Simple Ceremonies

Some suggestions for personal prayer.

Many times I have been asked what folks can do for themselves in the way of personal prayer. Here are some simple suggestions one might try.

try these….nin se Neaseno.




Some simple ceremonies

These several simple ceremonies are suggestions that one can do for themselves and their families when in need. They are not the type of ceremonies that are performed by a medicine man/woman, although they can be done for you in your behalf by a spiritual leader. They are offered to you in lieu of having a spiritual leader do them for you, for those times when you might be alone and cannot reach someone who can pray more effectively for you and your needs.
Please do not underestimate the power of your own heartfelt prayers though, as many folks do not fully comprehend that a loving Spirit appreciates hearing from His/Her Creation once in awhile, just to say thanks sometimes, but also when there are pressing needs in one’s life or the lives of your loved ones.

1. Building a Neshnabe fire.
a. Flint and steel type of fire with shketagen.
b. The offering of sema afterwards.
c. *The occasional offering of food, sema and water.
d. You can also ‘smudge” yourself with cedar/sage.
2. If you have access to a “*personal pipe,
a. Build a Neshnabe type of fire again,
b. Then fill your pipe and pray,
c. You can also make a yellow prayer flag to go with it,
d. Dimensions: a flag, 12 “ x 36 “ with sema in the right corner.

*A personal pipe is not the same as a pipe carried by a medicine man.

*Not to be confused with the Ghost Supper. That is a separate ceremony itself.
Usually hosted by a family elder or a spiritual leader.


If you have a family, husband and wife with children, one of the main things I encourage folks to do is to have a “family altar”, i.e., a designated time for the family to pray together about common needs they all have. A “family altar” is not to be confused with a medicine man’s altar. In this way, the children will learn how to pray and deal with common problems and occurrences within their lives. You, the parents, have the awesome responsibility of role modeling these several ways to the children the Spirit has blessed you with. You will derive a great many blessings from following a carefully scheduled time for family prayer, and the observance of the other simple ceremonies one can do for oneself.

If one practices these types of ceremonies religiously during one’s life, it becomes a way of maintaining one’s spiritual health. One needs to pray about things occasionally on their own. One needs to search their souls and spirits once in awhile and make restitution by asking the Creative Force to forgive for wrongs committed and restoring the harmony and balance we all need in our lives.

One should always keep a supply of good flat cedar and sweet grass around their homes. It wouldn’t hurt to keep some white sage for smudging purposes also. A good tobacco or sema that does not have all those additives should also be kept around as well. All of these articles can be used for smudging and of course, one fills their personal pipe with the sema too when needed. Shketagen, with some good flint and a steel striker are essentials in the Neshnabe home. Keeping a ready supply of dry kindling and grasses one can harvest from nature is something one should think about keeping also. Being prepared to pray is a commitment one has to make and be ready to do at a moments notice within their lives.

The lesson here: Be prepared, pray always……

Iw enajmoyan…. Posted by neaseno at 4:47 AM

Precautions on COVID-19

MPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – CORONAVIRUS
Last evening dining out with friends, one of their uncles, who’s graduated with a master’s degree and who worked in Shenzhen Hospital (Guangdong Province, China) sent him the following notes on Coronavirus for guidance:
1. If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold
2. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose.
3. This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature of just 80 degrees. It hates the Sun.
4. If someone sneezes with it, it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.
5. If it drops on a metal surface it will live for at least 12 hours – so if you come into contact with any metal surface – wash your hands as soon as you can with a bacterial soap.
6. On fabric it can survive for 6-12 hours. normal laundry detergent will kill it.
7. Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink liquids with ice.
8. Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 minutes, but – a lot can happen during that time – you can rub your eyes, pick your nose unwittingly and so on.
9. You should also gargle as a prevention. A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice.
10. Can’t emphasise enough – drink plenty of water!
THE SYMPTOMS
1. It will first infect the throat, so you’ll have a sore throat lasting 3/4 days
2. The virus then blends into a nasal fluid that enters the trachea and then the lungs, causing pneumonia. This takes about 5/6 days further.
3. With the pneumonia comes high fever and difficulty in breathing.
4. The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You feel like you’re drowning. It’s imperative you then seek immediate attention.
SPREAD THE WORD – PLEASE SHARE.

