This is Jennie, the jewelry lady with a purpose. Some of you may have met me last year in my little jewelry booth at a Native American pow-wow or art festival. Some of you have met me when I had my Main Street jewelry store in Buford, Georgia. This newsletter is a child birthed from your encounters with me. As we spoke, it was obvious that I needed to share my traditions, rituals, sacredness and wisdom with you all, as sisters walking upon Mother Earth. Much has been lost and much is being lost in our fast-paced and overly stressed society, I am asking for a slower, less stress induced, unique spirituality to be founded in each one of you. My belief system is that we are all on a Good Red Road (Native American tradition). The road is a spiritual path. Our job is to not judge another’s choices or conditions, but to busy ourselves with our own lessons. Also, we are to form a community of women that supports all people on their spiritual road as best we can with sincere concern for their suffering, pain and condition. I believe that we have a twofold job, (1) to allow our authentic self to transform and (2) to create an authentic God with power greater than ours. There are many ways to these two spiritual journeys that lead us to our individual Good Red Road. Along this path, we can mask ourselves, hiding our essence and power from others. We may even deny who we are or could be to ourselves in order to find our place in society, at home, in relationships or in our communities; compromising our intelligence, strengths, talents and our Divine destiny, the agreement we made this lifetime. If we become entangled in this web of deceit, we sacrifice our Truth for crumbs of love. At that point, we can fracture our ability to live deeply and soulishly. It's a long road back to our authentic self and authentic God, but it's a great adventure. This newletter's intention is to aid in supporting and healing you in your efforts to return to each your Divine wholeness. Native American Totem Animal Corner – The Dog Each newsletter has this section in an effort to share my belief in the sacredness of our animals to humans. In the Native American tradition animals are superior to human beings. They come to support us and be our teachers. They, too, like Mother Earth, are here to heal and feed us as whole, Spirit beings. Another Native American belief is that animals are recurring and always come across our paths in an effort to teach or help us on our spiritual road. This newsletter will teach you the ways of “The Dog.” The dog animal totem is a powerful one to and for humans. It is a rare household that doesn’t contain at least one as a pet and companion. They are the symbol of loyalty. Ah, we all need to be reminded of this spiritual strength. Also, the dog is associated with respect, forgiveness and compassion. Dogs have been tamed for the use of its master, humans, for ages. Its basic instinct now is to serve its master with love and humility. If loving human contact is made while a puppy a dog will forever long for the attachment of a human being. If the dog is fed and given shelter, even of the simplest kind, the bond between himself and man cannot be broken. The dog can take much abuse and many times will become heartless and lose spirit before turning against its master in the cruelest of situations. Still dog seeks respect from its master. Depending on the breed of each dog. there is a threshold that each dog carries when it will tolerate or not tolerate lack of respect. Ultimately, dog is the guardian of its master and willing to do anything for him, possibly even follow him into death, especially if a deep bonded respect has been forged. The dog’s heart is filled with compassion and forgiveness – even when kept in a tiny crate for long hours each day, dog greets his loving, devoted master with happiness and gratefulness each time he is freed from his tiny prison. only to return again another day. Dog overlooks human weaknesses, time after time, with a deep devotion freely given by itself to the most cherished and adored master. Dog teaches us with consistent reminders: a) Loyalty b) Respect c) Forgiveness d) Compassion Take good care of your furry dog supporter and teacher; they take good care of you.
