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-- famine, drought, earthquakes, extremes in weather, etc.
By Phil Shapley (White Wolf)
1) The Problem
Christian and Jewish scriptures, and Native spiritual leaders all prophesy of coming disastrous times-- famine, fire, earthquake, drought, floods, civil strife, etc. Matters will become so serious that the only means of survival will be to be spiritually connected to the Creator, Nature and Mother Earth. The present day upward spiral of natural calamities and violence support the validity of these prophesies.
The purpose of this paper is to show the path to becoming spiritually connected, and thus, be able to obtain needed help from our Creator (appendix 2), Mother Earth and Nature!
2) Why the increasing turmoil
The Creation performs well when people live in harmony with the ways of the Creator-- when there is love and respect between all elements of the Creation, and Man lives by the Creator's laws. This is so because the Creation is a delicate organization of spiritual element, intelligences or awarenesses.* All parts of the Creation, even the smallest particles, have awareness and can choose to obey or not obey the Creator. When there is universal love and respect, the elements of the Creation, including atoms, obey the Creator-- a beautiful harmony is realized and the Creation with its many delicate integrations, could come into existence. Each part of the Creation-- atoms, the winds, rocks, the sea, plants, animals, etc.-- acts under the influence of the Creator, and within the laws and boundaries that its Maker has given. The Native people and advanced Christians and Jews, have known this for thousands of years.
Man, the most intelligent spirit in the Creation, is least obedient and least respectful of all the spirits. This is causing turmoil. The Creation (Mother Earth and Nature) are becoming ill and are convulsing. Man is bringing the problems on himself, and in the process, could learn what works (love and respect) versus what doesn't work (greed, pride, conflict, etc.). Also, the Creator is allowing or causing increasing tribulation, disturbances, etc. to encourage Man to wake up and return to His Maker, and to live in love and respect for Him (the Creator) and all of Nature.
This modern society is full of greed and disrespect. Modern Man grabs and exploits resources with no thanksgiving or respect, such as mining soil to exhaustion, over fishing, we fight over scarce resources, etc. We pollute thoughtlessly, cheat our neighbor and are dishonest in dealings. The wealthy frequently feel they do not have enough, and thus exploit others, including the poor. The powerful are not satisfied, seeking increased power over others.
To make matters worse, modern man unceasingly ignores specific commandments of the Creator, such as the Ten Commandments, is immoral, especially in regards to sacred sexual relations, and doesn't love his Maker or his neighbor.
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* Just because we can't see spiritual element with our limited vision, does not mean it doesn't exist. Recently, we have become aware of atoms and smaller particles. To describe many phenomenon, theoretical physicists need to explain them as spiritualists do.
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3) The key to personal survival amidst the increasing turmoil
A person can survive the coming hard times by returning to his Creator and learning how the Creation works. The Creation was organized by a loving Maker. The Creator did this by recognizing that everything is spiritual, having awareness and can choose to obey or disobey the Creator's request, even atoms. By teaching and practicing love, respect and harmony, the Creator was able to convince these spiritual intelligences or awarenesses to organize themselves in certain ways and live certain laws such that the Creation (the Earth and all on it) could come into existence. The Creation is a brilliant, beautiful, loving and respectful organized harmony of all these awareness's. All organized intelligences benefit from this organization.
Man is the highest and most capable awareness (intelligence) but with some exceptions, the least respectful and obedient. His disrespect is causing tremendous disturbances. For a person to survive in these increasingly chaotic times, that person must get back in harmony with the ways of the Creation and of His Creator:
- so he can have help directly from his Creator
- so he can have help from the Creation itself by being in harmony with it.
4) Specific actions for obtaining assistance
A person will need help from both his Creator and the Creation.
4a) obtaining help from the Creator
This is most important of all. Without this assistance, you will fail.
You must establish a close personal relationship with our Maker You can start by learning that our Creator is a very loving being. You can learn this if you have the following desires:
1) you sincerely want to know (this desire may come in a crisis);
2) you are willing to work to change your life to live as your Creator would have you live, that is, to live the way of happiness and personal peace.
If these are your true desires, pray to know that there is a loving Creator. In a time that is wise, the Creator will reveal His existence and love to you. It can come in several ways:
1) you will have a deep feeling of warmth and peace (it can be overwhelming);
2) a prayer may be answered;
3) He may perform a convincing miracle.
Neither of these is likely to occur if you aren't sincere. To obtain this scared knowledge and disrespect it, would bring condemnation, and thus, a kind Maker may with hold it.
Once you know of the Maker's existence, you can pray to our Maker for help. He will hear your prayers and answer them in a wise way at the right time (appendix 3). Given the Creators great wisdom and your limited knowledge, the prayer may not be answered in the way or at the time you expect. It will be answered at the wise time and in a wise way.
To continue to receive help,you must:
1) frequently communicate in a loving and grateful way with your Maker;
2) constantly work to bring your life in harmony with the ways and commandments of our Creator.
If you fail to do such, help will cease. As you work to live a moral, respectful life, you will become more and more aware of the love and wisdom of your Creator.
4b) obtaining help from the Creation
Matters will go better if you also respect the Creation and appeal to it for help through our Maker. (Indians need to return to this way.) If you want help from a friend, you ask him.
The Creation works because it loves and reveres its Maker. If it didn't, it would not obey the Creator and the Creation would not exist.
