This is what my Grandmother told me:
found at
http://www.gaiatribe.com/rain/rain.html
My grandmother told me, and her grandmother told it before her, that
long ago, long even before the europeans discovered Turtle Island and Her
People, the elders warned us of The Monster with the White Eyes.
Those Who Speak to the Spirits told us that the Monster with the White
Eyes would come from across the great Eastern water. Its power would be evil
and terrifying, and it would create a destruction so thorough that the spirits
of the animals, and even the trees, would begin to die. The Mother Earth
Herself would be devastated, and Her heartbeat would become very faint. This
Monster would devour the children of Turtle Island tribe by tribe, and none
would escape. Most of those who survived would be like the dead, their spirits
lost to them, and they would exist without connection to the memories of
their ancestors. Few would remain to keep the Truth alive.
One day things would get so bad that the Mother Earth would begin to
sing the Death Song. When this happens, they said, some of the children of
the peoples who followed the White-Eyed Monster to our lands will realize
that they face annihilation at the hands of their fathers, and they will
be forced to look into their hearts. When they do this, many will find that
the Spirits of the children of our Tribes have been reborn there and have
been waiting to guide them.
Then, they told us, those few who were the keepers of the Truth would
emerge. Together we will become strong enough to overcome the power of the
Monster and restore the Mother Earth to health, and the children of the Tribes
of Turtle Island will lead the way back to a sane way of life. After this,
all of the races will live as one Tribe in peace and harmony. The spirits
of the animals and the trees will return when they will know that they are
safe once again. The Monster with the White Eyes will be no more.
This is what my grandmother told me, and now I have told it to you.
Now, it doesn't take a Ph.D. in theology to see that there are loads
of parallels between this ancient Cherokee story and the mythology of many
other traditions. It cannot be missed, however, that there is a BIG difference
in both the focus and the outcome of the tale..
The Native American spiritual traditions were the last of the
Earth(Goddess)-centered practices to be outlawed by the various male-dominator,
conquer-and-subdue religions. Long before the White-Eyed Monster showed up
on this side of the globe, Europeans with good hearts and open minds were
being burned as witches and heretics. Almost all of recorded history is a
long, slow, and completely politically-based action, perpetrated by a few
ruthless power blocs, to enslave the growing masses of people populating
the world through fear and punishment. It is no coincidence that the most
powerful political organizations in the world are sanctioned "religions."
With the consentual mental enslavement of the people who support them, these
churches are a big part of the global elite that control governments, legislation
and law enforcement, economies, and the rate of destruction of the natural
environment. To tolerate any Mother/Goddess-based religion would have meant
that environmental degradation would not have been allowed to develop at
all, let alone come to the dangerous point we now face - and a lot of money
would not have been made by the very few.
All of the accepted religions in today's world, whether they be
judeo-christian, islamic, hindu, buddhist, or any one of the variety of Oriental
offerings, deliberately separate humanity from the rest of creation. Followers
are taught to ignore the realities of this world. There are promises of rewards
in some vague "life after death": for those who pay, there is a heaven where
streets are paved in gold, buildings are made of pearls, and everyone has
lots of money; for those who can't or won't pay, there is a hell where their
flesh will be burned off in eternal physical torture for their obstinacy.
In some traditions, if a person is bad in the here and now they are punished
by having to come back and live through another lifetime in this god-awful
place; in others it's easier - no matter what you have ever done, all you
have to do is say the magic "I'm sorry" on your deathbed and off you go to
the party in the sky. In any case, the focus of contemporary religious practices
circumvents personal responsibility in the here and now, and conveniently
ignores the immediate and inescapable consequences of one's actions:
kharma.
Look around. Millions of people are desperate for spiritual fulfillment,
and in their hunger for meaning and direction in life, many are taken advantage
of by ruthless entrepreneurs. Every Saturday and Sunday countless hordes
flock to fundamentalist churches to hear preachers bellow about death and
guilt and armageddon, meanwhile promising that this won't come to pass as
long as the faithful give sufficiently of their hard-earned paychecks when
that collection basket comes around. Every week, thousands stream to meeting
halls and TV stations to be duped by "faith healers" whose skill is a mastery
of the technique of mass-hypnotism of the willing, where they are conditioned
to repeat the same mouthful of unintelligible gibberish referred to as "talking
in tongues"- Pavlov would have had a field day with this!
