Sacred Whispers: Embracing Grief with Native American Prayers

This episode is  a spiritual sanctuary where the wisdom of the Great Spirit and the teachings of the Earth help us navigate the stormy waters of grief with grace and understanding.  Together, we explore a tapestry of prayers that speak to the soul, from the profound simplicity of the Lakota Sioux's quest for strength and wisdom to the Cherokee's blessings for peace and happiness. Each sacred word serves as a gentle reminder of our shared humanity and the gifts of understanding that can be found even in our darkest times.
 
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Our theme music is:  Gentle Breeze by Yeti Music from the album "Uppbeat".
Additional Music and sound effects today by:   via Pixabay

Transcript

Candee: 0:20

We welcome you to Solace: Soul Plus + Grief. I'm Candee Lucas, your host. When we started this ministry, we understood how difficult it was to lose a loved one, and we had hoped to create a space and a ministry that addressed these concerns and served as a source of comfort and wisdom for those who travel with God on their grief journey. This podcast is brought to you by Catholic Cemeteries. Diocese of San Jose. We're glad you're here. You're always welcome in our circle of healing, love and support.

Candee: 1:11

The Great Spirit Prayer from Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark (1887). O Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me. I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever hold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have made, and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Help me remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me. Help me remain calm and strong In the face of all that comes towards me. Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me. I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy-- myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes so, when life fades as the fading sun set, my spirit may come home to you without shame.

Candee: 2:44

This is a prayer from the Chinook. The garden is rich with diversity, with plants of a hundred families in the space between the trees, with all the colors and fragrances basil, mint and lavender --great mystery. Keep my remembrance pure. Raspberry, apple, rose --great mystery. Fill my heart with love. Dill, anise, tansy. Holy winds blow in me. Rhododendron, Zinnia. May my prayer be beautiful. May my remembrance, o great mystery, be as incense to thee in the sacred grove of eternity, as I smell and remember the ancient forests of earth.

Candee: 3:39

This is an earth prayer from Black Elk. Hey, learn to hear my feeble voice at the center of the sacred hoop. You have said that I should make the tree to bloom with tears running, o great spirit. My grandfather with running eyes, I must say the tree has never bloomed. Here I stand and the tree is withered. Again, I recall the great vision you gave me. It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives. Nourish it, then, that it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds. Hear me and fill with singing birds. Hear me that the people may once again find the good road and the shielding tree.

Candee: 4:35

This is a Cherokee prayer blessing. May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house. May the Great Spirit bless all who enter here. Bless all who enter there. May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows and may the rainbow always touch your shoulder.

Candee: 5:07

Another Cherokee prayer. Peace and happiness are available in every moment. Peace in every step. We shall walk hand in hand. There are no political solutions to spiritual problems. Remember, if the Creator put it there, it is in the right place. The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears. Tell your people that since we were promised we should never be moved, we have moved five times.

Candee: 5:48

This Native American prayer is called Earth. Teach Me Earth. Teach me quiet as the grasses are still, with new light. Earth. Teach me suffering as old stones suffer with memory. Earth. Teach me humility as blossoms are. Suffer with memory. Earth. Teach me humility as blossoms are humble with beginning. Earth teach me caring as mothers nurture their young. Earth teach me courage as the tree that stands alone. Earth teach me limitation as the ant that crawls on the ground. Earth teach me limitation as the ant that crawls on the ground. Earth teach me freedom as the eagle that soars in the sky. Earth teach me acceptance as the leaves that die each fall. Earth teach me renewal as the seed that rises in the spring. Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me to remember kindness as dry fields weep with rain.

Candee: 7:09

This is a Ute prayer. Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children. This is a Lakota prayer. Wakan Tanka, great mystery. Teach me how to trust my heart, my mind, my intuition, my inner knowing, the senses of my body, the blessings of my spirit. Teach me to trust these things so that I may enter my sacred space and love beyond my fear and thus walk in balance with the passing of each glorious sun. That concludes another episode. Please support us by subscribing on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts or Google. We always welcome your comments and feedback. Remember Spiritual Direction is always available through Catholic Cemeteries. I'm Candee Lucas, chaplain, aftercare coordinator and spiritual director at Catholic Cemeteries. You can reach us through the email or telephone number in the show notes. Be gentle with yourselves. Travel safely with God. Vaya con Dios.