By Kandace Keithley, Bird Clan Messenger

Osiyo Relatives,

We are living in the time of great prophecy and change for the human family as foretold by our Grandfathers Chief Crazy Horse, Chief Black Elk, and many others. The Cherokee know this as the Time Out of Time – the time when the earth must become quiet in order to correct the path of humanity that had gone astray.

This is the time described by the Apostle John in the Biblical Book of Revelation. We know it as the time of the 7th and 8th Fires, and the Great Awakening.

We can see how the great evil has taken over so very much of our world in everything from the ugly disrespect our young women and men show one another and their parents, to the sexualization of even the youngest children.

The media is filled with images and films, video games and websites that glorify violence, sadism, pedophilia, corruption, greed, lust and all of the sins unleashed through the Pandora’s Box of liberalism and “progress.”

Even the great Feast days of all cultures have been taken over.

Sacred times of the year originally meant to honour our Ancestors, share food with loved ones, and give to thanks to the Great Mystery for our very lives and all that we’ve been given have been twisted into dark pits of commercialism and political rage.

The time for this blind following of the great evil’s agenda must end, and it will take the work of all the Earth’s people. 

Instead of allowing ourselves and our children to be programmed through TRASH on television and other media, let’s harness those technologies to help us all return to our own cultures . . . 

. . . return to our Grandfathers and Grandmothers and demonstrate the love and respect they have given to us in the creation of our families.

Let us return to our Mothers and Fathers. Thank them for giving us life, and for bringing us up the best they could – no matter their circumstances.

Forgiveness depends on this.

Listen to the stories of the Old Ones.

Learn their wisdom and share it with others.

Learn the medicine.

Learn it from the Elders and Medicine People,

Learn how to use it.

This is the only way.

Making this transition requires many changes in our ways of thinking and living our lives, and the single most important factor is patience – with ourselves, with our loved ones and with our leaders.

One of my first Medicine Men and Teachers,

Pete Keshane,  who, at that time offered his Medicine to the relatives at Toronto’s Anishnawbe Health Traditional Indigenous Healing Centre

. . .teaches that patience is the most difficult lesson

– and wow is he ever right.

It is only through the daily, constant practice of patience, given to us through the Grace of the Great Spirit through prayer and built up through exercise that we learn to love the unlovely. The unlovely parts of ourselves, our loved ones and our leaders.

This is a circular healing journey here on planet Earth. One that asks us to explore and connect with – and to fall in love with the deepest desires of our heart.

For this is where our treasure lies – this is the Pearl of Great Price.

This is a journey that allows us to make peace with our Selves and our Sacred Right to live in a way that allows us enough prosperity to meet our needs and enjoy our lives in whatever manner best suits us, to share with others and to save for the future.

And although we are intuitively led to this place by our dreams and visions and ideas, it can be a lonely, frightening, and painful walk at times.

For it is through taking the steps toward our dreams that we begin our healing journey – where we connect with and sort through our old memories and re-member (literally re-experience and feel) our woundedness.

We must release the painful parts of the event and find the blessing within. For it is only through going back and tending to those old wounds that we can truly recover and walk forward in a loving and healthy way.

We strongly encourage you to surround yourself with a strong community, family, friends – and the healer that you have invited to walk with you as you do this work.

It can be painful and overwhelming sometimes, so we need to be surrounded by those who love and support us.

For it is here – in the heart of the most frightening, intimate places and relationships of our lives that our dreams will begin to grow roots and sprout, then grow and bloom.

This is the Medicine of  Buffalo. The mighty king of the Great Plains. His Medicine is powerful, patient – and returning.

It is my honour to be your messenger.

A’ho

Bird Clan Messenger 

Kandace Keithley is a writer and the publisher of Bird Clan Messenger, a descendant of Trail of Tears Cherokee people and Oklahoma homesteaders who teaches and shares Traditional Native wisdom and medicine. She lives in Toronto.