(by Josephine Mandamin, Ontario Native Women�s Association)
When we cleanse ourselves with the smoke from the medicines, we are praying for guidance and direction from the Creator to help us use our gifts in the right way. We physically cleanse our head area which houses our thoughts and minds. We ask the Creator to help us think only good thoughts of others, and all things we come into contact with. We ask that we do not harbour evil or bad thoughts about others, and if we do, we ask that we be given extra time before the day ends to make amends for our mistakes.
Next we cleanse our invisible gift of sight and ask for strength in using our gift in a good way - that we are not offended by what we see, and do not make fun of what we see. Our sight is exposed to many things during the day, and many times we are tempted to judge what we see. We ask the Creator that we be allowed the opportunity to make amends before the day ends should we misuse our gift of sight.
We continue to the gift of hearing and listening and ask the Creator for guidance in using this gift to patiently listen to those that speak to us and to those that are teaching us, especially to the elements of nature. The birds, the winds, the waters, the animal kingdom of the four legged and two legged beings, from where we learn to reawaken our gift of listening. We give thanks for this beautiful gift, and ask that if we have abused it in some way by making fun of what we hear, we ask for pardon and opportunity to make amends before the day ends.
The next gift we cleanse is the gift of smell which assists us in following our direction in the right way. The animals teach us how to use the gift in a good way. The animals use their noses to detect danger, to find food, water, and medicines.
The little ones learn to use their noses even before birth, to know their mothers and to become familiar with their surroundings. So too, we must learn from our relations. We can learn to reawaken our sense of smell to lead us in the right choices and directions, to sense danger to find our right path, and to find the right teachings (teachers), and to find the medicines for our health. We pray to the Creator that we do not abuse the gift by making fun of those that do not meet our senses in a way that we expect.
Many times we meet people who are homeless and have to live on the streets. We connect with the alcoholics and people on drugs on the streets every day. We must honour them and show them respect because they are surviving with the most minimal opportunities. We are in no position to make fun of those that are not as fortunate as we - to be able to shower every day, to have three meals a day, to have a roof over our heads and families to go home to. We give thanks to the Creator, and also ask that if we have misused our gift and made fun of someone who did not smell the way we would like them to smell, we take the opportunity to go out and help someone before the day ends.
We continue to cleanse our next gift which is the gift from the mouth. We must always watch what we say, how we say things, and be careful that we do not harm someone by the words that come from our mouths. Our children are usually the first ones to be hurt by the wrong words coming out of our mouths. If they hear those hurting words for too long, they may end up believing those words and begin to feel badly about themselves. Our young people hurt themselves in different ways to give us the message that they are hurting. They are unable to express their feelings with words because they may have been taught to shut up, be quiet or don�t tell anyone. These are controlling words we must replace with loving and encouraging words.
Therefore, we ask our Creator as we cleanse ourselves that we do not hurt our children, our partners, our relations, and co-workers. We ask that we learn to use this gift in the most wonderful way possible and take the time to choose our words before they come out of our mouths. Equally important as what comes out of our mouths is what goes into our mouths. We can harm our spirit with alcohol and mind-altering drugs which are harmful to the mind and body. We pause and ask the Creator for strength to know these things.
Next we cleanse the heart where feelings are housed. Our hearts carry many feelings. We give thanks for this gift and ask that we use it in a good way by feeling grateful for all things we come across today. We must learn to harbour good feelings about all people, our family, nature, and the universe. If we begin to feel badly about others, we must take
time out to evaluate our feelings, ask for, and make an effort to make peace with those we have bad feelings about. We must not burden our hearts with negative thoughts and feelings. The heart can give out with carrying too much weight, and may result in heart attacks and strokes. So we ask the Creator that we learn to place only joyful and happy feelings into our hearts, and to help others feel joyful and happy.
The next gift we cleanse is touch. We wash our gift with the smoke of the medicines and ask for strength and perseverance that we do not abuse the gift of healing. This gift was given to us as healing hands to produce only loving results. We especially request from the Creator that we understand this gift and not to abuse it by slapping our children or hitting our partners. We pray that all our relations can understand this great gift and use this healing gift to guide their children and families throughout life in a loving and healing way.
We pray especially for those who abuse this gift with wrong touches toward the children and partners. We give thanks for this gift that has allowed us to work with our children, our partners, our community and nations in a constructive way. We pray that those who abuse this gift through wrong and willful misuse can learn to make changes and that we too be given opportunities to ask for forgiveness should we hurt someone with this gift of touch.
Then we cleanse our spirit which surrounds our bodies at all times. This spirit if forever present and watchful as we journey each day and while we are asleep. These are what we call dreams. Our spirit tries to contact us in many ways but we get too busy to listen. We ask the Creator as we pray that we can learn to reawaken our spirits that we may have forgotten or frightened off through alcohol or mind-altering drugs. We ask that we learn to care for our spirit by way of cleansing our gifts, and our homes. As we begin to understand our invisible gifts we begin to understand that our spirit has been attempting to communicate with us through our �gut feelings�, a shiver, or a feeling of being watched or even through the messages of the elements, nature and humans such as Elders.
So now, when we experience the scent of the medicines wherever we are, we are reminded of the teaching of the returning Elders and to use our invisible gifts in the ways of our teachings. At times you may imagine the smell of one or all the four medicines. This is when someone is praying for you. Or, you may be somewhere away from home and smell the medicines. You are reminded again of the teachings of the invisible gifts.
The cleansing takes only a couple of minutes. The teaching takes time, but once you grasp or catch the meanings, you have gained a precious gift, and will return to cleanse whenever the need arises.
This is enough for this time. I shall continue with additional teachings next time, if all is well.
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