HAVE A SEAT UPON A CLOUD

Have a Seat Upon a Cloud :-)

Have a seat upon a cloud
and make yourself at home
You are now inside my dreams,
inside a book, inside a poem.

Where anything can happen
if you only make it real
Plunge into my waters
if you're not afraid to feel.

Take off your shoes
and close your eyes,
relax upon my sand
Join me in my land of dreams,
reach out and take my hand.

Let me share my dreams with you
until you find your own
I'll take you there if you believe,
take mine out on loan.

Where birds are words so gracefully
they glide across the sky
Leave behind your worries,
here the rules do not apply.

Pick my flowers if you like
and plant a seed or two
Paint the sky in polka dots
if you do not like it blue.

Climb my trees, face your fears;
erase them one by one
See the world from up above
and don't stop at the sun.

When the world starts raining down
and the sun is out of sight
Let your dreams control your mind
and help you through the night.

There's a place inside my dreams
for all who care to roam
So have a seat upon a cloud
and make yourself at home.

Danielle Rosenblatt (poet and children's author)

BLOODY ISLAND MASSACRE 1850 CLEAR LAKE CALIFORNIA

	Clear Lake Massacre or the Bloody Island Massacre One of the first heroes of the Union cause during the Civil War, was General Nathaniel Lyon. On August 10th, 1861, in a daring attack on superior forces, Lyon would fall achieving his goal of securing Missouri for the Union. Today, one can visit the location of this battle and the spot where Lyon fell on the nationally protected Wilson's Creek National Battlefield in southwest Missouri. While the exact spot where he fell is not known, a marker stands today on a hilltop ridge to mark the area generally accepted. It is also unknown if this particular hill bore any name before the battle, but afterwards , it would be called Bloody Hill. Sadly, this would not be the only geographic location that would be changed by actions taken by Nathaniel Lyon. Far to the west, in Northern California, another historical marker tells of the name change attributed to his visit there - Bloody Island. Bloody Island is today a small hill. But in 1850, it was completely surrounded by the waters of Clear Lake. Times were very different then. Indians did not enjoy the rights of the white man, or the black man, and were enslaved and/or killed at random. This same year, California passed the "Act for the Government and Protection of the Indians". While sounding good, this act allowed white men to enslave any Indian they found without means of support. Since the Indian held no rights and could not testify in court, nearly every Indian in California suddenly became a candidate for slavery. For those who could afford it an editorial in the Marysville Advocate put the price tag of a young Indian fit for cooking and cleaning at $50-$60. The public attitude of the time could best be summarized in this editorial from the Yreka Herald. "Now that general hostilities against the Indians have commenced we hope that the government will render such aid as will enable the citizens of the north to carry on a war of extermination until the last redskin of these tribes has been killed. Extermination is no longer a question of time - the time has arrived, the work has commenced, and let the first man that says treaty or peace be regarded as a traitor". In 1851, California would pass a law compensating groups for expenses incurred on Indian hunting trips. Among the early pioneers to enter Northern California were two ranchers, Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone. Kelsey and Stone purchased a cattle operation from a Mexican, near what is today Kelseyville. While the former Mexican owner had hired Indians as ranch hands, Kelsey and Stone adopted the policy of enslavement. The treatment of these Indian slaves would go from bad to worse. In 1849, Kelsey took 50 Indian slaves with him to see if he could strike it rich in the gold rush. Unsuccessful, it is said Kelsey sold all the supplies meant to feed the Indians to other miners, and only two Indians made it back to the ranch alive, the others having starved to death. Starvation was a common problem among Kelsey and Stone's slaves. Each Indian herder was paid 4 cups of wheat a day for their labor, which was inadequate to feed the families. The story is told of one Indian that sent her nephew to beg for a cup of wheat, and was killed by Stone. Whippings were a common punishment, and at least four Indian's were beaten so bad they later died. Another way of punishing Indian's was too tie their hands together and hang them from a tree for hours. Among the numerous crimes committed against the Indians, rape of the Indian women and girls was common. A father who refused to bring his daughter to the house for sex with Kelsey or Stone when instructed to, would be whipped. In 1850, when Kelsey and Stone took the Chief's wife, the Indians decided to react. During the night, the chieftain's wife poured water into their muskets and the next morning, five braves attacked the house. Both were killed. The tribe, knowing there was no such thing as 'justifiable homicide' by an