Tag: Daily Feast

January 28 – Daily Feast

January 28 – Daily Feast

Speak to me of serenity, of treasures yet to be found, of peace that flows like a river. Tell me of tranquil places that no hand has marred, no storm has scarred. Give me visions of standing in sunlight or the feeling of spring mist against my cheek as I live and move and breathe. Show me paths that wind through the wild lilies and beds of buttercups. Sing me songs like the mingled voices of wrens and meadowlarks, the lowing of gentle cows, the soft mother-call of a mare to her colt. Lead me past a glass-smooth pond where frogs croak of coming-out parties, their graduation from frisky tadpoles to squat green frogs. Find me a place in the sunlight to sit and think and listen to the sweet inner voice that says so quietly, “Peace, be still.”

~ To hi ge se s di ~

PEACE ON EARTH

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 27 – Daily Feast

January 27 – Daily Feast

Habit has its beginnings in thought. Whatever becomes second nature to us has first caught on in our thinking – only to operate, in time, without thinking at all. Breaking with deeply ingrained addictions is something else again. Since we were old enough to understand we have been bent to a certain thought, molded to act and react until we follow through habitually. If what we did gave us comfort or made us feel good, we did it again. We have to fight habit with habit, deliberately changing one thought, one action, for another. If we simply try to remove a habit without filling the vacuum, we are opening the door for more and worse to come in. It is harder when we let thought drift back to remember how we were comforted. There is more than one comfort, more than one joy in forming a new habit.

~ We bury them from sight forever and plant again the Tree. ~

DEKANAWIDAH, 1720

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 24 – Daily Feast

January 24 – Daily Feast

Other people have no more power than we do. They may have the knack for making us think they can do anything. A little adjustment down in our minds will stop the thought that we must cope and compete with those who have greater advantages. If we believe anything holds us back, limits our ability, we can know beyond a doubt that more ability resides in us than we will ever have time to hone and develop. When we are doing something we love to do, it comes naturally to mind our own business and to polish our own skills. Love for the right work takes it out of the role of labor and competition and makes it into a work of art. Then, the little competitive self is dissolved into a powerful giant that didn’t realize how much he was growing.

~ Your nation supposes that we, like the white people, cannot live without bread and pork and beer. But you ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of Life has provided….for us in these spacious lakes….and woody mountains. ~

PONTIAC, 1762

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 22 – Daily Feast

January 22 – Daily Feast

Pushmataha, Chief of the Choctaws, understood our weaknesses as well as our strengths. He knew how willing we are to give in to abuse for fear of having no peace at all. Peace at any price is very familiar to the American Indian. And we know how a little success can do away with common sense – how it can remove the stops that keep us on the true path. A stable attitude can offset the extremes where we sometimes find ourselves. Good peace – to hi dv – is an inside job, a place where we cultivate the development of our own spirits before we look to our surroundings for strength and sustenance. The heart and soul that loves peace and wants others to be peaceful will never miss the mark of excellence.

~ Never be elevated above measure by success….nor delighted with the sweets of peace to suffer insults. ~

PUSHMATAHA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 21 – Daily Feast

January 21 – Daily Feast

In the darkest day in winter color is everywhere. They are colors we do not expect to see, so we do not see them. They float on early morning clouds that lie aloft in the southern sky and hover in the crevices of hills at midday. In the evening, the western horizon is purple – all shades of purple, which the Cherokee calls gi ge s di. The last rays of sunlight color the scuddling clouds with purple, rose, and lilac. The Indian loves color and is tuned in to its joy. If we are caught in moods that are drab, our eyes have little chance of seeing color. A drab view can be changed. Even now a, as go in ge (jay) and a brilliant, gi ga ge (cardinal) can stir us with their blues and reds if we have the heart to see them.

