Daily Feast - November

[bluidkiti]

November 1st - 7th



ELEVEN
Du

BIG TRADING MONTH
Nu Da Na 'Egwa

Great Spirit, the council here assembled, the aged men and women, the strong warriors, the women and children, unite their voice of thanksgiving to Thee. Na-Ho!

IROQUOIS THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL

November 1 - Daily Feast

The danger point comes after a victory when we think there are no more battles. How many wars have been fought thinking this is the war that will end all wars? Even in our own private battles we cannot lie back and think we have won the right to peace. We do need to know and remember that we are more than conquerors. It is a life promise, but we have to claim it. Other claims have taken precedence - weariness, lack, sickness - but we are conquerors, even more than conquerors. We are winners and overcomers. Believe it, because it is true, and the more we claim it, the stronger it is.

~ Where is our strength? In the old times we were strong. ~

CHIPAROPAI - YUMA

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 1

"Times change but principles don't. Times change but lands do not. Times change but our culture and our language remain the same. And that's what you have to keep intact. It's not what you wear - it's what's in your heart."

--Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

Going back to the old ways doesn't mean giving up electricity, homes and cars. It means living by the same principles, laws and values that our ancestors lived by. This will allow us to live successfully in today's world. The spirituality our ancestors lived is the same spirituality we need in these modern times. There are too many influences from TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and negative role models that are guiding our lives in a bad way. Our stability is in the laws, principles and values that our ancestors were given and that our Elders teach us.

Great Spirit, let me live my life in a spiritual way.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Leave yourself a choice. It is a sorry state of affairs when a person's life becomes so regimented that it is impossible to make even one change in plans. There is a story about a gentleman who kept a record in minute detail of his living and every cent he earned so that he could make a trip abroad. The record keeping became such an obsession that when he could make the trip he took along crackers to keep from eating in the dining room aboard ship. The journey was nearly over before he discovered the price of his meals was included in the fare.

How much do we miss by refusing to accept the bounty of choices? "If only" and "I wish" are so over used. We bind ourselves daily by refusing to recognize the volume of opportunities open to each of us. All of life is not free, but there is much available for our personal selection.

Dr. William S. Sadler wrote of a woman who was so orderly and systematic in her living that she inquired of her minister how to go about dying since she had never done it before. Living in a systematic world is possible, but there are limits to what we can prepare for and about which to be orderly. Daily we meet and settle many small emergencies, and some not so small. And it is our developed ability to meet these things successfully and on the spur of the moment that makes a well-rounded individual.

But the steady, uniform methods of doing things do not necessarily mean a person is ready to meet every situation in life. In fact, such living often makes change practically impossible when change is sorely needed.

Order is heaven's first law. But order means first things first. A place for everything and everything in its place. Then, if we've learned how to live, we never have to worry about the art of dying gracefully.
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November 2 - Daily Feast
A long this time in autumn, we could have a few days of Indian summer. It is a tranquil time of warm sunlight with a bit of haze and soft breezes from the south. This is a token of childhood when bunches of sweet onions were hung on the garden fence to dry and pumpkins and squashes were in colorful piles. We would love this time to last longer - even anticipate that it will. But it is not likely that anything stands still at this time of year. It is too serene, too satisfying not to pass quickly. Maybe it teaches us the give and take of daily life - whether it is the weather or learning to be flexible where people are concerned. There are the pleasant days that we enjoy so much - and then there are those stormy days where we have to hunker down and ride it out.
~ A furious tempest continually sweeps the crown of the mountain....the adventurer.... Even is he escapes (may be) whirled through the air by its fearful blast. ~
SLUSKIN
"A Cherokee Feast of Days" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 2
"Praying is what has brought us old people through life. We've all gone through hard times. We've all done our share of bad things. But through our prayers and faith in the Creator we get together again and we try hard to live right."
--Paula Weasel Head, BLOOD
As we go through life we find ourselves on track one day and off track the next day. We gain consistency through prayer. Prayer is our connection to the Great Spirit. Prayer is our channel for knowledge and wisdom. Prayer is how we keep our sanity. The Elders say we should walk in prayer.
Great Spirit, teach me to walk in prayer. Help keep my faith string.
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THINK ON THESE THINGS By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Never, never, forget that you are a spiritual person. Don't deny it, because if you were not spiritual you would not be alive. The real of you is spirit and you live in a covering which is your body. Your body needs a lot of blessing for it is temporal and your spirit is forever.
Sometimes you sit quietly and daydream -- but at night your spirit takes flight into night visions while your body rests. Sometimes dreams are simply because you ate too much of the wrong things but most times your dreams are there to teach you new things. Listen to what a dream is saying, and identify what is there for your specific purpose. They may work on erasing a hurt that you have carried too long. You are not supposed to hurt your whole life.
Color can explain many things in a dream. Dark colors explain dark events and crystal water is Spirit. You are more than skin-deep. You are more than just a human person. Never ignore that inner spirit of you. It knows more than you think it does and it wants always to help.
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November 3 - Daily Feast

Most anything has some distortion. Living today is a little like standing in front of a trick mirror that stretches the legs to the size of sticks and puts kneed where ankles should be. What is real? Even nature affords some illusion. Arid desert has mirages of water standing in pools. It looks real, but approach it and it disappears. We must be aware of illusion - of distortion, because some businesses practice it. When our own eyes squint against truth we are creating distortion. If we can't trust ourselves to recognize the truth, who can we trust?

~ I could cheerfully hope that those of another age and generation may not feel the effects of those oppressive measures. ~

GEORGE HARKINS - CHOCTAW DISTRICT CHIEF

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 3

"A sundance woman is like the morning star, filled with spiritual beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Men and women are the most powerful of the polarities. We walk beside men as equal partners. It takes men and women who have respect and love for one another to live within the embrace of Father Sky and Mother Earth."

--Dr. Henrietta Mann, SOUTHERN CHEYENNE

Our ceremonies bring out the best in us. It's in the ceremony that we find the place of honor and respect for each other. The place where the men honor the women and the women honor the men. We dance for each other. The ceremony helps us remember our responsibility toward each other. Men and women need to be strong, to love one another and be faithful. Only by doing this can we give our children knowledge of good relationships.

Great Spirit, today I will notice the power of the women; today I will notice the power of the men.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

This is a day that God has made, rejoice and be glad in it.

What we do with each day is largely decided by the thought we give it in the beginning and how we start a new day plays an immense part in the success of failure of either carefully laid plans, or helter-skelter activity.

We should open this day with as much reverence as if it were gift wrapped and presented to us personally, which it is.

What wonderful thing can I do this day that no one else can do! Shall I spend these precious moments complaining? Shall I sit glum at my work to make others feel morbid? Should I continually acknowledge how little I have and how badly I feel?

Or should I speak kindly, think kindly, feel kindly, and be so grateful that I have another opportunity today to do something for others that will being them joy and lift their spirits?

This day is in your hands. You will reap from it what you plant. If you would be loved, then be lovable; if you want peace, be peaceable; and if you would ask freedom, grant freedom. And learn to forgive without reservation.
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November 4 - Daily Feast

At one time or another we have watched someone and wondered how long it would be before we reached their stage of distress. We have been made to believe that if someone in the family has had a problem that we must have it as well. Even with our tendencies to be like someone else, we are still individuals and what we see should teach us to avoid the same pitfalls they had. More is decided in our minds and spirits than we can imagine. We have the creative power of speech, the determination and the grit to stop falling because someone else falls. Deny every thought and every suggestion that we have to be the victims of anything.

~ We were becoming like them, hypocrites and liars, adulterous lazy drones, all talkers, and no workers. ~

MA-KE-TAI-ME-SHE-KIA-KIAK - SAUK AND FOX CHIEF

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 4

"The honor of the people lies in the moccasin tracks of the woman. Walk the good road.... Be dutiful, respectful, gentle and modest my daughter... Be strong with the warm, strong heart of the earth. No people goes down until their women are weak and dishonored, or dead upon the ground. Be strong and sing the strength of the Great Powers within you, all around you."

