A Prayer of Protest
I invite you to join me,
as I offer up a prayer to the seven sacred directions.
We begin facing the West -
direction of the setting sun, and of the ancestors.
Here, we honor the Elders, who keep wisdom and teach patience.
Turning, we acknowledge the North -
direction of the winter,
and ask the ancestors for strength in hardship, and gratitude in plenty.
Now, we acknowledge the East -
direction of the sunrise and new beginnings.
We ask the ancestors to bring the light of wisdom to each new day.
We turn to the South -
direction of summer’s abundance,
and ask the ancestors to bring the warm winds of compassion.
South is the direction of the Woman,
and we ask that women everywhere be protected,
for they are sacred.
Now, we raise our eyes to the infinite blue sky,
and offer our thanks for all creation,
and for the chance to be a part of it.
And looking downward, we acknowledge the earth.
Our Mother Earth has shown patience in our greed and thoughtlessness,
but the storm of her tears grows stronger,
and when we strike her, she bleeds.
We ask for the strength to defend Mother Earth,
and to defend her daughters,who are being taken -
whose bodies and blood pay for pipelines and pool in fetid islands in our oceans.
Finally, we look within,
and acknowledge our own spirits and power.
Each of us is an essential part of life in action.
Humbly remembering that we are not the center of creation, we see
from our heart center, we can reach out to all directions.
We give thanks for all we have, and ask that we remain increasingly aware
that we are all interconnected in the web of life.
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Derived from a Mi’kmaq smudging ceremony designed by
Muin’iskwMusic Licensed from
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