~ This is the most valuable thing I have ever possessed. ~

YE-WHELL-COME-TETSA, 1815

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 20 – Daily Feast

January 20 – Daily Feast

When we rely on other people for what we need to know, we are vulnerable to their mistakes. What others give us may be sincere and it may be genuine, but all information is a matter of how we read it. What one person says with one meaning may reach the ear of another with a different understanding. Wisdom comes from the same source regardless of where we hear it, but it is better to take words of wisdom and work them through our own minds for direction and understanding. When someone else has answers that seem to apply to our questions, we can be open and teachable, but not gullible. It stands to reason if we tune our ears to answers within ourselves, we won’t have to lean on outer sources for information.

~ The British father…..promised aid and assistance…. He is at peace with the Great Father in Washington…..and neither knows nor cares for your grievances… ~

KEOKUK

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

January 16 – Daily Feast

January 16 – Daily Feast

Use your imagination for its intended use – to create beauty and happiness and justice. If you use it for unfriendly reasons, it will eventually steal your wings and your feet. The Cherokee way of saying it is di gu yi s gi, the paymaster, the returns based on how it has been used. Do not envy another person, for your own imagination has grand gifts for you. Great suffering has been the lot of many who used their talented minds to bring hurt and pain where there should have been harmony.
~ There was nothing between him and the Big Holy. The contact was immediate and personal. ~
CHIEF LUTHER STANDING BEAR – LAKOTA
“A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II” by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 15 – Daily Feast

January 15 – Daily Feast

Touching the earth is a lovely thing, a feeling of once again finding our beginnings, a knowing that this place where we stand, whether to walk or plow or plant, is something created for us, for the pulse of the earth slows our own and tranquilizes our confusion. The Cherokees believe that seeing the sky in all its limitless depths stirs our imaginations and stretches our awareness of how much simple beauty is provided for us. We can see that bitterness lasts only as long as we allow it, but we have reached beyond the ceiling of our minds and are as unlimited as the sky. As currents of air stir the fragrance of flowers, we may not be able to see all things but we sense the influence and know that life is ours to enjoy. It comes by Divine heritage.

~ Ka wat lee OS, tat gat he. Peace for the Cherokees, Oh America, peace for the Cherokees. ~

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 14 – Daily Feast

January 14 – Daily Feast

 

What we take for granted someone else thinks is beautiful. What we want to get rid of is someone else’s treasure. Sometimes we stand so close to something dear that we cannot see that it is dear. Our lack of awareness robs us of what we assume is ours forever. We have many eyes, but most are closed or glazed over. The eyes of the mind and spirit perceive far more than our physical eyes will ever see. The eyes of our hearing detect sound but also feelings and attitude – and the music of he sphere. There is a word in the Cherokee language, agowhtvhdi, which means sight. When we touch something we not only feel but we also see the gentleness or the hardships, the depths and the heights. No, we are never blind except when we close ourselves off and deny the very Spirit of Life.

~ Give heed, my child, lift up your eyes, behold the One who has brought you life. ~

CEREMONIAL SONG

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 13 – Daily Feast

January 13 – Daily Feast

 

If we are not happy, it is because no one has given us permission to be. The hardships and stresses of those who went before us make us wonder if we have a right to do better. Do we have permission to outlive, outdo, outwork all those who went before us? Have we given our children permission to be stronger, better, and more intelligent than we are? The Cherokees have a word for it, adahenhdi, meaning the gift. Or have we told them to adhere to their roots instead of respecting them? Have we made them caretakers, or have we set them free to be strong builders on firm foundations? Permission is hard to come by when we wait and wait for someone to tell us we have done well, that we have earned the right to be mature, respected adults. No, we give ourselves permission to grow, to live long and well, to prosper and be in good health.

