Let
us now assemble the honoring gifts once again, the high and personal inner
gifts of qualities which only we can know, and the gifts of the known and
understood common tradition such as tobacco, water or candles; chocolate …
fruits … flowers; special drinks or nectars; ritual paintings, foods, cornmeal
… and gifts of inspiration and the moment …
Notice, attention, and gratitude
for ‘being breathed’;
Gratitude to the Father Sky-Sun for return at sunrise and
sunset;
Mindful Gratitude to the water beings as we drink, see,
remember or feel them …
Mindful Gratitude to the Fire Beings …
Speak in a
friendly way to the Wind Beings …
Talk to a stone and a tree, a shrub, and the
hill in the distance …
Open the soles of your feet and invite them to ‘pick up
on’ the Mother Earth as she vibrates and breathes through our bodies and
connects with the upward solar rays of her lover. They are our elemental
parents.
Go outside and lie first facedown, then turn onto your back … Draw an
arm’s-length circle with a stick around you, think a little introductory
offering … and sit there as unmoving as possible, except for the eyes, for at
least twenty minutes … Notice and follow the breath until something else engages
your attention. The natural world soon comes to accept our presence … It is
best if no food/water/phone enters the circle or is in sight/smell/earshot …
and the sitting is best done in complete solitude … Then, when you are ready,
stand up, or crawl out, noticing which direction you entered, faced, and
departed. Try to make them the same. Then, make grateful farewells, and go.
