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4/28/2007
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Agokwa in Ojibwa
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 28
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"Indians living close to nature and nature's ruler are not living in darkness."
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--Walking Buffalo, STONEY
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There are many Indian people who are living according to nature and according to ceremony and culture. They may not have a lot of material things, but that doesn't mean they are not successful. What is success anyway? Can success be measured by material things? What is it we are really chasing anyway? The Elders say that what everyone really wants is to be happy and have a peaceful mind. Material things by themselves do not bring happiness and peace of mind. Only spiritual things bring happiness. When we live a spiritual life we will not have darkness. Instead, we will be happy. |
Great Spirit, today, let me walk the Red Road.
4/27/2007
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Agokwa in Ojibwa
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 27
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"The law is that all life is equal in the Great Creation, and we, the Human Beings, are charged with the responsibility, each in our generation, to work for the continuation of life."
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--Traditional Circle of Elders
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Every generation is accountable to leave the environment in healthy order for the next generation. Every generation is accountable to teach the next generation how to live in harmony and to understand the Laws. We need to ask ourselves, "What are we teaching the next generation?" Each individual is directly accountable. |
My Creator, teach me inter-generational responsibility.
4/26/2007
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Agokwa in Ojibwa
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 26
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"If those bad words come, I let them come in one ear and go out the other. I never let them come out of my mouth. If a bad word comes in your ear and then comes out of your mouth, it will go someplace and hurt somebody. If I did that, that hurt would come back twice as hard on me."
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--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
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What do we do with temptations when they come? What do we do when we hear gossip? What do we do when we hear bad things? If we hear these things and pass them on we will not only hurt the other person, but we will do harm to ourselves. We must be careful not to hurt others. Whatever we sow we will simultaneously reap for ourselves. We must be accountable for our own actions. |
Great Spirit, today, let no words come from my lips that would hurt another.
4/25/2007
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Agokwa in Ojibwa
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 25
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"In some mysterious and wonderful way you are part of everything, Nephew. And in that same mysterious and wonderful way, everything is a part of you."
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--Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE
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In order to experience this, we must be aware of how limited our senses are—eyes, ears touch, smell, taste. These senses help us to function in the Seen World. What we see is interpreted by our minds and put inside our belief system, and this can become our reality. But there also exists an Unseen World. In this world we experience connectedness; we experience the mystery; and we experience another whole point of view. If we pay attention to both the Unseen World and the Seen World, our belief systems will print in our mind a new and wonderful reality. We will see and know we are a part of everything. |
Great Spirit, today, give me the knowledge to know this mystery.
4/24/2007
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Agokwa in Ojibwa
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 24
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"Each person's prayers can help everyone."
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--Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
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Prayer is our entrance into the Unseen World. It is by prayer we can call upon the powers and laws of the Great Spirit. The Spirit World has powers and laws that are different from the Physical World. The spiritual laws allow healing to take place; they allow forgiveness to occur; they cause miracles to happen; they cause hate to disappear; they heal broken relationships; they guide every moment of our lives; they allow us to love even when it's hard. Prayer allows us access to the Spirit World. |
Creator, teach me to pray.
4/23/2007
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Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 23
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"The real meaning of life is your family, the love that you have, the respect, the traditional ways, carrying on with them."
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--Ethel Wilson, COWICHAN
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The family is the seed of the future. The family is the key to the transfer of cultural information. We should really take a look at how we are looking at our families. Are we treating each family member with respect? Are we passing on the traditional ways? Are we teaching the old songs? Are we participating in the ceremonies? Are we showing the family members how to pray? Are we encouraging each family member to be spiritual? Think about these things today. |
My Creator, today, let me show respect to each family member.
4/22/2007
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 22
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"Each creature has a medicine, so there are many medicines.
Because they are so close to the Creator, they are to communicate that medicine.
Then they bring help and health."
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--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
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The Elders say everything has a purpose and everything has a will.
We should never interfere with purpose or the will of everything.
Every plant, creature, animal, insect, human being has a purpose to be here on the Earth.
Each has a special medicine to contribute for the good of all things.
Each person also has good medicine, a special talent, a special gift.
These medicines are to help others or to help make us healthy. What is your special medicine? |
Creator, today,
help me discover and use my medicine to serve a greater good.
4/21/2007
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Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 21
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"Conciliation is the key to survival. Peace is the goal."
