Nature, above all, has been responsible for my teachings. I believe her school is the greatest young people can attend.
When I immerse myself in her and pray, she becomes like a mirror, and the image reflected back is my own true self. An image to heal, and to love.
This article then is of earthquakes, tornadoes, stormy seas and forest fires. It is about Love. But first, a short story.
Plato, a Creek philosopher, wrote in 350 B.C. or so about a time long ago when human beings were actually two people blended together as one in perfect harmony. Like ying and yang. 6 and 9.
People were content but still unsatisfied. In time, they turned greedy for knowledge and began climbing a mountain where the wise Gods lived.
The Gods became distressed and held council. “What shall we do with these humans?” one asked. “They are still not happy and wish always for more! Now they want to be us!”
“They would only soon destroy each other if we gave them all they ask for,” another added. “They are not yet ready to live amongst us.”
After much discussion, a consensus emerged; the humans needed distraction that would keep them occupied. The Gods knew then what to do.
With great force, the Gods struck each human being as they began climbing the mountain the next day and split them into two round halves. Away rolled one half, and away rolled the other. After this, the Gods were pleased. The humans no longer bothered them.
To this day, legend has it that many people have since been too busy trying to relocate each other’s perfect half to bother acquiring real knowledge and wisdom from higher sources.
No doubt about it, sex makes a great decoy! Like a lone goose searching for its mate, I have also flown into the midst of many decoys over the years. I began realizing that even these decoys were like lone geese searching for their own kind. They were just as lonely as I.
Well, I am older now. And hopefully, a little wiser. Having the strength to break down and cry has let the Creator know that I am at least ready to begin my healing. It is a long journey. Often a hard one.
If both I and another person bring only half a cupful of ourselves each to a relationship, we are going to end up with only half a cupful each in our blending. Or worse yet—one with everything and the other with nothing! So I must somehow, through nature, love and understanding, fill my own cup again, so I can share it someday with my other half.
I am learning to love nature. Every nation on earth besides the red nation has or has had a similar lifestyle connected with Mother Earth. She is the first woman who teaches love. I love her, and she and her children love me back many times over. So I learn to love the land and the animals first And there is an understanding of the way things are attracted together. Positive and negative. Sky and Earth.
Male and female.
First, I am attracted and fall in love with earth with my eyes, for only through seeing the earth first will I go deeper. At the same time, I am careful not to fall in love with appearances, for this would surely bring about a great earthquake of despair. I must see past images.
Then, I fall in love with air with my mind. Opposites may attract, but similarities bind. Sometimes she is a gentle breeze, while other times she is a raging tornado of thought. I love her strengths and weaknesses. We are on equal grounds mentally and physically. Our cups are filling.
Now I fall in love with water with my heart When I beat on the drum, I am singing my praise to her heart and what she means to me. Sometimes she is a calm lake, and sometimes a stormy ocean of passion. At all times, her heart demands respect I have fallen in love with my eyes, my mind and my heart. My feelings for her are like a braid of sweetgrass with all three parts equal. Now it is time to give myself fully.
I fall in love now with fire with my body. It has taken a long time to build to this point, and there have been obstacles along with way. Now there is the union of male and female. And when they meet in the middle, there will be electricity, a spark, lightning flash. It is the beginning of our sacred fire together.
Our sacred fire is beautiful. Together we feed it with talking, sharing, working and laughing together. We respect.
Sometimes our fire is warm embers, barely glowing in the night. Other times, our sacred fire is much bigger, very hot and bright But this is our decision. No one has the power or authority to say that this fire between us is sinful or something to be ashamed of. We as firekeepers have a right to be happy.
I have learned now that in order to be able to love someone else, I must first learn to love the land.
If I and my other half find each other one day, maybe we will make the four steps in falling in love. Hopefully too, in the right order. That is very important I know that many times I have fallen in love with fire with my body first without the other elements, and all that resulted was a big forest fire, then no fuel left to keep the fire going after.
Only when all earth is together when all air is together, when all water is together, and when all fire is together, will there be balance and harmony.
