities: embracing the dark. Darkness often implies evil to many of us. Yet, a part of me knows there is no evil; there is only fear and separation. When fear and separation have been bridged into peacefulness and unity, then the dark is as beautiful as the light. [Bridged by our consciousness. Ed.]

This finding the beauty of the dark side is a classical aspect found in dreams, visions and spirit journeys. It consists of entering the personal unconscious and meeting a monster or dragon, and once you can confront this monster, asking it what it wants, it will most likely transform into an angel or some other energy of beauty that is much needed.

And in Robert Lawlor’s book ‘Voices of The First Day - Awakening In The Aboriginal Dreamtime’ he says that: “The plant is the dream of the seed. A movement from subjective to objective and back to subjective in a conceptual process has counterparts on many levels of existence.” As follows:

Joseph Campbell translated the Sanskrit; Sat, Chit and Ananda to their meanings; correct being (actions), correct consciousness (intentions or thoughts) and correct rapture (bliss). He thought: “I don’t know if I have correct being or consciousness, but I know when I have my bliss, so if I hang on to that, maybe the rest will come.” And they did. So he says to “FOLLOW YOUR BLISS”, but reminds you that: “The realisation of your bliss, your true being, comes when you have put aside the passing moment with it’s terror, temptations and it’s statements of requirements of life, that you should live “This Way”.” In other words: 

Your BLISS comes when you can live every passing moment, or second, of your life without being influenced by FEAR, DESIRE or SOCIAL DUTY.

It is as vital to be physical as it is to be spiritual.
BUT NEITHER SHOULD BE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.

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   Suggested Reading List

Andrews, Lynn V.
Medicine Woman. Harper and Row 1981
Jaguar Woman - And The Wisdom Of The Butterfly Tree. ‘1985’ Harper & Row
Star Woman - We Are Made From Stars And To The Stars We Must Return. '1986' Warner Books
Crystal Woman - The Sisters of the Dreamtime. '1987' Warner Books
Windhorse Woman '1989'
Teachings Around The Sacred Wheel '1990' Harper and Row
Shakkai - Woman of the Sacred Garden. '1992' Harper Collins Publish
Woman At The Edge Of Two Worlds - The Spiritual Journey Through Menopause. '1993' HarperCollins Pub
Woman At The Edge Of Two Worlds - Workbook. '1994' Harper Collins Pub
And others

Biddulph, Steve.
Manhood - A Book About Setting Men Free. 2nd Edition ‘1995’ Finch Publishing.

Black Elk, Wallace and William S. Lyon
Black Elk - The Sacred Ways of a Lakota. '1990' Harper and Row.

Brown, Joseph Eppes
The Sacred Pipe - Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux. '1971' Penguin

Campbell, Joseph
Among many must reads are:
The Hero With A Thousand Faces. '1975' Abacus
The Masks of God
Vol. 1 Primitive Mythology '1959'
Vol. 2 Oriental Mythology
Vol. 3 Occidental Mythology
Vol. 4 Creative Mythology
Historical Atlas Of World Mythology (unsure how many volumes completed)
Vol. 1 The Way Of The Animal Powers '1984' Times Books
The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers
Edited By: Betty Sue Flowers. '1988' Doubleday Also on Video (6 x 1Hrs)
Sitting Owl highly recommends the following DVDs:
Mythos 1 (2 DVD set of his lectures) 
Mythos 2 (2 DVD set of his lectures) 
Mythos 3 (2 DVD set of his lectures) 

Castaneda, Carlos
Among many I can only recommend:
A Separate Reality - Further Conversations with Don Juan.
The Art Of Dreaming '1993' HarperCollins

Chinmoy, Sri
Of his countless books, I recommend:
Beyond Within – A Philosophy for Inner Life. ‘1988’ Agni Press
Wings of Joy

Clift, Jean Dalby and Wallace B.
Symbols Of Transformation In Dreams

Halifax, Joan
Shaman – The Wounded Healer ‘1982’ Thames & Hudson LTD. London

Harner, Micheal
The Way Of The Shaman '1990' Harper & Row

Harney, Corbin
The Way It Is – One Water, One Air, One Mother Earth ‘1995’ Blue Dolphin Inc.