Thousands more opt for the eastern versions of this game, contributing fortunes
to make-a-buck gurus who drive Rolls Royces and shop at Saks Fifth Avenue
while admonishing their followers to endure poverty for the sake of spiritual
enlightenment. From Billy Graham to the Pope, from Bennie Hinn to Jim Baker,
from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to Guru Mai, how many "spiritual leaders"
can we count who are filthy rich from the proceeds of their con games while
their followers are admonished to grin & keep paying?
And when was the last time -outside of Hollywood productions or F-Troop
reruns - you saw a Native American playing such games with peoples heads?
Never. If people seek enlightenment from those of us who have preserved our
ways, we give freely, if cautiously.
This is the ultimate in Black Comedy - but it's a very costly joke in
both human and environmental terms .
I intend that the following interpretation that I offer of the Cherokee story
related above will offer hope and inspiration to those readers who have found
our Spirits living within their hearts, and who wish to validate their
intuitions, gain the strength to break free from spiritual oppression, and
overcome the Monster.
My grandmother told me, and her grandmother told it before her, that long
ago, long even before the Europeans discovered Turtle Island and Her People,
the elders warned us of The Monster with the White Eyes.
This story has been handed down through generations from time before recorded
history. This FACT makes it clear that the Monster is not the "white man",
as is the commonly held belief. Rather, the Monster is a philosophy put into
practice at a time, long distant, when peoples the world over worshipped
the Earth and were aware of their intimate place in a vast cosmos of intelligent
creation. Every race, no matter how civilized at the close of this century,
was once a collection of indigenous tribes with a reverence for the natural
unfolding of the seasons, a respect for the plants and animals who offered
their lives for human sustenance, and knowledge of the uses for every species
of flora in their environment.
The ancient lore of other Goddess-oriented spiritual traditions also foretold
of a long period of darkness when the Mother Earth and all life She sustains
would come to the brink of destruction; indeed it came to pass. The ancient
Celts were last bastion of European paganism to hold out against this politically
fueled insanity. Avalon was destroyed by St. Columba in the 6th century.
The Celtic druids were slaughtered shortly thereafter, ending the "pre-Columbian"
era in the old world. It took more than 700 years for the greed to grow to
the point that transatlantic exploration ws attempted, but when that event
ended the "pre-Columbian" era on this side of the world White-Eyed Monster
swam across the Great Eastern Water to Turtle Island. Those Who Speak to
the Spirits told us that the Monster with the White Eyes would come from
across the great Eastern water. Its power would be evil and terrifying, and
it would create a destruction so thorough that the spirits of the animals,
and even the trees, would begin to die. The Mother Earth Herself would be
devastated, and Her heartbeat would become very faint.
This section doesn't need much explanation, because its
truth is evident all around us. Most people don't realize, however - with
the popular focus on the old growth evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest
and their faunal inhabitants - the extent of the destruction that was final
before the ethics of environmentalism took hold. The hardwood forests of
the East were reduced to zero almost two hundred years ago, along with countless
species of flora and fauna. For instance, in the Smoky Mountains there existed
a species of high-altitude ginseng that was used successfully to treat tumors
and internal ailments. It became extinct about the same time that the Cherokee
were railroaded from their lands on the Trail of Tears. More recently, the
slaughter of the Buffalo and the reduction of the Great Plains of the midwest
to a vast dust bowl incapable of supporting any form of life is at least
acknowledged as a big mistake. The destruction continues at breakneck speed
with every breath you take, in North America, in South America, in Europe,
Asia, Africa, India, the Island nations - everywhere. Time and again the
powerful elite slip through loopholes they have built into the laws they
control, and we feel the power of the Monster. Mother Earth, burdened by
the overpopulation demanded by the sanctioned religions, her water and air
irrevocably poisoned, raped of her ability to produce life or to sustain
what is already here, has begun to sing a Death Song for us all.