Indian, fled into the hills. Word of the murder of these two men spread and word was sent to the Army of a Pomo Indian uprising. Captain Nathaniel Lyon was dispatched with a detachment to find and eliminate the Indians. From the National Park Service website - "Captain Lyon arrived at the lake (Clear Lake) in the spring of 1850 with a detachment of soldiers. Since he could not reach the Indians' hiding place, he secured two whale boats and two small brass field cannons from the U.S. Army arsenal at Benicia. While waiting for the boats and field artillery, a party of local volunteers joined the expedition. Soldiers took the cannons aboard the whale boats, while the remaining body of mounted soldiers and volunteers proceeded to the west side of the lake. The two groups rendezvoused at Robinson Point, a little south of the island. The artillery was taken to the head of the lake in order to be as close as possible to the Indians. In the morning, soldiers fired shots from the front to attract the Indians' attention while the remaining force lined up on the opposite side of the island. The soldiers then fired the cannon, which sent the Indians across the island where they met the rest of the detachment." (It should be noted that the Pomo village on the Clear Lake island that day were not associated with the Stone-Kelsey Pomo slaves. The Pomo's were spread throughout Northern California and this tribe, calling themselves Badonnapoti, were peaceful fishermen.) Bloody Island - courtesy NPS In a time when chivalry, mutual respect and fair play was common on the battlefield, what happened next can only be described as an atrocity. The number of Indian's killed on the island that day vary from 75 to near 200, but few survived. The fact that only two of Lyon's force were wounded reflects the lack of resistance the Indians offered. The fact that no prisoners were taken, even among the women and children reflects the actions of the men under Lyon's command. Many were killed as they attempted to swim off the island. Others were shot. Many of the women met their deaths by bayonet. But most horrific of all were the stories of the deaths of children. One Pomo historian later wrote "One lady told me she saw two white men coming, their guns up in the air and on their guns hung a little girl. They brought it to the creek and threw it in the water. And a little while later two more men came in the same manner. This time they had a little boy on the end of their guns and also threw it in the water....She said when they gathered the dead they found all the little ones were killed by being stabed" After the destruction of the village, Lyon's forces continued throughout the area, killing Indians they came into contact with. In coming months, hundreds of Indians of all tribes would be hunted down and killed. Nine years later, after the Gunther's Island massacre near the Pacific coast, one young editor by the name of Bret Harte was so appalled he wrote in the Northern California "Indiscriminate Massacre of Indians: Women and Children Butchered". Harte was then run out of town for daring to tell the truth. For those who have studied the life of Nathaniel Lyon, what happened that day at Clear Lake is not unexpected. Lyon was a fanatical disciplinarian, who felt every situation was black or white, right or wrong. In this case the Indians were wrong and had to pay for their indiscretion. 11 years later, he would take a similar attitude into the Civil War. On May 10, 1861, forces under his command would take part in what would be called the St Louis Massacre (also called the Camp Jackson Massacre), where 28 civilians were killed. On August 10th of that same year, his actions would forever change the name of yet another landmark - Bloody Hill. (Even in death, Nathaniel Lyon could not escape the stigma of massacre's. On 11/29/64, Colonel John Covington left Fort Lyon in Colorado, named for the fallen Union General, and attacked and killed nearly 200 peaceful Indian's encamped nearby. It would become known as the Sand Creek Massacre. )

"Think on THESE Things" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

'THINK on THESE THINGS'

By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

It has been written that an optimist is someone who can fall ten stories and call out to each floor in passing that everything is okay so far. It has also been said that an optimist is someone who refuses to see things as they really are.

It is far better, the pessimist believes, to look for the worst so as to be pleasantly surprised when things are better than expected. Then, if they are as bad as imagined, the disappointment won't be quite so great.

But this is somewhat like backing into a rose so to avoid seeing the beauty of it, only to find it is an elevator shaft.

There can be no advancement where we expect the worst and believe that going outside the limits of ordinary thinking is only day dreaming. Thinkers, capable of forecasting and predicting answers before the questions arise, are in great demand.

Only the optimist can fill the bill. Only the optimist can dare to believe there are things waiting for discovery and further development.