His Holiness The Dalai Larma & Howard C. Cutler MD
The Art Of Happiness - A Handbook For Living ‘1998’ Hodder & Stoughton

Johnson, Robert
Loss Of The Feminine

Jung, C. G.
Collected Works (20 Volumes)
Man and His Symbols First published '1964' by Aldus Books Ltd. My edition published by Pan Books Ltd.
Memories, Dreams, Reflections First published in Great Britain ‘1963’ My copy ‘1993’ Fontana Press

Kelsey, Morton
Dreamquest - Native American Myth and the Recovery of Soul '1992' Element

King, Serge Kahili PhD
Urban Shaman '1991'Fireside Books

Knudtson, Peter & David Suzuki
Wisdom Of The Elders. First published in ‘1992’. My edition'1997' Allen & Unwin P/L

Lawlor, Robert
Sitting Owl highly recommends the following:
Voices Of The First Day - Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime. '1991' Inner Traditions

McLuhan, T. C. (Compiled By)
Touch The Earth - A Self-portrait of Indian Existence '1973' Abacus: Sphere

Mails, Thomas E.
Fools Crow
Sitting Owl highly recommends the following as a must read:
Fools Crow - Wisdom and Power '1991' Council Oak Books

Medicine Eagle, Brooke
Buffalo Woman Comes Singing '1991' Ballantine Books

Moorey, Teresa
Paganism - A Beginner's Guide '1996' Hodder & Stoughton
Shamanism - A Beginner’s Guide ‘1997’ Hodder & Stoughton

Neihardt, John G.
Black Elk Speaks '1988' University of Nebraska

O'Connor, Dr. Peter
Understanding The Mid-Life Crisis

Redfield, James
The Celestine Prophecy

Robinson, Rita as told by Don Rutledge - Plains Cree Pipe Keeper
Center of the World - Native American Spirituality '1992' Newcastle

Roet, Dr. Brian
All In The Mind? - Think Yourself Better '1987' Optima

Trungpa, Chogyam
Sitting Owl highly recommends the following:
Shambala - The Sacred Path of the Warrior. '1984' Shambala Pub.

Warrawee'a Kakkib li'Dthia
Sitting Owl highly recommends the following:
there once was a tree called deru. '2002' HarperCollins Pub. (Aust.)
ISBN 0 7322 7118 5. 

Whitaker, Kay Cordell
The Reluctant Shaman - A Woman's First Encounters with the Unseen Spirits of the Earth. ‘1991’ HarperCollins Pub.

Wolf, Fred Alan
Among the many books
Sitting Owl highly recommends the following:
The Eagle's Quest - A Physicist's Search for Truth in the Heart of the Shamanic World. '1981'

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Maori Teachings

By: Dr. Rangimarie (Rose) Turuki Pere

Ohaoha – Economics, including domestic affairs.

Each person is expected to contribute to the whole in some way either by gifts, special skills, sharing resources, the least of which is money.

Hui – Congregate

Persons sit in a circle so that the faces of people, particularly those who stand up to speak, can be seen. The key qualities in regard to a hui are respect, consideration, patience and cooperation. People need to feel they have the right and the time to express their point of view.

Marae – Complex, courtyard and buildings adjacent is the central meeting place for the community and community sentiment.

Herein is the “meeting place” to transmit the culture.

Use the gift of love to the universe if anything negative affects your life.

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Mystery

By: Lynn V. Andrews

A shaman can teach you about power. A magician can train you to become strong in spirit and competent in your endeavours in life. But to describe how a miracle happens or how you come to be a powerful magician is to try to explain the mystery. You can talk around the secrets of power, but if you describe them directly you lose that power and you destroy the mystery. Welcome the mystery, and allow the miracle of existence to emerge from the darkness and transform you.

Copied with permission from:

‘The Power Deck’

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I AM A TREE

By: Judith Marie Harris

While sitting under an old gum tree and allowing it to speak (c)1991

And the tree spoke, and said…
“I am with you always. I am the seed.
I am of the Planet Earth. I am ageless, and endlessly creating.

I am in tune with my environment.
I conserve in the winter. I bloom in the spring. I fruit in the summer. I shed in the autumn.

I am eternal!
My seed enters the earth and is nourished and fertile, and new growth sprouts ever new.
I purify the air in city streets. I lower the water table in salt ridden lands, and I bind the soil.
I shade the animals. I shelter the birds. I am home to nesting robins. Magpies herald the dawn from my branches at day’s first light.
I perfume the air with my redolent oils, and give beauty to the landscape.

I am true to myself.
I am always a gum tree, but time changes me.
I have been a sapling, I have been young, and now I am mature, and my branches have become long and strong. My foliage gives shade to the ground over my roots.