This Monster would devour the children of Turtle Island tribe by tribe, and
none would escape. Most of those who survived would be like the dead, their
spirits lost to them, and they would exist without connection to the memories
of their ancestors. Few would remain to keep the Truth alive.
The year 1492 has been celebrated as a major accomplishment of the renaissance
European power bloc for over 500 years. In America, "Columbus Day" is a federal
holiday. Many people get a day off from work with pay - but to celebrate
what? Genocide. Destruction. Pillage. Robbery. This is certainly a grim
reflection on the general consciousness of America (although the state of
South Dakota now celebrates Native Americans' Day on that date instead.)
Columbus's ships were manned by the human refuse of Europe - sociopaths
whose only ticket out of a life in prison was to sail on an expedition into
the unknown. Think for a moment about who these men were, and about what
probably was in their minds back in the 15th century. Then, think about the
fact that as soon as they landed on the soil of our homeland, they were instantly
transformed from villains into heroes for perpetrating the same violence
for which they were imprisoned in Europe. They "discovered" that there were
tangible assets to acquire across the Atlantic, and there begins the grim
story of Native American recorded history.
All accepted written history concerning these matters has been manipulated
and falsified by those who have profited for more than five centuries from
the deliberate, systematic, and nearly successful genocide that has eradicated
all but traces of Native American cultures. There are truthful accounts in
publication such as Dee Brown's Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, and
if these volumes were included in our public educational systems as required
reading at the high school level Columbus Day celebrations would soon cease.
American consciousness and conscience could not help but be awakened by the
true stories of atrocities no less cruel than those perpetrated on the Jews
by Nazi Germany in this century. However, the legacy of the "discovery of
America" remains, and it is a sad truth that the Native American peoples
slowly and irrevocably succumbed to the power of the Monster with White Eyes.
It is not necessary to go into those details here because the story has become
very well known in the last two decades, in spite of the fact that America
remains, largely, in denial. "The sins of the fathers" are too grievous and
too grotesque for most people to accept in any real manner.
Right up into the 1970's, popular opinion regarding "Indians" was even lower
than the opinions held about blacks in the deep south before the civil rights
movement. Aside from Tonto, Indians were generally considered to be lazy,
slovenly drunkards living on welfare checks from Great Benevolent Uncle Sam.
Reservations were trash dumps littered with junk cars, broken down shanties,
and the last of the refuse of genocide. Anyone who had been to an Indian
reservation had certainly seen the living dead - the remains of once-great
peoples, devoid of spirit, bereft of hope, beyond redemption. Not many could
- or cared to - look beyond the obvious chaos to see the remnants of a society
of communities that reused and recycled everything in their daily lives.
The FACT is that Native Americans were not - and are still not completely
- considered a real race of people. We are truly the forgotten ones. Black
America enjoys recognition of its diverse heritage and its struggles against
bigotry. Native Americans, however, received no such recognition until well
after the American Indian Movement was born. Even now, at the dawn of the
21st century, the Americas' indigenous peoples are still struggling to regain
the status of a valid human race.
As a matter of fact, all Native Americans, whether of "full" or "partial"
blood (the "partial" being a measurement determined by the white government
in the 19th century), are required to be registered, like a dog with the
American Kennel Club, in order to hold status as being who they are. Think
about that. The concept is completely absurd. This is the ultimate
indignity.
This is the case, NOT because Native American peoples don't deserve to be
recognized. It is the case, NOT because there are too few Native Americans
left in existence to worry about. It IS the case because what is now considered
to be American culture was built by people who robbed every indigenous tribe
on two continents of land and birthright, and systematically slaughtered
or starved to death thousands of other human beings in order to create what
exists today. The progeny of those people must remain in denial regarding
these facts, because official recognition of the truth would turn the tables
and put them where their forefathers put us. Few remain to keep the truth
alive, but we are here, and we are getting stronger.
From a non-political Native American standpoint, however, the solution to
this dilemma does not involve punishing other human beings. The real solution
requires individual evolution on a spiritual level, for all races of human
beings.