An optimist questions life the same as a pessimist - the difference is that the optimist knows there is an answer and that the answer can be found. Optimists are aware that the cherries of life have pits, but they are prepared to remove them. Their minds do not dwell on the pits, but on the sweetness of the cherries.

There will be situations that will make us afraid. Fear is a common sense emotion that keeps us from walking in front of a moving car or from jumping off the deep end of anything. And there are periods of natural anxiety when we want too much to perform well, and the butterflies begin to flutter.

Then, there is another kind of fear that is unnatural. It has the ability to possess us and rule over our very lives. It is that "what if" fear that builds nests in our minds and hatches dire images that scare the daylights out of us. It can keep the lights off, the doors bolted, and the windows of our souls locked against the most beautiful things in life.

It is no disgrace in this day to ask for professional help in understanding our fears. Only the very foolish would consider this help a crutch. It is a brave person who admits the need for help and has the courage to go and find it.

They are the pioneers in recognizing our existence as threefold: spirit, mind, and body.

WE WILL SEE CHRIST'S RETURN

Will We See Christ's Return? - The Last Generation

We know from the Scriptures that the first generation began with Adam and Eve. Noah was the tenth generation. Which generation do we represent? And, which generation of people was Christ talking about that would see His return when He said: "'This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (Mt 24:34)? By J. Michael Hile

The answer to this elusive, 2000-year-old question may be closer than we think, if the many prophecies we see converging on the horizon continue their march towards fulfillment in the 21st century.

The Generation of His Coming

Perhaps the most intriguing and controversial prophetic Scripture passage found in the Bible is contained in the Olivet Discourse. This dynamic "end times" message by Jesus, contained in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, describes major events that will impact the Jewish people just before the Lord returns to set up His Kingdom.

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory'Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. -Matthew 24:30-36

This remarkable prophecy of future events, given by Jesus on Mount Olivet after leaving the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, was in response to three questions from His disciples: "When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world" (Mt 24:3)? The generation that will be living on the earth when Christ returns is alluded to in this discourse. The belief that the generation Jesus was talking about was the generation that passed away in 70 A.D. does not fit within the context of a literal return of Christ back to earth, as described in the Scriptures preceding and following the parable of the fig tree. Two questions one might raise about this unique generation and other generations described in the Bible are: 1) How long is a generation? and 2) Which generation was Christ talking about?

The Generation Question

One of the most perplexing and sought-after answers among students of Bible prophecy is the length of a generation. There is much disagreement among both secular and religious writers concerning the length of a generation. Is the length of a generation 40 years? When Israel became a nation in 1948, some believed that Israel's birth date marked the beginning of the generation that would see all the events leading up to the Second Coming of Christ. This theory was based upon the generation alluded to in the parable of the fig tree, in which the fig tree was symbolic of the nation Israel. (For a more detailed study of the fig tree in Biblical history, see Judg 9:8-15; Jer 24:1-10; Lk 13:6-9; Mt 21:17-21; Mk 11:11-14, 20-21; Lk 19:41-44; Rom 11:1,2,25-27; Isa 66:8; Mt 24:32-51; Mk 13:28-37; Lk 21:29-36; and Rev 6:13.)

When 40 years passed in 1988 without fulfillment of any of the events surrounding the Second Coming of Christ, the 40-year generation theory fell into disrepute. Either 1948 was not the starting date for the generation described in the fig tree parable, or a generation must be longer than 40 years, according to the theory. Additional arguments put forth claimed that 1967, the year Jerusalem was captured, or some other future date could be the birth of the generation that would see the return of Christ.

Some proponents of the "end times" generation theory questioned whether 40 years was actually the length of a generation today. Is there any evidence to suggest that the length of a generation is longer than 40 years? A few sources hold that a generation is now 20 to 30 years in length (but this better represents a generation "gap"). Other opinions range from 40 to 100 years. Just how long is a generation today? Is there an answer to the generation question?

The Longevity of Mankind

A generation, as described in the Bible, begins at conception and ends at death (Gen 17:6-9; Ps 22:30; Jer 1:4,5; Act 13:36; Josh 24:29-31). The length of a generation is not an arbitrary period of time that occurs within the life span of an individual or group of people. Joshua's age at the time of death, 110 years (including 9 months gestation), was the length of the generation he represented. Some of his generation died before him and some after him. Consequently, the average life span of a group of people living at about the same time constitutes the length of that generation.

