Power Within

The power of THOUGHT.
Love begins with our thoughts. We become what we think about. Loving thoughts create loving experiences and loving relationships. Affirmations can change our beliefs and thoughts about others and ourselves. If we want to love someone, we need to consider his or her needs and desires. Thinking about your ideal partner will help you recognise her when you meet her.

The power of RESPECT.
You cannot love anyone or anything unless you first respect them. The first person you need to respect is yourself. To begin to gain self-respect, ask yourself, What do I respect about myself? - To gain respect for others, even those you may dislike, ask yourself, What do I respect about them? -

The power of GIVING.
If you want to receive love, all you have to do is give it! The more love you give, the more you will receive. To love is to give of yourself, freely and unconditionally. Practice random acts of kindness. Before committing to a relationship ask not what the other person will be able to give to you, but rather what will you be able to give them. The secret formula of a happy, lifelong, loving relationship is to always focus on what you can give instead of what you can take.

The power of FRIENDSHIP.
To find a true love, you must first find a true friend. Love does not consist of gazing into each other’s eyes, but rather looking outward together in the same direction. To love someone completely you must love him or her for who they are and not for what they look like. Friendship is the soil through which love seeds grow. If you want to bring love into a relationship, you must first bring friendship.

The power of TOUCH.
Touch is one of the most powerful expressions of love, breaking down barriers and bonding relationships. Touch changes our physical and emotional states and makes us more receptive to love.

The power of LETTING GO.
If you love something, let it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours, if it doesn"t, it never was. Even in a loving relationship, people need their own space. If we want to learn to love, we must first learn to forgive and let go of past hurts and grievances. Love means letting go of our fears, prejudices, egos and conditions. Today I let go of all my fears, the past has no power over me - today is the beginning of a new life.

The power of COMMUNICATION.
When we learn to communicate openly and honestly life changes. To love someone is to communicate with them. Let the people you love know that you love them and appreciate them. Never be afraid to say those three magic words: I Love You. Never let an opportunity pass to praise someone. Always leave someone you love with a loving word - it could be the last time you see him or her. If you were about to die but could make telephone calls to the people you loved, who would you call, what would you say and .. why are you waiting?

The power of COMMITMENT.
If you want to have love in abundance, you must be committed to it, and that commitment will be reflected in your thoughts and actions. Commitment is the TRUE test of love. If you want to have loving relationships, you must be committed to loving relationships. When you are committed to someone or something, quitting is never an option. Commitment distinguishes a fragile relationship from a strong one.

The power of PASSION.
Passion ignites love and keeps it alive. Lasting passion does not come through physical attraction alone; it comes from deep commitment, enthusiasm, interest and excitement. Passion can be recreated by recreating past experiences. When you felt passionate spontaneity and surprises produce passion. The essence of love and happiness are the same; all we need to do is to live each day with passion.

The power of TRUST.
Trust is essential in all loving relationships. Without it one person becomes suspicious, anxious and fearful and the other person feels trapped and emotionally suffocated. You cannot love someone completely unless you trust him or her completely. Act as if your relationship with the person you love will never end. One of the ways you can tell whether a person is right for you is to ask yourself. Do I trust them completely and unreservedly? - If the answer is no -, think carefully before making a commitment.

Thinking In Four Directions

Setting Common Goals…

The concern and discussion over how the native cultures are slowly dying out has been a  focal point within  my   circle of friends  so   many  times,  but  the  question I  ask  myself  is how much of the culture  still exists?    I might be  coming from a different perspective, because  I  don’t  live on  a  reservation  and never have, nor have  I experienced  the  deep  pain suffered  by  many who were gathered  up,  then  placed  into the  residential  schools. So each time I am amazed with what I experience during an event that includes some of the old   traditions. 

 I  am  Metis  and from the East  Coast New  Brunswick,  Canada, my  ancestors  lived  along  the  St. John River. They hunted, fished  and moved  around  a  lot  but the  one  thing  most  important  to  them  was  their little community of family  and  friends.  They  depended  on each  other  for  survival,  and each  member had  a  purpose. They never refused to share with each, and came together in a crisis. They had a great   sense of cooperation and gave freely to those who were in need.

Throughout my  life  I  have  been  in constant  contact   with  natives  and  even  though assimilation has taken its toll  on the communities and  the   reservations, The  one  thing that  dominates  throughout    each   one of   these  communities  are the  teachings passed  down  to  each new  generation.  They might  vary from  nation  to  nation, and  tribe   to   tribe  but  they are  there, which  is  what has made  a  difference. These  teachings  are   what has allowed us  to survive  through hundreds  of years  of   genocide  and oppression,  and  is what has given us the determination  to continue to fight  for  our  rights  as  people. These teachings  are also  what  can unite  us and  keep us united  which  can  in return alter the  direction  of  our  future.  

