K'os jooli bichagosh'ch'ni - Heron Shadow Way
IN THE PAST, when people insulted, threatened or discounted us and we didn't allow ourselves any angry reactions - thinking that we must be enlightened beings and sweet all the time - we relegated ourselves to an unnatural, artificial way of being. Better to tell people what we need, feel and want, in a plain spoken, forthright way, even when we think we "should" be sweet and unruffled, than deny perfectly natural feelings from being expressed.

In time, as we accept our own anger, we may indeed find that we are able to take the remarks of others in our stride and be unscathed. This more elevated response does arrive in time, but it is unlikely to be a sincere, heartfelt attitude when we pretend to be something we are not.

Self-acceptance does not come about in practice overnight. Neither does learning how to be patient with ourselves. But, if we have any hope of manifesting our dreams, we must be on good terms with our hearts, so that we can discover what our higher selves want to do. For this, patience and self acceptance are required.

When we cling stubbornly to ideas of what we "should be," the ultimate effect is that we cast ourselves out of our own house. The fear of what we really are is not only a conscious choice - if we can become aware of having made it - but also stems from years of suppressing unacceptable elements of ourselves. Personal preferences are only a part of a cluster of preferences which have to be quelled if we force ourselves to embark upon choices that are unnatural to us.

One of the largest enemies we need to deal with (notice I do not say fight, because this is an inward enemy, and we do not need to become an adversary to ourselves) is our own expectations and attitudes. A gift anyone can give themselves is that of expecting an equal exchange of energy. If we are feeling let down in some fashion, then it is up to each of us to find out why. Usually, all other things being equal, the problem lies in our own expectations or in the energy level we are putting into our effort. An old Native American saying goes: We should put All Our Relations interests into our efforts, and we should try to create something valuable for All Our Relations through our concentrated energies. In other words, we get what we project.

The anxiety we face at this moment of truth is the same anxiety and grief one might feel when a loved one crosses. These are feelings we have buried deep within us when we avoid our own strength and talent and decide to act against our innate nature.

Our unconscious creative reality is mysterious, but it is not incomprehensible. Whether we turn to dreams and visions, or other sources of reference, it is important to finally "own" our own personal symbolism and thus further strengthen our bond to higher self.

Interesting, is it not, that the way we live, and the life itself, might be a camera that produces pictures that never lie?

It could be! That is, it could be if we choose to view the snapshots produced by our own consciousness as it looks objectively upon our functioning, our unique use of energy, and our daily, ordinary conduct.

Even parents desiring only the best for their children hope - not too secretly usually - that their offspring will make "successful" life choices. Fulfillment in life and satisfaction as an intristic benefit to living seem to come second.

From this thought patterning develop chronic physical "symptoms" that cause disfunction. Headaches, lack of concentration, easy confusion, and misunderstanding of the simplest concepts. By watching HOW we live, each of us can discover our favored way of subtly non-cooperating with our own best interests.

It may help to think of yourself as an artist whose life is obviously a form of self-expression. Your first efforts may appear to be experimental, scattered, bland or indistinct. But as you apply and discipline yourself, you hone your skills and come to know yourself, your paintings become a signature of your higher self. In time, each canvas speaks of the artist's world view, your conscious and subconscious images, and your values.

You can be understood through your life, almost as if you had written an autobiography. For some people this means using their talents to meet life's needs. For others it means learning how to reach out to other people, how to make friends, how to ask for what they want, and how to speak plainly and honestly to another about what they are feeling.

These thoughts and our highly subjective, individual processes determine our level of self acceptance, our sense of having or not having a rightful place in the scheme of things, ultimately our place in evolution itself. Determination may precede confidence and high self esteem, but so too do development of overall resourcefulness and natural gifts. The problem solving skills we gain from the lessons set up along our life path, enable us to see the possibilities that were once hidden. This is an option spotting aptitude.

Examine how you might use these lessons for your own enlightenment rather than subjecting self to the results and predictions that cause self victimization. The discovery of personal strength is accompanied by feelings of hope and inner confidence. Then you will tap a vast reservoir of resourcefulness, energy and creative skill, because, you have earned the right to believe in these aptitudes.

Ba'ts'ose'ni - Coyote Way
By eliminating Traditional Ways from our daily lives we tend to suppress or eliminate our connection to all things born of the Earth. The spiritual or mythic life of traditional peoples is oriented around Earth cycles. Today, many feel a spiritual void because they no longer feel a tangible connection to the land they walk upon.

From the perspective of the traditional, if we all lived within the cyclic flow of the Earth, all would live in abundance.

Abundance is the natural way of the universe. We see this natural abundance reflected in the fruit bearing plant that provides us with nourishment, yet in its seed retains the power of regeneration. The bounty is given, yet nothing is lost. The first step to putting ourselves in touch with this natural abundance is to develop our innate receptive capacities. Receptivity brings a feeling of participation in life and a sense of gratitude for it, an openness to creative ideas and inspirations, a spontaneous joy and zest for life, an experience of the love that pervades the universe, and so much more. In short, receptivity is essential to an inner experience of connection.

This place in the great Wheel of Life explores how to be open to receive the natural flow of the universe and let go of attachments that keep you from experiencing it. It is also the place of integration and applying lessons in every day life.

The universal human problem of recognizing, transcending, and integrating the ego is compounded by the artificiality of modern life. One who lives in nature is constantly in touch with, and immediately aware of, a field of power and experience transcendent to the life of ego and society. Traditional people live in accord with the cycles, seasons, and powers inherent in the natural world. Like no other in human history, society has tried to project and protect the illusion that we are separate from nature and its universal life processes.

Wrapped up in the complexity of modern society, many find it difficult to see that the order of nature governs life collectively and individually, and therefore to put their trust in All That Is.

To embrace all things means also that one rids oneself of any concept of separation: male and female, self and other, life and death. Division is contrary to the nature of the universe.

An Earth-based, living-life philosophy flows naturally from the universe, the way of life. Moving from the unity of All Our Relations, from the experience of oneness with all of life, we receive the natural connection of the universe with ease in a spirit of gratitude and joy. Thus, the energy flows freely in our lives, and we fulfill our innate destinies. Recognizing the innate power and dignity of all of life, we live in harmony with it and its natural cycles. Respecting our humanity above any outer goal or reward, we cultivate a sense of self-nurturing and peace necessary to appreciate the beauty and order inherent in life, and thus, allow it to express itself through us in all we do.

However, many in today's technologically advanced societies take all this for granted. They begin placing demands and conditions on life, without first having received it as a gift. They go about thinking that they are alone, that they have failed to achieve or receive what they deserve. There has been a trend toward idealizing victimization.

It has become a competition to see who carries the greatest victim identity. As the life of society has grown increasingly artificial, ingratitude has become the order of the day. Ingratitude steals happiness and robs individuals of the inner experience of connection that those living within nature's flow enjoy.

The spiritual life of traditional peoples is tied to the practical actions of everyday living; these, in turn, are deeply rooted in nature. Modern society has tried to live free from dependence on nature. In the past nature was perceived as corrupt and evil by religion and as a dirty, disorderly mess by science. Industry provided the way to defeat nature, to organize and "clean up" the mess. While no one can deny the benefits of modern civilization, there needs to be recognition that these have not come without a cost. Chief among these costs is the desensitization of humanity.

There is a power above and below us, and we are the channel of its merging.

We could say that connection is receptivity in action. Unforced or effortless action arises from what Grandfather Ten Bears called "the center of the circle." This "center of the circle," like the center of a hurricane or the center of a clock, is still.

From stillness comes clarity. Effortless action assumes the capacity to open and receive and thus to see into the essence of things and their principles. Effortless action is action in harmony with the intelligence of the universe. It is the this intuitive intelligence that guides us on the way. It is this intelligence or awareness that makes the action easy or effortless.

Even as intuition is more direct than analytical judgment, so acceptance is more inclusive than will. There is more in life that we must accept than there is that we can change by acts of will. First and foremost, we must accept our bodies and the fact that we are in vibrational shift - this means dealing with limitations. We must accept the confines of time and space and all the limitations of the current frequency we stand in. Of course, there is a place for asserting the will to transform, to shape the world in the image of our creative visions. Yet even the visions that we currently perceive have a measure of impermanence and imperfection that we must accept. Moreover, without an underlying acceptance of our evolutionary transition as it is in each moment, the will to transform can take the form of an egotistical battle with reality.

There are joys which long to be ours. Spirit sends thousands of loving thoughts, which come about us like butterflies seeking nectar; but we are closed off to them and so we do not see, but they hover... waiting patiently... then fly away.

The key to overcoming limiting beliefs is awareness. Awareness transforms.

© Maria Yraceburu, 2006

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maria Yraceburu is the founder of EarthWisdom, a non profit 501 (c) 3 spiritual community, and its link prosperity community partner, FollowingAncestors®. She is the author of Prayers and Meditations of the Quero Apache (Bear & Co., 2004), and Legends and Prophecies of the Quero Apache (Bear & Co., 2004). Described by Joe Montana in Mystic Pop as "one of Native America's newest evolutionists and storytellers, a woman with a passionate drive always searching for ways to help humanity heal." Maria, a 13th generation Quero Apache diiyin - HolyOne - has spent more than 40 years as a teacher, healer, priest, sacred sites guide, speaker and consultant.

Maria follows in the steps of her grandfather, great grandmother, and those before in assisting individuals in their search for sacred purpose, teaching an earth tradition that provides empowerment, encouragement, and remembrance. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her community work. During her spiritual initiations, she spent a lifetime following her grandfather Ten Bears around the White Mountains of Arizona, joined Matthew King of the Lakota in the way of White Buffalo Calf Woman, and worked extensively with Rolling Thunder and other indigenous teachers. Her work is supported by a multitude of world renowned teachers and healers, a list of which can be found on our web page, along with many upcoming events. http://www.followingancestors.net.