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Native Americans commune
with the Great Spirit by smoking the scared pipe and by feathering themselves
with sweetgrass, allowing the smoke to convey their prayers throughout the
Sacred Hoop to Great Spirit.
Although there are
many concepts about Cosmology, the Earth and the Sacred Hoop among the various
Native American tribes, one common theme is that the universe is comprised of
multiple planes linked to a World Tree with the natural world being in the
middle sphere.
The World Tree's roots go
far underground and reach upwards into the sky. Most creation myths were part of
the oral tradition and feature a Master Spirit who assumes many diverse forms,
including both the masculine and feminine.
There are also many spirits
who control the weather and act as guides and caretakers of humanity. Besides
the oral tradition, some Native American tribes preserved their spiritual
beliefs in sacred texts.
Native Americans communicate
with the spirits by singing traditional, ceremonial, and medicine songs
accompanied by drums and sometimes also by rattles, flutes, and whistles.
Ceremonial teachings are
strictly an oral tradition passed down from Elder to Elder to ensure their
authenticity and integrity. The ceremonies are a way to commune with Spirit
through prayers, offerings, and ritual. Storytelling, passed down through the generations, teaches valuable lessons by example. This precious oral history of stories, legends, and the teachings of the Elders is now being written down and recorded in order to preserve it for posterity... Continue on Go back
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Native American Sacred Hoop Visionquest 
