Rising up together
May 31 2020
In my prayers and writings this morning, I too wrestled with this time of ashes of Phoenix rising....the shadow of the America becoming more visible. Yesterday when my phone sent me a message that we here in Portland would be on a Curfew at 8:00 pm...I felt the fear come in. I am deeply saddened and angry at another senseless murder of a black man...I'm struggling to understand and yet can feel empathy for the reactions that are being expressed here. However I do not condone violence...I am understanding the pent up frustrations and emotions buried after 400 years of racism, prejudice, inequality. I then watch a speech by Killer Mike who so passionately gave it voice....
so I wrote in my journal: We are in trouble!! the shadow of our country is being made more visible and out in the open to be witnessed by all. I pray for real change..I pray out of the ashes of racism, hate and prejudice, for real leadership and community to form around this awful truth of what is in America. How can I change? How can I offer my gifts for a greater solution? How can I address these aspects within myself?
May our world begin to heal the divide..and find real ways to come together in unity, in peace, in forgiveness...may we grieve together...may we collectively hold hands and hearts and help one another. Bringing together the black, brown, yellow, red and mixed people together.....Regardless of race, ethnicity, color, gender, age and occupation..may we find common ground and set aside our judgement and need for "right" and "wrong" and begin to really see..hear...feel with our One Heart of Humanity. May we celebrate our differences....our diversity..and witness the stories of who, what and where we came from..our lineage and our uniqueness. May we celebrate the struggles and the blessings...help us stand in Unity and Goodness to allow room for people to express their truth..May the healing process be greater than the pain. Help us all embrace one another and find a common value for Life...for breath..for earth..for fire and for water...we are all related. Hear us Creator and all those ancestors looking this way....hear our prayers and help us...Mitakuye oaysin, ah ho.....
additional thoughts today June 2 2020
Here we are now a week after the killing of George Floyd…thousands of people around the world are marching..are rising up..are saying NO MORE!! “don’t shoot!” “BLACK LIVES MATTER!”. MY HEART WANTS TO BE OUT THERE ON THE STREETS AND PEACEFULLY MATCHING TOO. however because I am in the high risk category and am aware of risks of the Covid 19..I chose to witness from home….I chose to pray…I listen to the compassion pleas of our people….I am with you!! I want a better, kinder, more compassionate world…I want equality and justice for ALL people….I want my 9 grandchildren to live in a world where they are seen, heard and encouraged to be themselves…regardless of the color of their skin or who they chose to be. I want healing and reconciliation among the people of the country..this world. I pray for healing and forgiveness that needs to happen. I pray for national and international day of Mourning…to say out loud the name of every person who has died from this virus and for them to be REMEMBERED and their lives honored. I too want justice across the land….and I pray that whether we are black, brown, red ,yellow or mixed races..that we can look each other in the eye and say “You Matter! we are related to each other…I care about you!”
May we all find a common place to meet and may the healing continue
A Prayer and Blessing for Tomorrow
By Grandmother Flordemayo
Awaken!
Awaken!
We are the children of the Earth
We are all related
We are all one
We are children of the Four Sacred Elements
We cannot live without Air, Earth, Water and Fire
Mother give us life and bring us hope
Deliver us from ignorance
Embrace us with your cloak of protection
We are being reminded we are not in balance with Mother Earth
You have the power
You have the knowledge
You have the protection
We are blessed
We have the love and light surrounding us
Show us the way
Hold our hands
Remove all obstacles
Awaken us into the Sacred Dawn
Hope of tomorrow
Spirit of the Feminine
Bring us from the darkness into the light
Allow us to shine like the dew of the dawn
Our children are waiting
Bring humanity into balance with Nature
Everything we go through is from yesterday
For today and tomorrow for the future generations
We must unite together
We must move into the light
We are one
The light of the rainbow is waiting for us
Awaken!
Awaken!
During this particular time of the pandemic I am remembering when I was a child and ill with Tuberculosis. I have been thinking about how difficult it was to be alone in quarantine and isolation. Time is very, very precious. We are not eternal human-beings. During the time that I was sick as a child I had to hold onto prayers for a better tomorrow. Prayer and spirituality is all we have. My faith and my relationship with God helped me get through Tuberculosis as a child and is helping me get through the pandemic now. Each day is sacred. Life is Sacred. Everything is sacred.
Grandmother Flordemayo
International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers