What's wrong with this picture -- and how can it be fixed? Many Americans are hoping the government will provide the answers and make the necessary changes. However, people involved with Permaculture and disciplines like yoga recognize that we are each responsible for changing ourselves -- our thinking and our actions. In doing so, we change the world, one person at a time. That is how the quiet shift to organic foods has become the fastest growing segment of the food industry. That is how alternative medicine is increasingly becoming the predominant choice. The shift to a healthier relationship to the Earth, to other peoples, to other species, to ourselves will also happen on an individual basis. Fortunately, that process is taking place now and growing. However, it is a race against time! The challenge we face is whether enough of us can wake up fast enough to keep from destroying ourselves!

The answer will be given one person at a time.

It points out:

"Cosmology is the contextual foundation for philosophy, a grand guiding story...in that it tries to explain the universe, its origin, characteristics, and essential nature. A cosmology gives rise to philosophy, values, and action, which in turn form the foundation of a society's guiding institutions....An immature cosmology spawns immature individual values and institutions....

[Henryk]Skolimowski was one of the first to articulate an eco-philosophy for the transformation of thought needed for a new ecological consciousness. In his 1981 study, Eco-philosophy: Designing New Tactics for Living, he states that because current political systems threaten to rob us of our highest values and because the current basis for action is no longer deeply rooted in life-serving purposes or reverence for nature, we need a new philosophy to inform and guide us. Skolimowski writes of the loss of soul in modern philosophy, bereft of a language that cannot speak of love, soul, or spirit, and advocates the recycling of minds toward the realization of a living philosophy."

The book adds, "A modern 'ecosophy' would be about the rediscovery of meaning as it relates to our universe. It would require not only a different way of thinking, but also a different way of knowing and living. Such an ecosophy would rebuild a unitary view of the cosmos in which everything is interdependent and moved by creative energy, one that views the Earth and the universe with reverence and explores our essential relationships and responsibilities therein. It would be, essentially, the philosophy Indigenous people have lived by for generations, writ large....

Mainstream educational institutions are heavily invested in the maintenance and perpetuation of the old cosmology....Essentially, modern education conditions a person to be oriented to consumerism, competition, rationalism, detachment, individualism, and narcissism....The emphasis of education must be turned toward conditioning for what Skolimowki calls the 'ecological person,' a contemporary version of the Indigenous man and woman....Eco-philosophy is another chapter in our continuous dialogue with the ever-changing universe. In changing ourselves and our relationships, we are changing and co-creating the universe....Eco-philosophy seeks to reintegrate values with a worldview, in a direct and ecologically informed way that mirrors the level of integration once achieved by Indigenous peoples."

Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence  by Gregory Cajete and Leroy Little Bear  says: "The maintenance of dynamic balance and harmony with all relationships to nature is as the foundational paradigm of Native science. Reality is based on mutual reciprocity, the rule of 'paying back' what has been received from nature. The world operates on a constant flow of give-and-take relationships. In traditional Native hunting, when a hunter takes a deer, an offering is made and thanks given to the spirit family of the deer."

The book lists some of the many gifts the world has received from Native America including corn, potatoes, tobacco, beans, squashes and pumpkins, tomatoes, chocolate, vanilla, peanuts, strawberries, pineapples, avocados, Jerusalem artichokes, tapioca, Maple syrup, cashew nuts, peppers, coca, quinine and other medicines, gold, silver, cotton, rubber, etc. In addition, the U.S. received its concept of freedom from Native America and the U.S. Constitution is based on the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee.

What have we paid back? Unfortunately, the answer is mostly in the negative as the U.S. has broken 99% of the treaties with Native American nations. That is a violation of both international law and the U.S. Constitution. Through one destructive law after another, we have decimated many cultures, continue to steal lands, rob resources, pollute, etc.

What can we pay back now? Each of us can begin to give back by getting informed about Native American history, cultures, worldviews, and current issues. We do ourselves an enormous favor by "giving" in this way because it also allows us to grow the new mind that we need to survive! Permaculture is an important powerful way of giving back because it gives the gift of life, renewal, hope, and self-sufficiency through a respectful collaboration with Native cultures.  See the Lakota Reservation Permaculture Project on the Permaculture page. Some of the information is also copied below.