I am self sustaining.
As I grow, I nurture myself, and in so doing, I give nurturing to what is around me.
From the seed that was, I draw energy from the Sun, to become what I am.
When I die I can be burnt, to release the energy that is within me to give warmth to the world.
I am sometimes used as timber for houses, and chairs and beds; and when that happens my seeds are lying in wait to germinate, and spring forth with new life.
And I begin the cycle all over again…

I have adapted to my environment, this continent of Australia.
And after bushfires come raging through, then, I am at my best; I call forth all my strength in the face of adversity, and push bright green new leaves directly through my blackened trunk, I am amazingly beautiful, and strong, and all around me, my companions, the wildflowers, and scrubby bush… all are regenerated! Gone is the stagnation, and build up of old dead wood.

The bush is singing with new life. All is clear and brilliant. Within a very short time the bushland is clothed in green again, the life returns, and the cycle begins.
The ebb and flow quietens down, and peace descends on the land.

The Mopoke calls its plaintiff cry across the listening darkness.
The Koala prepares for the night.

My leaves rustle in the warm light breeze that flutters past, and all is well.
I take in the carbon, and breathe out the oxygen.

And the Yin Yang relationship I have with the animal life on this planet restores equilibrium.
And the balanced interchange of loving energy continues.”

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The Tower and Our Roots

By: C.G. Jung

(Excerpt from: ’Memories, Dreams, Reflections’)
The Tower being the retirement home he built for himself.

Our souls as well as our bodies are composed of individual elements which were all already present in the ranks of our ancestors. The “newness” in the individual psyche is an endlessly varied recombination of age-old components. Body and soul therefore have an intensely historical character and find no proper place in what is new, in things that have just come into being. That is to say, our ancestral components are only partly at home in such things. We are very far from having finished completely with the Middle Ages, classical antiquity, and primitivity, as our modern psyches pretend. Nevertheless, we have plunged down a cataract of progress, which sweeps us on into the future with ever wilder violence the farther it takes us from our roots. Once the past has been breeched, it is usually annihilated, and there is no stopping the forward motion. But it is precisely the loss of connection with the past, our uprootedness, which has given rise to the “discontents” of civilisation and to such a flurry and haste that we live more in the future and its chimerical promises of a golden age than in the present, with which our whole evolutionary background has not yet caught up. We rush impetuously into novelty, driven by a mounting sense of insufficiency, dissatisfaction, and restlessness. We no longer live on what we have, but on promises, no longer in the light of the present day, but in the darkness of the future, which, we expect, will at last bring the proper sunrise. We refuse to recognise that everything better is purchased at a price of something worse; that, for example, the hope of greater freedom is cancelled out by increased enslavement to the state, not to speak of the terrible perils to which the most brilliant discoveries of science expose us. The less we understand of what our fathers and forefathers sought, the less we understand ourselves, and thus we help with all our might to rob the individual of his roots and his guiding instincts, so that he becomes a particle in the mass, ruled only by what Nietzsche called the spirit of gravity.

Reforms by advances, that is, by new methods or gadgets, are of course impressive at first, but in the long run they are dubious and in any case dearly paid for. They by no means increase the contentment or happiness of people on the whole. Mostly, they are deceptive sweetenings of existence, like speedier communications, which unpleasantly accelerate the tempo of life and leave us with less time than ever before. Omnis festinatio ex parte diaboli est-all haste is of the devil, as the old masters used to say.

Reforms by retrogressions, on the other hand, are as a rule less expensive and in addition more lasting, for they return to the simpler, tried and tested ways of the past and make the sparsest use of newspapers, radio, television, and all supposedly timesaving innovations.

In this book I have devoted considerable space to my subjective view of the world, which, however, is not a product of rational thinking. It is rather a vision such as will come to one who undertakes, deliberately, with half-closed eyes and somewhat closed ears, to see and hear the form and voice of being. If our impressions are too distinct, we are held to the hour and minute of the present and have no way of knowing how our ancestral psyches listen to and understand the present - in other words, how our unconscious is responding to it. Thus we remain ignorant of whether our ancestral components find elementary gratification in our lives, or whether they are repelled. Inner peace and contentment depend in large measure upon whether or not the historical family, which is inherent in the individual can be harmonised with the ephemeral conditions of the present.

