“We are all one drum and we need each other.” —Richard Wagamese
Last month I made some discoveries…
Utah - I LOVE traveling. Traveling is one of the things that makes me, me. So these past few years have been….difficult. For my first trip out of the country (in what actually feels like a lifetime, in reality was just over 3 years) I did a road trip across Utah. A trip I highly recommend. There is SO much history there. The untouched land is vast, beautiful and awe inspiring. (I often find, that being on the land helps to put important things into perspective)
Audiobooks - Audiobooks are the best. I LOVE to read, but, I don’t always have the capacity, sometimes my brain is too tired to take in the information. Audiobooks! I’ve been listening to audiobooks and going for a walk in the morning. It’s been a great way to coax myself into doing stuff I don’t want to do.
The Libby App - if you have a library card in the Lower Mainland, you can download the app and get access to free audiobooks. AMAZING!
Richard Wagamese: One Drum - Book
So, before I went on vacation I downloaded a couple of audiobooks to listen to while I was gone. One of the books was Richard Wagamese: One Drum. I’ve mentioned before that connecting with my indigenous roots is a journey that I am on. One of the ways that I am doing this is by reading Indigenous Authors.
Utah was the perfect setting to listen to Wagamese words. On the land, you can feel interconnectedness in the universal timeline, the connection between now and previous lifetimes. There was something really special about listening to the Seven Sacred Teachings while driving across the Navajo Lands.
Seven Grandfather Teachings of theOjibway tradition are guiding principles on how to live our lives in a good way -
Humility - is the foundation of everything. to know that you are a sacred part of creation
Courage - is the foundation to faith. To face a foe with integrity is to have courage.
Respect - humility in action is respect. To honour all of creation is to have respect.
Love - is the energy to heal all things. To know love is to know peace. To extend love is to create peace
Honesty - to carry honesty is to recognize equality; there is no lesser or greater. To treat all as your bother and sister is to carry honesty.
Truth - to know all things is to know know truth
Wisdom - to cherish knowledge is to know wisdom.
Walk gently upon the earth. Do each other no harm. Live a good life. The further we separate ourselves from these teachings, the more we lose our way and create disharmony….Everything is joined and connected and it means that we are all sacred
A few more of my favourite teachings from Wagamese words:
Within each of us is a shaman, a teacher, and a storyteller. All are important roles
Each of us has a set of medicines - that bring us to balance, to wellness. There is medicine in everything.
Unity and separation cannot exist at the same time. Harmony cannot co-exist with exclusion
These teachings are my medicine and I plan to carry them with me. To practice living in alignment with the Grandfather teachings, both in my work and in my life. I want to share them with you, maybe you are also on a decolonizing journey. Maybe you want to listen to beautiful words or connect with sacred teachings. Whatever your reason is I hope you find peace and connection in the words, as I have.
With love,
Chantelle
