ᏣᎳᎩ ᏦᏤᎵᎢ spheres:

1. ᏏᏴᏫ ᏧᏤᎵ - ᏄᏍᏓ, ideas, and ᎪᎱᏍᏗ improved upon, fruits of labor, grown or collected and in private possession with an intention to keep private or ᎤᏕᎵᎦ. Eg ᏅᏬᏘ, ᏗᎬᏙᏗ, clothing, weapons, and recipes.

2. ᏑᏓᏁᎵᎢ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ - personal ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ  released to the ᏑᏓᏁᎵᎢ but not released to the public; and ᏄᏍᏓ, ideas, and ᎪᎱᏍᏗ improved upon, fruits of labor grown or collected, with an open intention to re-distribute. Eg subsistence and building materials, ᎠᎵᏍᏓᏴᏗ, ᎦᎵᏦᏕ ᏗᏓᏁᎳ, furnishing, ᏧᎾᏦᏙᏗ, ᏗᎦᎾᏝᎢ, and ᎠᏂᏴᏫ.

3. ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ - private or ᏑᏓᏁᎵᎢ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ released to the public, and resources in a tribally held area. Eg ᎢᎾᎨ ᎠᏁᎯ, wild plants, and other resources in a geographical area, ceremonial ᏗᎧᏃᎩᏓ, ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ, and sacred or ceremonial objects.

4. ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏓ ᏦᏤᎵ - all ᏦᏤᎵᎢ or resources not bound to ᏏᏴᏫ, ᏑᏓᏁᎵᎢ, or ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ. Eg ᎠᎹ, ᎤᏃᎴ, ᏗᎧᎾᏩᏛᏍᏗ, ᎢᏯᏛᏁᏗ, and ᏧᏃᎯᏳᎢ.

When we release things to the ᏑᏓᏁᎵᎢ alone it is ᏗᏓᏁᎵᎢ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ, when we release things to ᏍᎦᏚᎩ it is ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ, and when we release things to the public, it is ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏓ ᏦᏤᎵᎢ. The transition from one sphere to the next suggests a respectful request to declare its source to acknowledge reciprocity and transfer ownership. 

ᎪᎱᏍᏗ abandoned or placed on the ᎦᏙᎯ were considered ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏓ to the next sphere without recourse for reciprocity or acknowledgment. Otherwise, ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ released must be declared as such must be acknowledged by both spheres, ᏏᏴᏫ or ᏚᎾᏓᏡᎩᎢ. 

ᏑᏓᏁᎵᎢ and ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ are held by ᏗᏂᎦᏘᏱ, all in those spheres have ᎢᎦᏗᎭ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎦ, but not equal access to ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ, and consensus within those spheres is needed to release it to another sphere, ᏏᏴᏫ, or ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎩᎢ. Sharing is permitted, but no changes or improvements are allowed by those sharing in that sphere. 

ᏏᏴᏫ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ requires no outside consent to release it, but once released it cannot be re-personalized. Shared ᎤᎾᏤᎵᎢ allows no changes or improvements be made by those sharing in that ᎤᎾᏤᎵᎢ. 

ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ

Whotzitz and Whazitz were all descended from the great Whatzitz Nation. That’s how it was until the Thmz came in and said “this land is great” and decided that it was the greatest land to take. 

The Thmz took the land and said Whatzitz can’t be. So the great Whatzitz Nation was broken, the Thmz took it away. That was okay because from the start the Whozits were there. The Whozits were Whatzitz but no one really cared. 

When the Thmz first came to the Land of the Great they changed the name of the Whozitz to Whatzitz and that name then stuck. The Whozitz became Whatzitz on all paperwork. When the papers were gone the the Whozitz were the same but they had lost the name Whatzitz and the Thmz were to blame. 

After a time the Whozitz stood up and said we are the great Whotzit Nation and we will not ever give up, but we are more Whotzitz than Whatzitz ever was. The Thmz said “that’s fine” and backed down the hill but pointed out the Whazitz existed still. The rest of the Whazitz said “we are the real!” and thought Whazitz are real Whositz; better than even the Whotzitz ... at being the original Whotzitz they were... from two that were one became two turned to none. That my friends is really how all the Thmz won. 

