BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

I was starting my spiritual Journey, but  I got lost between the two worlds of  listening and hearing.

An Elder told me if I was lost and could't  find  my path,  to use all my senses at one time and in the simplest state of mind, body and spirit.

I was in my fourth stage of life ( 28 years old), trying to grasp the meaning of what the Elder was   telling me.  I had much respect for him and listened  all the time.

So I took a walk beneath a sacred place where my people once lived in harmony with nature, and I thought of what the Elder had told me.

After walking for some time I came upon a small creek and some unknown force of the  wind from the East gently flushed down through my body and surrounded me in all seven directions.

 It took me a while to understand why this was all happening.   I know the seven directions of the sacred pipe, But the most important direction was myself, that I was not humbled or in balance nor in a simple state.

Then I looked up to thank the Creator and a sea gull flew by dropping a sea shell on the bank of the creek, so I took it and put the shell to my ear and I could hear the sound of the ocean .

I asked myself why I had left  my ocean home, those ample depths of blue, and up the river I would roam  so fully I would rue.

Then I sat on an old fallen birch tree and started hearing the ripples of the creek and birds chirping in the wilderness.

I could smell the Earth around me, looking to the west and the sun's  thousands of shades.  Then I started to finally smile as the evening grew near.

At the same time I  touched the bark of the fallen tree to the North and a vision rushed to my hearts content.

 A wigwam , the  home of my ancestors...... I  could sense their presence,  and was once again content with myself.

I glanced  my eyes at the stump of the fallen tree to the South and to my surprise I counted seven tiny birch trees growing in the cycle of nature and I then could sense all my relations.

At this time my heart was beating faster and could hear what the Elder was telling me at the closing of the day….

And I understood. 


Composed April 7 /2014 Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise

THE JOURNEY

I, Victor Muise, did   create the above painting, as a tribute to Loretta Saunders.

Loretta has passed over,  stolen from this life .

Although this is a Journey that each of us has to make alone,  the love of family and friends accompanies  her.

This painting was done in her honor...

 Working on it aided in the healing of my Inner Spirit., and gave me strength during these sad times.

I pledge to continue her work.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

        

The book,  titled "SA'JE'J….My Inner Journey" ,  is mostly about my life long  observations, teachings,  and my historical bond with nature on Mother  Earth.

For thousands of years (Mi'Kmaq)  Indian people harvested the land they lived on. n the seven directions of the Earth.  Some times the circle was weak. But the cycle grew and the people   nourished their  young,  and the Elders stayed  teaching stayed on the land with their people.

Oral Culture was somewhat lost in the 1900 hundred because of many and various reasons.  Yet,  a gap in cultural behavior and pattern never completely disappeared.

This book was made possible by describing personal life experiences in part. The poems, teachings and prayers in this book came from Mother Earth, The Creator. Still, the art of the people lay on the land,  of the  most a forgotten nation  of people, MI’KMAQ. 

This book is  in English and its writings are by no means in stone. Reading this book of my spiritual Journey its only to grasp, but you will experience all through you life time the many teachings and paths people have to travel from birth to death. 

I would like to thank the mothers  of the earth for giving me strength, to present this book to our youth of the country we call Canada,  and to the world and  to honor   my teachers through out this  manuscripts with the energy and heeling they gave to me. This book will fulfill that desire.

We  must,  as a people,  accomplish our true goals in life.  You surely have helped  me with mine.

 Over the past two decades my lively goal was to reform,  through cultural teaching among the Aboriginal communities,  throughout Newfoundland,  and abroad,  and to share with other Countries of the world.

 I have now accomplished this goal,  my final teaching in this book of wisdom,  for the children not yet born to Mother Earth. 

TOHO! 

                                                                                        

HUMANITY

                        Humanity 

To the North is  the unity of our people's survival..

The GREAT SPIRIT,  the CREATOR , the givers of life,  Mothers and Mother Earth,  gave the great white bear spiritual strength to open the door to keep us warm,and gave us shelter underneath his shield and spiritual strength of our people.

 For thousands of years we were nomadic people and traveled the north winds to give us a sense of directions, not to cross the same path twice, to always be in the circle of humanity. If one was weak, then the north was a quest from the creator, to keep us wise and learn the footsteps of our  forefathers. 

The spirit of the white bear is to teach us unity among our people and teach us to share . Most of our people have to stand for the next seven generations so they too can survive,  but always walk in honor,  with peace and harmony in your heart.

We,  the first people's of this land, are still here and then,  as the north star shines at the fading of the sunset,  we come together as one nation, with no shame.

 Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise/(Ancient Spirit of the the White wolf.)

qewei-wjijaqamijl wipe's paqt-s

(Ancient Spirit of the White Wolf)

HONOUR THE ELDERS

I was to visit my brother at his cabin on a bright summer day to show him a painting I had just finished of an eagle.  Unknowing he had guests invited and  I still stayed to meet them.

