Daily Feast - October

[bluidkiti]

October 1st - 7th

TEN
Ska' hi

HARVEST MONTH
Duna Na Dee'

When the future historian writes the history of the red man of the forest and the prairie, the name of our great departed Sioux Chief, Sitting Bull, will appear among the noble characters.

October 1 - Daily Feast

What person does not hope for a spiritual experience that will connect him with the inevitable source of all good? What person does not hope for a touch to open his stoney heart to understand his own potential? Who has not fallen prey to a mountain of misinformation and to the belief that there is no justice in the world? While the world of events whirls and spins and shocks the rural soul, the sophisticated person of broader experience says that is the way it is, and they is why we act the way we do. But that very opinion propels a person headlong into the whirring teeth of absolute destruction. Who will hit the button? Who will stop this swift descent? It is a personal responsibility, a very personal responsibility, and who can do it?

~ You can dictate your terms. I am your prisoner, and must submit, but I am still a man, the same as you. ~

BLACK HAWK - SAC

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 1

"So don't be afraid. What we left behind, leave it back there. Try to do some good. Let's try to take a step, try to think something good."

--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Every day is a new day. Sometimes we make mistakes. We do not need to carry these mistakes along with us. Take the lessons and leave the mistakes behind. Look forward to today. Today we can do something good. Today we can have good thoughts. Today we can think kind, uplifting thoughts about ourselves. Today I will think good about ...

My Creator, today I ask You to direct my thoughts.

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"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

If you could remake your personal world, how would you want it? Very few can answer that question immediately. Many cannot answer after a great deal of consideration. Maybe we are drifters to a degree. There seems to be a certain amount of apprehension and fear about saying, or even thinking of what we want out of life. It may be that we feel some of it isn't right to want, or that maybe we are asking more than should be our share.

Money is probably the first thing that most people think about, because of what they could do for themselves and for others. But what of health and peace and love? Without these all the fame and money in the world would be entirely meaningless. Without a spiritual foundation to one's life, all our desires are built on sand. Without knowing where we're going, we are drifters.

To know what we want with good is the first and most important step. As Carlyle wrote, "The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder - a waif, a nothing. Have a purpose in life, and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you."

Tennyson wrote these beautiful words: "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. What are men better than sheep or goats, that nourish a blind life within the brain, if, knowing God, they lift no hands of prayer both for themselves and those who call them friends!"

What on this earth could we possibly have of good that has not come from the Almighty? What inroads are made into disease and sickness, what light has focused more understandingly on mental illness and weaknesses, without having been revealed through something greater than we are?

And indeed, to what can we contribute the smallest or the greatest amounts of success, the love we share, the true joys, the peace, and our very breath. How presumptuous of us to believe we own one thing of lasting value that does not come from God.


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October 2 - Daily Feast

Sweet fragrance of the land, herbs and roots and medicines long lost to the general populace, are nonetheless as present as they always have been. We have been so taken with miracle cures, these things have been put away as folklore and not dependable. The simple people at one time had no other alternative - so runs the present-day popular notion. Hard-fought battles over who is to pay for the miracle medicines - and we are grateful for most of them - may turn a venturesome soul back to the soil and back to those things that heal a mind and body without being asked for proof of insurance. But one other thing far too ignored is the power of prayer. No Indian is remiss in blessing his body and soul and spirit because he knows they work together. His prayer is not now and again but regular and potent.

~ The lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too. ~

LUTHER STANDING BEAR - LAKOTA

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 2

"Laughter - that is something very sacred especially for us Indians."

--John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA

Laughter is mental, laughter is emotional, laughter is physical and laughter is spiritual. Laughter helps us find balance. If we get too angry, laughter will turn that emotion in a balanced direction. If we have a mental picture of someone who is too strong, laughter will help ease the tension. If the body is stressed, laughter will release natural relaxants into our muscles and our nervous system. Laughter often changes our attitude. We need to lighten up and laugh more.