--Village Wise Man, SIOUX

The Elders say the Native American women will lead the healing among the tribes. We need to especially pray for our women, and ask the Creator to bless them and give them strength. Inside them are the powers of love and strength given by the Moon and the Earth. When everyone else gives up, it is the women who sings the songs of strength. She is the backbone of the people. So, to our women we say, sing your songs of strength; pray for your special powers; keep our people strong; be respectful, gentle and modest.

Oh, Great One, bless our women. Make them strong today.
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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

What is the texture of life?

Texture is that finely woven fabric of life that demands we have a congenial environment. It asks that we be industrious toward success, and that we should have a way of life, a purpose. We should hear the music of life and taste the bitter and the sweet.

Texture requires us to research every experience and hear the lesson in it. It orders us to communicate with life and make discoveries about ourselves and progress toward a texture where the course has been refined.

Frequently we should examine the texture of life to identify the quality. How wide is my world? How high is my sky?

All of us should know our own makeup, our capabilities, our gifts with which we have been divinely endowed. And we should think long on these words from Edna St. Vincent Millay's Renascence:
"The world stands out on either side no wider than the heart is wide. Above the world is stretched the sky, no higher than the soul is high."
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November 5 - Daily Feast
Secretly, we are afraid others will see what we know is true - that we don't have what it takes. The Cherokee says we are not u wo hi yu - we lack confidence and we suspect others can see it. But no one can do everything - and, even if they can, they seldom do it. What we fear, others fear. Our needs are others' needs. Our thoughts, our worries, though hidden from view, are not in the heart of just one person - but all. There's no need for a stumbling block. We may not be superhuman but we are spirit, and spirit has no limits. Spirit is not dwarfed by circumstances. It has all power and makes us worthy.
~ He has done nothing for which an Indian ought to be ashamed. ~
BLACK HAWK - SAUK AND FOX
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 5
"You could study the ancestors, but without a deep feeling of communication with them it would be surface learning and surface talking. Once you have gone into yourself and have learnt very deeply, appreciate it, and relate to it very well, everything will come very easily."
--Ellen White, NANAIMO
Inside of every human being are our ancestors, and these ancestors still live. Today, the white man calls this DNA, but there is more than DNA. We have the ability to go inside of ourselves and learn from the ancestors. The ancestor teachings reside in the place of the center. The ancestors are waiting for us to come there so they can share the ancient teachings. It is said, "Be still and Know".
Great Spirit, let me walk in the stillness.
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'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
There are many fears in the minds of man, but none so subtle, yet so effectual, as fear of failure.
We are so afraid we've been unwise and wasted valuable time and it makes us wonder how many times we've failed those who depended upon us, and how many times we've failed ourselves.
Time seems too short to make up and overcome the things long past. It seems sometimes that opportunities are there and gone before we've had time to make use of them. We condemn ourselves so much for the lack of knowledge when we most needed it. But if decisions were made on afterthought, they might not be as wise as those made quickly, without time to think.
We should no longer think about past failures, nor give undue thought to our chances for future ones, but only begin now to do the very best we can.
True failure comes only to those who stop trying, for no age, no time, no place can stop the person who decides to try one more time. As Frederick William Farrar, English author, has written, "There is only one real failure in life that is possible, and that is, not to be true to the best one knows."
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November 6 - Daily Feast

Autumn sunshine warms the woods and brings out the elusive woodchuck to sleep in a rock slanted toward the sun. The downy woodpecker thumps on a hollow tree and a doe huffs as she slides her hooves through a carpet of autumn leaves, This is the season of mellow fruitfulness when seed fluffs drift on the breezes, and grasses colored rose and beige bend and bob. Whether it is nature or human nature, it is a time of subtle changes, a time when geese take to the southern skyways and man tries to predict the severity of winter. But back of it all is a loving Spirit who tells us to be anxious for nothing.

~ So why do you ask us to leave the rivers and the sun and the wind and live in houses? ~

PARRA-WA-SAMEN - COMANCHE WARRIOR CHIEF

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 6

"It is well to be good to women in the strength of our manhood because we must sit under their hands at both ends of our lives."

--He Dog, OGLALA LAKOTA

The women bring us into this life and nurture us as we grow up. When we reach our manhood, she supports us and sings the songs to help the family grow. The Elders say we must look at the woman in a sacred way. We must realize how special her powers are in brining forth life. The woman will bring balance to a man. The woman will help him see. It is said, behind every successful man is a supporting woman. Maybe we should examine how we are thinking about women. The Great Spirit says we should honor them. Are we respecting and honoring our women today?

Grandmother, Grandfather thank you for our women. Today, let me honor them.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

It is written that where there's a will there's a way. If s desire is sincere and the results are for the good of everyone, the first giant steps have already been taken. American clergyman Joel Hawes has been quoted, "You may be whatever you resolve to be. Determine to be something in the world, and you will be something - 'I cannot' never accomplishes anything; 'I will try' has wrought wonders."

A positive attitude can be one of the greatest joys to experience. To begin a day by willing everything good, and meeting any obstacle with the idea that it has no power, can make some of the most sudden and drastic changes in anyone's life.

To be something or someone is one of the strongest desires, but it does mean sacrifices of doubt and apprehension and feeling sorry for ones-self. It means laughing instead of lamenting. It means thinking positively and speaking good words.

It is said that a great deal of talent is lost in this world for the want of a little courage. We often think of courage as the kind that wins wars and braves new fronts. But there is another plain, ordinary kind of courage that helps us face our everyday problems.

There is a surprising lack of this kind of courage, and it leads us to seek ways to dodge our responsibilities. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to face everything and everyone and take a firm stand for what we believe. It takes courage to admit we have weaknesses and needs that we must overcome. It is a daily fight to follow the right road when the wrong one looks so smooth. And it takes courage to believe, when obstacles face us.

God has given courage to each of us, for strength to overcome is available to all who are courageous in asking for help to be courageous.
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November 7 - Daily Feast

Few children still have the chance to be innocent. They have been made to look like miniature adults, taught to act adult, and abused because of it. We sympathize with abused children and say that is the way the world is, what can we do? It is an easy loophole that lets us go on our way - wishing things were different but doing nothing to make it so. This is why we have so many throwaway children. We have cut loose from our responsibility to pray. Where did we go wrong? We made children competitive and gave them nothing for inner strength. We curled their hair and twisted their minds. They are going to learn it somewhere - so why not from us? Sadly, we haven't given them what they need because we don't have it ourselves.

~ Can it be that you and your children will hear that eternal song without a stricken heart? ~

EAGLE WING

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 7

"Abuse and repression have no place in a traditional family."

--Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders

Traditional families guided by their culture were taught how to live. The were taught about relationships, respect and spirituality. Only since alcohol was introduced to Indians have we seen physical abuse, sexual abuse and verbal abuse. These behaviors have no room in traditional families. The cycle of abuse must be broken during this generation. We do this by asking for help to quit drinking and abusing and return to our traditional culture and spirituality.

Creator, plant inside of me the knowledge of the traditional family.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Sensibility is said to be neither good nor evil in itself, but in its application. Sometimes we just "out-sensible" ourselves. In the course of years, we come to see the pattern of the truly sensible. What have we at this moment that really means anything? Does it give us happiness? Did it once seem most impractical? Was it worth fighting for?

The intellectual strives for knowledge and in his absorption leaves the world but hardly leaves a vacancy. The materialistic must have everything at the price of peace, and their possessions decay but never their chaotic souls. And the insecure forfeit the most minute comforts to save for that rainy day. Happiness would have been greater and far more lasting if the fund has been smaller and used as an opportunity fund.

The fine line of sensibility can be most elusive, but it seems to be more clearly seen when we relax and quit shoving to get there. If the place we desire is meant for us, it will come when we learn the way isn't always sharp and direct and by demand.

[bluidkiti]

November 8 - Daily Feast

Listen, if you do not care about yourself, who is going to? If you are not acquainted with your own spirit, who will be? Listen, there are secrets in your heart that you have refused to hear. There is strength in your mind and in your soul that you have not used. Who told you that you would never amount to anything? Did you say it, or did you hear it said? It is a lie. You see, Spirit is the only One that knows you. Has He said you won't make it? Never, because He knows you can. If you will only believe in yourself, if you will only take the initiative and move one step, He will move two. All you have to do is to care about yourself and your Creator.

