Then I made a new Waluta to hang above the entrance to my home, removed the flags from within the Initi to wash them, vacuumed the ashes from the willow branches and the floor of the Initi, and in general, cleaned and tidied that place of prayer. I removed all of the prayer flags that had been tied to trees around my yard over he past year, and bundled them for burning |
I remembered the prayer visitors and the special invocations they represented. I prepared new flags to be hung within the Initi and others to be brought out to the Sacred Hoop to mark the centre and the four gates. I packed the Chanupa, the " Face of Creaor Shirt" and smudge materials and headed out to the Hoop Trail."
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As I reached the Hoop area I entered and went to the Centre. After another Chanupa Prayer, I removed the old prayer flags, put up the new ones, and fed the forest at the centre of the Hoop. In turn the same was done for the East. South, West and North gates. Just as this was accomplished, it was just past High Noon and the sky clouded over and rain began to fall. It was time to return home and then to visit a friend to accomplish another simple act of worship to Wakan Tanka.
Hoop Boy / Tree Guy
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The Sacred Hoop
/ Medicine Wheel has great spiritual significance. It
can be a space set aside on the earth that calls us to special
prayer. It
can be a symbol representing many teachings about how to live here
on this earth, in harmony with the earth, with each other and
in correct
relationship to our Creator. The traditional name given to
Gerald is Candesna Cun Wakan Oksina, or in English, Sacred Tree
Sacred Hoop
Boy. The Sacred Hoop was a special sign and way of connection
for Gerald before the name was given, and the name recognized
this connection.
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At
Friendly Forest I have tracked the Sacred Hoop into the snow on the
pond, and walk and pray the circle and the connections to the centre. The
image below is taken in the direction of the East Gate. |
During
the summer of 2004 I started to create a large Sacred Hoop trail
in the forest. Early in the year my Spiritual Helper and I
selected the centre on some high ground in the forest. Later
I marked the directions using the sun as my guide rather than
a compass. Then I started the hard work of clearing the trail. Final
dimensions of the Hoop include a diameter of 180 metres, and with
the circumference, the total trail is just short of a kilometre. I
completed most of the work by early December, though by that
time, the ground had a good covering of snow and ice. As a
result, Spring 2005 will see me doing trail trimming and some adjusting
of the circumference path as well.
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Blessing
/ Dedication of Sacred Hoop Trail in forest at Friendly Forest
: Basic Plans
Preparations
of site and shelter prior to the four day fast period. Make arrangements
for any friends
who may wish to join this prayer
time. Note; any person planning to join in this for a short
while or for a longer time is not expected to participate in the
fast. However, I will not be in a position to offer food in
hospitality and I would request that no food be brought to the area
of the Hoop. The June celebration will be the time for food
and feast.
Saturday, March
26, 2005
- Participate
in Sacred Sweat Ceremony in preparation for time leading
to and including April days of fast and prayer.
Thursday, April 21, 2005 Day 1
- Begin fasting at dawn
- Focus for the day: Remember the year past and give thanks for
gifts received. Say good-bye to the past year.
- Light fire bowl (Weather permitting, attempt to keep fire
going for four days)
- Sacred Pipe Prayer and then clean out bowl and stem
- Burn old prayer flags
- Pray over and smudge all prayer / altar objects
- Prepare ingredients for a new batch of cansasa / kinnikinnick
Friday, April 22, 2005 Day 2
- Continue fasting
- Keep Fire going
- Make new batch of Cansasa
- Prepare Gate and Centre Flags
- Set up Gate marker wheels and smudge bowls
Saturday, April 23, 2005 Day 3
- Continue Fasting
- Keep Fire going
- Place flags at Gates and at Centre, at each location make Cansasa
offering to the earth.
- During day, boil bison meat / bones to make broth for
offerings to the forest, bake five small loaves of
bannock and prepare
berry mix,
also to be offered to the earth on Day 4.
- At end of day as moon rises (at moon-rise time if there
is heavy cloud cover) do Pipe Prayer at the Centre
of the Sacred Hoop. Make
offerings of broth, bannock and berries at the Centre
of the Hoop
Sunday, April 24, 2005 Day 4 Full Moon
- Continue Fast
- Keep Fire burning.
