GRANDFATHER'S PRAYER FOR TODAY.
Today, My Creator may I enter in the realm of the remembering so I may hear the
Sacred Songs of the Ancestors.

Song of the Black Tailed Deer.

In the very beginning of life,
My life was that of the herb, I lived of the herb and the plant
and the trees and the roots,
But that life has gone.

Then my life was that of the buffalo.
I lived of the buffalo-sustained life for clothing,
for warmth in the winter and the spring.
In ceremonies and prayers,
My life is that of the buffalo,
But that life has gone.

My life is that of the white man.
I do things like the white man,
I talk like the white man,
I dress like the white man,
And that life has gone.
That life was in the world of materialism.
A new generation has come.

My life is that of the Black Tailed Deer.
I will go back to the top of the mountains;
There I will replenish myself.
I will come back with the morning star
To purify the waters,

I will return to the top of the mountain,
And at the end of time
I will replenish the earth.
I am the Black Tailed Deer.
A new nation made up of all colours of man
For all to see.
The Black tailed Deer is a Brown Deer after all!

--------------------------------
MIIWETCH/ NYWEH, GITCHI MANITOU

GRANDFATHER PETER

Prayer for Today

GRANDFATHER'S PRAYER FOR TODAY.
My Creator, Help me to keep my dreams alive and kicking!
"We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let our dreams die, but others nourish and protect them, nurse them through bad days till they bring them to sunshine and light."
Woodrow Wilson
MIIWETCH/ NYWEH, GITCHI MANITOU

GRANDFATHER PETER

GRANDFATHER'S PRAYER FOR TODAY.
My Creator, Help me today to live and walk in balance.
To attract to me the things I need and to challenge things I do not.

Balance is an elaboration that every thing is equal. We strive each day to live in balance for this is a law that supersedes any manmade law, thereby creating stability. Like the scales of justice or a pendulum, it is always trying to find its middle point of balance and stability, but by reaching a maximum shift in one direction it will inevitably swing back the other way, passing through the point of balance. Each thought or action must be balanced by whoever creates it. Allow no one to tell you what your earth walk must reflect or what your reality is. Do not give your power away so easily, but give your love unconditionally. Any message communicated in love and with compassion validates balance and equality.
Low self-esteem is just as non-productive as a puffed up sense of self-esteem and” know it all” attitudes. They both deny equality. All addictions are a manifestation of inequality.
But in saying this we also have a right to challenge by asking of another their intent, identity, and whatever pertinent information we feel we require when encountering another. This is true not only of physical beings but especially important to those entities we encounter in other realms. Those who come to us in the role of information givers don't mind being challenged, in fact welcome it for they know any information they may give is given in truth and based on Sacred Laws.
Do you have the courage to challenge yours or another's intent today?
MIIWETCH/ NYWEH, GITCHI

MANITOUGRANDFATHER PETER

Prayer for Today

GRANDFATHER'S PRAYER FOR TODAY.
My Creator, you have taught me to give honour and respect to myself and acknowledge my right to be. But you also taught me that I am nothing if I do not give equal acknowledgement to:
THE WOMAN, THE CHILDREN, THE FAMILY, THE COMMUNITY, MOTHER EARTH, and that all are part of the great gift you have given to us all.
May we all live by the seven principles of Life.

Philosophy TO MYSELF
I will think about what kind of person I want to be when I am an Elder.
I will start developing myself now to be this person.
I will walk with the Great Spirit and the ancestors at my side.
I will develop myself to remain positive. I will develop a good mind.
I will examine myself daily to see what I did well and what I need to improve
I will examine my strength and weaknesses, and then I will ask the Creator to guide me.
I will develop a good mind.
I will listen to the Creators voice in the wind as I walk the red path every day.
I will watch nature and ask to be shown a lesson, which will occur, on my path.
I will seek out the guiding principles, which guided my ancestors.
I will walk in dignity, honour and humility, conducting myself with dignity and as a proud member of the human family.
I will seek the guidance of the Elders, and the experienced ones, so that I may maintain the knowledge of all cultures, ceremonies, and songs, so that I may pass these on to the future generations.
I choose to do all these things myself, because no one else can do them for me.
I know I cannot give away what I do not have so I will need to walk the talk.
GRANDFATHER PETER

DA NAHO AWEO (It has been said and is beautiful)

Prayer for Today

GRANDFATHER'S PRAYER FOR TODAY.
My Creator today I thank you for always being by my side.
I thank you for supporting me in the lessons learned and yet to be learned. But more than anything I thank you for allowing me to be!