~ I have nothing bad in my breast at all; everything is all right there. ~

SATANTA - KIOWA CHIEFTAN

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 8

"See how the boy is with his sister and the other ones of his home lodge and you can know how the man will be with your daughter."

--LAKOTA Proverb

Very early in our lives we form beliefs, attitudes, expectations and habits. We will live by these habits when we are older. The Elders say to watch the boy with his sister. If he is respectful and treats her good, then odds are that is the way he will treat all women when he is older. Also, watch the young girl and how she treats her brother, for that will indicate what kind of woman she will be to her man. We need to teach our children to respect one another while they are young. The best way to teach them is to show respect ourselves.

Great Spirit, let me be a role model for the children.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Life equips us in many ways for very special purposes. Some never catch the high vision as to why they may be the objects of ridicule or the witness of cruelty - while others bear the brunt of many heartaches and still are capable of knowing compassion for those who cause it.

Jesus was such a man - He withstood more than we are able to comprehend, but He asked that his tormentors be forgiven for they knew not what they were doing.

It is our individual decision whether we choose to be one of the throng of agitators who see only to confirm what everyone else is doing, or we can catch the vision of greater things and walk firmly in paths we believe are right.

To fall into the roll of just another face in the crowd is an ill-chosen path, but to lead others to follow is the essence of parasitism - the need to have others be just as nameless and even more dependent.
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November 9 - Daily Feast

The land has taken on the look of Thanksgiving time, of fallen acorns and pecans and walnuts. Now we see the bare branches of oaks like muscled arms lifted toward the sky, and fragrant smoke settles in the valley and hangs like gauzy curtains along the river. Southbound geese, called by the Cherokee as as-u in go di, still put down in the open fields to feed, to flap their huge wings, and to honk. They are not the least startled by passersby. It was a time like this when Wolf George came to my grandmother's bearing a beautiful turkey for dinner. E li is said, "A fine turkey, good tasting. Did you raise it?" In his gruff full-blood tones he told the truth as he saw it, "No ma'am. Saw it roosting. Got it before someone stole it."

~ If any white man steal our stock, I will report it openly. ~

SATANTA - KIOWA, 1800s

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 9

"Language is a vehicle for carrying spirit, life, family. Language, religion, and land base are three things that characterize culture."

--Edmund Ladd, ZUNI PUEBLO

The Elders say we need to know the answers to three questions in order for us to be connected the Earth, the Sky, the East, the West, the South, the North. The three questions are: 1. Why are we? 2. Who are we? 3. Where are we going? If we know the language, if we have our spirituality and if we can pray on sacred spots, then we are able to seek the answer to the questions. We must protect the language, religion and land so our future generations can stay connected.

Great Spirit, help us maintain our language, spirit, family, religion and our Mother Earth.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

"There is no royal road to anything - One thing at a time, and all things in succession. That which grows slowly endures."
- J.G. Holland

The first lesson we have to learn is that instant success in anything is a fantasy. The overnight success stories we hear about are really products of much preparation.

If we could view a life laid out before us, we could see it is much like a hand sewn quilt, built of many tiny pieces, colors of every hue, fabrics of every kind, and patiently joined together by tiny stitches to give many years of service. Maybe we missed a stitch someplace and it caused a weak place, but the strength of many other stitches will carry it through. Finally a complete quilt has been created and it is strong and lasting.

When we truly want to move ahead we build our lives a quilt block at a time, patiently adding to another part of life until we have the strength and courage to endure.

Take on step at a time, but take it positively forward! The patience will be rewarded. To have a dream come true we must first have a dream. Don't look back. The past is gone, but the future is still in our hands.
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November 10 - Daily Feast

For those who have a wait-and-see attitude it is more wait than see. Then they claim it is better to not expect anything than to be disappointed. These people build the same mental images - but they see nothing. Being able to see in the spirit is as necessary as having a blueprint to build a house. The details need to be filled in, finally coming to that completed picture - so vivid and clear that it must come into being. Anything we touch or use was first an image, an idea, in someone's mind. Seeing it and sensing it and loving it is writing an order to receive it. Mental images should never lack from a poor consciousness. Even if it seems impossible, fill it in. Ideas often have miracles of their own.

~ Our fathers gave us many laws, which they learned from their fathers. These laws were good. ~

IN-MUT-TOO-YAH-LAT-LAT - NEZ PERCE

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 10

"The battle for Indian children will be won in the classroom, not on the streets or on horses. The students of today are our warriors of tomorrow."

--Wilma P. Mankiller, CHEROKEE

The world is constantly changing. One of the strengths of Indian people has been our adaptability. In today's world, education is what we need to survive. We need doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists. We can become these things and still live in a cultural way. We need to live in two worlds; the educated world and the Indian cultural world. Education will help protect our land, our people's health, and provide knowledge for our people. We must teach reading, writing and arithmetic. Also, we must teach the language, the culture, the ceremony and the tradition of our people.

Creator, let me remember You are my teacher.

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'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 room 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 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 firmly 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.
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November 11 - Daily Feast

I sat on the pine floor behind her wood range and played with my doll while she sang "Beulah Land" and made biscuits for supper. It was a comforting hour, a time of homecoming, an aroma of baking bread and laughter and sharing what happened during the day. E li si , Grandmother, was a caretaker, a person who fed all who came through the countryside with no hope for supper and no place to sleep. She gathered in family and impressed on them the need to help each other; she asked no favors and gave of all she had. She walks in my memory as surely as she ever walked - and surely she walks with others too.

~ I have not forgotten what you told me, although a long time has passed. I keep it in my memory. ~

GERONIMO - APACHE

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 11

"If you don't know the language, you'll only see the surface of the culture...the language is the heart of the culture and you cannot separate it."

--Elaine Ramos, TLINGIT

The Creator gave to every person their own special way to communicate and understand. Indians understand connectedness, balance, harmony, spirituality and the relationship to Mother Earth. The understanding of these things is expressed in the language. The true understanding of culture is expressed in the language. The language is the heart of the people. If we have not learned the language, we need to find a teacher.

Great Spirit, help me to learn the culture. Let me pray and sing to You in my language.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

How weak-willed are we at times when we've made a decision and know we must stand on it. It is so much easier to give in to the easy way of doing things.

We are almost a "house divided against itself," and the strain of staying with a decision seems almost our enemy. But we never gain mush stature by giving in to ourselves against our better judgment. And we never get anywhere by scattering our efforts.

Making a decisions is difficult enough without losing one's determination in following through. Laying down the responsibility is somewhat like warning children to behave themselves and then permitting them to continue to misbehave.

How long has it been since you've proven to yourself that you mean business in carrying out a plan?

A man of wisdom has written that we have firmness of character when we have the ability to say "no" to the wrong as well as to those things which are good but stand in the way of our progress.

Always remember that to want something that is good and right is the blessing. God gave us the ability to desire of we would never have thought of using it. But God also gave us the ability to cry, to feel pain, and the freedom to choose whether we go on or quit.

In our lives we face many decisions. Some are hard to make because we know we must turn our backs upon something that seems harmless at the moment simply because we know it would not be good in the long run.

But there are also decisions that are more challenge than decision. They are the good things that are placed before us, and our will to follow through is tested. When defeat seems sure, then is the time to begin to fight. When others are quitting, then is the time to throw more strength into the battle. Anything worth having is worth working for, and is of lasting value.

Very often these sieges must be made silently and without seeming effort. And yet we know we cannot get something for nothing. We have a service to perform. We can make it a drudge, or we can make it a delightful experience, according to our faith. Be persistent. Unless you do not particularly want your dreams to come true, you can't afford to know the meaning of apathy. You must continually be on the scene with the muscles of your mind toned.

It isn't difficult to have a dream. But it often ceases at that point. The willingness to follow through, the determination to look impossibilities in the eye and trudge on must be practiced before that dream can amount to anything.

All along life's road there are those who would discourage you, very often in ignorance, not realizing the effect of their words upon you. It is then that you must muster the strength to believe that theirs is only an opinion while your plans are based on the principle that all good things come to those who hustle while they wait.

It is too bad that they cannot see your invisible companions, persistence, faith, and a worthwhile plan. Smile and walk on.

