by Charleen Touchette 2010Indigenous elders often tell us to remember our original instructions.
These instructions, wherever you live, are to live in balance and harmony on this earth.
These instructions, wherever you live, are to live in balance and harmony on this earth.
At the core of most spiritual traditions is the belief in the Oneness of all as it is expressed in the diversity and multiplicity of Creation.
The Diné call this harmony, Nizhoni, which is also translated as Beauty.
Diné healers perform the Beauty Way Ceremony to re-establish balance.
This concept is expressed in ancient Asian philosophy as Tao, or The Way, which embodies the dynamic relationship between, yin and yang, female and male, dark and light.
Diné healers perform the Beauty Way Ceremony to re-establish balance.
This concept is expressed in ancient Asian philosophy as Tao, or The Way, which embodies the dynamic relationship between, yin and yang, female and male, dark and light.
The Medicine Wheel or Four Directions symbol embodies teachings of how to achieve balance and wholeness by learning the lessons of each direction and bringing them into the center.
Our original instructions are to live in balance and harmony with ourselves and all our relations, whether human or animal, animate or inanimate.
We can choose to overconsume non-renewable energy, or choose sun and wind power that are clean and sustainable.
This balance is not easy to achieve, but it is not impossible to strive for and attain from moment to moment.Inherent in the balance for which we work as individuals, families and societies is the reality that it is not static and requires awareness and constant readjustments to maintain and renew continually.
The Lakotah say, 
Mitakwe Owaysin, All My Relations to acknowledge our relatedness to all life and pray not only for all the colors of two-leggeds, but as well for the four-leggeds, 
winged, insect, crawling people and the grandfather rocks, 
plant people, stars, 
clouds and all beings, everywhere.
Mitakwe Owaysin, All My Relations to acknowledge our relatedness to all life and pray not only for all the colors of two-leggeds, but as well for the four-leggeds, 
winged, insect, crawling people and the grandfather rocks, 
plant people, stars, 
clouds and all beings, everywhere.Indigenous people of the Plains call this path, The Red Road, and contrast it with the Blue Road of violence and addiction.
The Diné Beauty Way, Plains’ Red Road and the Tao,
embody dynamic balance that is constantly upset then realigned back into balance by action, prayer and ceremony.
embody dynamic balance that is constantly upset then realigned back into balance by action, prayer and ceremony.
Indigenous ways emphasize responsibility as well as freedom for individuals, families, clans, and nations.
Thinking is based on the circle which acknowledges the circular movement of the stars and planets and the cyclical nature of the seasons and all life. In this way, indigenous thinking is diametrically opposed to the linear thinking of the Western world, which is not sustainable and depends on conquest and inequity to survive and progress.
Indigenous societies are organized to ensure survival of the people and the environment that makes life possible. The earth changes the world faces today were long ago prophesized by visionaries in many different indigenous nations across the globe including the Mik’maq, Six Nations, Hopi, Blackfeet, Navajo and Maya. While these prophesies may seem magical, such as the Hopi foreseeing the landing of a man on the Moon and the two birds flying into the twin towers,
But much of what was seen was seen just by using common sense. Our indigenous ancestors knew long ago that if we took more than we gave, destroyed the cleanliness of our own earth, sky and water, and mistreated our fellow human beings and animals, birds, plants and other living things, there would be dire consequences.
It is a no-brainer. Every culture has stories about when people forgot their original instructions and were greedy, violent and selfish. And every culture has stories about the consequences to human actions from floods to tornadoes to earthquakes, plagues, famine and disease.
But much of what was seen was seen just by using common sense. Our indigenous ancestors knew long ago that if we took more than we gave, destroyed the cleanliness of our own earth, sky and water, and mistreated our fellow human beings and animals, birds, plants and other living things, there would be dire consequences.
It is a no-brainer. Every culture has stories about when people forgot their original instructions and were greedy, violent and selfish. And every culture has stories about the consequences to human actions from floods to tornadoes to earthquakes, plagues, famine and disease.
So when asked, what is the biggest challenge people in the world face today? the answer is, that we have lost our way.
The solution to world problems is to shift our minds back to the wisdom of our indigenous ancestors who knew that living in balance is the key to sustainability and survival for human beings and all our relations who share this marvelous finite planet earth.
If we want to have a healthy future for ourselves and the next generations, we need to find our way back to the fundamental teachings of living in right relationship to assure sustainability and survival. Our ancestors knew by direct observation how to live in harmony and balance with the earth, sky, water, animal and plant beings and each other because their survival depended upon it. Now, more and more everyday, so does ours.
The solution to world problems is to shift our minds back to the wisdom of our indigenous ancestors who knew that living in balance is the key to sustainability and survival for human beings and all our relations who share this marvelous finite planet earth.
If we want to have a healthy future for ourselves and the next generations, we need to find our way back to the fundamental teachings of living in right relationship to assure sustainability and survival. Our ancestors knew by direct observation how to live in harmony and balance with the earth, sky, water, animal and plant beings and each other because their survival depended upon it. Now, more and more everyday, so does ours.
One Earth. Think About It.
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Text and Photos by Charleen Touchette 2010
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