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--Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
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When we make decisions or experience conflict we need to look at the greater whole. The end result we want to accomplish is peace of mind. If we keep this goal in mind, we will, overall, live a happy and fulfilling life. Everything in the world is constantly changing so we should not resist this change. A good question to ask ourselves is, "would I rather be right or happy?" If we would rather be happy, then it is easier to let the little things go. If we would rather be right, we tend to look for the WIN/LOSE. |
Great Spirit, today, give me the tools to seek peace of mind.
4/20/2007
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Welcome to :
Agokwa in Ojbwa
Have yourself a Great Day
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 20
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"You must be prepared and know the reason why you dance."
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--Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
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Inside every human being is a need to dance. We dance to music. Have you even wondered why people are moved when they hear an Indian Drum? The drum is the heartbeat of the Mother Earth. Every Indian dance is for a purpose and a reason. Every Song is for a reason. The beat of the drum makes our bodies, minds and spirits join together in harmony. It allows us to connect to Mother Earth and to each other. The dance aligns our minds to think spiritual thoughts. Dancing to the drum is healthy. |
Great Spirit, today, I dance to honor you.
4/19/2007
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
See You...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 18
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"Our people don't come in parts. Either you are Indian, or you are not."
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--Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE
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We really need to take a look at how Indian People are talking about Indian People. We say there are Rez Indians, Traditional Indians, Urban Indians and Breeds. This type of thinking will keep us separated. An Indian is an Indian, a brother is a brother, a sister is a sister. We are all related. Today, let us respect ourselves and our people. Today, let me realize Indians are Indians. |
Great Spirit, let me see the Unity of the People. Indians are Indians.
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 19
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"We all come from the same root, but the leaves are all different."
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--John Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA
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We all come from one Great Spirit but we are all different and unique. Nothing in the Great Creation has a twin that is identical. Even children that are twins are different. Every single person is extremely special and unique. Each person has a purpose and reason why they are on the Earth. Just like every leaf on a tree is different, each one is needed to make the tree look like it does. No leaf is better or worse than the other—all leaves are of equal worth and belong on the tree. It is the same with human beings. We each belong here and do things that will affect the great whole. |
Great Spirit, today, let me see myself as a valuable contributor to the whole.
4/16/2007
June Callwood Biography
An invitation: Candlelit procession in honour of June Callwood, Tuesday April 17th
Casey House and Jessie's Centre for Teenagers invite all who loved June Callwood to walk with us in memory of our dear founder.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 17th, 2007. Procession to start at 7:45 p.m.
WHERE: Start: Jessie’s Centre, 205 Parliament St., just south of Shuter St. - North on Parliament to Wellesley St. E. - West on Wellesley St. E. to Jarvis St. - North on Jarvis St. to Isabella St. - East on Isabella St. to Casey House, 9 Huntley St. (Total distance approx. 2.5 kms)
ALL WELCOME. RAIN OR SHINE. PLEASE DRESS FOR THE WEATHER AND BRING A FLASHLIGHT.
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Fit your dream to what should exist, and should be possible.
--June Callwood, 1924-2007
June Callwood, C.C., O.Ont., LL.D.
June Callwood, journalist, author and activist known as "Canada¹s Conscience", died peacefully in the care of her family and close friends, after a courageous and well-spent life. She was 82.
Carrying with her the memories of an adverse and impoverished childhood, combined with her fierce intelligence and immense compassion, Callwood inspired all of Canada for more than six decades through her words and actions. She had a roll-up-your-sleeves pragmatism and could accomplish anything she set her mind to, all with grace and style and never without a sense of humour. She loved Canada, loved humanity, and most of all loved children. Speaking of her adoration of babies in a 1988 interview, she said "I think that they're so perfect… They're just full of God, if God is your goodness and your decency and your capacity for affection." But besides her strong convictions, what she credited with giving her the most joy and strength was her family. She was devoted to her four children, Jill, Brant, Jesse and Casey; to her five grandchildren, Bree, Emma, Marie, Lucy and Jack; and to her partner in life, her husband Trent Frayne. From the beginning and over the course of their 63-year marriage, Frayne encouraged her in her work, finding happiness in her successes. Of his support, so unusual in the those days, Callwood said, "He's never felt that if I grew, he would be smaller."1 Their marriage withstood some immense tragedies, including the death of their beloved son Casey, killed by a drunk driver in 1982.