While this is still a small step, it is in the right direction -- and has the potential to grow both on the Lakota reservation and throughout Native America. In fact, the article below provides several examples which show that last year’s course has had a great, growing, and potentially far-reaching impact. The project will continue this year.

The gift of gratitude is perhaps the greatest gift of all. With it, a person is suddenly aware of being very rich. A sense of gratitude fosters peace and a desire to give back. It engenders a sense of respect and responsibility. It is said that "addiction" is defined as an insatiable desire for the things we don't really want! When our real needs are met, we just need less. Less becomes more. This is true even physically, nutritionally. People who eat nutritionally-rich foods are satisfied with smaller meals, while people who each nutritionally-poor foods over-consume and often suffer from obesity. This problem is increasing in America today and is part of the reason growing your own food is becoming so important.

Without a sense of gratitude, even all the wealth in the world leaves a person with an insatiable sense of neediness. A person who has a million dollars in the bank but is unaware of it does not "have" it because he is not conscious of it. So, it is not the physical world that satisfies and enriches us ultimately, but our own minds, our own attitude. It is our consciousness that makes us wealthy or poor. A person who is ungrateful feels a constant need for "more" because no amount of things can every satisfy him fully. He doesn't enjoy what he already has and won't enjoy whatever he gets for long -- no matter how much it is. He's looking for something in the outside world that cannot be found there. Until he discovers that it is his attitude that is poor, he will destroy the Earth trying to enrich himself on the outside, by physical means. A lack of gratitude can lead to greed, competition, and mindlessly cruel, destructive society.

A culture that encourages us to look for satisfaction on the outside ultimately impoverishes us financially, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and environmentally. However, when a person CHOOSES to be grateful and to give back, he transforms himself and helps transform his culture, one person at a time.

Gratitude is a great paradox. It is easy assume that it is of minor importance, yet it is so powerful that it can radically and immediately transform a person and a culture. While it fosters humility, it is also empowering and ennobling. While it shows us our debts, it also enriches us. It may be the key to transforming an endlessly consuming society headed for self-destruction into a ecologically-conscious, sustainable one! How is this possible? It is because gratitude shifts our focus from the limited external physical world which is ultimately unsatisfying to the infinitely rich internal world of spirit. Gratitude shows us the power of our own thoughts, our own attitude, our own minds. While it shows us our true power, it makes us more gentle.

There is a very great deal for which to thank Mother Earth and the Creator. The articles below show the profound ways in which Native American cultures show gratitude on a daily basis.

The articles and videos below show how profoundly Native American cultures express a daily sense of gratitude and thanks to Mother Earth and to the Creator. They also show the great sense of responsibility that engenders. The Lakota end their prayers with "Mitakuye Oyasi'n" which means "all my relations" and includes all beings. See the moving and inspiring Thanksgiving Address of the Haudenosaunee below.

In addition to all the tangible things for which we might think to express gratitude, it is often the free intangibles that make life beautiful and meaningful. Examples include the beauty of a snowflake, the colors of leaves in the Fall, whales breaching the ocean, dolphins playing by a boat, feeling a balmy breeze on a summer afternoon, drinking a cool lemonade on a hot day, swimming, seeing a beautiful sunrise/sunset or a full/new moon, tasting a wonderful fruit, sitting quietly in the shade of tree, walking on the warm sand of a long beach, hearing the power of the ocean, watching a flock of birds in flight, the sound of the wind in the trees, watching changing cloud formations, seeing the power of a great river, the majesty of mountains, a mountain reflected in a lake, enjoying the quiet stillness of the forest, snorkeling or scuba diving and seeing the abundance and variety of fish, the beauty of stones, a star-filled night, the friendship of a beloved dog or cat, the sound of birds singing, discovering the awesome Sacred Geometry that is the foundation of the structure of the universe and everything that exists.

So often, we take all these gifts for granted -- yet they help make life worth living. Taking the time to think about them slows our world down for a minute and allows us to feel at peace. Americans are often expected to multi-task. Some young parents, for example, get in their early-morning jogging before work while pushing the baby carriage, walking the dog, and talking on the cell phone! In such a pressured lifestyle, it is hard to find a moment to think about anything -- much less gratitude! Adopting a new mind that includes gratitude requires taking time to slow down, to think, to become conscious!