~ I can tell my children that the way to get honor is to go to work and be good men and women. ~

CHIEF RUNNING BIRD

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 10 – Daily Feast

January 10 – Daily Feast

 

When something in our minds rings a bell that warns us, we do well to listen. What is it that wants to lure us away from the chose path? Is it not from the good side? Then, run like a rabbit! Every one of us has a sounding board, as testing place that detects the way we are moving. Like a compass, it points the right way – and we are foolish not to understand – gohlga. To ignore the impressions that are within us is like trying to go through a door, but refusing to use the doorknob. It is one thing to be dense and another to be willfully determined to get lost in the wilderness. Listen to the alarm system. It is there for a good reason – and later on we won’t have to say that something told us not to go a certain way and we didn’t listen.

~ He hears voices other do not hear; sees visions that confirm his dreams. ~

EAGLE OLD MAN

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 9 – Daily Feast

January 9 – Daily Feast

 

Sometimes great distances exist between the high points of our lives. Time moves swiftly and we tend to let it slip away without making it count while we wait on another high experience. We discount it as nothing unless we have reached some spectacular height and have passed ten other people on the way. The Indian does not consider himself idle when he stands still watching, listening, seeing the stars, or watching the sunset. His spirit-eyes absorb these signs and wonders to feed him when he cannot see the rolling hills, the flowing streams. A narrow view is one that constantly asks, What shall I eat? What shall I wear? What can make me feel secure? And all the time, the beauty and peace which cost nothing surround us unnoticed. Envy and lack of inner joy rob us of our peace of mind.

~ O, listen! Hear! Sing with me, for I am joy. ~

CHEROKEE SONG

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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January 3 – Daily Feast

January 3 – Daily Feast

 

When we last saw Essie she had been ashen and without the strength we see in her now. Now she sits flat on the ground, legs straight out in front, and reeds tumble across her knees and lie around her. Nimble fingers seek the perfect one to start a basket. Essie is close to our hearts. She has our Grandmother’s name. Her reticence does not inspire idle talk, so we ask what happened to change her. With a quick glance, she says, “God heal.” “Is it possible? So quickly and completely?” Hesitantly, she asks, “You got fast oven?” I say I do. “What make it work?” “Why, microwaves – energy. They change the molecules, the structure of the bread from cold to hot.” Seconds pass. She says, almost too softly, “Prayer energy. Make me well.”

~ I love a people who have always made me welcome to the best they had….who are honest without laws….who never take the name of God in vain…..who worship God without a Bible…. And I believe God loves them too. ~

GEORGE CATLIN, ARTIST – 1830

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

January 2 – Daily Feast

January 2 – Daily Feast

 

This morning, snow wrapped every tree and rock in soft white, and promised to keep the outline of distant hills hidden against a gray sky. But it could not keep its promise. After a few hours the sun came out and turned it all into nature’s jewelry, beautiful dew gems sparkling on the grass. We can be so busy that we miss the little things that sweeten life, the way a pet waits to be noticed, the way an owl, a wahuhi, hoots in the woods, and a blue jay chortles in the middle of winter. It is a lovely thing to turn away from busy work to pay attention to our loved things and loved ones. We know how we wait to be told we are important. We should never wait to say or think something beautiful that will make someone’s day easier and more secure.

~ We do not want riches. We want peace and love. ~

RED CLOUD – 1870

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

January 1 – Daily Feast

January 1 – Daily Feast

If, like a Cherokee warrior, I can look at the new year as an opportunity to stand on new ground, then strength and courage are on my side. If I have waited a long time for everything to be perfect – and there have been moments, brief as they were, that filled my expectations – then I can face the challenges. I will remember that things do work out, bodies do heal, relationships mend – not because I said it, but because I believe it. But it is time to make things right, to stay on the path. As water runs fresh and free from the woodland spring, so new life and meaning will bubble up from my own inner source. I will be still and steady, because there is nothing to be gained by showing fear in a chaotic world. I can turn from ignorance and prejudice toward a light that never goes out.

