Ancestors and master teachers

Ancestors
Concepts of Self

The Southeast is the place of the ancestors and our self-concept. Here we also consolidate the qualities of the other seven directions on the medicine wheel in the formulation of our world view model. To do this, we must connect with all aspects of our lives, both present and past, as well as with the legacy passed on to us by our ancestors. We, in our here-and-now bodies, are the culmination of all that has preceded us. These influences coalesce to produce the concepts that we hold about ourselves.

The ancestor spirits deserve our honor and respect. They have given us so much: our physical environment (which was relatively unpolluted until the past one hundred years), our DNA as homo-sapiens, physical characteristics, cultures, religions, belief systems, mythologies, and art forms. It is our privilege and responsibility to develop ourselves to our greatest capacity in order to actualize the potential of our ancestry, and to pass on to future generations the Beauty and power of our life and our heritage.

Tolilahqui. Another term for the Tolilahqui is "the little people." These are the nature spirits, fairies, leprechauns, etc. who came to our planet long ago in order to prepare the world for human habitation. They remain with us today, working overtime to keep ecological systems alive and healthy, in spite of us, in order that we humans may have a home on Grandmother Earth. They are joyful, mischievous beings who love to play with us and teach us about the importance of humor in our lives so we do not take ourselves too seriously.

Toushilahey. The Toushilahey are all of our spirit personalities from past lives, since always and for always. In this lifetime, we have the opportunity and privilege to free ourselves from our reincarnation cycles, that we may transform into enlightened beings.

Tungashilah. The Tungashilah are all the blood relations of our Toushilahey - i.e. mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles, etc.

Omitakoyasin. The Omitakoyasin are the spirits of all of humanity's ancestors, since always and for always. "We are all related." It is important to realize that every single person who enters into our lives, from the passing stranger to those nearest and dearest to us, is present because we dreamed them here. We made a mutual agreement with each of them to connect in this time and space for the purpose of enriching and empowering our individual and collective evolution.

Akalohtah-hey. The Akalohtah-hey are the ascended masters. There have been many of them since the origin of man on this planet, too many to name here. Some of them whose names we know were: Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Zarathustra, Quetzal-Coatl, Deganawida, Kukulkan, and Baha'u'llah. These enlightened beings continue to teach and guide us from the spirit world.

What is meant by self-concept? Quite simply, it is the mental image that one has of oneself. When we look in the mirror at ourselves, what is the image of body, mind, emotions, spirit and sexuality that we see reflected back to us?

It behooves us to ask ourselves the following questions: "Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? What is my path with heart? Where am I going?" Try asking yourself these questions while sitting at the base of your favorite tree, calling to the consciousness and awareness of the tree to assist you in finding your answers. You may be amazed at the results. Trees can be our greatest friends and confidants if we choose to allow them into our circle.

Picture a warrior with bow, quiver and arrows. The bow is a symbol for you as "self," aiming at the target of life. The quiver, your bag of physical and spiritual resources, contains seven dark arrows, seven light arrows, and seven rainbow arrows. These arrows represent the decisions and choices you make from moment to moment about how you direct the energies of your life experience.

We are in the dark mirror of the Southeast when we seek validation for self outside of self, looking for emotional approval, mental recognition, physical security, and /or spiritual acceptance from others. When this occurs in our life, we are out of balance and we give away our power, picking up one or more dark arrows to aim at the target of life. The seven dark arrows are: attachment, dependency, judgment, comparison, expectation, the needy child syndrome, and ego self-importance. It is the dark arrows that keep us stuck in our patterns and in karma, with low self-esteem and a negative, skewed approach to life and the world.

We are in the light mirror of the Southeast when we carry within ourselves self-reliance and personal happiness regardless of how others perceive us and react to us. We are now empowered to be all we can be, gaining individuality, transforming karma into dharma, and picking up the seven light arrows in the process. The light arrows are: self-awareness, self-appreciation, self-acceptance, self-pleasure, self-love, self-actualization, and impeccability (always doing the best you can whenever you can, and if you could do better you would).

Each time we pick up a light arrow we break a dark one, and through this process of transformation we are gifted with a rainbow arrow. The seven rainbow arrows are: illumination, introspection, trust and innocence, wisdom, open heart-to-heart communication, balance of male and female energies, and abundance and prosperity. We are now fully matured, self-actualizing humans.

Source of information:

Song of the Deer by Thunder Strikes and
Jan Orsi

THE ROE OF PEACE

I lift my eyes to gaze upon the Tree
Of sacred Life from which my spirit draws
The many I have been, will ever be

Embodied through the universal laws
Of cyclic birth and flux. This is the Source
Through which the noble strengths and karmic flaws

In manifested form may set their course.
Identity of self as one with All,
A scion of the sovereign Master Force,

Impels the credence of an echoing call
To recognize my quintessential power
To spoil or spawn fresh seeds. By standing tall

And calling forth the stars, I raise a tower
Of light, eradicating dingy dreams
That bear decay. NOW is the crucial hour,

As roe of peace seek life in Earthly streams,
To center self with healing cosmic beams.

Lynette Hopkins

Return to the Medicine Wheel