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The title of this book, written by Dr. A.C. Ross is called "Mitakuye Oyasin" which in Sioux means "We are all related". To me, the saying seems very similar to "Namaste", which is a way of saying 'My spirit recognizes your spirit".
This thought provoking, interesting book was given to me by a good friend many years ago. She signed the inside cover with this message:
"For Chelle~My friend and fellow traveler. With voice as soft as the whisper of pen on paper-unique in my life. From Janet, Spring 1995"
I think she saw something in me I wasn't yet aware of! It took me 14 years to re-read this book, even though it's remained in my top 5 favorite books I've ever read. Wanting to share some of those has lead me to 'reviewing' some of my favorites. This book is fascinating to me, in content as much as it is Spiritually valid for me. It seems to be a common thread in things I've read lately: synchronicity. I've always said I don't personally believe in "coincidence" and I always love when life provides events that you can tie to others.
The first one that hit me between the eyes was page 4, which begins "I was living in Denver...". When I first read this book I lived in Hollister, California with no idea or inclination that I'd ever move to Colorado, much less the Denver area! But, better yet I like this 'coincidence'. Janet & I met through a shared love of our classic, Pink 1957 Chevy's. In an interview with Dr. Ross, he says his quest that resulted in the writing of Mitakuye Oyasin" started in the summer of, you guessed it! The year of 1957. Janet was maybe a young baby, if born yet, and I was 10 years away from birth! Perhaps it's only me, but little things like that just make me excited!
Dr. Ross was born in 1940 into the Mdewakantonwan tribe, one of the original seven tribes of the Dakota Nation. He was born Sioux, but the BIA made sure Indian children were discouraged from learning their Culture, sending them to Christian Missionary boarding schools. His early influence was a strictly Western/Christian point of view. During a stint in the service, he was in Germany and there met "hobbyists" who had a passion for Sioux culture and even re-created a Tee Pee Village where electricity and modern conveniences weren't allowed. When he realized there was a whole German population that knew more of his Culture than he did, he felt the stirring of curiosity. As he began to research, his life took on new meaning, finding the Red Road as his strength to conquer Alcoholism.
Walking the Red Road means not saying 'yes' or 'no', but learning to say 'later'. Live in the Now. If you start researching alternative Spirituality practices, you will find this almost across the board. Yesterday is done, tomorrow hasn't happened yet, and all we have truly is this moment. What we do in this moment is strictly up to us, even if we have no control over any given situation, we always have control over how we handle ourselves in that situation. Even as I understand this, feel it's truth in every cell of my body, I am here to say living in the Now is often easier said than done! The important thing is to try, understanding as Humans, part of our journey is overcoming challenges; every day is a new chance to give it your best shot.
Dr. Ross discusses myth and archetypes, as he studied Jung quite a bit during his own research travels. I found this comparison very interesting:
"The supreme being archetype is known to the Christians as God, to the Muslim's as Allah and to the D/Lakota people as Tunkasila/Wakan Tanka. The archetype of the shadow is known to the Christians as the devil, to the Muslim's as Iblis, and to the D/Lakota people as Wakan Sica. Christians know the hero archetype as Jesus, the Muslim's as Mohammed, and the D/Lakota people as Ta Tanka Ska Win."
If you are familiar at all with Sioux history, you may know that Ta Tanka Ska Win is the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who brought them the gift of the sacred pipe. Even though Sioux culture tends toward the patriarchal end of the scale, they still know how to love and honor their Goddess elements. They, along with many other ancient cultures have always understood the necessity and importance of balance. The Sioux have a Holy Man whose title is Heyoka, one of his roles is to offer balance during ceremonies-he is an opposite. I met a Heyoka once, a family friend of Nesto, and his energy was so intense, I was almost uncomfortable near him. During the Honoring of the Elders Pow Wow, while they gave joyful recognition to people, he was wailing, throwing dirt, rubbing it on his face as if in mourning. When they somberly honored POW's missing still, or deceased, he wore a lady's hat and danced, laughing in the circle as if it were the most care-free moment in his life. The life of a Heyoka is a challenging one, but one you are called to. He didn't wake up one day and decide to embrace the spirit of Heyoka, he was chosen.
