Transcendence of Hope
By Phillip Scott
Phillip Scott/Tsunka Wakan Sapa is the Founder/Director of Ancestral Voice-Center for Indigenous Lifeways. Of Western Band Tsalagi (Cherokee) Ancestry, he has walked the Native Path for over twenty five years, learning from Medicine/Holy people, tribal Spiritual leaders, shamans and elders from various traditioins. A ceremonial leader in the Lakota tradition, he is devoted to sharing Indigenous wisdom and healing practices with the contemporary world-serving as a spiritual counselor and educator in Universities, hospitals, hospices, schools and corporations throughout the United States. In addition to directing the programs at Ancestral Voice in Northern California, he performs ceremonies and healings, lectures, and conducts workshops and pilgrimages worldwide. To begin moving beyond hope into Action and Freedom, see the listing for Ancestral Voice listed in OPEN EXCHANGE's Spirit & Soul section.
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Throughout the world the Prophesies from diverse Native cultures are being realized. The Seers and Diviners of antiquity have foretold of this time. The quickening – the acceleration of movement in our lives and the insidious force of domestication - is contributing to the forgetting of our fundamental humanity, intrinsic wildness and interrelationship with and reverence for all of Creation. Our survival and those of our relations with whom. we share this planet, depend firmly upon the remembrance and embodiment of how and what it means to be a true Human Being - wisdom and practices which Indigenous cultures have espoused and cultivated for millennia.
The contemporary, "civilized" world is predicated and functions predominantly on fear. Employed for conditioning behavior, fear engenders paralysis, blindness and inertia, the inability to act. It compromises clarity, sobriety and purpose. In truth, fearlessness and Freedom are our birthrights. Courage (from the French word for heart) is an antidote to fear. Being four chambered, the heart is the compass, the Sacred navigational tool connected with the Source, Earth and Ancestors providing direction in one's life. Trust in one's trajectory supplants fear with faith - in one's self, one's abilities and the Natural and Unseen Powers who guide us. When there is an absence of concern and worry for one's self, trusting in the knowledge that each of us is taken care of, then true, enduring Freedom is achieved.
The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States is an unprecedented milestone in the history of this nation, which I celebrate. His ascendancy to assume the mantle of responsibility for this country is inspirational, heralding great promise, and has instilled hope in the hearts of many. However auspicious this may be, hope in and of itself is not sufficient. Hope is far too passive, leaving one's destiny up to fate (as in, "I hope to see you again...."). Rather, what is required at this critical threshold is a proactive approach, one which involves clear intent and action (such as, "I will see you again...."), a direct engagement with life and circumstance.
Historically, Awakened, peaceful Warriors from many cultures and traditions have served as examples, being defined not simply by the poetry of their words but by the integrity of their actions. And what is integrity? Simply the capacity to walk one's talk. To be congruent in speech and action. It is a rare individual indeed who is willing to take responsibility for his conduct, to align with his Vision, remain steadfast in her conviction and commitment, willing to act for and on behalf of the people and all of our relations.
Such conduct is not the exclusive domain nor to be expected only from our spiritual and political leaders – it is imperative that in the face of our global challenges each and every one of us aspires and endeavors to live fearlessly and with integrity, so all of us may realize Freedom. Our survival and those of many other species for seven generations and beyond depends upon this Awakening, awareness and the actions of us all.
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