• Gratitude -- The Mohawk Thanksgiving Address shown below indicates how extensive and how much a part of daily life that sense of gratitude is. Such an attitude reflects humility and awe. It leads to respect and responsibility.
   
• Responsibility -- The sense of responsibility for the impact of one's actions down to the next seven generations shows the extent of the sense of responsibility. It requires clear thinking and wisdom to fulfill this requirement. This sense of responsibility also include a requirement to give back, to not just take. This giving back is expressed in small and large ways from simply setting aside a little food for the Earth to the elaborate Potlatch give-aways held by most native cultures on the Northwest Coast.
   
• Connectedness -- The Lakota ending for all their prayers (discussed below) is "Mitakuye oyas'in" which means "All my relations". It is a prayer for the well-being not only of one's family or tribe -- or even all Native peoples. It is not even just a prayer for all human beings. Instead, it is a prayer for all beings -- including animals, trees, water, air, rocks, etc. This reflects a love for all of live and a sense of inclusiveness. It shows and extended sense of "family" in which all of life is included.
   
• Spirit -- Everything is seen as being alive, as having spirit -- even rocks and mountains. This creates a sense of respect for the rights of others in what is called a "natural democracy". Every being has a right to life, to existence because the world was not created just for the convenience of human beings. This attitude engenders a sense of the sacred in all things.
   
• Observation -- Thousands of years of close observation of the lives of plants have given Native peoples an enviable body of knowledge eagerly sought now by the pharmaceutical companies for the medicinal properties of plants. Native peoples feel that they have much to learn from all plants and animals. Their knowledge of plants allowed them to create 60% of the food crops used in the world today. Those crops changed the fate of Europe -- enhancing nutrition, increasing population sixfold, and changing the power of nations. Through observation of the heavens, the Aztec/Mayan calendar was the most accurate in the world until the 20th century. Many people are now seeking to understand that calendar as it foretells the end of time as we know it on December 21, 2012.
   
• Love of Place -- Native American cultures have lived in the same place often for thousands of years. This gives them a sense of connectedness to the place where their ancestors are buried. Seeing the landscape as sacred engenders a sense of respect, awe, and responsibility. Living on the same land for so many centuries gives Native peoples a sense of history that very different from that of modern nations which are just a couple of hundred years old.
   
• Common Sense -- In Native American cultures, people are expected to use their on minds rather than blindly obey any authority. These cultures achieve a wonderful balance of individual freedom and independence with responsibility to the whole of life. People are expected to think for themselves, to find their purpose in life. In some cultures, the Vision Quest is used to achieve that goal.

See the video interviews with Chief Lyons on the "Native American Prophecies" page for a discussion of these points.

For example, the Lakota (Sioux) end their prayers with “Mitakuye Oyas’in" (all my relations) to acknowledge their connection to all beings and things. The meaning of "relations" is not limited to the person's family, or tribe, or to Native peoples. In fact, it is not even limited to human beings. "Relations" includes animals, birds, fish, as well as the wind, water, mountains, clouds, etc. It reflects a worldview that appreciates the profound interconnectedness of all things. It recognizes that if we pollute the air, water, land, plants and animals, we cannot stay healthy. Our own health and survival depend on the health of all these "relations". So the prayers ends by wishing them all well

 Chief Porter explained that an hour-long version of this prayer is said before and after each of the meetings of the Haudenosaunee! He explained that, in the past, each type of berry (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.) was thanked individually. However, since people are in more of a hurry now, all the berries are thanked together in a group! It is a very profound experience to witness this kind of acknowledgement and to know that it is such an integral part of the daily life of the Haudenosaunee.  It is easy to be aware of our debt and responsibility to the Earth when such a prayer is said on a regular basis! There is so much humility and so much recognition of our complete dependence on all these gifts.

Most Americans would not want to take an hour before and after each meeting to say such a long prayer!
However, it might inspire us to think occasionally of the bounty that the Earth and Creator offer us for free!
 

http://www.lotusmusicanddance.org/DAH/Honor.html

Tom Porter is one of the last generation of his people to be raised as a Mohawk speaker from birth. Like his ancestors, who listened to traditional stories during the long winter months by the fire, Tom was weaned on the teachings of his great-grandparents’ and his grandparents’ generation. This unique background paved the way for him to become a champion for the revitalization of First Nations languages and traditions. Now a respected elder, he has devoted his life to educating both Native and non-Native people about the true history, culture and spirituality of the Iroquois or, as they prefer to call themselves, the Haudenosaunee.