Symbols are also an important part of researching any ancient Spiritual culture. Jung once again comes into the discussion, as he theorized that religious symbols were originally meant as symbols of wholeness and balance. The Yin/Yang is an example of two equal sides of black and white. Further balancing the symbol is a dot of the opposite inside each. The four directions have held sacred honor for eons and the Celtic Cross retains this original balance having four equal sides. Medicine wheels in Native Cultures also reflect this balance and the original symbol for Christianity was an "X" with a circle around it. "Jung stated the modern cross represents man putting himself above nature, and as a result is out of balance". It's hard to argue with that idea, considering the state of our planet and the impact humans have had on the environment. In an interesting note of my own, the Pagan Pentacle is a five sided star in a circle. The five has many representations, one of which could be interpreted as the four directions and the fifth is 'inside' or 'center'.
You may be surprised to read about Atlantis and Mu in a book that started out as a personal quest to learn more about Sioux history and culture. However, Dr. Ross weaves the information into the book effortlessly, and it absolutely fits with all the research he has spent so much love, time and energy into. Part of looking back into history involves holding up various Creation Myths and finding the common threads. How is it that some cultures native to North America say they originated from the earth/mountains, some say the Sea, some from the East and others from the West?
Personally, I've read of Atlantis and Mu before and their existence has never been a question mark in my own mind. It makes perfect sense when you question how structures amazingly similar in structure and age came to exist on opposite sides of the planet-if you accept the planet hasn't always appeared as it does today. Many believe, myself included, that Atlantis was a land-mass that existed for so long that humans were able to evolve, spiritually, mentally and scientifically beyond anywhere we can comprehend in our present state of being. There are many theories on when, how and why the large land masses sank or disappeared. It is easy to believe however, without knowing for certain the answers to those questions, that a large evacuation of humans would spread in different directions; taking with them the same knowledge and culture.
Another aspect of looking into creation myths found commonly in ancient Spiritual cultures that we are still learning about are the Stars, Planets and how they affect us here. Many Creation Myths mention coming from the stars, and there are many people today who have had a "Close Encounter" that sometimes even they have a hard time understanding. The Bedouins believed the Arabian Horse was a gift from the Stars. Mentioned specifically, and often, in various myths are the Pleiades. Along with the creation of humans, comes the question about how and why the Universe was created and by whom. In his comparison of three Creation myths, we can see the similarities.
"In each story the creator started from the center of the universe. The first creations were: Wakinyan in the Lakota story, Sotuknang in the Hopi story, and Amilius the light in the Genesis story. Wakinyan, translated into English, means the source of thunder and lightening. In the Hopi story Sotuknang's symbol is lightening. Amilius, in the Genesis story, was the first spark of light."
A wonderful Ah-Ha moment for myself, and my personal prejudices against Christianity, was that we truly need to look for the similarities in our splendidly variant Spiritual beliefs! Dr. Ross had a vision of Christ at a Sundance he was partaking in. This experience eventually led to his own insight that "If, indeed, the Christ spirit has a cultural name, then this spirit must be in all cultures." To me, this means honoring any path that teaches we must act from a center of love, acceptance, balance and an effort to make the world a better place for others as well as ourselves. Actions that cause harm in any way to another also hurts us. If someone judges another because they refer to the Supreme Being by a different name, that person is failing to see the bigger picture. The person they judge believes in a Supreme Being! As humans, as brothers & sisters, we need to learn to look closer for that common ground! Honoring the freedom to find our connection to the essence of Divinity in whatever way we may, always recognizing the Truth comes down to Love.
Dr. Ross says eloquently exactly how I've always felt:
"The way I see it, everyone has little pieces of information or pieces of the puzzle. The problem is that everyone wants their little piece to be the only piece. But if a person looks carefully, I believe it becomes obvious how all things are related."
NOTE: this is Part 1 of this article, as there is so much information! To learn more about Dr. Ross, or to order this book or any of the others he's written (which I only just recently discovered there WERE more, and which I will be ordering and reading soon!) please visit his website:
Peace.
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