She did not grow up with a model for a happy home life. Born in Chatham, Ontario on June 2, 1924, Callwood spent her childhood in the village of Belle River. Her mother was the daughter of a Metis bootlegger and her father was the son of a magistrate. Their marriage was deeply troubled, and despite the affection shown to her by her grandparents, Callwood's childhood was marked by adversity. They were desperately poor, moving at night from one house to another, the sheriff taking their furniture. "It all flooded back how it hurts to see people eating when you haven't eaten for a day, or two, or three… For the rest of your life, you feel that everything you have can be taken away from you and you can be hungry again," she was to later recall2. Her childhood came to an abrupt end when her father left the family and she was forced to drop out of high school to earn an income. She launched her career at 16 as a cub reporter at the Brantford Expositor, earning $7.50 a week, half of which she gave to her mother for rent. In the midst of World War Two, at the age of 18, Callwood moved to Toronto and talked her way into a job as a reporter at The Globe and Mail. It was there that she met Frayne, a sports writer. They married when she was 19. She continued to use her maiden name, as The Globe and Mail did not employ married women at the time.
Growing into one of the most exceptional and respected voices in Canada, Callwood was a proud career journalist and writer, and a founding member of the Writer's Union of Canada.
She achieved acclaim and a loyal following for her nearly 2,000 articles and columns for newspapers and magazines including Macleans and Chatelaine. She was the host of several television programs, including CBC Television's In Touch and VISION TV's
National Treasures. She was a sought-after ghostwriter, quietly sharing her talent on behalf of many celebrities, including penning the best-selling Barbara Walters autobiography, How to Talk with Practically Anybody about Practically Anything. These were lucrative projects for her, but she felt proudest of the dozens of books written under her own name and concerning issues about which she felt impassioned, including Love, Hate, Fear, and Anger (1964), Canadian Women and the Law (1973), Portrait of Canada (1981), Emma: A True Story of Treason (1984), Twelve Weeks in Spring (1986), Jim: A Life with AIDS (1988), The Sleepwalker (1990), June Callwood's National Treasures (1994), Trial Without End: A Shocking Story of Women and AIDS (1995), andThe Man Who Lost Himself: The Terry Evanshen Story (2000).
But Callwood was not content to simply write about the injustices she came across as a journalist: she felt compelled to help. Her activism spanned a myriad of causes, from poverty and illness to freedom of expression, to women and children in crisis. She had a knack for exposing the tears in Canada's social fabric, and envisioning ways to mend them. She started by founding Digger House, a shelter for homeless youth, in the late 1960's. She went on to found Nellie's, one of Canada's first shelters for women in crisis, in 1974, and Jessie's Centre for Teenagers in 1982. In 1988, she founded Casey House Hospice, named after her dear lost son. Casey House was the first hospice in the world to provide support and palliative care for people with HIV/AIDS, at a time when little was yet known about the disease and the ignorance and fear surrounding it were intense. Deeply affected by participating in the care of Margaret Frazer as she was dying of cancer, an experience she chronicled in her book Twelve Weeks in Spring (1986), Callwood had come to the strong conviction that when a person is dying, they should do so according to their own wishes, surrounded by loving caregivers. Her goal for Casey House was to establish a place of medical excellence in the treatment of HIV/AIDS and, most importantly, a place of love and compassion.
Callwood's gentle manner and graceful beauty belied her rock-steady resolve, even at the centre of controversy. In 1968 she was arrested and briefly spent time in the Don Jail after siding with homeless Yorkville kids in a battle with police. She co-founded the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Feminists Against Censorship, wading into bitter debates about pornography and freedom of expression. She was a vocal founding member of PEN Canada and Maggie's Toronto Prostitutes' Community Service Project, and fought for women's right to reproductive choice at a particularly contentious time. But perhaps the most painful conflict in Callwood's life as an activist came when she found herself at the centre of a firestorm in 1991 while on the board at Nellie's, when a number of women she considered friends failed to stand up for her in the face of unfounded allegations of racism. "Nobody asked what happened," says Callwood, "you didn't have to do anything in those days. You just had to be in the way of legitimate rage. It woke people up...but a few of us got our heads kicked in."3 The controversy forced her to withdraw from public life for a time. Although many who knew her defended her vigorously, and some vindication came her way when she was awarded the Harmony Award in 2003 for her work in fighting discrimination, she was deeply wounded. Callwood did eventually return to her work despite the damage done to her reputation, focusing most particularly on fighting child poverty as a spokeperson for the Campaign Against Child Poverty. It was during this low period, in her seventies, that she found a way for her spirit to soar again by learning to pilot glider aircraft. "I wanted something to get above the muck and I guess I did it more literally than most people,"4 she said.
