Tek-Gnostic Raven Lodge

Hear me, four quarters of the world... a relative I am! Give me the strength to walk the soft earth. Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand, that I may be like you. With your power only can I face the winds. Great Spirit...all over the earth the faces of living things are all alike. With tenderness have these come up out of the ground. Look upon these faces of children without number and with children in their arms, that they may face the winds and walk the good road to the day of quiet. This is my prayer' hear me!

The Indigenous Path All around our small planet, Native & indigenous traditions have been a rich source of spiritual inspiration. They serve as "Arks" or repositories for earth's rich past. They provide perspective on the importance of balance with the natural world. The myths and archetypical characters that populate them exemplify a path of harmony that humans can walk with all the winged, finned and four-legged earthlings. Find herein examples of such myths, as well as important resources to continue the path... The Trickster "In Native American mythology there are figures known as tricksters - Individuals whose actions have been attributed to natural phenomenon such as the creation the earth, the sun, the advent of fire, and the weather. Early native shamans and philosophers attributed these beings with human qualities as a means of likening their actions to the same passions that govern human thought. Having their origins in the oral tradition of early Indian tribes, these tricksters have evolved into powerful symbols. The transformative powers of the trickster make such an entity transcend the physical and metaphysical world." "The most common manifestation of the trickster is the raven. There are many stories attributed to this trickster and he is seen throughout northwestern native mythology as a figure of great import. Nearly all of the tribes of the American northwest have an oral tradition about the raven and how his actions have affected human development. The Inuit of Alaska have a creation story that tells of a great struggle between Raven and a sea creature of indeterminable size and scope. Using his harpoon, Raven captured the creature and it thus became the land. In another story, Raven brings sunlight to a dark world. The Tsimshian of British Columbia and Alaska were given light by the raven, who tricked a tribal chief along the Nass River. The chief kept the light in a box in his lodging and the raven conceived an intricate scheme to obtain it. Raven transformed himself into a spruce needle and then fell from the sky into a cup of water that the chief’s daughter was drinking and impregnated her. Born into human form, Raven stole the chief’s box and then transformed into his original shape. As he flew away with his prize, he encountered a group of fishermen.

Hungry, Raven asked the group if he could have some of their catch. When they refused, he flew off and released the daylight. In this story, early native oral tradition blends both the trickster with the transformer figure, another important aspect of native religious development; one often seen with trickster stories."  - Jeffrey R Gudzune ( the image on the left is a petroglyph of the trickster in  the form of "coyote". )   Find below a creation myth taken from the Iroquois tradition...

 Turtle Island Creation Myth
 

Long before the world was created there was an island, floating in the sky, upon which the Sky People lived. They lived quietly and happily. No one ever died or was born or experienced sadness. However one day one of the Sky Women realized she was going to give birth to twins. She told her husband, who flew into a rage. In the center of the island there was a tree which gave light to the entire island since the sun hadn't been created yet. He tore up this tree, creating a huge hole in the middle of the island. Curiously, the woman peered into the hole. Far below she could see the waters that covered the earth. At that moment her husband pushed her. She fell through the hole, tumbling towards the waters below. Water animals already existed on the earth, so far below the floating island two birds saw the Sky Woman fall. Just before she reached the waters they caught her on their backs and brought her to the other animals.

Determined to help the woman they dove into the water to get mud from the bottom of the seas. One after another the animals tried and failed. Finally, Little Toad tried and when he reappeared his mouth was full of mud. The animals took it and spread it on the back of Big Turtle. The mud began to grow and grow and grow until it became the size of North America. Then the woman stepped onto the land. She sprinkled dust into the air and created stars. Then she created the moon and sun. The Sky Woman gave birth to twin sons. She named one Sapling. He grew to be kind and gentle. She named the other Flint and his heart was as cold as his name. They grew quickly and began filling the earth with their creations. Sapling created what is good. He made animals that are useful to humans. He made rivers that went two ways and into these he put fish without bones. He made plants that people could eat easily. If he was able to do all the work himself there would be no suffering. Flint destroyed much of Sapling's work and created all that is bad. He made the rivers flow only in one direction. He put bones in fish and thorns on berry bushes. He created winter, but Sapling gave it life so that it could move to give way to Spring. He created monsters which his brother drove beneath the Earth. Eventually Sapling and Flint decided to fight till one conquered the other. Neither was able to win at first, but finally Flint was beaten. Because he was a god Flint could not die, so he was forced to live on Big Turtle's back. Occasionally his anger is felt in the form of a volcano. The Iroquois people hold a great respect for all animals. This is mirrored in their creation myth by the role the animals play. Without the animals' help the Sky Woman may have sunk to the bottom of the sea and earth may not have been created.

Sites for Further Inquiry

EcoTek - Environmental Resources