- Pipe Prayer at the East Gate at Dawn; then make offerings of
broth, bannock and berries
- Pipe Prayer at the South Gate at High Noon ( about 13:00
CST); then make offerings of broth, bannock and berries
- Pipe Prayer at the West Gate at Sundown; then make
offerings of broth, bannock and berries
- Pipe
Prayer at the North Gate at Midnight; then make offerings of
final broth, bannock and berries.
April
26, 2005
The
ritual fast and Blessing ceremonies have been successfully
completed.
Now
I look forward to the 4-day celebration of the Sacred Hoop
to be held at Friendly Forest June 18 - June 22, 2005. Keep
checking this page for details as they are finalized.
Candesna
Cun Wakan Oksina - Gerald at Friendly Forest |
The
Four Day Plan for June 19-22
The
June celebrations will focus to the four directions and the many
gifts we have received from Creator that can be associated with
those directions. It is to a time of prayerful reflection
and thanksgiving.
Day
1: Sunday, June 19 will begin at about 04:00 , with
the focus prayer at the Centre of the Hoop and at the East Gate
at Sunrise, which is at 04:30. I know that it is early,
but it is a very special time of the day and rising early to see. While
one or more men will pray traditional Pipe and Smudge prayer
from the Centre of the Hoop, a woman and a young man will "anchor'
the East gate and offer prayers from that position. Others
who may have joined us at the early hour will be invited to walk
the Sacred Hoop Trail in a sun wise / clockwise manner and pray
for what they wish, in the way that they wish. The full
circumference of the Hoop Trail is about 570 metres. If
walking is a problem, prayer from camp or at the East Gate is
also appropriate.
The
rest of the first day is to focus to the gifts of the East, and
our expressions of appreciation to Creator for those gifts and
supports, especially those which we received during your childhood
and youth.
Day
2: Monday, June 20 will begin with early morning prayer
for those who may have remained overnight, and breakfast to follow. However,
the anchor prayer time will be "high noon", or about 12:50. That
will take place at the South Gate with Pipe Prayer or smudge
prayer at the centre. Again anyone else will be invited
to pray / walk the circle of the Hoop Trail.
The
rest of the day is to focus on the gifts we have received from
Creator during our adult years, and the people who supported
us during those years. It is also the direction to help
us focus to the fruitfulness of the Earth, and the gifts of Creator
that come to us through the Earth.
Day
3: Tuesday, June 21, Full Moon and Summer Solstice,
and National Aboriginal Day, will have its "anchor prayer" at
sunset which is about 9:38 PM at the West Gate. the rest
of the day will follow the pattern of Days 1 and 2. The
focus is on the more mature years of our lives and the harvest
gifts
of the
Earth,
on prayer
and
healing and inner sorting of our spirits.
Day
4: Wednesday, June 22. It is still full moon, and the "anchor"
prayer will be at midnight at the North Gate. This will
conclude the four day celebration.
The
day will focus to the final years of our lives,to wisdom and
the attainment of true detached love and the balance in our
lives that is truly the greatest gift of our Creator.
May
2006
During
the first part of this month I took 4 days in the forest by
the Hoop Trail to pray and rededicate the Hoop as a place of
prayer. I had first taken down all the prayer flags and
the prayer ties and burned them, and then replaced them
with new flags. I also 'fed the forest' at the ecntre
and at the four gates. I should have done that near the
beginning of my fast rather than near the end, and the smell
of the food would not have been such a temptation to me. Well,
the forest got good food offerings.
May
2007
I
repeated the pattern of 2006 and was privileged to do so just
as the new leaves appeared on trees and before the mosquitoes came
for their first meals of the season. It was a time of
good prayer.
May
2008
Spring
was later this year so I planned the Spring Fast time for later
in the month. I began a 6-day time of prayer with a special
Inipi and then moved out to Eagle Camp for the four day prayer
time. The day after the conclusion of the Fast I undertook
another Inipi as this was the day of Ful Moon, my regular day
for this prayer. I thank Creator for a bless ed time
and the the gift of anew song.
