Sometimes, I receive emails about "mixing" traditions. Though we are a contemporary people and have traded for such things as glass beads and adopted such things as the horse, when it comes to spirituality and sacred practices, some things are meant to stay traditional. My friend, Don, recently wrote about this. I have his permission to repost below.
Claudia
Claudia
In response to the reike woman. A while ago my dad and I were doing a sweat up in Maine. My dad and I were inside the lodge preparing the grandfathers when a woman approached us and told us her name was "Aurora". She wanted to know if she could bring her "Crystals " into the lodge. I turned to my dad and told him of her request. He hesitated for a moment and then said"Hmmm, you tell her that, that there is New Age...This here, is Old Age. We have been doing these things for many, many generations.
I have a hard time with these "Newagers." They come to powwow's with their crystals and Reike and things of that nature and I think misrepresents the teachings of our Elders. A lot of these teachings are changed or watered down to fit their New Age beliefs and that's how traditions become lost. We as Traditional People are not lost. We do not attempt to change the teachings of our Ancestors. I follow the traditional teaching that were passed down from my fathers teacher. I know these were good teachings because Slow Turtle and my Dad -"Red Rock Snapping Turtle" had the same teacher.
Please don't feel that I'm being very opinionated. I just feel that our culture needs to be protected. We need to Honor the "old ways". They have kept us on that spiritual path for the past 7 generations and will survive for the next 7 generations as long as we don't try to fix what is not broken. Please feel free to pass this on to the other Board members and Advisory members if you like.
With much respect,