The length of a generation has not always been constant since the days of Adam and Eve. Before the Biblical flood, the average life span of man was over 900 years. Today, if a person lives to be a hundred years old, it is a special occasion in which the person is accorded celebrity status. In order to understand how long a generation is today, it will be helpful to know what the length of a generation was before the Flood and what happened to the life span of man immediately following the Flood. Has man's life span increased, decreased or stayed the same down through the centuries?

[This chart]1 shows that the average length of a generation was about 930 years for those living before the Flood but decreased to around 120 years by the time Moses crossed the Red Sea and ended his 40-year sojourn in the wilderness of Sinai. Since there are not very many 120-year-old individuals walking around today, it is apparent that the average life span is no longer 120 years. Eli, a High Priest and Judge of Israel whose life bridged the 13th and 12th centuries B.C., died at the age of 98 years (1 Sam 4:15). According to the Scriptures, he was considered to be a "very old" person at the time of his death (1 Sam 2:22).

The Wilderness Generation

Perhaps the most widely held belief for the length of a generation is forty years. A 40-year period was required for the disobedient generation of Moses' day to die off in the wilderness. Those who hold to the forty-year generation concept do not take into account the total age of those who had sinned against the Lord. The curse was to be against the men who had reached twenty years of age (Num 32:11-13, Ps 95:8-11, Heb 3:7-11). After the 40-year judgment period was completed, there were no men left older than 60 years of age except Joshua and Caleb. Although Joshua was not a descendant of Moses or Aaron, he represented the succeeding generation that was to enter the "Promised Land." Joshua and Caleb were the only two males permitted to live after the Lord cursed the rebellious generation that would not return and retake their land in Canaan. So forty years could not have been the length of that generation, but it was the time God allotted for that generation to die off. Most of the recorded life spans during this time were well over 40 years. Aaron was 123, Moses 120, Joshua 110, and Caleb was over 85 when their generations died off.

A View from the Psalmist

Disregarding untimely or unnatural deaths due to epidemics, famine, and war, there is evidence in the Scriptures and in recent history to support a 70 to 80 year life span for the past 3000 years. The evidence for a 70 to 80 year life span was present during the 10th century B.C., during the reign of King David (c.1010-970). As David approached the end of his life, he was considered to be an old man by those living at that time. The Scriptures reveal that David served his generation and was seventy years old when he died (1 Chr 23:1; 2 Sam 5:4; 1 Kgs 2:10; Act 13:36). Perhaps the most significant declaration in the Bible for the life span of man is given in Psalm 90. The Psalmist states that the life span of man is seventy years, with eighty years being the upper range of normal life expectancy.

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away. -Psalm 90:9,10

If 70 to 80 years still represents the length of a generation, as described in Psalm 90:9,10, one would expect the life span of those living today to be close to that figure. The life expectancy of those living in the United States in 1850 was less than 40 years but increased to 47 years by 1900 and then mushroomed to 77 years (1999) by the end of the 20th century. 2 According to the 2002 World Almanac and Book of Facts, the average life expectancy in the United States is 77 years (74 years for males and 80 years for females). For Israel it is 79 years (77 years for males and 81 years for females). The average life expectancy at birth for Israel is projected to be 82 in the year 2025.3

Which Generation was Christ Talking About?

With Israel back in their land after almost 2000 years of dispersion (the Diaspora) and other end time prophecies coming into focus, the Jewish people now living in Israel could very well be the generation Christ was talking about. Luke's version of the fig tree parable, which mentions the fig tree (Israel) and all the trees (nations of the world-see Judg 9:8-20; Dan 4:26; Ps 2:1-12; Mt 25:31,32), states:

And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you. This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. -Luke 21:29-33

If the length of David's generation, Christ's generation, and the average life span of those living today in Israel is between 70 and 80 years (a 3000-year span), it would be reasonable to conclude that the generation Christ was talking about in the parable of the fig tree will also be 70 to 80 years in length. If the fig tree in this parable represents the nation of Israel, as many prophetic scholars believe, and the generation that is described has a life span of 70 to 80 years, then recent events such as the rebirth of Israel as a nation (Isa 66:8), the Jerusalem controversy in the "end times" (Zech 12:1-3), preparations for rebuilding the Jewish Temple (Rev 11:1,2), and the ongoing negotiations for a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians (Dan 9:27) are strong indicators that the generation Christ was talking about has already been born, and the return of Jesus Christ to establish His reign for a thousand years is close at hand.