Great Spirit, teach me to laugh.

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"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Aim high, even though it seems at the moment you'll never reach that cherished dream. It is your duty to lift yourself above mediocrity. And if you're afraid your dream will sound foolish, then don't talk about it, work for it.

Some dreams have gossamer wings, too fragile to discuss. We can be so zealous about our plans that we talk away the mystery and lose interest in the things we've begun. Zeal can burn itself out in one, quick, bright flame, or it can be nurtured into strength that is the basis for greatness.

If dreams have substance, then they may well come true. And if they are in line with the law of good, then there will be someone who wants to help. To have the desire to do something that will benefit others, the desire to serve, is to have a dream with solid possibilities.

The aims, then, must be deserving as to become duties. It falls to certain individuals to develop a gift and to use it in helping other people. As German philosopher Immanuel Kant has written, "What are the aims which are at the same time duties? They are the perfecting of ourselves and the happiness of others."


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October 3 - Daily Feast

The first crystal clear morning after days of blue mist is like music after a long silence. Even the cool air does not dampen the spirits of domestic animals and those that live in the woods. A young bobcat in prime coat wanders along the rock ledges in full view but unaware of interested eyes. No doubt he hunts for field mice and that explains why the barn cats have stayed so close to home. We have not felt the extremes of oncoming winter, but time will insure it. Meantime, adjust, adjust. Don't be taken by surprise. Prepare for change and the unexpected within change.

~ Our people possessed remarkable powers of concentration.....and I sometimes fancy that such nearness to nature.....keeps [us] in touch with unseen powers. ~

CHARLES EASTMAN, PHYSICIAN - SANTEE DAKOTA

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 3

"Spiritual Values are an Attitude."

--Leonard George, Chief Councilor

Attitude is a direction which we follow. If you have a positive attitude, it means you will lean towards a positive direction. If you have a negative attitude, it means you will lean away from the Spirit. Therefore, if we lean toward spiritual values, then our actions will become significant and important. If we lean away from spiritual values, our actions will become insignificant or unimportant. For example, if we value love, we will lean towards it; we will prefer to express and embrace it.

Great Spirit, teach me the significance of spiritual values.

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"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Courage must have its everyday face. We can't preserve it just for special occasions. We must have courage when we are disappointed, because disappointment is a robber of reason and faith, and even dignity. We must remember that whatever we have to meet there is something within us to help us meet it. But it is like a vein of rich ore. We must tap it, know what it is, and turn it into a finished product that will serve a purpose.

Every day we must have courage to forgive. The adamant we shall always face, but to forgive is to disarm. To forgive is to release and to release is to remove the graceless things that make it necessary to forgive.

A little common, everyday courage can give a life so much more to live for and to find contentment in the knowledge that today I did not give in to the smaller self. And I can draw on the strength from One who bore personal suffering with supreme courage.

A comforting adage is that it is always darkest just before the dawn. The darkness of fear and worry and misunderstanding can last only so long, and then the light of dawn breaks through to show everything in its true perspective.

To someone who is troubled, the darkness holds only the most frightening difficulties. This kind of night seems to have no end, but given a little time it will pass, as will our problems.

The very fact that we are not alone should give some comfort, for no matter what we are experiencing someone else has been there too. We must not delude ourselves with notions that we are meant to be cross-bearers forever.

And frequently, they are much better people who emerge from their own night to remember that it is as important to have faith in the dark as it is easy to have faith in the sunshine.


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October 4 - Daily Feast

We cry because we feel unhappy and unloved. We cry because we care. We cry because we hurt, but more than that, we cry because we are unwise. These are the tears that make more tears. Enough di ga as wo s di! Enough tears! Most of the time we try to have as few tears as possible, but they are as much a part of us as laughter. They can do a cleaning job that nothing else can touch. But like everything else, it can be overdone. Emotional people are usually caring. And it either makes life worthwhile or keeps it in such upheaval that nothing can be positive. There is a time to laugh and a time to cry. We have to remember that enough is enough and try to balance our approach to living.