One day things would get so bad that the Mother Earth would begin to sing
the Death Song. When this happens, they said, some of the children of the
peoples who followed the White-Eyed Monster to our lands will realize that
they face annihilation at the hands of their fathers, and they will be forced
to look onto their hearts. When they do this, many will find that the Spirits
of the children of our Tribes have been reborn there and have been waiting
to guide them.
Mother Earth has been singing her death song for many decades, but people
have really only been listening for the last two. The changes created by
the social upheavals of the Civil Rights Movement, the hippie counterculture,
and the American Indian Movement needed to be set into positive motion before
Americans started to discern the multiple layers of the bases for those social
phenomena. Man's inhumanity to man is reflected like a mirror in a mirror:
animals are treated inhumanely, nutritious food plants are lost to mad genetic
tampering, trees are destroyed without conscience, living rock is gauged
and scarred for profit. Waste is everywhere. By now many people realize that
human desecration of Earth has brought us to a point at which our own
life-support system is in grave danger of failing. Those who are courageous
enough to face this truth in their lives are the ones who are now forced
to look into their hearts.
I cannot count the times I've heard young people in America say, "I feel
as if I have no culture, no past. I don't really know who my ancestors were",
or "I'm ashamed of what my ancestors did to gain their place on this continent.
What I feel is nothing like what I was taught." They say they feel suspended,
like they have no people. They tell me how lucky they consider me to be because
at least I know who my people were and can be proud of them even though they're
gone. They turn to me and ask me to point the way to spirituality, simply
because I am of Native American descent. So suddenly, in the fickle pop culture
of our time and place, American Indians are regarded as wise and knowing
beings who point the way to the salvation of the world - a far cry from the
worthless subhuman waste we were all considered to be a mere 25 years ago.
And this being so, I always tell people to look back into their own hearts.
I often tell them this Cherokee story to help them to understand that I truly
believe that they have reborn Native American guiding Spirits within them.
Often, when I tell them these things, people say to me, "Well, there's some
Cherokee blood in my family but I'm not sure how much," or "I think my great
grandmother was Cherokee/Choctaw/Chippewa/Lakota/Paiute...but we weren't
told anything much about her." If these people have Native American genes
in their makeup, then perhaps the memories of their ancestors are awakening
within them, and that is a good thing. But it is important to remember that
the rebirth of Spirit does not require bloodlines - only Unkle Sham and his
BIA require such nonsense. Life is what we, as individuals, create it to
be, and if a person adopts the ways of any Native American culture after
searching his heart and finding a path in that direction, that is a good
thing. These people may also find the Spirits of the children of our Tribes
reborn within them.
We hear the drum that is the heartbeat of the Mother Earth. We comfort and
care for the animal Spirits that have been tortured. We replant and nurture
natural food crops, flowers, and trees that have been nearly annihilated.
But be aware that it takes much more than hanging a dream-catcher above your
bed or attending pow-wows to accomplish what I am referring to. I am talking
about a personal and individual commitment to an Earth-centered way of life.
This could very possibly mean adopting a drastically simplified and
self-sufficient lifestyle.
WARNING: Simplicity and self-sufficiency are NOT to be confused with
the popular Divine Poverty ruse employed by major world religions to keep
millions of people from reaching personal goals. Simplicity in no way equates
with poverty.
Those of us who have, by various means, managed to retain a knowledge of
the ways of our peoples are not new-age christs designated to lead the
floundering masses to salvation and sanity. Nor are we the only people on
Earth whose ancestors lived with an understanding of Earth, the elements,
and the mysteries of the interconnected web of existence. However, our connection
to our cultural past remained intact until a relatively short time ago,
historically speaking. We still have a remnant of elders remembering and
passing down stories, ideas, and unique teaching techniques. We have an
ever-growing force of tribal members dedicated to preserving what is left
and healing the addictions to alcohol, drugs, and gambling that plague our
nations. From this perspective, it is not surprising that we are looked to
for guidance, especially when one takes into account the wonderful job Hollywood
has done over the last 20 years of marketing the popularity of idealized
and consumer-simplified versions of Native American wisdom. In reality, even
the wisest among us doesn't have all the answers. What we do have are healthy
ideas that are sorely needed at the end of the 20th century. These ideas
span all levels of reality, from the macrocosm of impending disaster for
life on this planet, to the microcosm of individual human spirituality. This
is something indeed.
