My Soul’s Longing for Deeper Meaning, Connection and Ceremony
Reflection on Indigenous ways of life
The way the sun shines on the river water makes me want to dance with joy.
How are we not all doing this? Why are we not all relishing the daily miracles that we get to experience as humans? Why are we not even stopping to notice? How have we become so repressed and dull?
I just finished reading my second Richard Wagamese book, Embers. I’m left feeling so inspired, and yet uninspired as I close my book and snap back to the reality of my white-washed world, generally devoid of any deep meaning and with a cultural history that makes me feel ashamed.
Indigenous ceremonies and ways of life are so inspiring and so much more aligned with how my soul feels and wants to be able to express itself. I do recognize that it would be both a blessing and a curse to be born into this community. I both acknowledge and cannot even come close to saying that I understand what they have gone through. I feel so sad that others have not been able understand or even recognize the importance, wisdom, purity and beauty.
Why couldn’t we have adopted their ways of life—if they would have us—instead of forcing them to repress their true selves, their culture, values and language? What a mistake and profound missed opportunity.
I have a deep respect and longing to be more deeply immersed in this world. I wish we could easily all embrace, as Richard Wagamese expresses in his book One Drum, that “we are all one drum and we need each other.” I believe we could all benefit from learning some of these traditional practices, ceremonies, ways of thinking and living and supporting one another.
Maybe in my next life, things will be different. Only time will tell.