One beautiful characteristic of the Creation is that one part is willing to sacrifice for the benefit of another. Grass gives itself as food for cattle, buffalo, mice and rabbits. Mice and rabbits feed predators. Native people know that deer, moose, buffalo, etc. will give themselves to man if his needs are real and he is respectful, such as using as much of the carcass as is possible, including the hide. A Native friend asked two moose to give themselves for meat for the old people on the Reserve who missed it. Two moose gave themselves. A trapper experienced a scarcity of beaver in his trapping area while his respectful trapper father had many in his area despite intense trapping. The Creator teaches that the greatest thing a person can do is to sacrifice his life for the benefit of another.
Native Americans and Canadians know that if you respect plants and animals, they reproduce more and are more productive. If you are disrespectful, the ability to reproduce is diminished and thus, there is a diminishing supply. Man's disrespect is decreasing the supply of plants and animals.
How do you show respect for plants and animals when you plan to harvest them?:
1) First, you pray to our Maker for His assistance in providing what is needed and expressing gratitude for the resource.
2) Natives explain to the resource why they need to harvest it and express thanks for its availability, perhaps even asking if it is willing to give itself.**
3) A Native person gives something in return which he feels is appropriate, such as water in time of drought, fertilizer or manure, seed, food such as forage, tobacco, etc.
4) They take only what they need, seldom taking all, and usually harvest only the top of the plant, not ripping out the roots (exceptions would be carrots, potatoes, etc.)-- thus you don't destory the plant. If a herb is harvested disrespectfully, it is not likely to be as potent.
This approach helps insure perpetuation of the resource.
When the Creator and elements of weather are approached, even the wind and rain can cooperate.
5) Our overall approach to life and the Creation in these hectic modern times
Despite the times we live in, we can live in a manner that is pleasing to our Creator and is respectful of resources. This may seem impossible given the demands of modern living. For instance, we must drive our polluting car to work or to see friends, burn fuel to heat the house, and we use electricity whose generation causes pollution. We consume products which pollute and whose production generates pollution. Herbs used in modern medicine and food plants may be harvested with greed and without thanksgiving and are grown in an environmentally destructive manner. We over harvest fish, mine farm soils, and add destructive chemicals and herbicides to the soil. We clear cut forests and harvest in other damaging ways. And we ignore our Creator and His laws of harmony and peace.
What the Creator asks of us if we are to have His help and help from the Creation, is to live our lives the best we can. Each of us can still live the Ten Commandments, be moral, and live in a loving way. We can be grateful for all in the Creation, and for what we have. When we harvest, we can do as much as possible as advocated previously.
To be practical, we still are faced with living in a modern world. You will likely need to drive a car. But choose one that burns less fuel. And you must do everything within the limits of your income. At times, convenience or necessity may dictate that you use Styrofoam cups and plates (when you use an alternative, such as China, you must wash them with detergent or soap). Consume where possible, less paper, metal and fuel. Recycle where available. Encourage pollution control but you still must flush your toilet, use some electricity, etc. You need to cut grass probably with a power mover but you also can plant trees and flowers. You may consume improperly harvested herbs or medicine made from them, but you can still give thanks for them. The list goes on and on.
What is most important, is to live respectful of your Creator and His ways, be moral, express gratitude for all you have, and treat natural resources as much as possible, in the respectful way advocated. Then the Creator will provide the resources and other help that you need!
The rest of society will go charging on in its' bad way. Spiritually deprived modern science will not prevent the collapse.*** Modern man is self-destructing. But you can have the help that you need and you will help part of Nature survive, even bringing it joy by your respectful actions-- resources have helped a respectful person!
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**Never approach a resource in a way that could put you under its control. A leading Native Elder learned this in a dream. Like some people, some resources seek power.
*** Good science is that which is consistent with spiritual truth. That which contravenes it, is not good science. Science has given us some wonderful benefits, such a medicines, airplanes, computers, etc. but as practiced today, science will not ensure that the Earth's life support system will survive.
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Appendix 1: About the author
The author, Phil Shapley, is a retired 72 year old biologist. He obtained a Masters Degree in fishery biology and zoology studying under a Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Peter A. Larkin. Later, he obtained a Masters in Economics from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. Candidate's Degree in Resource Planning and Conservation at this same university.
He has worked studying fish production in farm ponds, the effects of logging on salmon production in Alaska, as an environmental, biological and agricultural specialist for Ontario's Ministry of Treasury and Economics, as Ontario's Lake Huron Fishery Planner, and as a fishery biologist for Canadian First Nations.
While working for First Nations, he became interested in Native spiritual teachings, studied them and traveled with Native (Indian) spiritual leaders.
Thirty years ago, he explored Christianity and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Since then, he has extensively studied Christian teachings. Native and Christian teachings are mostly compatible though the emphasis may be different.
He received his name White Wolf from a Comanche Medicine Man .
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and don't represent the endorsement of any particular group.
Appendix 2: Who is the Creator?
Different Native tribes have different names for the Creator. For the Ojibway, he is Geehe Manitou and Wanka Tanka for the Lakota. To Christians, he is Jesus Christ and Jehovah to the Jews. Your name for Him is not as important as recognizing and honouring Him, and living humbly and morally as He asks.
Appendix 3: Effective prayer
The author has found that his prayers are particularly effective by including the following:
One-- Pray to God the Father in name of His Son Jesus Christ.
Two-- Start your prayers by giving thanks for your many blessings (look hard to realize the many blessings that you have): such as this beautiful earth, surviving another day, food, shelter, adequate income, your wife and kids, friends, good health or help with a health problem or another problem, strength to get through challenges, inspiration and ideas, the bounty and beauty of Nature, etc.
Three-- Then ask for what you need and ask it be done in the way and time that the Father knows is wise.
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