FLOWING RIVER: Everything is falling into place because you are not resisting the drift of the great river of life. It’s time to let go. You’re entering a period of gracious ease and flow. All is unfolding perfectly and with good timing. When you’re in a state of flow, you aren’t pushing the river to go faster, and you aren’t swimming against it. Let go of the shore and enjoy the ride.
You Native Spirit Wants You to Know: Rivers have personalities and carry energy, just as animals and plants do. From the Maoris to the Australian Aborigines, and to other native cultures throughout the world, it’s believed that it’s important to listen to the language of the river. If you aren’t feeling the smooth currents of life, it might mean that you’re trying to control situations or that you’re being self-critical or judgmental. The way to move into flow is through gratitude and appreciation, and by allowing others to support and help you. Heed the Native American saying: “It’s best to ride the horse in the direction that it’s going.” This means that when the card, Flowing River chooses you, you’re being told to let go and go with the flow. If there is something or someone you need to forgive, this is the time. This is alos the time to forgive yourself and just let go.
The Journey: As you shower and the water flows over your body, imagine that everything is flowing in your life. Spend time next to a river or stream and watch the flowing waters; use it as a metaphor to let go and enter the flow.
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PRAYER FEATHER: Love is flowing to you and through you. No matter what an individual is saying or doing, love him or her anyway. Gather your inner forces; silently and secretly, love deeply and fully, with every ounce of your being, even if someone isn’t fulfilling your expectations. (It’s easy to love people when they’re acting wonderfully; the true challenge is to love them when they aren’t.)
You Native Spirit Wants You to Know: Feathers in native cultures often represent a connection with the Creator. Birds often symbolize messengers between the two-leggeds (humans) and Spirit. This is your time to love and be loved. The love that you send out into the world comes back to you a hundredfold. There are times when the small concerns of everyday life need to drop away and be replaced by the majesty of your being . . . this is that time.
Prayer feathers are decorated feathers that can be used for many purposes. In some traditions, prayers are placed into the feather – you can hold it to your heart or between your hands as you focus on your prayer – and then tied onto a bush so when the winds blows, it carries the prayers to the Creator. Another kind of prayer feather is a decorated feather or a decorated bundle of feathers that are used for smudging (sacred smoke) ceremonies. (The smoke is to cleanse the space as well as carry your prayers upward.)
The Journey: For a day, love each person you encounter. Imagine a golden ray of light from the center of your heart radiating to the center of the heart of that individual. Notice how great you feel by the end of the day.
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MEDICINE BAG: Gather your resources. Be discerning. Vast inner power is growing in your life. Step back and let it grow. There are times to shine brightly for all to see, and there are also times to choose carefully who sees your true self. Choose wisely. Do not make hasty decisions. If it doesn’t feel right, hold back. You’re protected from any less-than-positive outside influences. Your capacity and potential are growing in leaps and bounds.
Your Native Spirit Wants You to Know: It’s traditional in indigenous cultures to carry a medicine bag or medicine bundle as a form of protection and also as a way to access your personal power through the sacred objects that are held there. The items in the medicine bag each contain potent qualities that allow one’s abilities to magnify and also help one commune with the Creator. As your power grows, take time to protect it. Just as you protect a seedling in the early months, and then later – once it’s an established tree – it can withstand the storms of time. Protect your growing power, and it will become as mighty as an ancient oak.
The Journey: Consider obtaining or creating your own medicine bag or bundle. Put objects in it that are meaningful to you and make you feel strong and vital whenever you look at them or hold them. Traditionally, one’s medicine bag was not worn for display, but often hidden from view of kept in a sacred place.
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SMUDGING CEREMONY: Let go of the past. Purify. Detox. Release whatever doesn’t serve or support you in your life. Cleanse your body and environment by doing space clearing and clutter clearing. Let go of the old, discarded, and unused to make way for new energy and new beginnings. Eat lightly, drink lots of fresh water, and consume food with strong life force.
Your Native Spirit Wants You to Know: Smudging is a native tradition that involves using the smoke of burning herbs to symbolically “wash” a space in a ceremonial manner. Sometimes your energy field or the energy field of your environment becomes so cluttered or dingy that you can’t see the world around you clearly and you have trouble hearing the messages from your soul. When you take the time to purify yourself and your environment, not only do you feel lighter and brighter, but also you’re a clearer channel for the light. The brilliance that pours through you can heal and help many people . . . but first the path has to be clear.
The Journey: Using the smoke of incense or sage, cup your hands into the smoke and “wash” over the top of your head, saying, “That I think clearly.” Then cup the smoke to your eyes, saying, “That I may see the truth.” Next bring the smoke to your throat area, saying, “That I may speak the truth.” Finally, waft the smoke to your heart area, saying, “That my heart be open.”
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