Then, they told us, those few who are the keepers of the Truth would
emerge.
Again, it is very important to keep the realities of human existence
and human nature separate from the ideals of philosophy. There are no messiahs
forthcoming from any of the diverse Native American cultures. Keepers of
the Truth are no more gods than anyone else who faces the fears presented
by those realities, seeks to heal the Earth, and hopes to see humanity at
peace.
The Truth, after all, is obvious. Overpopulation is at the root of every
environmental ill we face. On our continent, a distorted value system called
"the American dream" creates and perpetuates the extreme social imbalances
that keep a large segment of the American population obsessed with
overeating/dieting while the number of starving and homeless in our urban
areas increases at an alarming rate year by year. Greed and avarice fuel
the political machines that continue to destroy human and animal habitat,
filling the air and water with toxic chemicals in the process. Survival,
for most people in America, requires supporting these systems more and more
as we watch the steady decline of small localized businesses and farms, and
the urban development of more and more precious land. It has become depressingly
difficult to even consider fighting the status-quo created by the powers
that seem to be in control of it all. The pattern is repeated globally country
by country, continent by continent. It seems as though there is no escape
from the momentum of the impending worldwide crisis that will be brought
on us all by those without conscience. These are the facts presented by obvious
and undeniable truths.
But there is hope, and there is an escape route. There is always freedom
of choice. Many people insist that their choices are limited to the "lesser
of evils," but in reality we are all free to choose not to buy into it all.
In reality, there is power in numbers, and the number of people courageous
enough to choose lifestyles that include as little as possible of the destructive
system is increasing. These bravehearts are looking to Native America for
guidance, and that is one good way to begin.
Together we will become strong enough to overcome the power of the Monster
and restore the Mother Earth to health, and the children of the Tribes of
Turtle Island will lead the way back to a sane way of life.
Again, we are not messiahs. But our ancestors believed that we will be able
to take control of the situation and lead the way back to a life that makes
sense. They believed that we will be able to rescue our planet and instigate
Her restoration, so She in turn will be able to sustain future generations
of humankind. Sometimes I think that the only thing that keeps us going against
the dismal odds is that faith, reaching from our ancestors in the Spirit
World across space-time to us.
We are suspended on a narrow beam between what we can call heaven and hell.
On one side is a reality of fear, powerlessness, and ultimate annihilation;
on the other is a dream of hope, activism, and renewal. There are too many
possible futures, and too many variables in interplay, to predict a final
outcome. But then, we are not omniscient. The wisest of seers can only foretell
possibilities. The creation of the reality is always in our own hands.
That is the fact that must be borne in mind at all times: we create the world
we inhabit in its entirety. Everything that surrounds each and every one
of us is an illusion based on our belief systems. Power of mind is the strongest
force we can conceive of, but it is no easy task to create a positive personal
environment in a society based on fear.
Americans are deliberately fed fear by the media in daily megadoses. There
is a lot of good news to report, but newspapers only print the bad news.
Audio-visual newscasts, with their overwhelming sensory power on the human
psyche, are deliberately choreographed to instill and perpetuate fear at
every level. And sadly, because most Americans are deceived by the belief
that they have no alternative but to support the media as it stands, they
have surrendered to the corollary belief in the necessity of sacrificing
their personal power and freedom in order to stay safe. This is a truly evil
illusion, but it is powerful only because of its widespread and unquestioning
acceptance.
The TRUTH is that each of us possesses freedom of choice on every level.
If people who feel helpless and powerless start to make deliberate choices,
even in small matters, and even if a choice seems to be between the lesser
of two evils, they will be astonished at the rapid rate of change that occurs
in their lives.