Philosophy To the CREATOR
As a members of the human family, We must realise we make no gains without the Great Spirit being in our lives. We shall realise what we do or attempt to do will not work without the Creator. Being human and being spiritual has the same meaning. Spirituality is a gift from the Great One. This day, We will vow to walk the Red Road. As human, we will return to the traditional and spiritual values, which have guided my ancestors for the past generations.
We will look with new eyes on the powers of all ceremonies and religious ways, for they are important to the very survival of the people.
We have survived and are going to grow and flourish spiritually. We will fulfil our teachings and the purpose that the Creator has given us with dignity.
Each day, we will pray and ask for guidance. We will commit to walk the Red Road, or whatever the spiritual way is called in my own culture.
If I am Christian or from any other belief I will honour myself and all other beliefs. If I am traditional, I will walk this road with dedication.
If each if us can do these things then others will follow. From this day forward, We will reserve time and energy for spirituality, seeking to know the Creators will.
GRANDFATHER PETER

DA NAHO AWEO

(It has been said and is beautiful)

Prayer for Today

GRANDFATHER’S PRAYER FOR TODAY
My Creator, I thank you for the legends the ones who have gone before have given us. For in them I find how I should endeavour to live my life today!

Cherokee Legend of Crystals

In ancient times, people lived in harmony with Nature. They spoke the same language as the animals and plants. They hunted for food only to satisfy their hunger and needs, always offering a prayer of thanks for what they had taken from Nature. As time went on, humans lost this innocence and harmony. They took more than they needed. They forgot their prayers of gratitude. They killed animals, and each other, for sport or pleasure. The Bear Tribe, chief among the animals, called a meeting of all the animals. They decided that something had to be done. The Bears suggested that they shoot back when the humans shot at them, but the bow and arrow required too great a sacrifice, for one bear would have to give up his life so that his sinew could be used for the bowstring. The bear's claws were too long for shooting a bow anyway, and would become entangled on the string. The Deer Tribe offered another method of dealing with the problem. One of their members said, "We will bring disease into the world. Each of us will be responsible for a different illness. When humans live out of balance with Nature, when they forget to give thanks for their food, they will get sick." And in fact the Deer did invoke rheumatism and arthritis; each animal then decided to invoke a different disease. The Plant Tribe was more sympathetic and felt that this was too harsh a punishment, so they volunteered their help. They said that for every disease a human gets, one of them would be present to cure it. That way, if people used their intelligence, they would be able to cure their ailments and regain their balance. All of Nature agreed to this strategy. One plant in particular spoke out. This was Tobacco, the chief of the plants. He said, "I will be the sacred herb. I will not cure any specific disease, but I will help people return to the sacred way of life, provided I am smoked or offered with prayers and ceremony. But if I am misused, if I am merely smoked for pleasure, I will cause cancer, the worst disease of all." The close friends of the Plant Tribe, the Rock Tribe and the Mineral Tribe, agreed to help. Each mineral would have a spiritual power, a subtle vibration that could be used to regain perfect health. The Ruby, worn as an amulet, would heal the heart; the Emerald would heal the liver and eyes, and so on. The chief of the mineral tribe, Quartz Crystal, was clear, like the light of Creation itself. Quartz put his arms around his brother Tobacco and said, "I will be the sacred mineral. I will heal the mind. I will help human beings see the origin of disease. I will help to bring wisdom and clarity in dreams. And I will record their spiritual history, including our meeting today, so that in the future, if humans gaze into me, they may see their origin and the way of harmony." And so it is today.

GRANDFATHER PETER

DA NAHO AWEO (It has been said and is beautiful)

GRANDFATHER'S PRAYER FOR TODAY.
My Creator, help me never to take my family for granted and always be there for them.
TO THE FAMILY
The Creator gave to us the family, which is the place where all teachings are handed down from the grandparent, to the parent, and to the child. The children's behaviour is a mirror of the parent's behaviour. Knowing this, we should realise the importance for each person to build a strong and balanced family. By doing this, we can break the cycle of hurt and ensure the positive and mental health of the children, even the children yet to be born. So from now on:
Let us dedicate our priorities to rebuilding our families where needed..
We must never give up and leave our family only to one parent.
We must always be accountable to restore the strength of the family. To do this, we must nurture our family's spiritual, cultural, and social health. Let us demonstrate trust, respect, honour and discipline; but mostly we must be consistent in whatever we do with them.
We must see that the grandparents and the Elders play a significant role in the education of the children.
Let us realise that the male and female together are fundamental to family life. We must listen to our mates' council for our family's benefit, as well as for the benefit of our culture and heritage and to all our extended family throughout the world.

Have you told the family that you love them today?

Prayer for Today

GRANDFATHER'S PRAYER FOR TODAY.
My Creator, I pray today for the security, peace, and happiness in my home and in the community where I live.
TO THE COMMUNITY
Communities should provide many things for the family. The most important is the sense of belonging; that is, to belong to "the people", and to have a place to go. Our communities need to be restored to health so the future generation will be guaranteed a place to go for culture, language and socializing In the community, the honour of one is the honour of all and the pain of one is the pain of all. We must work to strengthen recovery in all parts of our communities, wherever we are living.
As concerned human beings we should make an effort to give back to our community by donating our time and talents when we are able.
We should cultivate friendships with others for mutual support and strength.
We must consider the effects of our decisions on behalf of the next seven generations; in this way, our children and grandchildren will inherit healthy communities.
We should care about those in our community so that the mind changers, alcohol and drugs, will vanish, and our communities will forever be free of violence. If each of us can do all these things, then others will follow; ours will be a proud community.

Have you smiled at your neighbour recently?

Grandfather Peter
DA NAHO AWEO (It has been said and is beautiful)