Praying with fire/to fire spirit

  With Fire

Ahau, nge kwe gagiget

Okay, I shall speak for a moment

Semau ode mbegdenamen

This tobacco we put down

Nde bgednemwamen o Mamogosnan

We put down for the Creator

Ode je ge ginan

As for us

Nedwenamen ewi msenmoyak

We desire to be blessed with

I mno bmadsewen

A Good Life

Wa je wisniyak

Ability to get food

Mine wa biskemyak

And clothing

Wa je biskonye’ayak

That we may be able to provide clothing

Mine wa je shemayak

And that we’ll be able to feed

Gi nijansesnanek

Our children

Mine ge winwa ge msendagwzik

And also let them be blessed

Mbwakawzewen nigan wje igwan

With intelligence ahead into the future

Mine nosemesnanek

And our grandchildren

Mine gode kekyajek

And the Elders

Ge winwa ge mnoshewebsewek

That they will be okay

Ebwa gwdektowat shna

And won’t have hard times

Mine ode Shkwedensi

And this Fire Spirit

Ge msenmo node semau mine ode wisnewen

Which will bless this food and tobacco

Ahau iw ode

This is what

Eshe nodjgesegwa

We ask for these

Bemadsejek

People

Iw…

That is all…

Prayer for food/feast

For food/feast

Ahau, nge kwe gagiget

Okay, I shall speak for a moment

Semau ode mbegdenamen

This tobacco we put down

Nde bgednemwamen o Mamogosnan

We put down for the Creator

Ode je ge ginan

As for us

Nedwenamen ewi msenmoyak

We desire to be blessed with

I mno bmadsewen

Good Life

Wa je wisniyak

Ability to get food

Mine wa je biskemyak

And clothing

Wa je biskonye’ayak

That we may be able to provide clothing

Mine wa je shemayak

And that we’ll be able to feed

Gi nijansesnanek

Our children

Mine ge winwa ge msendagwzik

And also let them be blessed

Mbwakawzewen nigan wjeigwan

With intelligence ahead into the future

Mine nosemesnanek

And our grandchildren

Mine gode kekyajek

And the Elders

Ge winwa ge mnoshewebsewek

That they’ll be okay

Ebwa gwdektowat shna

And won’t have hard times

Ode ge wisnewen mbegdenmamen

This food we put down

Ode ge wisnewen mine semau mbegdenmowamen

We put down this tobacco for this food

Mamogosnan mine jayek

The Creator and all

Mnedok enbejek

Of the spirits where they sit

Ahau iw ode

This is what

Eshe nodjgesegwa

We ask for these

Bemadsejek

People

Iw…

That is all…

Simple prayers

Ahau, nge kwe gagiget

All right, I will speak a little while

Semau ode mbegdenamen

This tobacco we put down

Nde bgednemwamen o Mamogosnan

We put down for the Creator

Ode je ge ginan

As for us                                           

Nedwemamen ewi msenmoyak

We desire to be blessed with

I mno bmadsewen

Good Life

Wa je wisniyak

Ability to get food

Mine wa je biskemyak

And clothing

Wa je biskonye’ayak

That we may be able to provide clothing

Mine wa je shemayak

And that we will be able to feed

Gi nijansesnanek

Our children

Mine ge winwa ge msendagwzik

And also let them be blessed

Mbwakawzewen nigan wje igwan

With intelligence ahead into the future

Mine nosemesnanek

And our grandchildren

Mine gode kekyajek

And those Elders

Ge winwa ge mnoshewebsewek

That they will be okay

Ebwa gwdektowat shna

And won’t have hard times

Ahau iw ode

This is what

Eshe nodjegesegwa

We ask for these

Bematsejek

People.

Iw…

That is all…

Native Spirituality

Ode Se Pwagen

The medicine, as we neshnabek know it, is very sacred.

It has to do with spiritual bonding/marriage and until one fully understands that, so one can yield themselves to that concept there can be nothing in the way of wisdom, understanding and knowledge that happens deep within the wellspring of the heart.

For knowledge to take root and understanding to usher in wisdom, along with its attributes, and wisdom to bring forth the fruits of his kind, there has to be a marriage to take place deep within the heart and soul of man.

I speak of the fruits called love, humility, respect, bravery, truth, honesty, and the lesser wisdom of man. Originally, there were only four of these the Spirit required of man. They were love, peace unity and guidance. It has been referred to as a phenomenon called WIDOKTADWEN.

Widoktadwen is that community spirit that binds men together, but should also include his Maker/Creator, and a deeply established relationship there. Widoktadwen also describes a cooperative spirit on all levels as it pertains to community and the nature of tribalism, along with a wholehearted willingness to do the will of the Spirit/spirits here on this earth where abide men and the children of men. It further describes an ability to interact with all of LIFE, i.e., the Life force, and forge meaningful relationships between God/gods and men.

All of this has to do with MARRIAGE!

The marriage/union of wood and spark to create a fire for cooking or ceremonial purposes.

The marriage/union of wood and stone when one connects the pipe for filling it.

The marriage/union of man and woman for purposes of establishing a family.

There are many other things in life that speak of this union between man and creation, Creator and creation, the Natural and Spiritual elements, etc.

That is the reason the marriage between male and female is such an important function to the neshnabek world because it speaks of the deeper levels of this most holy union, and what it symbolizes and represents on all levels of life.

The PIPE carries a strong message of union with it as it affects Neshnabe men and women. The red pipe stone bowl symbolizes the women and the ash or sumac wooden stem represents the men.

The red bowl has a female end where the male stem plugs into it. The red bowl and the wooden stem symbolizes the generations that come from the union between male and female, once the pipe is connected and ready for use.

The pipe carries four gifts with it:

         Wisdom,

         Power,

         Knowledge,

         and a gift.

Always pray for:

         Bravery,

         Endurance,

         Patience,

         and alertness/awareness.

The bottom of the pipe bowl represents the top of the earth and everything beneath the earth. When we fill the pipe we remember all of our relations, i.e., all created beings, past, present, and future. We offer seven pinches of tobacco in the bowl;

         One for the west and all the powers there,

         One for the north and all the powers there,

         One for the east and all the powers there,

         One for the south and all the powers there,

         One for mother earth and all plant life,

One for Mamogosnan and the sky with all the other powers,

         One for all of the people, past, present &                  future,

and this is representative of all creation in every direction, including deep within us.

Iw enajmoyan, nin se Neaseno…