I will welcome guests who
want to come to pray at the Hoop Trail. If you wish to
do so give me a bit of notice by contacting me by phone
or email using the address from the Contact Page.
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Teachings
of the Sacred Hoop / Medicine Wheel may be very familiar to some,
or very new and unknown to others who read this. I have taken
materials that summarize some of the gifts / characteristics associated
with the four directions and present them on a separate web page. CLICK
HERE to see the background document.
General Expectations for all visitors during the period June 19 - 22,
2005:
Each
visitor to Friendly Forest and the Sacred Hoop Trail during the
period of the Summer Solstice, 2005, will be invited to participate
in four different ways;
1. To
consider the gifts of Creator to him/her, especially the gifts
that are associated with the directional focus of that day, and
to express thanks in prayer in a form that is meaningful to that
person. As well, each person will be "invited", not required,
to focus those prayers of thanks to flakes of sacred tobacco, and
to place those grains on a small square of cloth, and then tie
that cloth off into a tiny bundle (Prayer Tie), which will be added
to a string that will tie together all of the thanksgiving prayers
of all guests for that day. At the end of the day, the
entire prayer tie string will be offered to Creator and hung
on branches
near the gate to the hoop.
2. To
select a previously prepared block of wood that will in some
fashion represent their presence at the Sacred Hoop Trail. The block
of wood will be shaped in a fashion that will have openings on
two opposite sides. These openings are slots to accept
a wooden wafer, which, when glued into the slot, becomes a projection
to the block and will fit into the slots of other blocks. As
the block represents an individual, it should be decorated or coloured
or marked in some fashion to represent the person who selects it. As
blocks are prepared they will be joined and glued to other blocks,
eventually creating a large wooden circle, or Sacred Hoop. Each
block requires the openings in its surface to allow for that which
can join us to others, and cannot be closed off and without vulnerability. The
wooden wafers that fit into the slots and also into the slot
of adjoining pieces of wood, represent those things that we share
and have in common and which bring us together. The glue
which makes the bonds permanent rather than just temporary, is
the love
of Creator which we have been given and which we are asked to share
with others. Only when all of the blocks are connected as
designed do they form a full circle. Only when we connect
with all others as Creator has designed, will we form the Hoop
that has Creator as its living centre.
3. Each
visitor is invited to partake of food and beverages which will
be provided at the camp site near the East Gate. The planned
menu will consist of a hearty soup and the ingredients to fashion
sandwiches or wraps of your choice, along with fresh vegetables
and fruit. Beverages will be coffee, tea, hot chocolate,
juice and water, as preferred by each visitor. If you
wish to bring some food from home to be shared with others, that would
be very appropriate, but not required. A small portion of
all foods will be set aside, prayed over in thanksgiving, and
offered back to Creator and our Mother, the Earth as a "Spirit
Plate"
For
any visitor who has stayed overnight or joins me at the
Hoop after morning prayers, you will have access to a traditional
breakfast prepared at the camp site.
Desserts
will be simple berries and cream and / or cookies, etc. Cutlery
and dishes will be available at the site for your convenience,
though your help in cleaning dishes would be appreciated.
4. Each
visitor is invited to simply be present to the many creatures
of the land who share the space with us. As we offer our prayers
we are accompanied by the prayers of all our companion creatures
of the forest. Visitors will be invited to take time to
meet some of these fellow companions on this life journey, and
just
get to know them better by observation , by study from some books
that will be available, or just by sharing time and presence
with them. The Campsite will be the place for refreshments and
conversation and sharing of ideas. The Hoop Trail and space
within the Hoop are for the diverse expressions of prayer and
joy that any participant may wish to express.
(There is an enclosed wooden outdoor toilet near the
camp site and water, soap and towels to properly wash hands after
using the facility.)
Visitors
are invited to come for a few minutes, a few hours, or even for
the full four days. If you are planning
to stay overnight, please contact Gerald in advance so he can make
suitable arrangements for your stay. The Tipi can sleep about
6 people and there is space to set up other tents if you would
want to bring your own. I will make other arrangements for
your stay when you contact me directly. If you have not made
advance contact with me, I will not be able to support you for
over-night accommodations.
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