The Most Significant End Time Prophecy

The "end time" events described in the Olivet Discourse and the book of Revelation could not take place without Israel back in their land. Israel's return to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the 20th century is the most important event that signals the soon return of Jesus Christ.

...I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime...And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. -II Samuel 7:10-16

Israel's rebirth as a nation has also served as a catalyst for other "end time" prophecies that are beginning to converge on the world scene (Dan 2:42-22; Ezek 38-39). The Apostle Paul told us "...that in the last days perilous times shall come" (2 Tim 3:1-7). Jesus said there would be a time of worldwide conflict and wars that would be "the beginning of sorrows" (Mt 24:8). Christ said, "except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved'" (Mk 13:20).

The ability of man to destroy all flesh on the earth became a real possibility for the first time in the history of the world during the second half of the 20th century with the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. The 21st century will witness an unprecedented increase in surveillance and eavesdropping as the global government "big brother" system wraps its tentacles around every aspect of human life, while promising "peace and security" to those who relinquish their freedoms (Rev 13:16-18; 1Thess 5: 3).

Christians who take the Bible seriously should be actively watching the prophetic shadows that are appearing in today's headlines. And as we entertain the possibility that we may be the generation Jesus was talking about in the fig tree parable nearly 2000 years ago, we are admonished by the Scriptures to watch and be prepared (Mt 24: 37-51).

As stated clearly by Jesus in Matthew and Mark, no man knows the day or the hour of his coming, but the Father only. The same Jesus, however, was very angry with the Pharisees and Scribes for not discerning "the signs of the times" (Mt 16:3) and not knowing the "time of their visitation" (Lk 19:44).

One day there will be a generation of Christians that will escape the grip of death and be ushered into Heaven, the "final frontier" for believers (1 Thess 4:13-5:11). The generation that is "left behind" will face the ruthless tyranny of a global dictatorship (Rev 13:11-18). The world stage is now being set for the closing act of this dispensation, and the climax of world history (Christ's return) is drawing near. As God's children, we may very well be the generation that is chosen to "escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Lk 21:34-36). That possibility is certainly worth pondering

SPIRITUAL WARRIORS

This woman has been kind, gentle,
and has much love,
All of this has been given with
the blessing of the Great Spirit above,
But Great Spirit gave her something
else and she didn't know it...
The Great Spirit gave her
the blessing of being a warrior woman
as now her light is lit!

This warrior woman has come
fully alive today,
She is no longer anyone's slave or prey,
She is taking back her life today,
And those who know who she truly is,
can stay.
No longer will she live the lives of others,
She will give back the blames and responsibilities of others
where it belongs,
For she also has the bear and wolf inside her,
which is now so very powerful
and uniquely strong.


The warrior woman now knows what road she must follow,
For others it will be to hard to swallow.
Her life was taken from her unknowingly many years ago,
And this warrior woman is taking back her life before the next winds blow.

Oh Sister Moon you give me the strength
as a warrior woman to conquer what's on my path,
high above and way beneath,
and the much needed strength to take on the wrath.

This warrior woman is fully awakened and is taking a stand,
taking the problems by the horns with my hand.
I will conquer all that is there,
all and who comes as they dare.

Warrior woman has fully awoken,
and many will see that they were mistaken
in robbing her of her life.
They as a thief, Warrior woman will conquer
and have no grief!

This warrior woman will protect her people, her son,
and those who need her.
If anyone hurts them, look out!
They will hear a GGGGGGRRRRRRRRR,
As they run and shout!

This warrior woman is taking back her life,
taking back the respect that was taken from her
throughout the years ever so slow.
This warrior woman is removing pain and hurt from within the heart
caused by the knife,
from all those who are both family and foe.

I am claiming what's mine, and my dignity,
From those who live in this society of vanity.
I am claiming back in full my heritage.
And as a warrior woman, I am going to clean up
many years of carnage.

For now standing in front of you,
you see this warrior woman... you see me.
Someone special has taught me to be free,
From this day forward for me no more slavery...
Gentleness, kindness, and love is part of me, and so is my dignity.
This is NOT WEAKNESS, as others believe.
But this strength is within me and within you.

