By Joseph White Eagle

Eagle Man begins a pipe ceremony by beseeching the West power, while thinking about the life giving rains and the ever present spirit world.

Next, he beseeches the north power, the source of endurance, strength, truthfulness, and honesty, which are qualities needed to walk down a good path in life.

Then, he will look to the east power. The east is where the sun rises, and the sun brings us knowledge, the essence of spirituality such as meditation practices. Without knowledge, we become ignorant and cause harm to ourselves and others.

The fourth energy is the south power, which brings us bounty, medicine, and growth. Next to be acknowledged is the earth spirit. Eagle Man touches the pipe to the ground, and says, “Mother Earth, I seek to protect you.”

Since Mother Earth depends on the sun’s life giving energy, the pipe is then held up towards the sky.

Lastly, the pipe is held straight up to the Great Spirit, the Great Mystery, the unexplainable source of all life. These words are then spoken:

“Oh Great Spirit, I thank you for the six powers of the universe.”

Unlike many westerners, Eagle Man explains that the person reaching out to the spirit world has no fear: “Most of us are not afraid of the Great Spirit. We don’t fear something that has given us our life.”

Joseph White Eagle is a Cree spiritual leader and teacher of traditional Native wisdom medicine who grew up in Saskatchewan and now lives in British Colombia with his wife and family. We are deeply grateful for his contributions to Bird Clan Messenger and to all of humanity. A’ho.

More information about the 7th Fire and 8th Prophecies are here.

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