Early  in  August I attended  a four  day  spiritual  event  at the Madawaska   Maliseet First Nation reserve  in the province  of   New  Brunswick,  Canada.   This  community is  an example to  follow in  terms  of  economic  development, but  the  question  arose  about coming  together   and  celebrating  their Inauguration of  a  Sacred Ground…an   event  that  made  history.  A  lot of  work  was put  into  the  preparations   And it was  hot, I  had arrived  a  few  days  before  and  helped  in any  way I could.   It  was  clear to me   that  the  seven  teachings of the Maliseet  people  were  very  much   a  part  of  this small community .  Like I said earlier,  I was amazed at  what I   witnessed,  especially with  the  amount of  pressure  everyone  was under  to  make  this  event  come  alive. Each person was busy doing   a task, but there was harmony and a sense of joy even in the hot  sun!  We  were nearing  the  final   touches  fixing  up  the  venue   when a large and  powerful  thunder  storm  hit. The wind was  strong and  the rain  was  pouring down  with  such force that the Medicine Wheel tent  which  took an entire  day  to  erect was  in danger   of being  ripped  apart …or blown  away. Not a  single soul  hesitated,  and  like magic  everyone  grabbed a  pole, or  part  of  the  tarp  and held  on tight.  When I looked  around  at  the people  soaking  wet,  and no  one had a look  of discontent  on their faces…there  was   a  need   for unity  and  we all  came  together and  did what  was needed  to  salvage  what we  could.  Another  amazing  and  unexplained thing happened,  and  it’s  something you just  don’t  see  every day. It  made  me  understand  once  again  how  special for every native  community to  have  a   Sacred Ground,  and  that these  grounds  are dedicated in  respect  of our  ancestors. Each time the  drums  and singing started, within the   first  minute  three Eagles  appeared  and  flew  over us  in  a circle  and  disappeared.

Those seven teachings are that of Truth, Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Humility and Wisdom.    I  felt  them  all  during  my stay  in  that community. I  saw the  truth  come  alive  during  that  storm ,  I  witnessed respect,  courage,  honesty,  and  wisdom  in   the  way these  people  came  together  eventually  to make  this Inauguration  the success  it was…but  most  important I felt   the love  and  kindness.  This might  have been  unique  to  this  community,  but in   the  past I have been  witness  to these  teachings in  other  native communities  I  have  visited. It is important to  understand  that   although  we might  get discouraged and  sometimes  frustrated at  the  lack  of  progress  and  not  seeing  much  justice,  we  cannot  allow  ourselves  to forget  that we  have the potential  to  survive,   and we  have  survived  some  of  the  worst  oppression  known but  we  must  remember  to remain  united   under  the teaching  left  to  us by our ancestors, and  from  the Creator…if  we  forget, and cannot see that these  teachings  are  inborn  or part  of who we  are…we will  perish! 

Claudia  Julien  (Iewiraneh)

A Spark Lit the Fire…

A spark lit the fire….

As Chief Spence embarked on her journey she demonstrated her courage to do this for her people and it awakened the spirit of nations. Many immediately began their own actions in support. An online event began on December 12 in support of Chief Theresa Spence. The goal simple and it is spiritual. The Chief is on a personal spiritual journey with a mission. Her demand is clear, the government and crown must respect its duty to consult with First Nations. We had asked people to join us by signing up for a day of fasting in solidarity with Theresa Spence, one day per each day of her fast. We wanted to send out a strong message of support and let the Harper Government know we want our rights respected. We also made it clear that fasting was not an obligation to join, but an option. Before long there were thousands, who made the sacrifice and fasted along with her. Elders, youth, men and women all were inspired.  The reaction has been overwhelming, and over 6,000 people signed up. Many have committed for a day, others longer. The peaceful protests began to escalate and unity amongst the people gained strength. On a daily basis people joined each other at a public place, like a shopping mall or on the public streets. The gatherings were ceremonial and it was pure love that drove these protests. Something as simple as a round dance brought the people together, in prayer and hope. After centuries of genocide First Nation people of Canada spoke in one single voice and the slogan Idle No More became the main focus.  Each time they gather it was uplifting and spiritual. As a native person I could feel the vibrations resonating across the entire country.  More and more people took to the streets and main stream media finally began reporting. Open discussions on why this sudden surge of protests filled the mainstream media venues. Treaty rights were being ignored, yes, but the support that began to develop within the first nation communities brought back a spirituality that has always existed within the hearts of people. A spark lit the fire and it suddenly everything makes sense, everything is clearer now. We have lost so much since the signing of the first treaty agreement with the white nation, and we have suffered because the nation to nation dialogues never really happen. Our belief system is different and the harm that came our way, the removal of children, the residential schools and the herding of our ancestors into tiny pieces of land has reached a boiling point...by repeating the words  “enough is enough” over the past few weeks brought the passion  and unity to the surface. It made us feel strong enough to stand up, speak out and in the words of the founders of the movement become “Idle No More.”  The changes being implemented will destroy our culture, land, communities and language bringing about full assimilation into a system that is not our own. With these new laws the environment or Mother Earth will lose her protection.  The Idle no More was already a movement but the actions of Chief Spence brought out the pain and suffering, adding to the insult that the federal government had denied Frist Nation people once again the “right to free, prior and informed consent”

Social networking sites played a vital role within the grass roots and the development of wider network of protests. This is where they educated themselves on the important changes being made. This is where much of the organizing took place to stop the actions of the government, Idle no More began spreading around the world. It has taken on a life of its own.  Non-natives have joined in the fight because much of the changes already in place and the many more to come will impact the entire Turtle Island and that is a cause for great concern.  Our waterways are at a high risk for pollution now and with very little protection many communities will sink deeper into poverty. The ecosystem cannot survive if it not protected, life on our Mother Earth will become extinct.

So I applaud everyone who has decided to stand up and speak out. We cannot allow things to continue the way they have been; our future generations need us to remind our governments how important it is to protect environment, lives and the rights of the First Nations. The fire has been lit and it is up to us to keep it burning for the sake of all my relations

Claudia Julien a member of the Metis - Wabanaki Confederacy

 Edmundston, New Brunswick.

Published in the online magazine Whisper n Thunder  http://www.whispernthunder.org/