In the words of his cousin, author and award-winning journalist Doug George—Kanentiio, “He has, over the past four decades, become one of the most respected cultural teachers among the Iroquois, a spiritual leader welcome across the continent for his sincerity, wit and knowledge.” Mr. Porter has been a nationally-recognized figure in Indian Country since the 1960s when he co-founded the White Roots of Peace, a group of Iroquois Elders who toured the country sharing traditional teachings and encouraging Indians to embrace their respective Native traditions. Recognizing that Mohawk language and culture were dying out, he also co-founded the Akwesasne Freedom School for grades K-8, with a curriculum entirely in Mohawk.

Since 1993, Tom has been the founder, director and spiritual leader of the traditional Mohawk Community of Kanatsioharè:ke, located in the homeland of his ancestors, near Albany, New York. For the story of that community and how it came to be, see his previous book, Tom Sakokwenionkwas Porter: Kanatsiohareke: Traditional Mohawk Indians Return to Their Ancestral Homeland. In 2008, Tom Porter published the book And Grandma Said… Iroquois Teachings, in which we get to see in print a lifetime of teachings and memories, in words direct from the heart of, in Doug George’s words, “a person who has devoted his life to preserving the heritage of his Nation.”

Western cultures operate primarily from the lower 3 chakras which are concerned with the survival of the individual -- security, reproduction, and ego (self expression). These lower 3 chakras are often driven by fear of scarcity which can lead to competition and greed. The focus is on the rights of the individual. Success is often defined without consideration for the impact on other peoples, species, generations, etc. A short-term materialistic focus is the norm. Life is largely concerned with consumption, attainment of the "American Dream", the good life, in which each one tries to keep up with the Joneses. People feel that they are on an endless treadmill. In spite of all the modern time-saving conveniences, people often find little time to relax. They struggle to keep up with the latest technologies and are encouraged to multi-task. Many feel stressed out. Depression and loneliness are wide-spread.

In this value system, people aspire to be rich, famous, successful, powerful, popular, etc. How one achieves those goals is not so important as ethics are not a major consideration. It's generally a dog-eat-dog world in which there is a lack of compassion for other peoples or species. There is a loss of the sense of the sacred and the Earth is seen just as "resources". Because the higher needs are largely ignored, there is an addictive drive to fulfill those needs through consumption. That leads to an insatiable, unsustainable demand for endless "growth" which ignores the limits of the Earth. People value control over nature and cultures tend to get their way through force and war. The result is a blind, ecocidal, and ultimately suicidal, society. It is a death culture that in the end fails to fulfill the needs of even the first 3 chakras -- to achieve its goals of security and control.

The Native American cultures function primarily from the 4th-7th chakras which are based on love and an appreciation of spiritual enlightenment. The 4th chakra is the Heart chakra through which a person discovers love for others and a sense of connectedness, respect, and responsibility for the good of all. In the 5th chakra, a person learns the importance of speaking the truth. This is an ethical level of responsibility that leads to wisdom. In the 6th chakra, a person discovers intuition, an increase of the spiritual connection and a sense of oneness. At the 7th chakra, the person experiences bliss and ecstasy, and realizes enlightenment which is the culmination of wisdom in which the goal of life is to serve the life and the well-being of all. At this level, people discover real power, the power of spirit, and cultures are more able to preserve peace. People aspire to be wise, loving, and responsible. A life-enhancing collaboration with nature -- with other peoples and other species -- becomes the goal.

The growing popularity of yoga is helping to familiarize many people in the West with the chakra system. The Yoga Sutras are the ancient text on which the philosophy of yoga is founded and establish an 8-limbed ethical basis for attaining higher consciousness. However, it is only the Native American cultures that are grounded in a love of the Earth. Permaculture reflects the Native American respect for the Earth, other peoples, and other species. A Permaculture perspective combined with the yoga philosophy is an excellent way for Westerners to begin to emulate the Native American mind.

In addition, a knowledge of the rich cultures of this hemisphere provides a great inspiration and an enduring guide.