There is a Divine being with whom we can place all our obstacles, all our doubts and fears - and then our work begins. We give lovingly of friendship, of any kind of help that we are capable of giving, of positive words and thoughts and understanding.
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November 12 - Daily Feast

Misery seems to justify making someone pay - but there is sweet revenge in finding our own inner spirit can expand quickly to push out unfairness and bitterness. Who doesn't have the right to be bitter? A hard thing to forget, a mountain to overcome - but such peace follows. Peace spreads like warm honey across a hot biscuit and permeates all the little places that capture and hold it. The heart lifts its hands in praise for relief from the darkness of bitter memories. All of us can do it - all of us must if we are to be well and have something to share. Just let it go. Life will balance the books, it always does.

~ While living I want to live well. ~

GERONIMO - CHIRACAHUA APACHE

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 12

"I don't think that anybody anywhere can talk about the future of their people or of an organization without talking about education. Whoever controls the education of our children controls our future, the future of the Cherokee people and of the Cherokee Nation."

--Wilma P. Mankiller, CHEROKEE

The world has changed in the last 50 years. It will change even more in the next 50 years, and it will change even faster. We must educate ourselves to ensure our future generations will maintain the language and the culture of our people. We need to be concerned about our land because when our land goes away, so will our people. We need to be concerned about leadership, our families and about alcoholism. We need to be concerned about what's going on around the world. We can only do this by being educated. Then we can control our future.

Great Spirit, please guide our children; let me know how I can help.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

At night sometimes the world seems so topsy-turvy and you're so weary of doing things the same old way. Then nothing seems to please....You try desperately for something new and different, something that doesn't seem so much like you. Why? Tonight you are different.

One cannot expect the world to be top side up all the time. Such perfection does not come so easily to human nature. And always there is a search for something new and different. A change of pace....that thought that I don't want to be me today, to think my thoughts and do my daily chores. I want to make a complete change now, to know a whole new way of life. And it is good to leave behind the many daily situations that sometimes stand too closely to be seen clearly, but to be wise enough to know which things should be left behind.

There have been clean sweeps that have left behind the dearest things....and have taken along the same dreary, dark unhappy things of the mind that should have been left behind.

A line from the prayer of serenity is "The wisdom to know the difference....." And wisdom, says Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is common sense in an uncommon degree. If one has the wisdom to wait a bit, wait until morning - or several mornings - that uncommon degree of common sense will give us the wisdom to know the difference.
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November 13 - Daily Feast

Brilliantly colored flashing graphics, moving, walking, and yelling salespeople, and too much real-life drama makes us sigh and give thanks for a television remote control. We forget we have another remote control right in our thinking. We can change channels - even eliminate crazy pictures that try to fix themselves in our minds. Good music helps to soothe out the wrinkles in our turbulent thinking. Wasn't it Saul that called for a musician when he needed to think or pray? Give yourself credit for taking control - for choosing well - and watch things turn around.

~ Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries untold, and that which to us appears changeless and eternal, may change. ~

SEATTLE - SUQUAMISH

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 13

"My Grandfather survived on this earth without using anything that did not got back into the earth. The whole world could learn from that."

--Floyd Westerman, SIOUX

Our grandfathers knew how to live in harmony. They did not create poisons or technologies that destroyed things. They did not make their decisions based on greed or for selfish reasons. They did not take more then they used. Their thoughts and actions were about respect. The Elders conducted themselves in a respectful way. We need to consider our actions around respect for Mother Earth.

My Creator, have the grandfathers teach us today about the old ways.
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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

We often wonder why we must come in contact with some phases of life that seem so unrelated to how we think and plan. It seems we should be able to proceed without stopping all along the way to contend with things that really have little kinship to what we're trying to do.

But no matter how we question and analyze, situations and events continue to present themselves for solving. It takes a great deal of wisdom to know the difference between that which we must do and that which we must refuse serious consideration. This very thin line is the deciding factor in the victory or defeat of any plan.

Like a well-written story, sometimes the smallest incident hidden among our experiences can play a very big part at some later time. It is difficult to know just which parts of the puzzle will fall into place to complete a picture we seek.

We must take one step at a time, being sensibly aware of the thoughts we store in our minds. For "as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is." As long as we dwell on all the unnecessary activities we will never have time for the important things. If we seek the wisdom of the one Creative Mind we have much less chance of being led astray by the glitter of unimportant things.
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November 14 - Daily Feast

Having a career agenda is nothing without a spiritual agenda to back it up. Good plans and good intentions are a part of getting ahead, but it's not so different from whipping up a cake and finding there's no oven to bake it in. We are not one dimension, or two - we are three dimensions: body, mind and spirit. Only a very foolish person believes you can develop one part and ignore the others. Balance is important - perfect balance. It is the only way we do anything, because without it we fall flat on our faces. So why plan on the sky being the limit when there's no idea what the Spirit it. Cool and suave it isn't, solid as gold it is.

~ When we look into the history of our race, we see some green spots that are pleasing to us. We also find many things to make the heart sad. ~

JOHN ROSS - CHEROKEE CHIEF

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 14

"The hearts of little children are pure, and therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss."

--Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) OGLALA LAKOTA

Sometimes adults think they know more than the children. But the children are closer to the truth. Have you ever noticed how quickly they can let go of resentments? Have you ever noticed how free they are of prejudice? Have you ever noticed how well the children listen to their bodies? Maybe adults need to be more like children. They are so innocent. The children pray to the Creator and trust that He will take care of them.

Grandfather, today let the children be my teacher.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

All of us have at sometime questioned our normalcy as human beings. We wonder why we did this or that, why we reacted to something so violently, or why we failed to react at all. An American author, Katherine Fullerton Gerould, has written, "The only glory most of us have to hope for is the glory of being normal." And for all our questionable actions sometimes, normal people must be those who have felt not only the high points, but the low points of their emotions.

It is not the fact that people run the gamut of their emotions that make them normal, but that they have had the ability to right themselves before they could impose upon the rights of others.

The persons who never lose their tempers, not shed tears, nor refuse to respond to other people, but stay day after day in light, shallow experience, have never know what it is to come into the center of the calm so richly appreciated.

All of us have made mistakes in behavior, some in ignorance, but more in bad taste. Perfection belongs to a higher Source. It is ours to strive for, and our mistakes are to use in the growing-up process.
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November 15 - Daily Feast

Walking in a garden is little different from walking into a room full of people. Color, shape, size, all play a part - and the more varied, the greater the interest. Only a few dominate the garden, and they are not always the prettiest. Some are herbs and serve as good medicine, while others stand in pretty little groups and dance in the breezes. Each of us is a part of the garden. Do we add or detract? Are we fragrant and do we require sunlight or can we survive in the shade? Do we need constant attention or are we perennial - faithful to our place and doing our best to bloom?

~ Two branches of the ancient Cherokee family....it has become essential to the general welfare that a union should be formed. ~

SEQUOYAH - CHEROKEE TALKING LEAVES

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 15

"Our Spiritual belief is that we were created as part of the land - so our identity, our names, and our songs are all tied to the land."

--Chief Roderick Robinson, NISGA'A

In the traditional way, the names of native people had great meaning. We even had naming ceremonies. The naming of someone was very important and had great significance because it was tied to the Earth. The identity of each member and the teachings of the songs were all tied to Mother Earth. We need to know these teachings from our culture. This knowledge will help us heal the people.

My Maker, today help me find my identity.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There comes a time when we have to turn a firm and deaf ear to those people who have no other intention than to disturb our peace of mind. There comes a time when we have to turn ourselves about in our very tracks and ignore the bitter complaining voices of experience.

There comes a time when we have to get angry with ourselves for allowing bad to become worse when there is Someone bigger than we are who can handle everything.

There comes a time when we have to make a decision and to be so firm that it leaves no doubt in our minds that we know what we must do - and then do it.

There comes a time when we have to hear music and feel peace, or we have no foundation for living.

There comes a time when we must learn to appreciate and be thankful or lose all that matters to us.

There comes a time when we recognize the many faces of God as true blessings and give thanks.