Callwood always seemed surprised by the many honours she received. When she was informed in 2004 that the City of Toronto intended to name a street after her, her only request was that it be a street near where children play. There is also a park named in her honour. She was a patron, chair or board member for over 80 different events and organizations. She served as a judge for numerous literary and media awards, including the Governor-General's Non-Fiction Award. She lectured at numerous Canadian universities, and received 17 honourary degrees. The June Callwood Professorship in Social Justice at the University of Toronto was created on the occasion of her 80th birthday. She was awarded a Doctorate of Law from York University and was appointed by then Ontario Attorney-General Ian Scott as a lay bencher looking into complaints review. Her countless awards include the Order of Ontario and all three ranks in the Order of Canada, Canada's most prestigious civilian award. The citation recorded when Callwood was awarded the rank of Companion reads, "Her dedication and commitment to the plight of those in need serve as an example for all Canadians." Premier Dalton McGuinty recently announced that the Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism in Ontario will from now on be named in June's honour. She was known to laugh at the irony of all these accolades for a high-school dropout-"with a criminal record," she was always quick to add.
Dubbed "Canada's Conscience," "Canada's Mother Theresa" and "Saint June" by the media, Callwood generally shied away from organized religion. "I am missing a formal religion, but I am not without a theology, and my theology is that kindness is a divinity in motion," she said in a 2005 speech delivered as the first lecture in the June Callwood Professorship in Social Justice at Victoria College at the University of Toronto. She fervently believed that if one witnesses injustice, one must intervene. Above all, she carried with her a deep love of humanity. In a 2006 radio interview, she said, "Most people will do anything to help a child and that's the way the human race is meant to be. We're meant to be a tribe. And when it works, it just makes your heart leap."5
- CBC Television, A Storybook Marriage January 11, 1983.
- Dublin, Anne. June Callwood: A Life of Action. Toronto: Second Story Press, 2006.
- CBC Television, Life and Times November 30, 1998
- CBC Television, Idols and Icons July 1, 2004
- CBC Radio, Metro Morning September 1, 2006
| AGOKWA-IN-OJIBWA_Naan-zheg@yahoogroups.com
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| From:
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| 'Waaseyaa Nimkii-bineshin Migizi-nini'--ShiningThunderbirdEagleman <shinningthunderbird@yahoo.com>
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| Date:
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| Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:13 am
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| Subject:
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| Elder's Meditation of the Day April 16, 2007. Happy Birthday to You...
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
See You...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 16
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"But one should pray in one's heart during a sacred ceremony; this is the purpose of the ceremony, to purify the participants both inside and outside."
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--Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
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How do you know if you are praying from your heart or from your head? Pray from your head and you will feel nothing; pray from your heart and you will feel feelings. You may feel sorrow, you may feel joy, you may want to cry, depending on what you are praying for. During the ceremony, the cleansing will take place. The Medicine Wheel teaches the four directions of inner power: emotional, mental, physical and spiritual. The prayer controls the emotional, mental and physical. When we ask for purification of our feelings, our mental mind and our physical body, the spiritual direction causes the cleansing to happen. |
Great Spirit, create in me a clean heart.
" name=message>
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
See You...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 16
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"But one should pray in one's heart during a sacred ceremony; this is the purpose of the ceremony, to purify the participants both inside and outside."
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--Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
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How do you know if you are praying from your heart or from your head? Pray from your head and you will feel nothing; pray from your heart and you will feel feelings. You may feel sorrow, you may feel joy, you may want to cry, depending on what you are praying for. During the ceremony, the cleansing will take place. The Medicine Wheel teaches the four directions of inner power: emotional, mental, physical and spiritual. The prayer controls the emotional, mental and physical. When we ask for purification of our feelings, our mental mind and our physical body, the spiritual direction causes the cleansing to happen. |
Great Spirit, create in me a clean heart.
