The Daily Boost #647

We are the sacred center

Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash

Consider these words from the Arikara medicine man Jasper Young Bear:

In my tradition, our story of creation is one that takes four days to tell.

Often people think this is a quaint little story, but it’s not. It’s a sacred truth, and at its center is this most crucial concept: that you are the universe, that everything the creator went through, you’ve gone through too.

Most people struggle with this. Most aren’t ready to accept that they are the sacred center. But it’s an important shift to what’s called whole-to-part thinking, where all the dichotomies of the universe are cast aside. Where there is no male and female, no black and white, no political divide.

When you use whole-to-part thinking, the sense of self is much deeper, more expansive. In our sacred ceremonies, we play this out starting as a baby, when we get an Indian name. In this ceremony, they put us in the center of the universe and have us turn to face all directions. When we get named, we are the light. We are the beginning. We are one with time and space. We go forth, and we vibrate with our names, attracting what others have instilled, attracting what is already inside of us….

We can create a new world—we must create a new world. All it takes is a mustard seed of faith. We must believe that we are not separate, we are not John or Amy or Ken. I am not Jasper Young Bear. I am the creator, and believing that I am the creator is the only way I can do this work.

(My thanks to Jasper Young Bear, via

Suleika Jaouad

.)

The Gentle Nudge

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