I will listen to the spirits and grow,
I will travel in the whispering winds as they blow.
All the work I now do will be for Our People and all nations,
I will protect and guide the future generations.

Now it is time for me to travel on my new path,
As a warrior woman conquering all wrath.
If you ever see and want to meet me,
Please come, and I will also teach and share with you how to be free

HOPI PROPHECY ON THE COMING OF THE GREAT PURIFICATION IN 2012.

HOPI PROPHECIES

The passing of the white man's world, as prophesied by the Paiute and the Sioux, and the emergence of a new world is a future envisioned by the Hopi as well. This was recorded in Book of the Hopi: "World War III will be started by those peoples who first received the light (the divine wisdom or intelligence) in the other old countries (India, China, Egypt, Palestine, Africa).

"The United States will be destroyed, land and people, by atomic bombs and radioactivity. Only the Hopi and their homeland will be preserved as an oasis to which refugees will flee. Bomb shelters are a fallacy. It is only materialistic people who seek to make shelters. Those who are at peace in their hearts already are in the great shelter of life. There is no shelter for evil. Those who take no part in the making of world division by ideology are ready to resume life in another world, be they of the Black, White, Red, or Yellow race. They are all one, brothers.

"The war will be a spiritual confilct with material matters. Material matters will be destroyed by spiritual beings who will remain to create one world and one nation under one power, that of the Creator.

"That time is not far off."

Another Hopi prophecy predicts a pole shift (a shift or flip in the axis of the earth) before the end of this century. In 1948 and again in 1973, the Hopi elders tried to address the United Nations General Assembly on this matter. Both times they were denied. Finally, in 1976 they were allowed to address the U.N.-sponsored Habitat Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"This message today is our third and perhaps final attempt to inform the world of the present status of man's existence on our Earth Mother," their spokesman, Thomas Banyaca, said. "We are not asking the United Nations for help in a material way. We are, according to Hopi prophecy, simply trying to inform the world of what is going to happen if the destruction of the earth and its original peoples continues as is known by our religious Hopi elders. We do not come before the United Nations in order to join it. We come to fulfill Hopi sacred mission and ancient prophecy... and whatever results from your failure to fulfill your sacred responsibilities to stop all of this destruction, genocide, harassment, imprisonment, oppression for Native Brothers will be of your own doing..." The disaster can be averted if we come into balance with our environment. Otherwise, Banyacya warned, "this land might sink again or it may break up..."

The Hopi expect, someday, the return of Pahana, the lost white brother, just as the Maya await the return of Kukulcan, the bearded white god, and as the Aztec predict the return of the white hero-god Quetzalcoatl. Perhaps, what they are all waiting for is not an individual, but the return of the white race, along with the red, yellow, and black peoples, to their rightful place around the sacred hoop. And the return of all peoples to a world view which honors the earth as a living being which must be treated with love and respect.

The prophecies presented here of the destruction of the world by atomic bombs or a pole shift need not be interpreted literally. Atomic bombs can devastate a country without ever being used. The arms race was disastrous financially both to the Russia and the United States; and the failure of the nuclear reactors can provide enough destructive radioactivity to satisfy any prophecy. As for a pole shift, that can be understood as a shift in world power from First World to Third World countries, or from countries in the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere.

More Native American Prophecies by "ROLLING THUNDER"

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While working for the Menninger Foundation in 1971, Doug Boyd met Rolling Thunder, a spiritual leader of the Cherokee and Shoshone tribes. About the shaman, Boyd wrote, "Each day it was becoming clearer to me that Rolling Thunder was a teacher who could offer me insights that I could never achieve in the laboratory or discover in the library."

One day during lunch, Rolling Thunder explained the Indian's view of chaos through ecological imbalance.

"When you have pollution in one place, it spreads all over. It spreads just as arthritis or cancer spreads in the body. The earth is sick now because the earth is being mistreated, and some of the problems that may occur, some of the natural disasters that might happen in the near future are only the natural readjustments that have to take place to throw off sickness. A lot of things are on this land that don't belong here. They're foreign objects like viruses or germs. Now, we may not recognize the fact when it happens, but a lot of the things that are going to happen in the future will really be the earth's attempt to throw off some of these sicknesses. This is really going to be like fever or like vomiting, what you might call a physiological adjustment.