So I met two of his friends and the woman friend's  spirit name was Blue Eagle.

 So I went to my truck and gave her the painting of the eagle. She was honored by such a gift.

I got to know both her husband and her quite well..

Later on we got to talking and I told her of a book I had written . She said she was going to help me with editing the book.

I kept telling her the very sacred spiritual mane she carried. She asked me if we could some how put a sacred bundle together. So I told her to pick a day she wasn't busy and we'll get to start her journey of a sacred bundle for her.

It took us about four hours with the teachings and explaining  the sacred objects that were required to start the bundle.Later she got to feast her sacred bundle.

After that she gave me a gift ,a small Christmas tree.  She saw that  my chair I sitting in was broken.  She ordered me a new one and every time her husband or she would pass my way they would drop in with a Tim Hortons, French Vanilla coffee.

I was so proud of her .

She told me she was going on a trip to Mexico.

When she returned she brought me another gift, a shaker with different displays.... an eagle face and in the mouth of the eagle a carved human face. At the two ends were very fine grain quartz chert.  Our people used to make their arrowheads and knives and other tools from this.

The stone has very spiritual strength carried with different clans of our people.

Like my other gifts from Mother Earth, these  are very sacred to me.

In honor  I would like to share a picture of my gift,  in honor  to the people that gave them to me.


Sa'qewei-wjijaqamijl wape'k paqt-sm
(Ancient Spirit of the White Wolf)

KEEPERS OF THE SACRED FLAME

Keepers of the Sacred Fire are usually alone and they  focus on keeping the fire alive until the next keeper: arrives. But,  at times one may have  to give our youth the responsibility for the generations that follow the honor of a fire keeper.

The following is the story of honoring an Elder.

I was sitting at a sacred fire as a keeper and a young man came to sit with me.

 He said... "You're alone?".

"Yes" I said.

He replied  "Then could I sit and you could teach me what do and what all  this  means?"

I said "Yes my son". I call all the young men, who come to me to learn.  my sons.

As the evening to the West  drew it's last shades, I started to teach the young man how to place wood on the fire.  I told him he would be the keeper of the fire until the sun rises.

"First"  I said  "you should light the sweetgrass and smudge, and pray while you are doing such a sacred ceremony"  .I told  him this is to cleanse you five main senses  and cleanse you spiritual , physical,  and mental  being.

The young man was so proud.

"Now my son, you have to offer tobacco to the sacred fire and pray for what ever is in you heart in the four directions."

All that night I taught  young man different teachings along with a few stories.  I could see before the sun was going to rise he would get tired. He did, and  dosed off a few times,  but he kept  the fire going all night and prayed as he offered tobacco to the sacred fire.

Before dawn  he decided to go home and he thanked me ever so much.

About hour later this man I could see coming to the entrance holding something in his hand .

"Good morning" he said  "I've come to pray".

"Yes" I said .

He offered tobacco to the sacred fire ,still holding something under his arm. He came a sat down and said to me "I have some thing for you, a gift for you for helping my son to understanding things about the sacred fire and other thing you've taught him ,"

The young man who had been  with me that night was his son.

"I  would like to honor you with this whale hip bone. Our family got it  from the beach here in Flat Bay.This is from our family and community for your help as keeper of the sacred fire and you kindness and your time you give to our people.."

By then there  were  tears in my eyes and this was a man I had gone  to the same school with.

I accepted the sacred gift and asked "What will  I do with it?"

Well, I still carry it  with me in my sacred objects. Some times I use it for a smudge bowl, and teaching about  the great whale travailing our oceans.

MIXED TRIBAL PRAYER

MIXED TRIBAL PRAYER

Let us pray that our nation will respect our history and culture throughout the next generation.

May the universe open up and the Great Spirit look upon our Mother Earth, so that the vision of life will be released from the East, and the sacred sweet grass will cleanse our children. Then the eagle will soar across this land and watch over our growing nation.

Now, our universe is alive and our grandmother comes from the South and nourishes us with love and passion, as we use our sacred medicine, sage.

Let us pray that our families, community, country and world give emotional, physical, and spiritual strength to our culture. May our great-grandmother heal the sick and deliver the seeds of enlightenment to our unknown, becoming of our next generation.

Then, the universe expands and a spirit guide from the West, the black bear comes, with his sacred medicine, cedar. He ponders the earth and wanders the sacred ground in order to learn the secrets of life, so that we may teach the young of old ways. Then the young will grow in wisdom and become messengers who will carry the sacred bundles on to future generations, keeping the circle strong.

So now, may all the universe be cleansed together, nation after nation , and may the strength of the polar bear from the North, with its sacred medicine, fungus, enhance our Indian family, keeping us united in the spirit and free from fear. Let us stand proud, that our Indian people be educated in our language, way of life, and beliefs for generations to come.

No amah

Tahoe

Victor James Muise Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise.

Spiritual Leader of the children not yet born to Mother Earth