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Callwood's strong sense of social justice has informed much of her work and her activities. In 1974, she founded Nellie's Hostel for Women, in 1982 Jessie's Centre for Teenagers, in 1988 Casey House Hospice, and in 1992, Casey House Foundation. Even in 1959, her concern for the plight of the pilots and unemployed Avro Canada workers was reflected in the articles she wrote for the Toronto Daily Star.
India
Three children die in suspicious circumstances
Sanga Reddy | April 16, 2007 6:36:38 AM IST
Three children of a family died under suspicious circumstances near Ligampally village in Kowidipally mandal of Medak district today, police said.
Police said the children, aged below five years, had taken ill after consuming food last night. They died on way to hospital.
It could be a case of suspected food poisoning, police added.
UNI AP VD RAI2358 4/13/2007
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 13
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"Once you make a friend, a friend never leaves you, even to death. So a friend is really hard to find."
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--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
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Once, an Elder told me he made a decision to be my friend. He said this friendship wasn't based on my behavior or how I acted; he said the friendship was based on his decision. He decided to be my friend. This friendship has happened like he said. Even if I don't see him for a long time, or if I get mad at him, he has never changed his decision. This is true friendship. |
Great Spirit, I'm glad you are this kind of Friend.
4/12/2007
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 12
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"Dissimilar things were fitted together to make something beautiful and whole."
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--Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE
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Sometimes we look at something close up and it appears to be ugly; but then we drop back and look at it as a whole and it is beautiful. If we look at an insect close up, it may be ugly, but if we drop back and look at the whole insect it becomes beautiful. We can drop back even more and observe what its role and purpose is, and the insect becomes even more beautiful and whole. How are we looking at ourselves? Are we focused on something ugly about ourselves, or are we dropping back and looking at ourselves as a whole? We all have purpose, and we are all beautiful. |
Grandfather, today, let me see the beauty of the whole.
4/11/2007
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 11
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"Spiritual matters are difficult to explain because you must live with them in order to fully understand them."
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--Thomas Yellowtail, CROW
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To know something we must become one with it. We cannot know what a flower smells like until we actually smell it. Close your eyes and experience the fragrance. The Elders say there are two worlds, the Seen World and the Unseen World. To experience the Seen World we need to physically pick the flower and smell it. To experience the Unseen World we need to know about principles, laws and values; and no matter what our mind or our physical senses tell us, we must decide and act on these principles. If someone does wrong to us, we must pray for that person or persons to have peach, happiness and joy in their life. We must not get even or retaliate in any way. Only by doing this can we understand spiritual matters. |
Great Spirit, give me your power whenever my weakness shows so I can live by spiritual decisions. 4/10/2007
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 10
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"Together we can end the Holocaust against the environment."
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--Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
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We are all familiar with the Holocaust against the people. When this happens we feel bad and we vow never to let it happen again. We need to seriously examine what human beings are doing to the Earth and the environment. Many species are extinct and many more will become extinct during the next 10 years. We are methodically eliminating life that will never return again. Today, we should take time to pray real hard so we wake up before it is too late. |
Great Spirit, today, I pray for us to awaken to what we are doing. 4/9/2007
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Welcome to:
Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 9
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"Everything really is equal. The Creator doesn't look at me any better than He looks at the trees. We're all the same."
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--Janice Sundown Hattet, SENECA
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Sometimes humans think we are the center of the Universe. Sometimes we think we are above or better than other people or things. The Great Spirit made a set of Laws and Principles by which all things should live. Everybody and everything lives by the same Laws. We are all made of atoms just like the trees. The life force in the middle of the atom is the life force of the Great Mystery. It is the same for everything. We are all equal in the eyes of the Creator. |
Great Spirit, today, I will respect your handiwork.
4/8/2007
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Welcome to :
Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 8
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"The very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to [my people's] footsteps than to yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch."
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--Chief Sealth, DUWAMISH
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If you respect something, it will respect you back. If your ancestors respected something, the future generations will be respected back. The Indian ancestors always showed great respect for the Earth. That's why the Earth is so respectful to Indians today. Every Indian naturally feels connectedness to the Earth. We know the Earth holds our ancestors. If we continue to respect Mother Earth, our children will benefit and so will our grand- children. Today, we should think about and pray for our Mother Earth. |
Grandmother, let me have strong feelings for our Earth today.
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