Our bodies, once they are buried, return to Mother Earth from which we came, but the Spirit live on. The bodies, when they begin to decay, nurture the ground and become the grass that we see and the flowers that we smell and the air that we breathe through the trees that produce oxygen. So this is how they come back to us. Their Spirit is always with us. Sometimes they speak to us, but we have to learn how to listen. As long as we look to the modern world and the modern ways of living, we will have a hard time hearing them. Sometimes they try to warn us of things that are going to happen, so we need to fast for four days and go to a place where there will be no interruption, and listen, and if they have.

The Circle is a sacred symbol that reminds us that the entire universe moves and works in circles. At the very heart of the traditional way of life is a worldview that emphasizes this Circle of Life represented by the Medicine Wheel. Its components - spirit, natural, environment, body, and mind - symbolizes the four sacred points on a circle of the Four Sacred Directions - East, South, West, and North - represented in this Circle of Life. The Circle of Life symbolizes the innumerable circles that surround us, that exist within us, and of which we are all a part. It shows us the sacred relationship we have to all living things, to life itself. The Medicine Wheel thus serves as a reminder to honor the four sacred aspects of life and to seek harmony and balance in our own way.

The Medicine Way is based on an unwritten "code of ethics" that honors the natural laws of Creation to guide our way of life toward harmony and balance with all our relations - personal, social, and environmemtal. The "Way of the Circle" is passed down from generation to generation, from our Elders to the children in the form stories, traditions, customs, and teachings.

"Harmonic Ethic" is based on the communal spirit of cooperation and sharing, which guides much of our traditional Cherokee living. It is a way of life that gives purpose and direction to much of our interaction in this world. Wellness of the mind, body, spirit, and natural environment is an expression of the proper balance of all things. If we disturb or disrupt the natural balance of ourselves or others, illness may be the result, manifesting itself in the mind, body, spirit, or natural environment. However, all aspects are affected by such disturbances of the delicate balance as we easily realize when we abuse ourselves or others. The Harmonic Ethic is a way of maintaining the natural harmony and balance that exists within us, and with the world around us.

When Eagle speaks, he speaks in the way that he moves. He speaks with his eyes, with his balance, with his presence. He speaks from the energy and power of the Four Directions, and their sacred flow. He speaks from the Above World, and from Mother Earth, the Center. He speaks from the truth that soars in his heart and in his spirit. And as he speaks, he walks in beauty, and so, it is good.

The "Crystal Vision" is being able to see and feel your spiritual purpose. The crystal is more than just an energy stone. It is a spirit being with the healing energy of the Sun. It merges with our energy, or it may "feel" hot or repel like a magnet. Once merged or having the connection with our energy, there is a special feeling or awareness. You feel a spirit movement or a tingle that you know is powerful. Learning how to use the crystal is healing in itself, as you begin to go on a path of a "Crystal Vision." It is not a process as much as an experience.

In the traditional way, we call upon all our relations for strentgh, guidance, and wisdom. We call upon our relations for comfort and for sharing. There is harmony and balance in the energy of our connections. And one of the most powerful sources of strength and wisdom comes from the family with whom we are truly connected. Of course, family may or may not consist of blood relatives. In our traditional way of life, it is common practice to "claim" another as a relative, thereby welcoming him or her as real family. From that point on, that person is a relative. After all, "family" is a matter of blood and of spirit.

What are we without the animals? If all the animals were gone, we would die from a great loneliness of spirit. Whatever happens to the animals, soon happens to us. We teach our children that the ground beneath our feet is ashes of our Granfathers and Grandmothers. So that they will respect the land, we tell our children that Earth is rich with the lives of our kin. We teach our children that Earth is our Mother, and whatever befalls Earth, befalls the sons and daughters of Earth. This we know, Earth does not belong to the people, people belong to Earth. All things are connected like blood which unites one family. Love the land as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. And with all your strength, with all your mind, with all your heart, preserve it for your children and love it as the Great One loves us all.

In seeking our "Medicine," we are seeking harmony and balance among the Four Dacred Directions, between ourselves and the universe. Being in harmony means being "in step with the universe" and with its sacred rhythms, likewise, being in disharmony means being "out of step with the universe." Therefore, it is always important for us to remember where we are in relation to everything else, and where we are in relation to ourselves. Keeping in step with the universe ,means abiding by the natural laws of creation. Violating these guiding principles means bringing discord, dissonance, and disharmony upon ourselves and others. A way of keeping in step with the universe is by listening, practicing patience, asking permission, and giving thanks. A way of seeking harmony within ourselves is to ask ourselves the following questions as posed by the Medicine Wheel, and to balance ourselves with the answers in whatever way is most comfortable to us: East: Who or what am I a part of? South: What do I enjoy doing or do well? West: What are my strengths, what limits me? North: What do I have to share or contribute?

If you can achieve honesty within yourself and recognize who and what you are, you can be honest with all others Humble yourself and recognize that no matter how much you think you know, you know very little of all the universe. To learn truth, to live with truth, to walk with truth, to speak truth. To have wisdom is to know the difference between good and bad, and to know the result of your actions. Unconditional love is to know that when people are weak, they need your love the most, that your love is given freely and you cannot put conditions on it or your love is not true. Respect others, their beliefs and respect yourself. If you cannot show respect, you cannot expect respect to be given. To be brave is to do something right, even if you know it is going to hurt you.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.