WAY OF WAKAN TANKA

HARM NOT THE EARTH UPON WHICH WE LIVE!

“When I was a young man I went to a medicine-man for advice concerning my future. The medicine-man said: ‘I have not much to tell you except to help you understand this earth on which you live. If a man is to succeed on the hunt or the warpath, he must not be governed by his inclination, but by an understanding of the ways of animals and of his natural surroundings, gained through close observation. The earth is large, and on it live many animals. The earth is under the protection of something which at times becomes visible to the eye.’”
                                           Lone Man (Isna la-wica) (late 19th century) Teton Sioux
Working with an elderly Taos Indian lady, a while back, we used to compare and marvel at the similarities of the beliefs of our elders. Much of the American Indian wisdom resembles what I was brought up with, half a world away. The most important thing is having respect for the earth and all that live upon it.
My grandmother would water the many plants in her garden every morning. She always saved a few drops of water and poured it upon barren ground, saying: “This is for the mother earth, herself.”
Such reverence for all things living cannot be learned from books, TV, or the internet. It has to become a part of one’s consciousness and awareness. Only then do we step upon the earth carefully, so as not to harm it or all that live on it.

Reza Ghadimi