Ghost Dance – The Power of Ceremony

“Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.” – Ezekiel 37:9

When we are walking with the Great Spirit on a powerful medicine journey, there are times that we find ourselves spending too much time in the Spirit world. Praying and releasing old wounds and trauma is a wonderful thing we must do daily, but immersion for too long can lead to depression and apathy.

And when we are called to the path of the Eagle, where we have a great need to spend time with the Great Spirit in prayer for the people of this world, our beloved Mother Earth and all her creatures, where we have a great need to pray for our loved ones and leaders and all the people who have come to this place during this time of profound transformation . . . and hear the messages giving us the map to move forward in service to the people. . . 

it is easy to become disconnected from the world and our physical, material responsibilities. This is not our natural place as Bird Clan Messengers, and we much prefer to be in the clouds and in the world of ideas and visions and books. 

For this reason, people who are called to walk the path of the Bird Clan Messenger must pay particular attention to coming down to earth, walking in balance.

And this is why ceremony is so important. For it is not only our reason for being here (to help people reconnect with the Great Spirit), but to nourish our own souls through communion and dance and prayer. 

As I have begun walking the Red Road, I have discovered that I have a great need to go outside and connect with Mother Earth and all the creatures and trees and plants in my neighborhood. To be outside in order to begin my day in prayer and contemplation.

As my day continues and all the chaos and diversions of the Earth people and the demands of life fill my mind, the Ancestors have shown me that it’s time to move out of this Yellow quadrant of the East (intellect/mind) and move around the Medicine Wheel.

And this is where Ceremony and the Medicine Wheel work together to become powerful healing and guidance tools.

When we use the Medicine Wheel as a tool in our ceremonies and prayers, we reconnect with the rhythm of life – and we see how to move down to ground – to ground ourselves – before we do anything else. This is the medicine of the Red Quadrant, the Root Chakra, issues of survival and where Crow and Wolf live and dance together in my own wheel.

After we’ve grounded ourselves and checked out our physical state, we’re more focused and able to see what needs to happen next, what we’re thinking about, what we need to focus on in order to keep moving.

When we’re grounded, Crow and Wolf send us up to the Black Quadrant (emotions) where Grandmothers Owl and Bear live with their medicine for the heart and body.

Ceremony helps us learn the power of focusing on our own healing before anything else, for if our cups are not full, then we will have nothing to share with others. And this is why we are here, is it not?

It is with the Grandmothers that we give ourselves the time to dream, to rest and listen to music, cook some great food – whatever will heal our hearts and souls. Grandmothers say we must do this every day at least once – if not three times.

And, it is here – during this time with the Grandmothers – that we begin to find ways to remain connected with our loved ones through this difficult time.

The reconnection process is going to be difficult and sacred for everyone on Earth over the coming months as many families have lost their Elders who died alone and were not allowed to have funerals, many families have lost their businesses, watched as their children are terrorized and have been imprisoned in their own homes. 

There is much to process for everyone, and this is why it is so important to focus on our healing and prayer ceremonies. These give us strength, wisdom, and compassion for the rough days ahead. Squirrel reminds us to store our strength and wisdom for we will need it in the coming winter.

Walking the wheel, after we have visited the Grandmothers and stitched ourselves up, we climb the path to the Grandfathers in the White Quadrant of the Medicine Wheel, where Grandfather Buffalo lives.

And this time is our prayer time. Our own time to connect with Chi Manidoo to recharge our batteries for the next leg of the day.

This process will take us out of our mind (where our trauma lives in the dark and causes us to feel overwhelmed and chaotic), and leads us through the process of exploring and adjusting all areas of our Selves: Body, Heart/Emotions, Spirit, Mind.

I use this process as often each day as I need to and highly recommend it as a way to learn how to walk a life of balance.

On a larger scale, this Ceremony of walking through and praying in each of the Four Sacred Directions brings powerful medicine to our communities and our lands. And, for many of us this has also become a necessary part of our lives.

Many of us have spent years in isolation from most humans as we have walked with the Ancestors, our Spirit Guides and the Great spirit through the profound process of spiritual awakening which brings healing on every level of our being.

Those called to the spiritual paths of service, teaching, healing, and building New Earth communities have realized the blessings embedded in illness, and the powerful opportunities that a “time out of time” offer us if we use our time wisely.

We have learned our crafts of healing, prophecy, teaching and creating and realized our potential to bring our gifts to others who we will work with to build our new communities based on shared values and beliefs in truth, wisdom, integrity, love, compassion, service, and connection to the Great Spirit.

This time out of time (as prophesied by the Cherokee who call this time the “Time Untime” as well as the medicine people of many nations) offers us a fantastic time to discover who we are and begin the planning and implementation stages of our missions. To take long medicine walks in our communities and offer thanks to the land that we are camping on. To connect with the people and learn how to best meet the needs of those we are here to love and serve.  A’ho.

And this gift of time (where we seem to be paused at the bottom of the Sacred Hoop) is a powerful blessing indeed.

As I have spent the last couple of years in a powerful time of healing, learning, and spiritual awakening, the Great Spirit and Ancestors decided it was time for me to get moving – and that is exactly what happened.

Last month, I was offered an apartment right out of the blue!

So – Crow has come again to remind me that it’s time to come back to earth and take care of human business on the ground.

I had been praying for a peaceful transition into the next chapter of my life, and this new apartment is clearly an answer to prayer. But it has come with a lot of on the ground work that has taken me away from posting here on the blog and making videos.

I have been unable to post for the last couple of weeks because of the sudden move – during which I learned that my furniture was lost during my time of illness and hospitalization. That meant I had to figure out how to furnish, (research sizes, find stores, shop, move materials, build) everything needed for a new apartment on very little money.

At the same time, I have been going through all the boxes of my most sacred objects that my beloved ones knew mean the most to me and placed into storage.

To say this has been a busy and very emotional time is quite the understatement, and I just want to thank all the wonderful people who have come into my life and walked with me through my journey – from the beginning, and right through to the present. There are a few people – especially a few Canadian men with the last name initial S – who mean more to me than anything. Chi Miigwetch.

Medicine Wheel Ceremony is helping me walk through this major transition in balance and as much calm as possible. Stopping to focus on our thoughts, our physical bodies and what they are asking for, our hearts and feelings, and connecting with the Great Spirit is the most healing discipline I have ever found.

I teach Medicine Wheel and will be offering private sessions hopefully beginning in November. So if this practice and medicine resonates with you, please feel free to connect with me or follow my work. I intend to begin posting videos again on Monday, October 19th with teachings from Grandmother Spider.

I hope you will follow/subscribe to the blog and the Bird Clan Messenger YouTube channel.

Be kind to one another. Always.

It is my honour to be your messenger.

S’gi (thank you in the Cherokee language)

Bird Clan Messenger 

It is my honour to receive and share these teachings from my guides and the Ancestors. These are messages received and written to the best of my understanding. If I have made mistakes, I would be grateful for your input. If these messages don’t resonate with you, that’s okay. I wish you well. And if these messages do resonate with you  – welcome to the family.

— kandace keithley, namadaki aandeg miimiiwe gekek kwe  ~ Tsa-La-Gi

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