Steven McFadden's books - A Sampler of Reviews:
Library Journal on Profiles in Wisdom: “This wise and provocative collection is highly recommended.”
New York Times Book Review: “Profiles in Wisdom does a fine job not only of presenting the dignity, complexity, and wit of important Indian philosophers and religious leaders, but also of issuing cautions against easy uplift and wisdom injections...There are some stirring and unexpected powers unleashed in this book.”
The Washington Times on Profiles in Wisdom: “Our leaders should sit and listen to the counsel Steven McFadden has gathered in this book.”
Headline Muse on Legend of the Rainbow Warriors: “In the wake of the September 11 tragedies, The Legend of the Rainbow Warriors is of added import. Clearly, human existence is experiencing profound shifts of consciousness…As one struggles to make sense of these recent events…McFadden offers substantive insight and hope. Further, he speaks to the power of individuals to address the overwhelming and complex problems facing us today—locally as well as globally.”
Odyssey Magazine on Legend of the Rainbow Warriors: “I urge everyone on the spiritual path to read this small yet exceptionally powerful book.”
Resurgence Magazine on Farms of Tomorrow: “It is rare to come across any practical farming guide that sets out, from its inception, a set of principles that embrace social, spiritual and economic concerns on completely equal terms…The wisdom and clarity of philosophy are striking throughout.”
Whole Earth Review on Farms of Tomorrow: “This is the best book to access the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement, including philosophical, spiritual, practical essays and how-to (including financial discussions). This is the source for tools, organizations, farms, and networks concerning the renewal of agriculture.”
- Native Knowings -
Wisdom Keys for 2012 and Beyond
by Steven McFadden
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Steven McFadden
A Soul*Sparks ebook - Smashwords Edition
ISBN: 978-1-4524-6786-3
Native Knowings: Wisdom Keys for 2012 and Beyond
Copyright © 2010 by Steven McFadden
Discover other titles by Steven McFadden at
http://www.chiron-communications.com/books.html
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is created and licensed for your reading and enjoyment. I offer it for trade because it is the result of my experience and my labor, and I require reciprocity to live. If you are moved to buy the book, that's great. If you are moved to make a giveaway of this ebook to yourself or others, follow your heart. Ultimately, the words on these pages belong to the people who spoke them. Those elders -- living and dead -- wanted people to hear their messages. That's what this little book is all about: making some key Native Knowings accessible at a time of transition.
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Acknowledgements
Many people have earned my appreciation and my thanks for their influence and for their help. The One honored, I thank also my Muse and my partner in life and in Soul*Sparks, Elizabeth Wolf. I thank also Bill Watkinson who helped me get my feet on the path many years ago, and all of the many traditional elders it has been my good fortune to meet and to experience. Great thanks also to the elders of eras past, whose enduring messages are woven into this ebook, entwined with the voices of contemporary elders. My appreciation and tobacco offerings for you all. As is just, I will share a portion of any resources arising from this ebook with nonprofit groups that can apply it with skillful means for healing and sustainability in native communities. Miigwich, Steven McFadden
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Introduction
It has been my destiny to travel with many contemporary Native American spiritual elders, and to hear many of the teachings they offer about the Earth and about the era of transition in which we live. This ebook is my effort to distill and then to express some of those wisdom teachings in the context of the year 2012.
The true scope and depth of Native wisdom is generally unknown, and much of what is known is either drawn from the past, or offered out of context. This Soul*Sparks ebook cannot hope to encompass the many levels and great depth of understanding that are part of Native tradition, but it can hint at them, and it can do so in a manner appropriate for the prophetic year of 2012, and in a context that will endure long after that. Some things -- basic spiritual teachings like honesty, caring, sharing, humility, and respect -- remain constant through all phases and cycles of human and world development. I reckon the year 2012 will bring no alteration to that.
My aim as writer and compiler is to offer a quintessence of both ancient and contemporary Native wisdom in a coherent, and rhetorically strengthening manner that will be readily accessible for many thousands of people as we confront mounting environmental and social crises in North America, and around the world.
Interest is rising in the closing date of the Mayan calendar. Yet precisely what events the time around December 21, 2012 portends no one can say for sure. The traditional Mayan Daykeepers and elders I have met with, or read, agree on one theme solely: big changes. Most also say also that in the aftermath of that date a new calendar arises. Now, early in the year 2010 as I write and as I cast my eyes about the world, big changes are obviously already well underway. My hope is that this small volume will in some ways help human beings move through the changes more wisely. The root teachings of our North American continent -- native knowings -- can help. This ebook makes no attempt to prophesy around the theme of 2012, only to acknowledge the date and then to share some of those basic Native Knowings that are in my view characterized by enduring goodness and importance.
As we confront the complex problems of national cultures and ecosystems in radical transition, most people are looking for ways forward. While striving forward, we would do well to consider thoughtfully the voices that arise from Earth-based cultures, and to weave some of their enduring insight – developed over millennia – into the fabric of what we are creating for ourselves, for our children, and for our children’s children.
Native peoples and cultures are as diverse as any other human community. There is no one point of view. The passages assembled in Native Knowings are but a sample, selected by me, and in no way represent an official or comprehensive expression of native views. Still, the indigenous peoples of the Americas generally hold in common traditions of democracy and also potently wholesome pathways of spiritual development that reach back many thousands of years. Further, Native peoples widely agree that they have a specific spiritual responsibility as keepers of the Earth. This understanding – in a time of great environmental upheaval upon our Earth -- provides ground for appreciating the compelling relevance of Native wisdom.
Native wisdom is not just of the past, as some people may mistakenly assume. Many of the passages in this digital volume are drawn from a relatively recent presentation made by 28 traditional Native American elders at the ‘House of Mica’ – United Nations headquarters in New York City, on November 22, 1993 at the historic Cry of the Earth conference. The Cry of the Earth was an unprecedented gathering of world leaders with traditional elders from all over North America, intended to focus attention on the ecological, economic, ethical, and spiritual crises confronting humanity. Sadly, not a word of the elders’ remarkable messages was reported at the time by the mass media. This ebook hopes to compensate in some small way for that gross oversight. It is my passionate understanding that people have a right to hear and to contemplate the words of these traditional elders. That's my motivation for compiling this book. The 2012 date creates the context in time and the impetus.