[bluidkiti]

November 16 - Daily Feast

Things have a way of growing out of bounds in the dark of thought. But we can control them by easing them out gently, the way steam escapes the kettle. The worst thing is to feed more fuel into our emotions than we can handle. Turn off the heat and the pressure will ease. Lay blame aside - especially self-blame. You can't do any good if you are dwelling on what went wrong. Forgive yourself and others. Nothing removes the blocks like forgiving. This is survival time and no injustice should be harbored. Make a new beginning and don't stop until it is done. You will know when that is.

~ The Great Spirit has heard me, and he knows I have spoken the truth. ~

KEOKUK - SAC AND FOX

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 16

"We do not want riches, but we want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches, we want peace and love."

--Red Cloud, OGLALA LAKOTA

The Elders say that what is important is peace and love. To have material things is okay, but if not, that's okay too. To have peace and love is more important than anything material. Our children will see the value of peace and love only if adults show they are a priority. Too often we think we can offer material things and they will replace the time spent with our children. But the most important way to give our children peace and love is to spend time with them.

My Creator, give me Your peace and love today.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Don't try to tell me what your enemy looks like. My enemy is lazy, a procrastinator that spends most of the time talking me out of success. My enemy says friends are fickle and true ones are most infrequent. Faith, I'm told, is not enough to carry me over barriers. And I'm not loved so much as others, but that's all right because what good is love?

The day is dreary, my enemy says, and the flowers at my feet will soon wilt. I shouldn't smile at anyone today because they won't smile back at me.

This will be one of those days when everything goes wrong, my enemy tells me, and if I do anything right someone else will get the credit. I should watch the clock and realize how long the day is and how weary I am.

Don't tell me about your enemy, I have one of my own. But the fact that I know my enemy makes all the difference. My enemy lies to me and wants to destroy me. So I'll refuse to give my enemy power this day by giving a special measure of love to my friends and knowing that everything is exactly the opposite of what my enemy tells me.
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November 17 - Daily Feast

Once we have been afraid of something it is never hard to be afraid of it again. The memory hangs in the back of the kind the way an insect can get caught in a swinging fragment of spider web. Although the same experience may not come again, even its possibility is terrorizing. Fear is our most common emotion. It is the magician's stick that stirs the bubbling brew of all our negative feelings. Somewhere in our growing up years we learned to hide our deepest fears, but now and again we find them all over again. Action, doing something constructive, meets fear on the darkest path and does not flinch. We give life a quiet balance when we say to fear, You are not acceptable. I am in control and I choose freedom.

~ It behooves you to learn well what you are taught here. ~

SITTING BULL - SIOUX

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 17

"Humbleness means peace, honesty -- all mean Hopi. True, honest, perfect words -- that's what we call Hopi words. In all languages, not just in Hopi. We strive to be Hopi. We call ourselves Hopi because maybe one or two of us will become Hopi. Each person must look into their heart and make changes so that you may become Hopi when you reach your destination."

--Percy Lomaquahu, HOPI

The Creator has made available to us all the laws, principles and values which we need to know to live in harmony. The Creator also designed each human being to learn and grow by trail and error. We have tools to help us live the right way. We have prayers, visions, nature, teachers, Elders, and we have the Great Spirit to talk to and ask for help when we have problems. We also have choice. To walk the Red Road takes courage and a lot of prayer.

Creator, give me courage to walk the Red Road.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Lie offers us a great deal of stormy weather. In the beginning we are quite strong about it, taking things in stride and moving confidently along. The things that test us seem to give us extra strength we didn't know belonged to us. And quite suddenly there is awareness that enough is enough. But life doesn't know it, and the storm goes on and so do we.

Even though we are quite willing to give as long as we have to give, there seems to be no more stretch to the strength, either spiritually, mentally, or physically. We question how much longer, how many more times we shall be able to reach into our bag of reserves to borrow another ounce of strength.

Of course, the first thing we must do is to take our minds off the thing as we do not want it, and begin to think steadily about how we do want it. It allows our creative minds to find the answers. It may mean we will have to wait awhile in the dark, but when the light comes, it is radiant.

There are many things that stay our feet along the way, but faith that this too will pass can make that way serene.
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November 18 - Daily Feast

Never be so bent to certain beliefs that it is impossible to see the little things that make life so much sweeter. Sure, you're going to have to deal with things - that's life. But if you don't get down in it and lose your overall perspective, you'll make short order of the work. When you love other people you listen to their problems and offer them help, but you don't take their responsibility. You just help. Mothers and grandmothers have always had the tendency to take the whole burden, but you shouldn't. Children have to learn there is help - but some of it comes from them.

~ Now many things have happened that are not your fault. ~

GALL - SIOUX

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 18

"Power is not manifested in the human being. True power is in the Creator."

--Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

The Old Ones say the only true power is spiritual power. Sometimes our egos tell us we have power but really we don't. Great Spirit power is called by other names such as love, forgiveness, intelligence, life, principles and laws. When the Creator uses this power to make the human being powerful, we must stay humble. We should constantly acknowledge that we are who we are. We do what we do because of the power of the Great One.

Great One, guide me to use Your power well. I will use it only to serve the people.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

We pray for a change, we hope for a change, but we wait impatiently. Is God not hearing us? We asked. Where is the answer?

If our prayers were suddenly answered, would we be ready? Or would we look behind us for the familiar things, the people, the habits, the routine?

If we were instantly healed, instantly prospered, instantly sought after and loved, then what would we do? Attention, compassion and self-pity are sometimes more important than having everything changed for the better. The fear of being without something to keep us working with the same burden, dealing with familiar pain, can stop us from knowing what it is to be free and well.

If we can envision life without a particular problem we can turn our minds to real change and have it happen. If we can see change, receive it, and know the joy, then gratitude and thanksgiving sets it in place.
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November 19 - Daily Feast

It is lovely to think of you when leaves and grasses are all shades of chrysanthemums and sunshine is golden through the autumn haze. It is soothing to remember you when all is quiet in the midnight hour, when it is velvet or bathed in silver. It is comforting to know your faith overcomes your fears, that peace permeates your whole existence. You are aware that nothing equals the peace that passes all understanding. It is with gratitude I know you are wise beyond human comprehension - and kind, even when there is reason not to be. You are the Great Spirit, the endless, loving Presence that blesses us in every hour.

~ The Creator ordained that people should live to an old age. ~

HANDSOME LAKE - SENECA, 1800s

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 19

Where there is vision, the people live. They are made rich in the things of the spirit; and then, as the logical next step, they are rich in human life.
-- Phil Lane, Sr., YANKTON SIOUX
Since the beginning of time, Indian people have been blessed with the ability and knowledge of the vision. The vision determines our future. The concept is, we move toward and become that which we think about. We have known that all visions are about the Great Spirit. They should include God's will in every area of our lives. We should have visions about our people, about healthy relationships, about helping others, about being happy, about being educated. Each day we should renew our vision. We should ask the Creator to give us a vision of what He wants us to be and where He wants us to go in our lives. We should be the seekers of vision.

Great Spirit, give me a vision to follow today. Let me do Your will.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

In this day of emphasis on right connections with the right people, in the right places, at the right time, we must have truly extraordinary qualities to become successes on our own.

They who have worked hard and achieved success often carry a double burden by wrongful accusations of being privileged characters. Perhaps some to whom doors automatically open because of right connections seem to be privileged characters, but they, like dictators, have a limited existence.

Having connections may help us on the ladder of life, but it will never keep those rungs steady beneath our feet. Only our own greatness keeps us tall, sun-crowned. We must have something to give, something to offer before we can expect to be truly privileged characters. And then, we will have earned the right to our privileges. We are somewhat like God, blamed for much we don't do and seldom given credit for the good we have done.

Whatever the future, the world still needs citizens like those J.G. Holland wrote about nearly a century ago: "God give us men. The times demand strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and willing hands.....Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog, in public duty and in private thinking!"
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November 20 - Daily Feast

Always take into account what your mind has in it. What of the world have you taken in and stored in all the little crevices and avenues of your mind and thinking? Guard your mind, for out of it comes what you think is possible for you. If you have stored defeat and rejection, those are the only things you have to draw on. Our voices record everything we say within our minds and hearts. Blessing or swear words, sarcasm or snappy cynicism, all are there, and all have a part in ruling life. This is the hardest part to sweep out and control, but it can be done - and it is better than storing trash.

