#18 Black Elk

Lots happening in the world today. Everything is happening at an accelerated pace and natural disasters like the tsunamis in Japan, volcano activity in Iceland and tornadoes in Missouri are seemingly popping up more than ever. The media bombards us with images and stories of doom, of apocalyptic times.  We don't have the time, sorry, we don't make the time to truly process and connect all of the dots. Hey, its hard enough some days getting through the day let alone looking at the big picture of it all, and that's for those of us that have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. We're human, I know its stating the obvious but we all have the same basic needs, wants and desires. We're all in it together.
Maybe people need to take two steps backwards and start contemplating on where we are and where we're going. Future generations are at stake.
I took two steps backwards today and focused on all the little things I take for granted. I also started thinking about ancient cultures and their philosophies.  My MIND turned to a great man named Black Elk. You may have heard of him. He was the Medicine Man or Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux tribe from many years ago and was present at the 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn and the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. Black Elk had visions over his lifetime including a "great vision" at the age of nine where he met the spirit that guided the universe and saw a great tree that symbolized the life of the earth and of the Indian people.
Check out the book, "Black Elk Speaks" which was first published in 1932 and is a spiritual classic. You'll realize there is meaning, there is hope and everything connects (I'll be bringing up in a future post some thoughts on a famous basketball coach who utilized connectivity on his teams from his experiences with Christianity, Zen Buddhism and Lakota Sioux teachings; he won an unprecedented eleven NBA championships as a coach).
I leave you with this from Black Elk (1863-1950):
"You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round...The Sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours...Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves."