We are to walk the Sacred Path

"What could be greater than to be Wakan-Tanka's mind, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arms, hands, legs, and feet here on earth?" --Fools Crow, LAKOTA In order for the Creator to do His work on this earth, He needs the human being to do it. How He guides us is through our eyes, ears, hands, nose, mouth, arms legs and feet. We are instruments of the Creator. We are His keepers of the earth. We are the keepers of our brothers. We are to teach His children. We are to respect the things He has made. We are to take care of ourselves and treat our bodies and our minds with respect. We are to do respectful things. We are to walk the Sacred Path. We should have good thoughts. We should do only things that we think the Creator would have us do. What an honor to be a human being. What an honor that He would talk to us and guide us to perform His wonders. Oh Great Spirit, let me appreciate the role you have given me. Let my sense be sharp to hear Your voice. Keep my mind clean so I can do the things You would have me do.

Real Life: A New Forum

I have established a new forum on the www.Back40Forums.com site. It is more of a daily-reality based column about how to live an authentic nature based life in today's "Virtual world" It will be different in focus than this mostly spiritual blog and more interactive as well. I won't be abandoning this roost, just adding a new outlet for my works.
Here is some of my first post. Please visit the forum regularly or sign up for the RSS feeds.

Welcome to Real Life. This forum is for folks who want to wean themselves away from the many practices of the "virtual world": the world of manipulated prices, manufactured foods and exaggerated or untrue advertising claims and work on developing an "authentic" lifestyle that will be healthier, more satisfying, and good for our planet and all beings (animal, vegetable, mineral, forests, etc.). All Fall and Winter Linda and I have been eating fresh greens from the garden and nature, root vegetables from nature, fresh raw milk, fresh eggs, all kinds of meat (wild and domestic) and even delicious homemade wines. We will talk about that more prior to next fall. I'll be giving you information on when to plant the things you'll be eating throughout the winter. But first, lets talk about the present.

We are located in the Missouri Ozarks, zone 6, so your harvest and planting time periods may fall before or after ours. Right now we are eating Chickweed, violet leaves and flowers, simlax tenderals, field garlic, dandelion leaves, redbud blossoms and clover blossoms. Topped with grated and sliced eggs from our free-range hens, doused with extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil and herb flavored vinegars we make ourselves.

All of these plants and foods are available right now in our area, free for the picking. It usually take Linda about 15 minutes to gather the ingredients. In the photo above you will note that we added some grated carrots stored in our garden all winter. I haven't figured all the nutrition completely but I believe this is a top quality lunch, full of vitamins and minerals and abundant protein. Earlier in the spring we had cottage cheese filled tulips!

We have planted a 4 season garden so we will have plenty of fresh domestic greens, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbages and Jerusalem Artichokes all winter. But every year we find our selves eating fewer cultivated vegetables from the garden during the green season. Coming up over the next months will be watercress, poke weed, plantain, field cress, raspberries, blackberries, and on and on.

This forum won't be just about food. We will cover all kinds of ways we all can save money, help the planet, stay healthier and live longer. Linda and I have been living this life for over 30 years now so we can offer a lot of tips. One of Linda's specialty areas is medicinal herbs. She recently discovered a fantastic oil she formulated to tame the poison ivy we always get at the first of the growing season and become immune to later. If you have specific questions to ask us, or, if you have tricks and methods of your own to contribute please don't be shy, ask away.

And visit often, I will be posting several times a week as time is available. We are planning a DVD on this subject so ideas are also welcome for that. If you want to get a head start of the foraging part you'll need one or more good field guides. I recommend you visit this link to see a great selection and get free shipping:
One of my favorite books for beginners is "Edible Wild Plants of North America" by Elias & Dykeman. Please add this link to your favorites now so you won't lose track of the new forum: Real Life

Meet My Friend Fluff

Yes, I know this doesn't seem to have much to do about Native Spirituality. But, in reality it does: We are are all to be respected equally, why can't a Cat become a valuable part of my business world. He is a part of every minute of my Life, every day. Fluff usually holds court at his Forum over at the Back40Forums
Fluffy Cat Records List. He's promised me he will be a regular contributor. If you want to know where the Old Buzzard roosts visit the Back40Forums index and check out the various message boards. You might find one that will interest you!
Here is Fluff's first message:
Hi Folks-- Allow me to introduce myself: I am Fluff A. Catt. If it weren't for me there wouldn't be a Fluffy Cat Records. Without my best buddy Herm I wouldn't be enjoying this special life. One day when I was riding on the E-Z go that we drive back and forth to the office he said "How would you like to be Chairman of the Board at our new record company division?". Well, I had been watching butterflies soaring through our cart so I really hadn't been listening well. But, when it finally hit me I thought "what a cool idea". Me, the biggest, fluffiest Tom on the farm with a REAL position. I love good acoustic music (but I have to cover my ears around rock bands) and sometimes even sing along on vocals, especially if the singer is performing under the full moon. So I answered "yes", on the condition that I could be an integral part of the team. Herm suggested I write a regular column to our friends and customers and I thought that was a great idea.

So, keep checking back here on a regular basis and I'll keep you up to date on what's going on in my life. Of course, right now it's Spring and since I am a bachelor who plays the field, I might be pretty busy (if you know what I mean). Well, right now it's time for a nap on a nearby tree branch so I'll catch you later. Thanks for visiting!
Affectionately--
Fluff

Stoking The Inner Fire-Turning Inward During Winter

In the depths of winter, we can forget that bare trees will once again be full with foliage, and grass and flowers hidden beneath a blanket of white or a deceptive covering of hardened earth will burst forth once again. While they slumber, nature is continuing its work at the center of each living thing. We can think of our blankets and warm clothes as similar protection—like the cocoon that surrounds a changing caterpillar—while we undergo our own inner transformational work. In the meantime, the lights that twinkle and the fires that warm us can serve to remind us of the flame of life that burns within us.

In order to stoke our inner flame, we can use the time indoors to focus our attention on our homes and families. We can become distracted by the world outside and forget that we need to nourish the lights that warm our hearts. Interacting at a soul level can be done by sharing stories from our hearts, doing projects together, dancing, or playing games. Devoting energy this way helps us build a stronger bond that will sustain us once the world allows us each to pursue our individual goals again.

Winter allows us to feed the flame in our own centers by reading or researching to nourish our dreams and plans for the future. This can mean catching up on all the quieter things we wanted to do but didn’t have time for, like reading books, watching movies, or listening to music. We may have set aside creative pursuits such as painting or writing that can be brought back to the center burner now. It is also a great time to do some journaling to look back on the year that has passed and perhaps the years before this one in preparation for forward motion in the coming year. Nature’s wisdom offers us opportunities to nourish our inner seeds of hope in preparation for our future, so let us enjoy the inner warmth and be grateful for it all.

For an excellent selection of books and music about Native American spirituality, lifestyle and Antique Indian Ways of living in Harmony with all creation visit the Native American Store at Back 40 Books