~ Neither anger nor fury shall be found lodging in their minds. ~

IROQUOIS - CIRCA 1570

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 20

"Money cannot buy affection."

--Mangas Coloradas, APACHE

In these modern times we put too much emphasis on material things and on money. We believe that money is power. If we have money, people will respect us. If we have money, people will admire us. If we have money, we can have anything we want. Maybe we can purchase anything in the material world, but we cannot purchase anything in the Unseen World. The Unseen World is not for sale. It can only be given away. Love, affection, admiration, trust, respect, commitment -- these must be earned or given away. If we use these things from the Unseen World, we are using real power.

My Creator, let me demonstrate Your power today. Let me be loving to all I meet.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

How much voice do we really have in our own affairs? How free are we to speak out on the things we know and believe and want to say? How much voice do we have in public affairs?

How much goes unsaid because it may be bad for business, or it might make us look foolish? How often we should speak up but think it is none of our business? How quiet we are when someone's unethical hand does wrong.

What is it that inhibits us? Our own fears. Fear of our own ignorance, fear of losing, fear of the bugaboos we know lurk somewhere, but just aren't sure where.

Who are the people who are free of fears? They are the individuals who govern themselves in such a manner as to have thought out their own ideas enough to be able to speak freely for themselves.

Ethics would seem to be something to ignore if you wish to be successful in business. Many people strive harder today than at any other time to divide their lives so that being seen in church is good taste, and being unethical in business proves they are shrewd. Being successful isn't nearly as important as proving that they've gotten that way by the clever undoing of their opposition.

There was a time when building a better mouse trap by the most efficient methods gave us satisfaction, but too often these days we are impressed because someone is smart. Not smart with intelligence, but smart with the cunning that goes along with the jungle code of getting before someone gets you.

The person who tries to get ahead by ethical methods, and by wanting only to provide something better than is already in existence, must also be equipped to withstand ridicule.

Frankly, the race of the tortoise and the hare is still on, and while the hare is tearing around showing off its ability to be a fast runner, the tortoise is making progress, and never losing its way.

Socrates, being asked the way to honest fame, said, "Study to be what you wish to seem." Success takes time and moral discipline, but our successes will be as human beings first, and then the crown of success in business will sit easily and firmly.
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November 21 - Daily Feast

Never say to yourself, "This may not work." Give support to whatever you try. You see, it hears you. It accepts your decision even before you begin. Always tell your work that it is good and that it will serve a purpose long after it is finished. To tell it anything else is calling it by unseemly names, names that oppose its good success. Call life by its beautiful names. Tell it how strong and honorable and good it is. It is your life and your voice, and you have the right to use them together for every good purpose.

~ There was never a question as to the supremacy of an evil power over and above the power of good. ~

STANDING BEAR - SIOUX

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 21

"In the absence of the sacred, nothing is sacred -- everything is for sale."
--Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

The Elders often say that when something is sacred it has spiritual value. You'll hear, on the Earth there are sacred spots. You'll hear, our ceremonies are sacred, our children are sacred, marriage is sacred. When something is sacred it means it's so holy you can't attach a value to it. Therefore, it's not for sale. It's an insult to suggest buying something sacred. On the other hand, if we look at it differently, as there is no sacred land, ceremonies are not sacred, our children are not sacred, etc., then everything is for sale. Sacredness creates spiritual space. Sacredness makes things holy. Sacredness shows respect for God.

Great Spirit, let me honor things that are sacred.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Prisoners never love their jails. And the same holds true for all kinds of prisoners, whether they be dogs on leashes or human beings tied to responsibilities. If they are there of their own free will and because they have a sense of belonging, the connecting link is made of love.

Responsible people with an assignment, and the feeling that it is theirs alone, will do it to the best of their ability and see it through. But if they must be watched and directed in every step, then it is a jail and the first thought is how to get out.

Freedom to be an individual with the right to make even small decisions is a precious possession. Freedom to come and go can build faith and trust within people, to make them stick closer than brothers. The rigid rules and constant prodding of a free spirit will force them to find that freedom.

We simply cannot keep another in bondage without being in bondage ourselves. To hold humanity by invisible force is to keep constant watch. And even beneath that watchful eye there will be a continual search for escape.

Anyone completely dependent upon others must always bear their will-O-the-wisp attitudes and the rising and lowering of the emotional tides. However, it is presumptuous of anyone to believe they can possibly be completely independent of others. Without other people, we cannot exist.

But to believe we are doing our best for anyone except ourselves is to build on sand. Of course other inspire us. They give us reasons to be better. They give us the benefit of their experience, but we seldom learn from that. We demand experience of our own. So consequently, we err and make it right. We mar and erase. And sometimes we try and fail, but always it is up to us to decide whether we do better or worse.

We can despair easily if allowed to become completely and utterly dependent upon others. They are human and they make mistakes. But we must know some measure of forgiveness the same as we must know some independence, if only in the spirit. And if the spirit is free, then all else shall be too.
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November 22 - Daily Feast

Don't let the night make you afraid. As children, our e li is (grandmother) was conservative with oil for lamps and it was a joyful time when family and friends gathered on the porch or sat on the grass and told stories after night. It was not uncommon to hear the high whine of mosquitoes. "Smudges" or small fires were laid to smoke a lot and keep the mosquitoes at bay. Someone told snake stories or ghost stories, someone sang, someone related funny tales - but the night made it possible. Shy visitors were secure; the caring and kinship melded friendships together and children finally fell asleep on comfortable laps. Neighbors drifted away; they would happily come again-when it was night.

~ Give us wisdom to guide us on the path of truth. ~

SOSE-HA-WA - SENECA

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 22

"It's the most precious thing...to know absolutely where you belong. There's a whole emotional wrapping-around-of-you here. You see the same rock, tree, road, clouds, sun - you develop a nice kind of intimacy with the world around you. To be intimate is to grow, to learn...[it] is absolutely fulfilling. Intimacy, that's my magic word for why I live here."
--Tessie Maranjo, SANTA CLARA PUEBLO

Every human being, to be mentally healthy, must have the feeling of belonging. When we have a sense of belonging we can be intimate. We can feel. We can connect. If we cannot develop this feeling of belonging, then we will feel lost of disconnected. To be disconnected from life is like walking around during the day not knowing the Sun exists. To have the feelings of intimacy is warm, glowy, joyful, loving and connected. The feeling this Elder is talking about is available to everyone.

Great Spirit, let me be intimate.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

The setting of the sun on an old year is a kind of summing up time. What have you accomplished? What were your goals? Will they be higher in the new year?

Whatever your personal plans and whatever the reasons back of them, there are common everyday kinds of people that should be kept in view. They have positive outlooks, and are best recognized when sincerely listening to a child's words.

You will see them when they steady the elderly, you will know them by their kindness. You will not often hear their prayers as they are for their God. But you will know they are to be depended upon and that they will not tire of these things, for it is their natural role.

Think about these people when you set your plans. They are good to remember. Your success or failure depends upon these people being you.

[bluidkiti]

November 23 - Daily Feast

Saying is claiming and claiming is putting a brand on something - not so different from the rancher that brands his cattle. Be careful what you claim as your own, because you will get it whether it is good for you or not. Old decrepit age is claimed by more people than anything else. They listen to advertising and medical reports and believe they are supposed to begin giving up when they are just past forty. Many things "could" happen, as the reporters say, but not if we stop claiming we are susceptible to every passing germ and every aging day. Speak the word and know it is right for us to brand our cattle any way we see fit - the very best, the very best.

~ Our old chiefs thought to show their friendship and good will, when they allowed this dangerous snake into our minds... ~

MAHPIUA LUTA - OGLALA SIOUX, 1800s

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 23

"We're sitting on our blessed Mother Earth from which we get our strength and determination, love and humility-all the beautiful attributes that we've been given. So turn to one another; love one another; respect one another; respect Mother Earth; respect the waters-because that's life itself!"

--Phil Lane, Sr. YANKTON SIOUX

Our entire point of view can be altered by making one change to align with the principles of the Great Spirit. Let's say we decide to become respectful. As we become respectful, our attitude will change. We will automatically draw into our lives knowledge about the other principles of the Great Spirit such as love, appreciation, trust, beauty, peace of mind. By focusing on these principles, we will let go of selfishness, self centeredness, self pity, dishonesty and fear. You focus on respect, you get respect; you focus on love, you get love; you focus on the Red Road, you get peace of mind.

