Heart of Mother Earth

The Heart of Mother Earth loves and cares for us all, all ways, all days ... now and forever more. 

AHO! Grandmother

Excerpt from 'Spirit Talk': The Mother Earth and all beings that live upon and within her body have their own unique medicine ways and it is of these ways that we seek to learn the languages, uses, and songs. Our Mother is a sentient being with an evolutionary path of her own, and when sufficiently sensitized it is possible for us to feel her heartbeat through the soles of our feet and entire being. 

Gaa Mnokmet Ked: The Spring Wisdom Teachings (CPN)

 By Minisa Crumbo Halsey

WE ARE THE FARMERS, HUNTERS, COOKS, FISHERMEN, TAPPERS, STORYTELLERS, GATHERERS … OF OUR LIVES.

Spirit Horse Ranch Studio

And now, it is the sunrise of the world, called SPRING — the eastern, mental and yellow direction of the Medicine Wheel. It is the sunrise or dawn of the year. The stronger Gizes (Father Sky Sun) is pushing back the winter dark while warming and awakening Sekmekwe (Mother Earth) to yet another season of sprouting, rooting and growth. Just as the night of winter protects all things, it makes visible our star relatives Withik Negos … the Constellation of Ursa Major the Big Dipper. The hibernating kche mko, Big Bear, emerges, as do we two-leggeds, from the root homes of the mkowango (den), bringing new life, vigor and vision of plant medicine. Now, soon, comes the selection of back yard raised bed garden, windowsill or larger field. Prayers to the long history of chosen seed beings are offered to our Mother Earth, in gratitude, with planning thoughts, song, drum (de-weben), and perhaps a pinch of asemma (tobacco), cornmeal or fat. Now, we are purifying and humming to our highest and most sacred frequencies … preparing ourselves to initiate the digging, plowing, the mindful dropping of seed and first watering … as FARMERS OF OUR LIVES we continue to connect and fuse ourselves with all living things and with the heart of the sky and the heart of the earth. AHO!

These things we do to honor all new and emerging life, the inner lives and outer lives of all animate and inanimate beings. Now, we begin to prepare for the many ceremonies of the renewal that may be recalled, heard, told and created afresh with song, dance, painting or craft, by other works, prayer and feasting … for this new year … indeed for the young of seven generations ahead … do we offer these works to all of us … of the eighth fire prophesy.

Each of us, the long hairs, the newborns among us, the children and the elders, teens, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, grandparents, husbands and wives and all of our relations … we are each and every one of us drawing and receiving our first conscious breaths and remembering that we are “breathed alive by the Creator-Mamogosnan” into a living world of heartbeat, breath, movement and blood memory. This being so, we have a sacred charge to reach out, participate in and to support ourselves and our people … and to not forget who we are and what we have … through enduring connection to Mamogosnan and all of the others … heal us God, by the WAYS OF THE AIR … By these and other seasonal ways do we recognize ourselves as “farmers of our lives.” The GAA MNOKMET KED demonstrate the flowering mystery in our deepest recesses. These and many other things are learned as we set our moc-sin (moccasin) feet to walk yet another year upon and with, the renewed sacred path of SPRING – MNOKMET … one of the most beautiful and enduring gifts from the Creator that we might know life “in a good way, now and forever more.”

Gaa Mnokmet Ked: The Spring Wisdom Teachings (CPN)

 By Minisa Crumbo Halsey

WE ARE THE FARMERS, HUNTERS, COOKS, FISHERMEN, TAPPERS, STORYTELLERS, GATHERERS … OF OUR LIVES.

Spirit Horse Ranch Studio

And now, it is the sunrise of the world, called SPRING — the eastern, mental and yellow direction of the Medicine Wheel. It is the sunrise or dawn of the year. The stronger Gizes (Father Sky Sun) is pushing back the winter dark while warming and awakening Sekmekwe (Mother Earth) to yet another season of sprouting, rooting and growth. Just as the night of winter protects all things, it makes visible our star relatives Withik Negos … the Constellation of Ursa Major the Big Dipper. The hibernating kche mko, Big Bear, emerges, as do we two-leggeds, from the root homes of the mkowango (den), bringing new life, vigor and vision of plant medicine. Now, soon, comes the selection of back yard raised bed garden, windowsill or larger field. Prayers to the long history of chosen seed beings are offered to our Mother Earth, in gratitude, with planning thoughts, song, drum (de-weben), and perhaps a pinch of asemma (tobacco), cornmeal or fat. Now, we are purifying and humming to our highest and most sacred frequencies … preparing ourselves to initiate the digging, plowing, the mindful dropping of seed and first watering … as FARMERS OF OUR LIVES we continue to connect and fuse ourselves with all living things and with the heart of the sky and the heart of the earth. AHO!

These things we do to honor all new and emerging life, the inner lives and outer lives of all animate and inanimate beings. Now, we begin to prepare for the many ceremonies of the renewal that may be recalled, heard, told and created afresh with song, dance, painting or craft, by other works, prayer and feasting … for this new year … indeed for the young of seven generations ahead … do we offer these works to all of us … of the eighth fire prophesy.

Each of us, the long hairs, the newborns among us, the children and the elders, teens, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, grandparents, husbands and wives and all of our relations … we are each and every one of us drawing and receiving our first conscious breaths and remembering that we are “breathed alive by the Creator-Mamogosnan” into a living world of heartbeat, breath, movement and blood memory. This being so, we have a sacred charge to reach out, participate in and to support ourselves and our people … and to not forget who we are and what we have … through enduring connection to Mamogosnan and all of the others … heal us God, by the WAYS OF THE AIR … By these and other seasonal ways do we recognize ourselves as “farmers of our lives.” The GAA MNOKMET KED demonstrate the flowering mystery in our deepest recesses. These and many other things are learned as we set our moc-sin (moccasin) feet to walk yet another year upon and with, the renewed sacred path of SPRING – MNOKMET … one of the most beautiful and enduring gifts from the Creator that we might know life “in a good way, now and forever more.”

