THE GREAT CIRCLE OF LIFE
Why do First Nations people do ceremony? Because life is an endless circle and ceremonies are a reminder that everything in the living world is connected, and therefore to be celebrated and honoured. The World is a Great Circle, also called the ‘Sacred Hoop’ or Medicine Wheel’. It should be understood as the symbol of Mother Earth and of endless time with no beginning and no end where the living world is in balance.
Black Elk said that Great Spirit caused everything in nature to be round. The sun, sky, earth and the moon are round like a shield; Father Sky is deep like a bowl. Everything that breathes is round, like the stem of a plant. Therefore, humans should look upon the circle as sacred, for it is the symbol of the connection all things in the natural world. The four parts of each Plant are round: roots, stems, leaves, fruit; The Circle marks the edge of the world and therefore the four winds that travel there; It is also represents the divisions of time: the symbol of the year (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter); The day, the night and Mother Earth, Grandmother Moon travel in a circle above the sky, and the four stages of life: birth, adolescence, adult, Elder.
If the circle is filled with red, it is the symbol of the sun; if it is filled with blue it is the symbol of the sky. If the circle is divided into four parts, it is the symbol of the four directions. If the Great Circle is divided in more than four parts, it is the symbol of a vision of some kind. If a half circle is filled with red it represents the day; filled with black, the night; filled with yellow, a moon or month; filled with many colours, the rainbow.
Moving around the great circle is an ongoing journey of personal evolution. How you live your life within the great circle is the greatest challenge - if you wish to become a self fulfilling prophecy, it is best to think and walk in a positive way, for if you are angry, remorseful, and bitter, then your earth walk will reflect that anger. The Native People in Hawaii who follow the traditional Huna teachings have a saying, "As you think so it is." In other words, if you believe that you are a worthy person, then you are. If you believe that you do not matter in the Universe, then you will not matter. In ancestral times, Indigenous People greeted every sacred day with honour songs and prayers because physical life was considered to be a fleeting thing. There were songs to greet the morning Sun, songs to put Grandfather Sun to bed, Songs for Guardian Spirits, Prayers for Mother Earth.
Everyday should be a good day with good thoughts, good feelings and prayer because the day of being called to the ancestral dance could be at any time. As one of Thunderbird' s teachers once said, "If someone says to me, "I'm not spiritual", I'll say, You breathe, don’t you’? If you breathe you are spiritual for Spirituality is breath." As the beginning of the Great Spirit Prayer says, "Oh Great Spirit whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me...."
The ‘Old’ People say, that you are never the same person coming out of a circle as when you went in because so many new connections have been made. All things that live within the Sacred Hoop are equal and protected, because a circle cannot do otherwise, it is not logical. It is a place where people come come together in safety, trust and sanctity to share stories and feelings. To help each other heal through laughter and tears.
Always remember the basic etiquette of a circle - What occurs in the circle stays in the circle. The safety and confidence with which people speak their truth is sacred and must never be spoken of outside the circle. Only those were in the circle have the privilege of hearing that truth.
The circle is as sacred to Native People as the Confessional is to Catholics. In other words, "Ain't nobody's business but the members of the circle, the Ancestors and Great Spirit!"
Here is a simple song that Ms Thunderbird wrote, it is sung with drums.
Sit in a circle, talk in a circle
Speak of the things of the Spirit
He-ya, He-ya, He-o, He-ya
Over the mountains, under the sea
Live in the arms of Creator
He-ya, He-ya, He-o, He-ya
Dazzle your spirit with Nature's Beauty
Celebrate Grandfather Sun
He-ya, He-ya, He-o, He-ya
Sparking Starlight and Pearls of Rain
Shimmer with Grandmother Moon
Dance in A Circle Love Mother Earth
Listen to songs from Eagle