"It's very important for people to realize this. The earth is a living organism, the body of a higher individual who has a will and wants to be well, who is at times less healthy or more healthy, physically and mentally. People should treat their own bodies with respect. It's the same thing with the earth. Too many people don't know that when they harm the earth they harm themselves, nor do the realize that when they harm themselves they harm the earth...

"It's not very easy for you people to understand these things because understanding is not knowing the kind of facts that your books and teachers talk about. I can tell you that understanding begins with love and respect. It begins with respect for the Great Spirit, and the Great Spirit is the life that is in all things -- all the creatures and the plants and even the rocks and the minerals. All things -- and I mean all things -- have their own will and their own way, their own purpose; this is what is to be respected.

"Such respect is not a feeling or an attitude only. It's a way of life. Such respect means that we never stop realizing and never neglect to carry out our obligation to ourselves and our environment."

Rolling Thunder offers a philospohical or religious basis for contemporary ecological thought. His view is fundamental to understanding Native American belief systems. Certainly, there are sound scientific reasons supporting the various ecology movements, and for scientific minds that may be enough. However, integrating both views may ultimately prove more reliable and productive than choosing one or the other.

CHIEF BLACK ELK SPEAKS:

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When Black Elk was nine years old, he had yet to see his first Wasichu, or white man. There were still vast herds of buffalo, and the Indian way of life, Black Elk believed, would last forever. That year, 1872, he had a vision in which he traveled four ascents with his people, which he understood to be the four generations he would know.

At the first ascent, the people camped in a circle. At the center of the circle stood the holy tree. But when they camped at the second ascent Black Elk saw the leaves falling from the sacred tree.

At the camp of the third ascent he saw the Black Road of conflict before them. He saw, too, that the nation's hoop was broken, the sacred tree was dying and all its birds were gone. There he saw that "all of the animals and fowls that were the people ran here and there, for each one seemed to have his own little vision that he followed and his own rules; and all over the universe I could hear the winds at war like wild beasts fighting... It was dark and terrible about me, for all the winds of the world were fighting. It was like rapid gunfire and like whirling smoke, and like women and children wailing and like horses screaming all over the world." The third ascent was the time of the generation living in the 1850's.

At the fourth ascent a Voice said "Behold this day, for it is yours to make. Now you shall stand upon the center of the earth to see..." Then Black Elk stood on the highest mountain of them all, "and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy."

Black Elk's vision of the fourth ascent was one of hope and brotherhood. Because that world did not come to pass, Black Elk lived to be a disappointed man believing that, in some way, he had failed his vision. "You see me now a pitiful old man who has done nothing, for the nation's hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead."

Shortly before his death in 1950, Black Elk offered this comment: "I have been told by the white men, or at least by those who are Christian, that God sent to men His son, who would restore order and peace upon the earth; and we have been told that Jesus the Christ was crucified, but that he shall come again at the Last Judgement, the end of this world cycle. This I understand and know that it is true, but the white men should know that for the red people too, it was the will of Wakan-Tanka, the Great Spirit, that an animal turn itself into a two-legged person in order to bring the most holy pipe to His people, and we too were taught that this White Buffalo Cow Woman who brought our sacred pipe will appear again at the end of this world, a coming which we Indians know is now not very far off."

Perhaps, the words Black Elk heard, saying, "Behold this day, for it is yours to make. Now you shall stand upon the center of the earth to see..." is a message to us all. For this day is ours to make, and the center of the earth, Black Elk tells us, is everywhere. All we need to do is see the world in a sacred manner, and the holy tree will live again

I AM YOUR DISEASE

I hate meetings.I hate Higher Power.I hate anyone who has a Twelve Step program.To all who come in contact with me,I wish you death and I wish you suffering.Allow me to introduce myself.I am the Disease of Alcoholism.Cunning, baffling, and Powerful.That's me.

I have killed millions, and I am pleased.I love to catch you with the element of surprise.I love pretending I am your friend and lover.I have given you comfort, have I not?Wasn't I there when you were lonely?When you wanted to die, didn't you call me?I was there. I love to make you hurt.I love to make you cry.Better yet, I love when I make you so numb you can neither hurt nor cry.You can't feel anything at all.This is true Glory.

I will give you instant gratification and all I ask of you is long term suffering.I've always been there for you.When things were going right in your life, you invited me.You said you didn't deserve these good things and I was the only one who would agree with you.Together we were able to destroy all the things good in your life.