ᎤᏍᏗ ᎦᏅᏅ

Ꭷ ᏑᏓᏁᎵ ᏥᎦᏛᏍᎬᎢ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᏕᎦᏓᏠᏯᏍᏗ

I have some good thoughts I want to share with you. Many of you have heard about our white path (ᏚᏳᎪᏛ) sometimes called ᏧᏁᎦ ᏅᏃᎯ, it is the path of giving and honesty. It is honorable and good for many reasons and if followed to its completion it will bring many blessings in a person’s life. To think right and do right seeking no harm and no malice towards anyone. It is the path of healing and leads to great growth.

Now, take a moment and think back over the years of your life and about those that have hurt you, angered you or even annoyed you. Think of those people that you do not want to see and those you do not want to talk to and think about why that is. Did they attack you? Threaten you? Hurt you or worse, did they wrong someone you love and seek above all things to protect? Think on those people and their actions, the events that caused that separation. Now let it go. Let it fall away like water passing around you and through you. Let it, those feelings wash away. Let it go. It doesn’t serve you.

The white path is the path of recovering yourself from those events and situations that don’t serve you. You do not need to invite those people into your life or entertain a close relationship with them. They were a danger and we must still be wary of what has brought us here. However, put the anger and pain away, below your feet because it only gets in our way and trips us up.

There is a red path. It is righteous. Red is ᎩᎦᎨᎢ the color of blood (ᎩᎦ). It stands for true value true meaning because blood is most precious. When a war leader was chosen he was pledged as an uncle. He could direct and correct but it was his job to bring every warrior home. No casualties. If he lost one warrior he would not be asked to lead in that way again until he was able to make amends for that loss. The red path is dangerous because it means we are willing to shed blood for victory in a just cause. We are willing to spill the blood of others and ourselves because the need is that great. It is more wrong to stand by in the name of peace and watch innocents die than it is to take the life of another. That is why we are justified in taking the lives of plants and animals to feed ourselves and families. It is for something great and against no one. To stand against someone is not the red path but a purple one.

The purple path is about finding an opponent and going against them. It is not for victory in a just cause but for vengeance and retribution. It is not just an act of physical violence but an act of violence in the mind and heart. Words of malice and or actions that follow to oppose a perceived enemy is that purple path. Spiritual endeavors that target an opponent are of that same dark path but so are malicious words of gossip. Everyone makes mistakes. When we are threatened and loved ones are threatened, especially innocents we have a righteous anger but that anger should be directed to a righteous cause not against a baleful individual. When we seek that righteous cause in the best way we can those that seek to attack or oppose will be subdued but that is not the same as targeting an enemy.

This is something that has taken me years to understand. The white and red path go hand and hand but cannot be walked at the same time. When we spill blood physically or metaphorically we must then renew ourselves but if we are doing right then we will only strengthen ourselves and our community. If we allow ourselves to become malevolent we will all suffer. These thoughts are not in response to anyone or anything but as green corn draws near, these ideas of forgiveness and righteousness become important. In most cases those we hold hard feelings against are not even aware of it. Hate is like drinking poison and hoping someone else will die. Those feelings do not serve us and so it’s time to put them away, below our feet. Sometimes it takes days weeks or years to be rid of those feelings but in the end, the effort is more than worth it. Freedom is the result of this white path, this ᏚᏳᎪᏛ. ᎣᏏᏳ

ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᎦᎵᏍᎨᏫ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᏗᎧᏅᏗ

Ꭷ Only if we learn of it in depth, evaluate it, and find it lacking should we turn away from ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ ᎢᏍᎩᏁᎸᎢ. It was tricked from us and pulled from beneath ᏦᎩᎳᏍᏕᏂ but ᏚᏳᎪᏛ is there and it’s ᎢᎦᏤᎵᎦ. We should encourage people to examine what is theirs before we give up on what our ᎠᏂᎦᏴᎵ and ᎠᏂᏬᏂᏍᎩ have to offer. 

