Guest Author - Phyllis Doyle Burns
This article was written by our previous editor, Phyllis Doyle Burns, and all rights are reserved. For inquiries and comments, please contact the current editor, Jane Winkler.
A new year is approaching us and it is a good time to reflect on the one we will be leaving behind us. Memories we have made, trials we have endured, paths we have walked, will all be a part of us forever and will, to some degree, influence the paths we take in the year to come. Finding one's own path, one's own truths, may come easy for some or be a frustrating and confusing trial for others.
The passing of the old year and the beginning of a new one can be looked upon as a renewal. The Lakota peoples see this time, Omaka teca, as a renewal of Mother Earth. It can also be considered a time of renewal of the self.
In many Native American tribes, a person may go on what is called a Vision Quest to find their truths and the right path to follow. Getting help from a Spiritual Leader to understand the visions one has can be of great help. The Spiritual Leader will not tell you what your vision means, but, can help you to look inside yourself, listen to your own soul, to find your path.
In my article, Heal The Spirit, I wrote:
Totems are a personal animal symbol that provide courage, strength, and wisdom to the spirit. The totem is discovered on the person's vision quest, usually when still a child. It can also be a symbol of the entire clan or tribe or a family. Totems act as guides for the person's entire life. A person may have more than one totem to be called upon for different situations (ie: bear for courage and strength; deer for nurturing; beaver for determination; buffalo for sacredness, abundance, great strength; badger for courage, aggressiveness, healer). Even though different totems may be used throughout life, there is always the one main totem that is for life - the one you always will communicate with for both physical and spiritual purposes.
It is good to have a totem, a power animal, that guides you in your spiritual path. Quanah Parker, although he was called the Eagle of the Comanches, wore in full war dress a necklace of bear claws. He said, "Sometimes a Comanche man dreams and a big bear comes and tells him you do this - you paint your face this way. I help you. If he sees bear in his dreams then he makes medicine that way." ("Medicine" means that which one's source of power comes from.)
It is important, especially for the youth, to strive for the best you can possibly be. To achieve your dreams and goals, seek the finest education you can possibly manage then reach for the stars. To keep alive your language, culture and traditions; to nourish your soul; to grow spiritually, turn to your Elders. One day, you, too, will be an Elder and you will want to pass on to your children and grandchildren the wisdom of your Ancestors, and to teach them to find their path.
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