In the Tower at Bollingen it is as if one lived in many centuries simultaneously. The place will outlive me, and in its location and style it points backwards to things of long ago. There is very little about it to suggest the present. If a man of the sixteenth century were to move into the house, only the kerosene lamp and the matches would be new to him; otherwise, he would know his way about without difficulty. There is nothing to disturb the dead, neither electric light nor telephone. Moreover, my ancestors’ souls are sustained by the atmosphere of the house, since I answer for them the questions that their lives once left behind. I carve out rough answers as best I can. I have even drawn them on the walls. It is as if a silent, greater family, stretching down the centuries, were peopling the house. There I live in my second personality and see life in the round, as something forever coming into being and passing on.

Editors notes:

I can’t help but wonder why the work of this exceptional man and pioneer of psychological understanding is not used and understood by the majority of the Western world, as this book, which is his last, has been around since 1963. And his experiences that he talks about in this work are very easily understood explanations of the same experiences of all the masters of wisdom.

In my opinion this is the wisdom that can really help heal humanity of its illusions, and ‘To Know Thyself’, wholly.

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Humility

By: Sri Chinmoy

Humility is the real secret of the spiritual life. When we embody humility, we neither underestimate nor overestimate our life….

Real humility is the expansion of our consciousness. It is the God-life within us. The higher we go, the more light we receive by virtue of our humility, the more we have to offer humanity.

NATURES HUMILITY
When you really have something to offer to the world, then you can become truly humble. A tree, when it has no fruit to offer, remains erect. But when the tree is laden with fruit, it bends down. If you are all pride and ego, then nobody will be able to get anything worthwhile from you. When you have genuine humility, it is a sign that you have something to offer mankind.

How can you become humble? You can meditate on a tree. When it offers its fruit to the world, it bows down with utmost humility. When it offers shade or protection, it offers them to everyone without regard to wealth or rank or capacity. When the tree develops flowers and fruit, the tree bends down and shares its fruit with the world.

Look at Mother-Earth, who is protecting us, nourishing us and giving us shelter in every way. How many bad things are being done to Mother-Earth! Yet she is all forgiving. Right in front of us we can see humility in a patch of grass. When we see grass with our human eyes, we feel that it is something unimportant. Anybody can step on it. But when we see it with our inner eye, we feel how great it is. Early in the morning when we see dew on the grass, we say, "How beautiful it looks!" A few hours later we may be walking on it; yet it never complains or revolts. If we walk gently on the grass, we can get the sense of oneness with Mother-Earth. When we have the inner capacity to appreciate the grass, we say, "How humble and self-giving it is!"

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Traditions -

Black Elk and 'The Throwing of the Ball'

For some people, tradition is a means of staying within their comfort zone that they are familiar with and not embracing change. For others it is a means of understanding the Universal Laws that never change, but cause all the changes within time and space.

Traditions are much like Social Laws that do change according to social changes, and like these laws, the people who live by the traditions or laws must not just live according to the letter of the tradition or law, but by the Spirit, or the intent of the tradition or law.

Also tradition is like Religion in that each person must have and stay glued to their own tradition or Religion, which will be totally unique to them and will connect them to their source, God, but because of the archetypal nature of humans, there will always be some aspects of these traditions or Religions that will be the same as other peoples'. And where these traditions or Religions intersect, we can communicate and share our common ground and celebrate together in unity.

The best example of the changing evolutionary aspect of traditions and Religions can be seen in the life of the most noted traditional Medicine Man, Black Elk, whose earlier life as a nomadic plains Medicine Man was first portrayed to the wider world by John G. Neihardt in 'Black Elk Speaks'. This account, according to Michael F. Steltenkamp in 'Black Elk - Holy Man of the Oglala', romantically portrays Black Elk's nomadic life prior to living a "more or less happy reservation life, of which he saw 50 years."

The next account by Joseph Epes Brown, called 'The Sacred Pipe', concentrated on Black Elk's recollection of the details of the seven sacred rites and ceremonies of the Lakota.

The third account, by Michael F. Steltenkamp, concentrated on Black Elk's reservation life as recalled by his friends and last surviving child, Lucy Looks Twice. This account emphasizes Black Elk's very active involvement in establishing Catholicism among his people.

The point I wish to make is that although he had a very strong Shamanic Vision and 'Traditional' understanding of Wakan-Tanka and the sacred rites and ceremonies, Black Elk also saw the same Wakan-Tanka in the Catholic God.