ᏗᎨᎩᎦᏴᎵᎨ did not have the opportunity to make some of these choices but if they can see ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ for what it is and still cast it away, then let them. The rest of us ᎢᏗᎩᏚᏩᎩ will care for it as we always have. 

I sincerely believe that it has an inherent value that when understood ᏚᏳᎪᏛ will ring in our people’s hearts and provide them with something they can find nowhere else. It has an inherent value to our people. I want them to at least have the opportunity to assess and reject it before we write off the ᏧᎾᎴᏅᎯᏓ.

ᏩᏕ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᎪᏛ ᏥᎩ

Ꭷ

My beliefs are that ᏄᏍᏓ ᎦᎸᏉᏗ spiritual and ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᏥᏄᎵᏍᏓ physical ᎠᏆᏓᏲᏢᏗ ᎠᏯ. The ᎤᏪᏯ we bathe in is infused with prayers to clean us both physically and spiritually. I was taught they are connected and one is manifested in the other, the ᎪᏛ Fire.

When we are born our ᎤᏓᏅᏙᎩ breath spirit has already descended down into ᎤᏒᎯᏱ and awaits our ᎥᎬᏱ ᎤᏬᎳᏕᏍᏗ first breath. When ᎤᏬᎳᏕᏍᏗ is strengthened and collected within the four days after ᎤᏕᏅᎢ, ᎤᏬᎳᏕᏍᏗ is formalized with the anointing of this fortified internal ᎤᏓᏅᏙᎩ, invested through ᏄᏍᏗ ᎢᏯᏛᏁᏗ life experience, but consecrated in ᎠᎹ ᎤᏪᏓᏍᏗᏱ. The ᎤᏬᎳᏕᏍᏗ is the spark and catalyst that ᎪᏛᏍᎪᎢ the fuel and adds further fuel to the ᎠᏓᏪᎳᎩᏍᎩ flame that is feeding on the source of ᏄᏍᏗ ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ.

The ᏏᏅᏓ before ᎤᏕᏅᎢ, the ᎤᏓᏅᏙ heart, as the ᎠᏥᎸ of the ᎪᏛ, has been gestating as the fetus is formed by the ᎡᏥ’s own ᎤᏓᏅᏙᎢ, using her as a source and foundation for self. ᎦᎵᏉᎩ ᏧᏂᏴᏫ

The ᎡᏙᏓ ads some strength of ᎠᏥᎸ to ᎪᏕᏍᏗ gestation in the womb but he also provides the core of the skeleton ᏗᎪᎸ that grows with the ᎤᏍᏗ until adulthood.  A foundation or hearth for the ᎪᏛ to dwell and shelter itself with inside and throughout, ᎪᏛᏗ.

When the ᎪᏛ is snuffed ᎤᏲᎱᏒᎢ Ꮎ, I believe all elements will return to ᎡᎶᎯ. All being attached to their ᏧᏂᏰᎸ, those things not passed on to our ᏚᎾᏓᏘᎾᎢ, are dissolved in time to ᎡᎶᎯ. The ᎤᏬᎳᏕᏍᏗ, that spark borrowed from ᎢᎦᏓᏁᎳᏅᎯ, ᏅᏓ ᎢᎦ ᎡᎯ, returns to ᏗᎦᎸᎳᏗ through ᎤᏒᎯᏱ and manifests around the great celestial ᎪᏛ for the ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ to ᎤᎾᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎾᎳᏍᎩᏍᏗ as radiance further collected as ᏏᏓᏁᎸ ᏍᎦᏚᎩ and ᏚᎾᏓᏘᎾᎢ as they themselves will ascend in due time to ᏗᎦᎸᎳᏗ. ᎣᏏᏳ

ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᎦᎵᏍᎨᏫ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