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Planet Peace
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Sacred Mother Speaks Through the Bars
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By Nash Araiza
On May 8th Loretta was advised by CSD that her child would be moved to an
undisclosed location.
Again I hear the Sacred Mother speak, through the women prisoners. "Where
are my Children?"
Passing the last 3 years, taking the prayers for the men's prayer circle at
OSP to the sacred Sundance ceremony, the female side of our being had not
yet touched my heart. At special request I started to approach the county
jails at which time Native women started to attend a talking circle. It was
at this time that I heard our Sacred Mother speak to me through the tears of
the women prisoners. "Where are my Children?"
Unlike those who say "They should think of the things they did to put their
children or themselves in this position," I do not blame the Sacred Mother
for her Children being taken away from her by the reservation / relocation
actions, but try to let the Sacred Mother know that we are alive today and
making our connection to her stronger through prayer, unity, and the
ceremonies.
Pray for the Sacred Mother. Pray for the prisoners.
The Children have been removed from Her by trying to SUCCEED by the
standards, means, and values given to us by the dominant culture, and that
we have had to live these lies i.e. success is aquiring things, "The more
you have the greater you are." With our people, "The more you give, the
greater person you are." The chemical quick fix in lieu of accepting
suffering as part of life, takes us to the chemical dependency prisons of
Native America.
The Mother cries, "Am I to blame?"
At OSP (the men's state prison) we let our sweat down through the sacred
sweat ceremony every week ... some Children, the Mother still wonders "Where
are my Children?"
Pray for the Sacred Mother. Pray for the prisoners.
They Pray for You.
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Nash Araiza, a Southern Paiute, is a State of Oregon Department of
Corrections Spiritual Advisor (OSP) to Native American prisoners. A really
cool guy devoted to helping our Brothers (and Sisters) in Another Planet!
(prison).
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-- Planet Peace http://www.teleport.com/~amt/planetpeace /-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\ Nothing Real Can be Threatened. Nothing Unreal Exists. \-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/