Value of Life

Auburndale, Florida - Spirit of the Buffalo Powwow

What is the value of human life? How is it quantified? Who decides who is valuable?

For those who have read my posts, you know where I stand, that all life is invaluable without limits. Over the weekend of January 12-15, I once again attended and this year directly participated in the Spirit of the Buffalo Powwow in Auburndale, Florida. What does that have to do with the topic title of this post you may ask?

The Native American people value human life from beginning to end, birth to death, at the highest level. The children are reared with honor and dignity because they are the future. The elders, are respected with the same honor and dignity, because without them we would not be here today. Sadly, these are so unlike the "traditional" white society in so many cases.

The children from the earliest ages are taught the traditions and culture of their family, their tribe, their clan. They are NOT told that children should be seen and not heard. They are taught to question "Why?" to gain understanding and knowledge. They are taught the traditions and culture verbally by their parents, grandparents, and others of the extended family. They do not rely on books to pass this on, instead it is committed to personal memory. Much in the same way the Celts and Druids of old passed on knowledge. They are not belittled or made to feel ashamed when the make a mistake or error, for they understand that through mistakes learning and knowledge are transformed into wisdom. It is a blessing to understand the limited bit that I do of the various Native American cultures and traditions.

The elders share the stories, the legends, the traditions of their culture, of their famiy, of their tribe, of their clan. Each generation responsible for passing it on to the next, and updating or adding to them. Among many Native American families there live three sometimes four generations of the family. Grandparents and great-grandparents are not wisked of to some retirement home or nursing facility, and left there to be forgotten. Watching and listening to these elders at the Spirit of the Buffalo Powwow was inspiring, to witness the glow of life in their eyes as they shared their stories to those who would listen.

I recognize that it appears that I'm coming down on the "whites", but I am not, so to speak. What I am attempting to share is what Native American tradition honors as the existence of Thunder Beings. These Thunder Beings are understood by Native Americans to be messengers from the powers on high, the Star People (extraterrestrial visitors). The Thunder Beings are a force for both dissolution and re-creation. In the Plains Indian tradition, a person who has a visit by a Thunder Being, in person, in vision or in dream, becomes a heyoka, a "contrary". [4] This heyoka then customarily soon starts behaving in a way opposite to the conventions of the dominant culture. The heyoka does so, precisely in order to wake up society to see that there are other and fresher ways of doing things. Thus, the heyokais the human counterpart of the Thunder Beings, who repeatedly dissolve the existing order and fashion a new arrangement from the pieces.

As we transition from the Fourth into the Fifth World, it occurs to me that not all heyokasare Plains Indians. Some have yellow skin, others black, others white. These heyokas of every color are experiencers, and have been changed by their experience of extraterrestrial contact by messengers from the sky (Thunder Beings). As modern-day heyokas, experiencers are charged to live as active witnesses against the ignorance and corruption of the Fourth World, and to live as witnesses of the Fifth World which is emerging. In doing so, modern heyokas honor the Thunder Beings, the extraterrestrials, who have come as cosmic midwives to help us birth the Fifth World.

Full Article: Transition from Fourth To Fifth World: The "Thunder Beings" Return (WOVOCA.com - Earth Mother Crying!)

Some may say "bull" to the concept of these Thunder Beings, Star People, Heyokas. Yet those wrapped up in the convoluted intestinal knot of Christian dogmas without question accept the teachings and concept of angelic beings.

My friends, I do not ask you to change your beliefs but merely to open your eyes and experience life going on around you each day. Do not be ignorant of what your senses are telling you. Do not be ignorant of what your heart-of-hearts is telling you. In the same token, do not listen to that "liar" in your head telling you the rules of society, trust your heart-of-hearts.

Mitakuye Oyasin,

Silver Eagle