The TRUTH is that there is no miracle or overnight messianic cure. Making
good choices requires a focus on life on a day-to-day (and sometimes even
moment-to-moment) basis, one thing at a time. It also - and this is crucial
- requires developing the ability to forgive oneself for mistakes and getting
on with living, letting go of the obligatory guilt programmed into many of
us from birth. Most importantly, it requires developing the ability to let
go, relinquish the illusion of control, and allow one's life to evolve according
to the choices one makes. Of course, like all worthwhile endeavors, these
things take time, concentration, and practice; but there is a wealth of personal
power to be gained by following this simple plan of paying attention to your
choices. It's effects strengthen the mind. When the mind becomes strong,
self-confidence does also. When the many individual minds become strong,
the collective mind becomes strong. A strong collective mind is the answer.
We create the world we live in through our beliefs.
At this point in time, our collective mind perpetuates the negativity most
of us continue to buy into; that is the one and only reason the world is
the way it is. It IS a matter of individual choice and action on a personal
level. The more people who begin to believe in themselves as sovereign beings
with inalienable rights, the more quickly things will change. If you examine
this point of view, you will realize that this one idea has fueled all of
the major socio-political changes in modern history. It also paraphrases
the message that Jesus Christ gave to his followers, and those who want to
truly follow his teachings can do so by breaking away from the corrupted
organizations that use his name.
Now, I ask you this: what are you willing to change in your life to work
toward strengthening your mind and the collective human consciousness? There
are uncountable possibilities. Your tastes and preferences are all going
to remain intact. What is required is that you make changes that give you
back power over your life. Some people want to go to the extreme of becoming
totally self-sufficient, building Earth houses, generating their own electricity,
growing all their own food. Others wish to stay in cities, enjoying a highly
diverse, exciting social lifestyle. These, and anything in between, are all
good, as long as we learn to think independently.
If you buy all of your food at the grocery store, patronize businesses who
provide meat from local farmers who raise their animals in a humane, natural
manner without harmful chemicals, rather than those who buy from the big
conglomerates who provide the masses with low-grade, unsafe meat produced
at the expense of an animal's dignity. Many stores carry organic produce,
and there are many small local farmers' markets that offer varieties you
can't buy from megafarms that produce inferior hybrids for uniformity.
If you garden, avoid buying hybrid seeds from large seed companies; look
instead for small businesses that carry varieties that are becoming extinct,
which, by the way, are far more tasty and nutritious than what is commonly
offered in supermarkets. Start a seed co-op with your neighbors.
Deliberately boycott fast-food restaurants - you'll be doing a good thing
for yourself as well as for the Earth.
Support the Arbor Day foundation: for $10.00 you can receive, plant, and
nurture 10 trees.
Take a course in logical philosophy at your local community college to learn
how to criticize what you read in the newspapers or see on television, so
you can mentally sort out what's valuable and discard all the crap it's packaged
in.
Instead of supporting the development of a needy child in a foreign country,
actively support organizations in your local area that provide for the needs
of the many underprivileged children in America.
Instead of giving 10% of your wages in tithe to buy your seat in heaven,
use that money to buy food to give to food banks for the needy. Make caring
for yourself and your fellow man a daily reality rather than a Sunday morning
passing fancy.
Unplug the television and read to your children, or to a friend's children.
Get to know your neighbors. If you tend to stay away from "people you don't
know", pull your head out of the sand. You don't have to sacrifice privacy
to build community. Identify and work toward common goals for your safety
and quality of life - socially, politically, and environmentaly. Always remember
that hiding your head in the sand exposes your tender parts to the predators.
There is security in groups.
Use your internet access. Search out and utilize alternatives - there are
millions to be found. Learn things. Use the knowledge you gain.
Strengthen yourself, physically and spiritually. Leave others to do it for
themselves- to try to control the behavior of others is just another way
to keep from tackling the difficult task of paying attention to your own
life. Likewise, free yourself from the controlling efforts of other people
or organizations. Follow your boss's orders, but leave your job at work and
make your home life a place of refuge. Be creative!
After this, all of the races will live as one Tribe in peace and harmony.
The spirits of the animals and the trees will return when they know that
they are safe once again. The Monster with the White Eyes will be no more.
This is what my grandmother told me, and now I have told it to you.
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