Great Spirit, let me learn the lessons of respect.

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THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

A new galaxy of shining promises made to oneself are resolutions made with the utmost faith that self is listening and will carry out the plans.

But self is as unpredictable as a child playing in the street; it may dart in any direction, according to the mood and to whatever catches its attention. At the first sign of a challenge, self may race back and lean hard upon the old ways of doing things, no matter how wrong it may be. Resolutions do very little to change a way of living. They are easily made and easily forgotten. They may be a sincere desire to keep a resolution, but if self has not changed inwardly, little depend on the outward change.

It is said that we promise according to our hopes and perform according to our selfishness. Failure to keep our promises to others is a disappointment, but failure within oneself is a disaster.

A little performance is worth a host of promises on any day that starts a new year.
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November 24 - Daily Feast

It is your life, so get it all together. Go back and see where you dropped the threads you were weaving. Was there a weak one? Did it break or was it inferior from the beginning? Know these things. Know what happened and if it was your fault or if you tried to weave alien threads into your life. Never be afraid to admit fault, it is one of the most freeing things you can do. Simply say, "I was wrong and I am sorry. From this day on I do right" - and begin again. Unite your effort with your new vision and don't get lazy. Get it together - body, mind, and spirit - if you want a good life.

~ It has come to me as through the bushes that you are not yet all united; take time and become united.... ~

BIG BEAR - CREE, 1884

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 24

"Things would go well for us if we would think positively about everything."
--Mary Hayes, CLAOQUOT

Each of our thoughts are like individual seeds. These thoughts will plant our life garden. Whatever our thoughts, they grow in our gardens. Each day we will process about 50,000 thoughts or thought seeds. Positive thoughts will produce positive results. Have you ever been aware of what you are thinking about during the day? Of the possible 50,000 thoughts in one day-if the positive thoughts were flowers and the negative thoughts were weeds-how would your garden look at the end of the day?

Great Spirit, let me plant positive seeds.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

It is always amazing to hear someone scoff at the serious things. Perhaps they only scoff because they can't recognize anything really serious outside their own personal problems.....Or maybe they are just afraid to acknowledge anything they don't understand.

Whatever it is that keeps people thinking in such a limited area adds to the residue of dullness in their minds. And until they can mature enough to believe in something worthwhile they continue to add layer after layer of residue to the mind.

It is not surprising that some people believe themselves in possession of all knowledge to the point that they feel free to ridicule those who are still in the process of thinking things out. We can never truly judge another's reasoning. We can only see the results and with time it may be the person will break through that accumulation to wisdom and kindness that is so necessary in tolerating others' opinions and beliefs. Then will the residue diminish and there will be a renewal of the spirit.
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November 25 - Daily Feast

Agreement is a power tool in getting things done. It has been written that where two agree as touching anything on earth - it will happen. This can explain why some things happen and others do not. It is not often that we set out to agree with someone. More often we want to put our point across and we're not set to hear what someone else thinks is good. But this is one of the spiritual laws that govern a person's ability to live well on this earth. When you have a need, or there is something important that needs to happen, call in your agreement partner and make a pact. This is the gi ga, the covenant between two people that produces results.

~ At times we did not get enough to eat and we were not allowed to hunt. ~

CRAZY HORSE - SIOUX WAR CHIEF, 1877

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 25

"People and nations who understand the Natural Law are self-governing, following the principles of love and respect that insure freedom and peace."
--Traditional Circle of Elders, NAVAJO-HOPI Joint Use Area

The Natural Laws work hand-in-hand with the circle. Each part of a circle will look to the center and will see something different. For example, if you put an irregular shaped object in the center of a circle and you have people standing in a circle around the object, each one will describe it differently. Everyone in the circle will be right. Only by honoring and respecting everyone's input, can the truth about the object be revealed. We need to learn to honor differences.

My Creator, let me honor all differences.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Frequently quoted American editor and author Christian Nestell Bovee wrote that sensitiveness is closely allied to egotism - indeed excessive sensitivity is only another name for morbid self-consciousness.

He wrote that the cure for it was to make more of our objectives and less of ourselves. And it isn't easy to make less of ourselves.

Everyone at some time has felt extreme sensitivity toward people and surroundings. It is a sensitiveness that does not always have a good effect - seemingly for no reason at all we exercise no control over the emotions. It can be frightening to realize that we are quote as capable of destroying as we are, at other times, of building.

It is written in the essays of Aristotle that there are right things to say and a right way of saying them; and the same is true of listening. So often we make a casual remark, not meant to be tactless, but somehow it turns out that way. When there is a desire to appear witty, or clever, at someone else's expense, there should be no pride in the results.

And when we listen to someone's casual remark and take offense, we must examine our own thoughts. If we allow our minds to run in channels of vulgarity and mockery, then we can also expect to interpret others' words to mean the same things.

We can so easily read the wrong things into others' conversations, and in our own efforts to express ourselves say such foolish things that we lose the priceless gifts of relaxation and fun of conversing with other people. And for these reasons we must cultivate the art of speaking and listening with the warmest heart - which harbors nothing that is not right.

It is a good idea in the most sensitive times to recognize them for what they are and to make a pact within one's self to by pass this time for serious thought and decision making. This, above all, should be a time for relaxing against the wind of oversensitivity. To resist it only strengthens it, and to look at it clearly and coolly will take away its mystery and its heat.

It is well to remember that the too-sensitive person is not the true self, but the one with the marvelous mental attitude most certainly is - wait for that person!
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November 26 - Daily Feast

The Tsa la gi (Cherokee) sense change. He doesn't take it from the world not does he hear it from a voice comes from a man. But when he stands by the flowing stream with arms outstretched, the voices speak. The wind has lifted high above, barely touching the limbs of autumn trees, but it has in it a voice that calls us to be ready for change. It is not an imagined thing, not a lower-spirit voice, but a true message from the Great Spirit to stop looking at hardship and fear, to prepare. A spirit of firmness comes in this call, but it is sweetness as well - a sweetness that heals all the wounds of centuries. It asks all the people to stand together in the true sense, and then they will never fail.

~ Remember! I have warned you to beware.... ~

PACHGANTSCHILHILAS - DELAWARE, 1700s

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 26

"In our traditional ways, the woman is the foundation of the family."

--Haida Gwaii Traditional Circle of Elders

We must pay attention to the role of the woman in the family. She is the heartbeat of the family. She should be respected and treated in a sacred manner. We should listen to her guidance. We should help make her role easier by helping with chores or just telling her how much we appreciate her.

Great Spirit, I ask you to bless all the moms.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Remember all those times when you made three trips to the other room to get something, and before you got there you had already forgotten what it was? Didn't the thought of age dimming your memory enter your mind at those times?

There's really no need to waste time thinking that way. It is not the case of a scattered memory, but a skittery mind, jumping from one subject to another with only circumstances to remind you.

And haven't you awakened sharply in the middle of the night because suddenly you remembered something you should have done, or something you must do? Age gain? No, it was the only time your subconscious mind ever found you quiet enough to remind you of something you wanted to remember.

Life would be so much more orderly if we took several minutes night and morning to sit completely away from outside sights and sounds to recall the important things. As long as we are able to see and hear the activity about it we have difficulty thinking soundly. The conscious mind is capable of carrying just so much, and then the debris must be cleared away before the "filed away" things in the subconscious can be remembered.

"Be still and know....."
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November 27 - Daily Feast

Those who have always been self-sufficient find it going against the grain to accept help from someone else. They have become the caretakers and giving over that responsibility is clearly unacceptable. But they can come to realize that leaning on someone else can be a sign of strength. Not everyone can do it - not everyone is willing. It takes a special strength to ask for help. But who knows what part this plays in the healing process. A time can come to show kindness and to be cooperative and to make it easy on someone else. This may be the proving time - the time that gives us a new understanding and compassion.

~ My brothers, a power which I cannot resist crowds me down the ground. I need help. ~

CHIEF STANDINGBEAR - PONCA

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 27

"The Natural Law is a spiritual law. Its powers are both light and dark."

--Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman Traditional Circle of Elders

There are some characteristics that are evident in the system which the Creator made. He made balance, harmony and polarity. In other words, every (+) plus has a (-) minus. Every positive has a negative; every up has a down; every problem has a solution. The Spiritual Law is the same-it has light and dark. Both are good, so both need to be honored. Lessons can be learned on both sides.

Great Spirit, teach me the powers of the Natural Laws.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
It doesn't seem that a simple thing like going fishing could have such excellent results when the world suddenly seems too much. It is a very difficult thing to worry about when your mind is fixed intently on a little red and white plastic float bobbing in the water.

Just taking one's mind off the general routine of living even for a short time is like a much needed and appreciated vacation. We seldom recognize the need for getting away from the monotony of following each day with another day exactly like it. We lose the value of the hours and minutes and lump them all together and plod along expecting miracles to come someday and save us.

The effort we have to give is in releasing the problem and concentrating on something beautifully simple and uncomplicated. Living doesn't seem so ominous when we can go fishing for a little peace and quiet, and sidetrack the things that weigh so heavily on our minds.

Good health is such a blessing. We don't all realize how much we aid or harm our own health. In fact, we give much more thought to being careful not to get wet than being careful not to get angry. And it is said that anger can lower resistance to colds much quicker than getting wet.

It is a proven fact that to feel love builds a resistance to illnesses while resentment and hate can destroy both mind and body.

Longfellow once wrote that joy, temperance, and repose would slam the door on the doctor's nose. There's no doubt but that most doctors' noses are safe. But they, too, would be glad if more patients would exercise their abilities to lift themselves out of mush of their ill health by knowing some measure of joy rather than self-pity, some healthy thoughts and less thoughts of self.

We lower our resistance to ill health in many ways, but none works against us as surely as worry, anxiety, and care, plus our inability to recognize the fact that we are our own greatest enemy.
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November 28 - Daily Feast

Cold wind and mist have pushed in to dampen the spirits of grownups - but not the children. These natural things are a part of their enjoyment during a Thanksgiving holiday. The woods ring with voices and the sounds of sword fights as rotten sticks collide in midair. No real duel could be this exciting or cause so many to roll in the leaves or to hide behind the gnarled wild rose. Evening brings a rush of feet. Coyotes have set up their evening concert and the horned owl has squalled enough to impress them that it must be suppertime beside the fire. It has been a good day and something to remember thankfully.

~ I will tell you my people, and I believe it, it is not wrong for us to get this food. ~

CHIEF WENINOCK - YAKIMA

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 28

"People say that crisis changes people and turns ordinary people into wiser or more responsible ones."
--Wilma Mankiller, CHEROKEE

There is a saying, conflict precedes clarity. The Medicine Wheel teachings say, in order for something to change it must first go through a struggle. When a crisis enters our lives, other powers are there to help us. We will learn some lessons. Will I honor and respect the next crisis?

Great Spirit, if a crisis occurs today, let me learn the lessons of wisdom.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Surely there is nothing so peaceful to the eye as the quiet, soft-hued hills resting in the autumn sun. We think if we could only get to those hills we could walk in the warmth of that sunlight and feel that peace in every nerve and muscle.

But so frequently we are unable to follow our wills. We are forced to sit where we are. And the very thought of being bound to this spot sometimes makes us restless, perhaps beyond reason. It creates a feeling of panic, that life will never be peaceful.

And then we look up into the limitless sky and see the depths and immensity of the universe, and we know that nothing binds us. That is, unless we want to be bound.

If we were to go to those hills, there would be others in the distance that would look as inviting. To hunt for peace outside ourselves is to ever be in search, and so to be bound again. But to loose that infinitely beautiful truth that peace is never there or there - but here, within me.

Most of us are lovers of familiar things. We love the routine of living, the security of knowing what is going to happen at a certain hour on a certain day. We love the knowledge that we will continue to love others even though we may not like what they are doing at the moment. We find great peace in knowing others will continue to love us even when we've been foolish.

The exciting and livable life is not always one of being on the go, being in entertaining places. The real life of life is not spangles that glitter and one continual round of gaiety.

Life is contentment; living in depth with a genuine love for work seasoned with recreation and freedom to worship where we choose and to pursue our talents as we please.

English author Samuel Johnson tells us that the fountain of content must spring up in the mind; and they who have so little knowledge of human nature as to see happiness by changing anything but their own dispositions will waste their lives in fruitless efforts.
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November 29 - Daily Feast

Too much looking back robs us of our natural ability to change things. We are too good at finding reasons for failing, too well trained in using logic to work out knotty decisions. Every thinking, praying human being has access to supernatural answers to his problems, but he cannot use only human reason. And more than anything he must not give excuses or blame others for his own mistakes. Not can we say that if we sit still long enough a miracle will happen. We have to use our minds and our hearts and our spirits - but we must also obey the rules.

~ Some of us seem to have a peculiar intuition. ~

OHIYESA - SANTEE DAKOTA

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 29

"Life, the circle, a measurement with no beginning and no end."

--Phillip Deere, MUSKOGEE-CREEK

The circle teaches us how the Creator made things and how to live. It teaches us how we should look at creation. Life travels in a circle. In the East is the baby, to the South is the youth, in the West is the adult and in the North is the Elder. Then we return to the Earth Mother to start the cycle again. We observe what is `around us' from the center of the circle. This develops our point of view. We must be careful not to become self-centered.

Great Spirit, let me observe life from the circle's point of view.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

We all develop our own ways of centering our lives on something. In our minds we each have a design of what we think we are capable of being. If we want to be what we think we are capable of being, then we must hold our design firmly in our minds until it is secured as the focal point.

Each life must have that focal point, the center of interest where all phases of life come together. A focal point gives strength and meaning to the smallest details of everyday living.

Dimension and depth belong to the life that is centered. Though it may take many forms we must always have a "home" to return to, knowing that here are the roots, the things that really matter.

There must be a blending of our lives with others. But to be happy with one's self, that focal point must be steady and true before we can feel contented that "all's right with the world."
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November 30 - Daily Feast

Lack of wisdom makes us believe we are destined to go through certain experiences. You can hear it in voices when we say, "It runs in the family." The thing that runs most in the family is the mouth - the need to warn and show fear and tell everyone we have bad blood. There is no bad blood that Spirit cannot fix. There is no ailment that is above His name. There is only hardheadedness on people's part to learn about it. If someone in your family had a magic recipe, you'd be conniving to get it. Think of all you could do, think what miracles you could perform. Yet, you have a spiritual gift that is idle - when it could be your greatest miracle.

~ They brought their accursed firewater to our village, making wolves of our warriors.....and when we protested and destroyed their bad spirits, they came in multitudes on horse back.... ~

BLACK HAWK - SAC, 1700s

'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - November 30

"Someone must speak for them. I do not see a delegation for the four footed. I see no seat for eagles. We forget and we consider ourselves superior, but we are after all a mere part of the Creation."

--Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

Whenever we make decisions, we need to look around and see who would be affected by them. If we change the course of a river, who, what will be affected? If we put poison on the gardens, who, what will be affected? If wee cut the trees and too many are cut, who, what will be affected? We need to become aware of the consequences of our actions. We need to pay attention to our thoughts. We are accountable to our children to leave the Earth in good shape.

My Creator, help me make right decisions.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There are two words in every life that mean more toward perfecting that life than any other thing. Those two words are the basis for every action. They are "personal responsibility."

Daniel Webster once wrote that the more important thought he ever had was that of his individual responsibility to God. It was his personal responsibility.

No matter how understanding other may be, how kind, and tolerant, there comes a time when we cannot ask, not expect to receive, help in our struggle. There are simply times when other people cannot cover for our poor performance. It soon becomes time for us to stand on our own feet, express our own feelings, and search out our own beliefs.

Others can run interference for us, make excuses for us, and guess at our feelings. But we don't begin to live until we've accepted our personal responsibilities. We must learn to express truth in everything from showing our love to voting in an election.

Life is one personal responsibility after another. Shifting it to another's shoulders loses some of the most important steps. Failure to recognize it is folly; ignoring it is stupidity; and accepting it is to find more truth and more strength than was ever imagined or expected.