on this day of equinox, we move deeper into the mystery of balancing dark and light in the in between seasons space of summer and winter, of inner harvests and planting new seeds, we pause in the balance as the new world is breathing herself alive…
O Gracious Goddess of all fertility, we have sown and
reaped the fruits of our actions, good and bane.
Grant us the courage to plant seeds of joy and love in
the coming year, banishing misery and hate. Teach us and show us the secrets
of wise existence upon the planet,
O luminous one of the night!
~
Chinook Blessing
We call upon the earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths and soaring heights,
its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask that it
Teach us, and show us the Way.
We call upon the mountains, Saddle mountain and Wahkiakum mountain, the Willapa Hills, the summits of intense silence, and we ask that they:
Teach us, and show us the Way.
We call upon the waters that rim the earth, the waters of
Our great river the I-a-gayte-imas, the waters of Willapa Bay,
And all of the waters the flowing [sic] our rivers and streams, the water that falls
Upon us, and we ask that they
Teach us, and show us the Way.
We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing
Soil that sustains our lives, we ask that they
Teach us, and show us the Way.
We call upon the forests, the great cedar trees reaching
Strongly to the sky with earth in their roots and the heavens in their
Branches, cedar tree is the keeper of all
Knowledge, and we ask them to
Teach us, and show us the Way.
We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the
Seas, our brothers and sisters Lilu the Wolf, Emulak the elk,
And Mauich the Deer, Chak-cahk the Eagle, the great
Whales and the Sturgeon, and the Salmon people who share
Our Chinook waters
Teach us, and show us the Way.
We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, our
Ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future
Generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built, and
With thanksgiving, we call upon them to
Teach us, and show us the Way.
And lastly, we call upon all that we hold most sacred, the
Presence and power of the Great Spirit
Which flows through all the Universe, to be with us to
Teach us, and show us the Way.
Delivered by Chinook Tribal Chief Gary Johnson in Chinook homelands