~ The death of fear is in doing what you fear to do. ~

SEQUICHIE COMINGDEER

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

December 31 – Daily Feast

December 31 – Daily Feast

A feast is a huge banquet of wonderful foods and wonderful friends to share it. It is a time when people honor people – and many memories are laid aside for this celebration. But another kind of feast is in the heart – at the core where life is decided. It is the human way to believe himself victim of many things, and he starves at his center. He worries excessively about who will take care of him and who will feed him and if he will survive at all. Never start a day without gratitude – without an inner singing of “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!” Never start a day being sour and hard to get along with. Never talk trouble nor give credence to those who do. Never give another person reason to be unhappy….. And remember, this is your day. This is a day of celebrating new life and purpose.

~ On the other side of the river there is plenty of buffalo. When we are poor we will tell you. ~

BLACKFOOT – MOUNTAIN CROW

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

December 30 – Daily Feast

December 30 – Daily Feast

 

We move now toward a new year. It gives reason to think who we are and what we are about. Do we reach eagerly toward the future or does it frighten us with its weapons and voices and anger? Think long and hard about this, for it reveals your state of existence. A person cannot go on thinking “someday” and change anything. But to say that this day is the day to make changes and to bring one’s own personal spirit into alignment, that is an accomplishment. Some feel they are not good enough to be any different. But what they don’t realize is that making the effort to change makes them good enough. A person can’t get there until he takes an action.

~ Some of our people have gone from here in order that they may have a change. ~

SPOTTED TAIL – SIOUX

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

December 18 – Daily Feast

December 18 – Daily Feast

I watched her in the woods circling a red cedar not much taller than she was. It was her gift back to the woods that had given her so much peace and comfort – even when life outside the woods could be trying. She laid garlands of popcorn and cranberries over the sturdy limbs along with burr acorns and suet in mesh bags. Scattered beneath the tree were sunflower seeds and millet that cardinals and would attract unusual guests – miniature marshmallows were scattered in and around the tree, a sweet touch for woodland friends. A sweet touch, the best part of the gift. She gave, and peace would be given back to her.

~ Sometimes we prayed in silence; sometimes each one prayed aloud; sometimes an aged person prayed for all of us. ~

GERONIMO – APACHE

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

December 16th – Daily Feast

December 16 – Daily Feast

Like anything else, if one is prepared to meet winter rather than cower at the thought, it is an excellent time to be happy and alive. When we are warm on the inside and we have no excessive fears, we can lean into the wind and pace ourselves to breathe the cold air and taste the snow without absorbing it. We were created to take domination over these things and it is time we proved it. But as long as there is one other person who is not warm, who does not see beauty, we can’t be too comfortable not immune to winter.

~ I will ask him (the white man) to understand his ways, then I will prepare the way for my children. ~

MANY HORSES – OGLALA SIOUX,  1890

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

Like anything else, if one is prepared to meet winter rather than cower at the thought, it is an excellent time to be happy and alive. When we are warm on the inside and we have no excessive fears, we can lean into the wind and pace ourselves to breathe the cold air and taste the snow without absorbing it. We were created to take domination over these things and it is time we proved it. But as long as there is one other person who is not warm, who does not see beauty, we can’t be too comfortable not immune to winter.

~ I will ask him (the white man) to understand his ways, then I will prepare the way for my children. ~

MANY HORSES – OGLALA SIOUX,  1890

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

December 11 – Daily Feast

December 11 – Daily Feast

When peace is scattered, imagine a flock of gentle sheep and lambs feeding in sunny meadows. Their slow gentle gait across the slopes and among the grasses is so peaceful that the whole atmosphere is laced with serenity. And then think what it is when a few goats get in with the sheep. Mischief begins. It is not the nature of goats to graze peacefully. They move among the sheep causing restlessness until the whole flock is ill at ease. There are goats among us. They cry and nip and bite, they stir up activity that is not congenial, and it is a real job to separate the sheep from the goats. And more than this, we have to make sure we are not one of the goats.

~ Selfhood is ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence. ~

OHIYESA

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