People don't take me seriously.They take strokes seriously, heart attacks, even diabetes they take seriously-fools that they are.They don't know that without my help, these things would not be made possible.I am such a hated disease.And yet, I do not come uninvited.You choose to have me.So many have chosen me over reality and peace.

More than you hate me,I hate all of you who have a 12 step program.Your program, your meeting, your higher power:All weaken me and I can't function in the manner I am accustomed to.

Now I must lie here quietly.You don't see me.But I am growing, bigger than ever.WHEN YOU ONLY EXIST, I MAY LIVE.WHEN YOU LIVE, I ONLY EXIST.But I am here.Until we meet again,If we meet again,"I WISH YOU DEATHAND I WISH YOU SUFFERING" !!

I AM YOUR DISEASE

I hate meetings.I hate Higher Power.I hate anyone who has a Twelve Step program.To all who come in contact with me,I wish you death and I wish you suffering.Allow me to introduce myself.I am the Disease of Alcoholism.Cunning, baffling, and Powerful.That's me.

I have killed millions, and I am pleased.I love to catch you with the element of surprise.I love pretending I am your friend and lover.I have given you comfort, have I not?Wasn't I there when you were lonely?When you wanted to die, didn't you call me?I was there. I love to make you hurt.I love to make you cry.Better yet, I love when I make you so numb you can neither hurt nor cry.You can't feel anything at all.This is true Glory.

I will give you instant gratification and all I ask of you is long term suffering.I've always been there for you.When things were going right in your life, you invited me.You said you didn't deserve these good things and I was the only one who would agree with you.Together we were able to destroy all the things good in your life.

People don't take me seriously.They take strokes seriously, heart attacks, even diabetes they take seriously-fools that they are.They don't know that without my help, these things would not be made possible.I am such a hated disease.And yet, I do not come uninvited.You choose to have me.So many have chosen me over reality and peace.

More than you hate me,I hate all of you who have a 12 step program.Your program, your meeting, your higher power:All weaken me and I can't function in the manner I am accustomed to.

Now I must lie here quietly.You don't see me.But I am growing, bigger than ever.WHEN YOU ONLY EXIST, I MAY LIVE.WHEN YOU LIVE, I ONLY EXIST.But I am here.Until we meet again,If we meet again,"I WISH YOU DEATHAND I WISH YOU SUFFERING" !!

THE ONLY ONE PULLING

The Only One Pulling

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull! Buddy didn't move.

Then the farmer hollered, "Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy didn't respond. Once more the farmer commanded, "Pull, Coco, pull!" Nothing. Then the farmer nonchalantly said, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times. The farmer said, "Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even try!"

We're a lot like Buddy, aren't we? We don't like to do something if we think we're the only one pulling. Need an example?

Ever said, "Why should I pour my time and effort into the work of the church? No one else seems to care!"

Or, "Why should I put forth the extra effort to do a good job at work? No one else does, and it wouldn't be appreciated anyway!"

Or, "Why should I be nice to him? He's certainly not going to make any effort to be nice to me!"

See what I mean? Like Elijah in the cave, we often find ourselves saying to God, "I alone am left." (1 Kings 19:10) Nobody else is faithful. Nobody else is trying.

But God told Elijah he had 7,000 people on His side that Elijah didn't know about. Like Buddy and Elijah, we may be blind. Blind to what others are doing around us. But, even if we are the only one doing what is right, we need to continue.

Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Don't give up! You aren't alone. Keep moving forward in Jesus' name!

ELDER'S MEDITATION OF THE DAY MARCH 1, 2011

Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 1

"The beginning is purification, that's the first step. And purification means purification of body and mind. You don't purify the body without cleansing the mind; that's the way it works."

-- Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE

If we have bad thoughts or poison in our minds, they will eventually show up in our bodies in the form of headaches, pains, and stomach problems. It works this way because we are interconnected. Our minds and our bodies are one system. So when we start to grow, or commit to the Red Road, we need to start cleaning up our thoughts and start showing respect for our bodies. We start purifying our minds by prayer and meditation, and we start cleansing our bodies by getting the right amount of sleep and developing good eating habits. Today, I'm going to observe my thoughts. Will my thoughts be clean today?

Great Spirit, let me focus on Your love today so my mind will be pure.