"We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as "wild". To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery."

Luther Standing Bear - Rosebud Sioux

Guardian of the Water Medicine

Guardian of the Water Medicine
Dale Auger

Dale Auger

Dale Auger: On Art, Blood and Kindred Spirits
by Terri Mason

Defining Dale Auger in one sentence is akin to releasing the colours of a diamond in one cut. It can’t be done. It’s the many facets that release a diamond’s true brilliance, as it is the many facets of Auger’s life, education, ancestry, experiences and beliefs that have shaped and polished his work into the internationally acclaimed and collected artist that he is today.

Born a Sakaw Cree from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Auger’s education began as a young boy when his mother would take him to be with the elders. “I used to say to myself, ‘Why is she leaving me with these old people?’ – but today I see the reason; I was being taught in the old way.”

Auger’s respect for traditional teachings led him on a journey to study art, opening the door to a doctorate in education. He is a talented playwright, speaker and visual artist whose vividly coloured acrylics have captured the attention of collectors that reads like an international ‘Who’s Who’ spanning English to Hollywood royalty. The essence of his work is communication, and now Dr. Auger has come full circle, interpreting the life of his culture – from the everyday to the sacred - through the cross-cultural medium of art.

Read the rest here:

http://www.daleauger.com/printversionbio.cfm

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Minimum Requirements - part 1

Minimum Requirements
By: Pamela Waterbird Davison
Copyright 2008

Did you know that every single person walking this planet is a sacred being? There’s not a one among us who is not capable of being a “spiritual leader”. Think about it!

Every one who believes in a Greater Being also believes we come directly from Creation itself. If we consider this one thing for just a moment we realize the significance we carry in this manifestation we call life. To me it’s like we’re all small expressions of Great Spirit. After all, we call ourselves children of God. Wouldn’t that mean we are therefore an extension of our parent?

At the same time we are ash and dust, elements of Mother, and we belong as much to her as we do to our Father. Honor thy Mother and Father is not an outmoded old commandment. It is a literal statement issued by our Sacred Mother and Father. Even when winds blow so hard we can barely survive or when a most fervent wish is not granted, we are supposed to honor the most sacred aspects of our existence.

Taking this idea one step further requires us to look at the possibilities. We are meant to be “spiritual leaders” of our own lives. If we are given the tools to journey to Mars, cure polio, and build cities of great excitement, then would we not also be given the ability to understand our own path and the righteousness of our being?

It seems to me we greatly underestimate the value we hold in the eyes of our own Creator. Not in the eyes of our fellow man, not in the eyes of our birth parents, but in the eyes of our Real Parents. So it only stands to reason that we should be falling to our knees in gratitude, not for our smallness or unworthiness, but for the largest and most amazing gift we are…representing Spirit to the universe, far and wide, full and unknowing.

I say we have it in us to be so much greater than we give ourselves credit for and I can’t help but wonder what this place would be like if we all saw ourselves as a Dali Llama, a Buddha, a Christ, an Allah, or anyone else who speaks to your creation. What if our soul/sole purpose of being here together was to see that sacredness in each other for what it is?

I’m guessing this is one reason why my ancestors never held any one person up as a single “worthy” entity. Great warriors were held in high regard, just as any elder or chief, but there were/are no “spiritual warriors of greatness” above us. Each person was/is held to the belief that we all must be who we must be and no one person is superior to another in any way.

We are all sacred. If everyone walked as though this were truth without question, imagine what our way of life would be.

Our minimum requirement for today is to understand and accept the unbelievable gift we are. If I am a waitress who offers a comforting smile that says I understand to a customer whose loneliness and fear bring out their worst, or a driver who allows someone to get in front of me without angry words or expectations of gratitude, then I am being Sacred. Every little gesture becomes much more important. Every word I utter becomes much more momentous. And with each step of this understanding I get a little closer to being what I’m supposed to be.

What an awe-inspiring thought!
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