~ I heard....that I should be like a man without a country. I shed tears. ~

LITTLE WOUND

"A Cherokee Feast of Days" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 4

"Search for the truth. Indian values teach the holistic approach to the use of technology for mankind's good."

--Al Qoyawayma, HOPI

The Great Spirit had given us certain values to live by. If we learn to think in harmony with these values such as respect, love, patience, tolerance, commitment, trust, etc., we cannot get off track. No matter what we do, we will always be in harmony. For example, if we are respectful, then we will respect the earth, our children, our women, our men and ourselves. Indian values help us walk under the guidance of the Great Spirit.

My Creator, today I search for the truth, Your truth. Please let me see it.

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THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Faith doesn't demand possible things -- it demands the impossible. When we have a promise in hand we have to look fear in the face and say this thing is going to happen.

Say to the mountain that needs to be moved to be gone. Whether it is disease that someone said is incurable, or a bank account the has no shape but bad, speak to it. But never forget to rejoice and to thank the Power for hearing our words.

When we do these things we are walking into the land of the impossible. Such fun to see things and circumstances conforming to our words of faith. Such delight to know we are not lost and we are not tied down by impossibility. We CAN be healed, we can be prospered and we can be free -- when we say it and believe it.


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October 5 - Daily Feast

Dozens of experts are ready to tell you what cannot be done. The difference is in the person doing it. It isn't a matter of trying harder or giving more. Frequently, something doesn't click into place until we turn it loose and walk away. The release is not to accept defeat but it is saying we have done what we can and now we will stand and let it work. Mental and spiritual work continues - even after we relax. The mind will try to take over but can be brought into line by the spirit, which is most important from start to finish. It furnishes the wisdom, the gratitude, the connection with U ne la nv hi, Who made all things.

~ The Great Spirit put it in the right place. ~

ARAPOOISH

"A Cherokee Feast of Days" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 5

"The dances are prayers."

--Pop Chalee, TAOS PUEBLO

When we dance to the drum we pray to the Creator and attract the heartbeat of the earth. We never dance without reason; every dance has a purpose. We dance for rain; we dance for healing; we dance for seasons; we dance for joy; we dance for our children; we dance for the people; we dance for courage. The drum plays to the beat of the heart, to the beat of the Earth. The drum connects us to the Earth while we dance our prayers.

Oh, Great One, let my dance and prayer be heard by You.

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THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Let's not forget Dr. Schuller's words when he was asked why so many of our people were killed in the terrorists' attack on New York and in Washington. He said, "Take an O out of good and we have God; put a D before evil and we have devil."

Can it be any plainer? We are told that we are not dealing with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers in evil places. Our spirits are whispering, "In all these things I am more than a conqueror." This is not just a wish but a truth.

At one time it was "cool" to say we did not believe in spiritual help, but now it is cool to know we are of ourselves no strength, but with help we are overcomers, conquerors in the truest sense.


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October 6 - Daily Feast

Living is a little like a wedding - to make a deal takes only a minute, but to live with it may take a lifetime. Many have not learned that life is not a quick trip down the isle and if you don't find it to your liking you can start all over again. A good marriage is one of adjustments and then readjustment. It is sharing the hardships and the growing and sweetening that are in the middle of hardships. Little can compare with faith and looking out for others. It is giving and receiving, and we know it is not something outside ourselves that makes life worthwhile but what we have in our hearts.

~ I will keep my word until the stones melt. ~

DELSHAY - APACHE

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 6

"Lots of people hardly ever feel real soil under their feet, see plants grow except in flower pots, or get fare enough beyond the street light to catch the enchantment of a night sky studded with stars. When people live far from scenes of the Great Spirit's making, it's easy for them to forget His laws."

--Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), STONEY

Nature is life's greatest teacher. The natural laws are hidden in nature. Hidden are solutions to everyday problems such as conflict resolution, how to forgive, lessons about differences, how to manage organizations, how to think. Hidden are feelings. You can look at something and you will feel it. At night, have you ever looked at the sky when there are no clouds? As you look at all the stars, your heart will become very joyful. You will walk away feeling joyful and peaceful. We need to visit nature so we can see and feel these things.

My Creator, let me learn nature's lessons.

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"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Why is it that the things we love so much can cause us so much pain, and perhaps without realizing it? Why is it that we find so much to worry about in all the "what ifs" that cross our minds with such persistence? What makes fatigue follow us through the hours and drain away precious strength that we need to help us in our daily routine?

All the things that plague us daily have one common cause-fear. To some, fear is a constant companion. We may call it by many other names such as necessity, time, busyness, demands, but all of these can be forms of fear.

Fear produces the most mental, physical, and spiritual fatigue that has ever overtaken humans. It rushes us so that we have accidents. It drains us of strength to resist illness. It tells us we cannot produce enough to meet the demands upon us. And it builds within our minds such dire images so that we cannot face the simplest.

Fear has one antidote. It is not to stop worrying and take it easy, but it is faith. Adverse conditions cannot break us in the face of faith. Faith allows us to look fear in the eyes with such confidence that it loses its power over us.

English divine, Fredrick William Robertson, wrote, "To believe is strong. Doubt cramps energy. Belief is power."


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October 7 - Daily Feast

We get to know ourselves when we are alone. What may have brought us to this place may not be as important as what to do now that we are here. When we are with other people we listen to them, but in solitude we follow our own way. Great strength comes from the quiet and it prepares us for times when the sands run very fast. Solitude is never withdrawal but being with ourselves, learning what affects us, and what of it can be given to others. We learn how to be a good friend when our attention is not divided - a good friend to ourselves and a good friend to another who needs it.

~ It is hard to fight people that live like groundhogs. ~

TECUMSEH - SHAWNEE

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 7

"We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila [Creator] and our real Mother is the Earth."

--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Who really gives us our life? Who really gives us our food and nurturing? Who really allows us to be born? We are born through our parents who act as the vehicle of life for the Creator and Mother Earth. Our parents take care of us for a little while and when we are ready we must leave them and be faithful to our true Father, the Creator, and our true Mother, the Earth. Then we need to be of service to the Creator and be respectful to Mother Earth.

Great Spirit, thank you for being my Father. Teach me to honor the Earth.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

At these times when we have planned for something and have our hearts set on our affairs going in a certain direction but they fail to materialize, we are disappointed. If we have any faith at all, we must remember that one door never closes but another opens. That which once seemed the right thing to plan for may not hold all the things that would be for our good in the long run. It may have been right in the beginning, but as times passes and other events come into being, a change may be necessary for the benefit of the over-all picture.

Sometimes we affix our attention so rigidly on one thing, one part of life, one person, that a change throws us into a state of extreme disappointment. But disappointment, like all of the emotions, can serve to strengthen rather than take away. The attitude with which we face life can determine its outcome.

We can look with woeful eyes on the negative mental attitude and wallow in self-pity, or we can flip the mind to the upper side and let the positive mental attitude bring to us the strength and peace we need.

Disappointment is something no one has escaped. The many plans we make sometimes fade like mist in the sunlight. A cherished dream may take another shape and to lose that vision can throw a dim view on all of life. Because one tiny part could not be fulfilled, we are so tempted to let all of the rest go with it.

But if only we could wait a bit. So often we then come to realize the reason for our change in plans.

Sometimes disappointment is the very thing that keeps us mounting the steps upward, keeps us stretching our minds to understand. And it may test our spirits. For if disappointment can make a spirit better, the joy of accomplishment would have soon soured.

There is no joy in disappointment, but it may be the thing to save us from a life of mediocrity.

English novelist Edward George Bulwer-Lytton wrote, "Man must be disappointed with the lesser things in life before he can comprehend the full value of the greater."