Gaa Mnokmet Ked: The Spring Wisdom Teachings (CPN)

By Minisa Crumbo Halsey

WE ARE THE FARMERS, HUNTERS, COOKS, FISHERMEN, TAPPERS, STORYTELLERS, GATHERERS … OF OUR LIVES.

Spirit Horse Ranch Studio

And now, it is the sunrise of the world, called SPRING — the eastern, mental and yellow direction of the Medicine Wheel. It is the sunrise or dawn of the year. The stronger Gizes (Father Sky Sun) is pushing back the winter dark while warming and awakening Sekmekwe (Mother Earth) to yet another season of sprouting, rooting and growth. Just as the night of winter protects all things, it makes visible our star relatives Withik Negos … the Constellation of Ursa Major the Big Dipper. The hibernating kche mko, Big Bear, emerges, as do we two-leggeds, from the root homes of the mkowango (den), bringing new life, vigor and vision of plant medicine. Now, soon, comes the selection of back yard raised bed garden, windowsill or larger field. Prayers to the long history of chosen seed beings are offered to our Mother Earth, in gratitude, with planning thoughts, song, drum (de-weben), and perhaps a pinch of asemma (tobacco), cornmeal or fat. Now, we are purifying and humming to our highest and most sacred frequencies … preparing ourselves to initiate the digging, plowing, the mindful dropping of seed and first watering … as FARMERS OF OUR LIVES we continue to connect and fuse ourselves with all living things and with the heart of the sky and the heart of the earth. AHO!

These things we do to honor all new and emerging life, the inner lives and outer lives of all animate and inanimate beings. Now, we begin to prepare for the many ceremonies of the renewal that may be recalled, heard, told and created afresh with song, dance, painting or craft, by other works, prayer and feasting … for this new year … indeed for the young of seven generations ahead … do we offer these works to all of us … of the eighth fire prophesy.

Each of us, the long hairs, the newborns among us, the children and the elders, teens, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, grandparents, husbands and wives and all of our relations … we are each and every one of us drawing and receiving our first conscious breaths and remembering that we are “breathed alive by the Creator-Mamogosnan” into a living world of heartbeat, breath, movement and blood memory. This being so, we have a sacred charge to reach out, participate in and to support ourselves and our people … and to not forget who we are and what we have … through enduring connection to Mamogosnan and all of the others … heal us God, by the WAYS OF THE AIR … By these and other seasonal ways do we recognize ourselves as “farmers of our lives.” The GAA MNOKMET KED demonstrate the flowering mystery in our deepest recesses. These and many other things are learned as we set our moc-sin (moccasin) feet to walk yet another year upon and with, the renewed sacred path of SPRING – MNOKMET … one of the most beautiful and enduring gifts from the Creator that we might know life “in a good way, now and forever more.”

'Anishnabe Star Knowledge' by Minisa Crumbo Halsey:

Bozho Nikon, Hello. My bone, 
Let us, Anishnabé, begin by ‘making a prayer’ of gratitude and thanks for all of the gifts: 
Nengosek: the Star Beings 

Sekmekwe: our Mother Earth 

Gizes: our Father-Sky Sun 

Debek-Gizes: the Grandmother Moon 

Mamogosnan: Creator … we pray that we might see clearly and be seen clearly … and walk the straight path laid down for us in the Seven Grandfather’s Teachings, which give us the Good Ways by which we might live ...

To read entire article:  Anishnabé star knowledge - Potawatomi.org

Hownikan-March-2024-Digital.pdf (potawatomi.org)

Sacred Berries Ceremony

From May 15, 2020:

Bozho and a very good Rainy morning to all, from the Bodewadmin Longhouse... an early summer, ancient and current women's teaching that can all be active within ... providing valuable focus in and on the women's seat of the soul, the woman place. A proven and worthy tool by which to live in harmony with the Creator and the natural world.

Migwech! My love, Minisa

Yes, Jaguar Woman, there IS a strawberry-demen teaching and yearlong right of passage ceremony for the young girl becoming woman. The sacred berry is representative and guardian of the life carrying qualities of the womb and the potential of 'new life coming' medicine. 

The other berries, which follow later in the season, represent the certain cellular division 'medicines' of the 'new life coming' and as a metaphor of the young girl becoming woman capable of 'Carrying Life and the Waters of Life'.

In the demen-spring or early summer ceremony she and a circle of women will pray and prepare to seek, greet, offer thanks for the gift, gather and invite the 'medicine' to join in and with, the girl's body through the coming 13 moons, at which time the demen give-away ceremony will be seated and complete, with a feast prepared for all participants.

Through this time, the 'young woman becoming', will observe a 13 Moon strawberry fast. She will then be offered the demen and other traditional foods, at the conclusion feast to FEED and NOURISH her life and herself, the life of the circle, her people, and ALL life, 'in a good way'. From this time onward she will be woman, having merged with this beautiful and powerful 'medicine', assisting her transition into the beauty and responsibility of an adult woman.

Migwech Creator, Sekmekwe, Gizes and all of the Demen for these and all of the gifts, known and unknown, spoken and unspoken ... mine (and) breathed alive.

Respectfully retold, in the appropriate season.
Dawn Woman 1IK

Flowering Moon