This indicates that he was not too proud to change his own traditional understanding and that he was able to adapt his traditional understanding to his new circumstances in reservation life. His real understanding of God and the effects on his people who lacked faith and understanding can be seen in his account of the seventh and last Lakota rite 'The Throwing Of The Ball', as found in 'The Sacred Pipe'.

This 'game' consists of a young girl who throws a ball to the four directions and each time someone catches or scrambles to get the ball and return it to the girl in the centre.

The mythological reading goes like this: The ball, made of buffalo hide and stuffed with buffalo hair was painted red, to symbolize the earthly world, and blue lines around the quarters or directions, to symbolize Heaven, thus "Heaven and Earth were united into one in this ball", representing the universe and Wakan-Tanka (God). The buffalo itself represented the universe by giving food, clothing, housing etc. Black Elk adds:

"First, it is a little girl, and not an older person, who stands at the center and throws the ball. This is as it should be, for just as Wakan-Tanka is eternally youthful and pure, so is this little girl who has just come from Wakan-Tanka, pure and without any darkness [Ignorance of His light Ed.]. Just as the ball is thrown from the centre to the four quarters, so Wakan-Tanka is at every direction and is everywhere in the world; and as the ball descends upon the people, so does His power… The game… represents the course of a man’s life, which should be spent in trying to get the ball, for the ball represents Wakan-Tanka, or the universe…”

In the final paragraph of the book and of this rite, Black Elk says:

“At this sad time today among our people, we are scrambling for the ball, and some are not even trying to catch it, which makes me cry when I think of it. But soon I know it will be caught, for the end is rapidly approaching, and then it will be returned to the centre, and our people will be with it. It is my prayer that this be so, and it is in order to aid in this ‘Recovery of the ball’, that I have wished to make this book.”

To make my point clearer, regarding the evolution of tradition and the universal law of sacredness that is present in any Religion or tradition, ‘The Sacred Pipe’ refers to the two aspects of Wakan-Tanka and the earth thus:

Wakan-Tanka as the Grandfather (Tunkashila) is the unlimited source, the Great Spirit independent of manifestation and is identical to the Christian Godhead. Wakan-Tanka as the Father (Ate) is the Great Spirit in relation to His manifestation as Creator, Preserver or Destroyer and is identical to the Christian God. Maka as the Grandmother (Unchi) is the ground or substance of all things, the potentiality. Maka as the Mother (Ina) is the producer of Growth in action.

And in contrast, Frank Fools Crow (Wanbli Mato – Eagle Bear) also a Teton Sioux or Oglala Lakota says:

“We have three Chief Gods like the Christians do. Wakan-Tanka is like the Father. Tunkashila is like the Son. The Powers [four directions Ed.] and Grandmother Earth together are like the Holy Spirit, and I call the five of them Wakan-Tanka’s Helpers. When I speak of all seven of the beings together, I sometimes call them the ‘Higher Powers’. When I pray with my pipe I point the stem up to Wakan-Tanka, then just a little lower to Tunkashila. But Wakan-Tanka and Tunkashila think, act and watch over us as one. So there is only one God. Whenever I say, Wakan-Tanka, I mean Tunkashila too.”

So Wakan-Tanka is God, and God is also Great Spirit, Tirawa, Biame, Rainbow Serpent, Wanjina, Odin, Unumbotte’, Vishnu, Brachma, Shiva, Tao, Sila, Hactcin, Zeus, Yehwah, Creator, Universal Energy etc. And as Sri Chinmoy, the meditation master born in Bengal and now living in New York, says in his book ‘The Wings Of Joy’:

“We may also refer to God as the Inner Pilot or the Supreme. But no matter which term we use, we mean the Highest within us, that which is the ultimate goal of our spiritual quest.”

And we reach this goal or feed the Highest within us, by praying, meditating and giving sacred and sincere reverence and respect to all God’s creations (All Our Relations) including our own body, mind and soul.

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Witness

By: Lynn V. Andrews

Live in your sacred witness. That inner place of silence and observing is your true identity and therefore your true power. It is all you really have when all else is gone. Like monoliths in an ancient valley, they observe and remember the passage of the ages. The answers that you find through the timelessness of spirituality and the innocence of nature offer the infinite. Each human being is on his or her own path, each different from yours. Answers to your questions are rarely found in another human. Answer your own questions by reflecting on nature and conversing with your own sacred witness.

Copied with permission from:

‘The Power Deck’

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