			The Importance of Ritual and Sacredness All of us are tribal, social beings, especially women. We can draw strength and comfort from our female relationships. In ages past our elders and wise women of our family and clan groups would teach us the importance of rituals and sacredness as well as demonstrate them to us. Could we grow and become stronger women if we began again in this effort to become whole through sacredness and ritual? Today, there is little ritual left. We find solace in traveling each day, taking the same roads, frequenting the same stores and eating at the same restaurants. But do these strange rituals really satisfy our deep inner need for more than just a habitual daily pattern? Are we receiving all we need from our religious affiliations? Do we, as women, feel as though we have been given an equal and fair place within these communities? Or are we settling for a meager position of fixing food for the men, sitting beside husbands quietly or taking care of the children while few women are given their rightful leadership birthrights, their destinies, within spiritual communities? Are we a part of a religious system that blames women for the ‘fall of man’ in a paradise garden? If so or if not, it doesn’t matter. We are a quiet storm, beginning to honor each breath as a sacred one, cleansing and nurturing us to the core of our being. The work begins at home. Where is our true home, our inner home? Jesus said that the kingdom of God was within and around us. He also said to go into a closet and pray. So let’s begin this sacredness within ourselves, there is little that we can change outside of the self. Creating sacredness within us is truly an inside job. Begin today creating sacred ritual for yourself. As you read this, think briefly about your heart and its’ condition. Your authentic sacredness is waiting for you. Encourage yourself to come alive. Secretly and quietly without a lot of fanfare and trumpet blast, slow down your fast moving train of the self and ask your mind to become your friend through inner openness. Many times, we go running with excitement and shouting about our new found joy and freedom only to be received with doubt, which undercuts our new sense of solidness. So be still and draw inward with repeating practice. Many have found the beginning of the day a more than reasonable time to begin each day with sacredness. All is sacred. All is new. I am new. I am here. It is so simple. Keep everything as simple as you can each day; especially your thinking. Thoughts can be mudslides to our new found solidness. Few thoughts and if you must think or imagine (which most of our thoughts are), think empowering thoughts. Think that this for a moment. If you were given the freedom to create your own sacred ritual, how would you make one up? Yes, all of our patterns, our thoughts, our creations, our identities are just made-up. Can you prove you are who you say you are? Can you look at your past behavior and say without a doubt that you will be the same, say the same thing, be the same person the next day? No, not really. We are a constant flow of changing energy, basing our beliefs upon our past experience… change the experience and we have the opportunity to change ourselves. Simple freedom is a choice. How would you like to begin your day? If you could talk to your ancestors, your angels, or your guides – or even your God – what would you say? Where would you be in all of that? I have found a good place to start is asking for help. Honestly, we are tribal and social creatures made in groups and communities; yet, our society tells us to live in little caves, separate from each other… we can’t trust our governments, our churches, even our families. So we begin again to create a new inner world, one thought at a time, one emotion at a time, we treat ourselves with a new gentleness, a new patience and compassion. Rituals and sacred things are for the ones walking on the Earth. They should be simple. A thought so sweet as, “Good morning, Mother Earth" or "Hi, there, God. I'm here. Thank you.” And then a silent waiting – no more thoughts, just stillness, feeling your greeting rest upon the air. Walk to a window or go outside... look around, up at the sky, at a tree or a bird... a flower… feel the air. Is it warm outside, or cool? Listen to what you hear. Who is speaking to you today? Start the day with positive feelings… good feelings. Close your eyes and listen to the beating of your own heart. No thoughts, just breathing. A ritual is a simple, powerful thing. Form a habit of listening, seeing and be-ing with yourself and your guides (if that is your belief system) each morning. Create your own ritual. Be free. Personally, I like to walk from one room to another, greeting each room with a blessing and a greeting. I’m just acknowledging my transition from sleeping to awareness. Everyday I’m given is a gift. We have no promises except for the day we awaken. One day at a time we live to our fullest. Practice sacredness in all things. Make games of rituals. Let your imagination soar. Form a habit of walking in ritual and sacred ways. Listen to sacred music. Imagine carrying yourself in sacred ways. In a short time you will notice changes in your attitude and your gait. Nothing is forced in spirituality – it is opened and flowing. Your sacredness is a natural result of your rituals.
				Our Supporting, Healing Earth – The Garnet My belief system says that our Mother Earth is here supporting us in beauty and wholeness. The green of our Earth, the trees and plants, the sky and air are in total synergy with us – its people, the human beings. The trees, flowers and plants absorb our carbon dioxide and we breathing in their oxygen. This is just one example of the completeness of Divine Love for humans, animals and the Earth itself. The Earth, as a consistent and caring mother, sacrifices her own body in all ways for the betterment of her charges, humans and animals, plants and skies. Her very belly, her sacred ground and below are full of electro magnetic energy, feeding us and sustaining us. Stones are her droplets of healing foods, herself. They are everywhere -- quartz crystals, precious and semiprecious stones, all carrying support and Love for us. In the Native American tradition, as in all old cultures and tribal societies, there is a belief of wearing stones, bones and shells for protection, strength, harmony and healing. We, as civilized mankind have lost this way as we are tossed by the raging seas of grief and regret, isolation and fractured identities. We get caught up in getting things, shutting our eyes to greed and living lives that dishonor us as holy people. Yet, our Mother Earth opens her arms by giving herself away through her stones in an effort to return her children to balance and power. Each newsletter we will look briefly at a stone and its power and healing properties. This time we explore the hidden, now revealed, ancient secrets of one of my favorite stones from the crystal family the GARNET. Usually, garnets are deep, dark red, but can be green and very crystalline. These beautiful and powerful gems are in the crystal family and called the "stone of health," extracting negative energy from our seven energy centers, sometimes called chakras. Also, they are excellent balancers of energy, aiding in returning all energy centers to a beneficial state of health. They were stones used in the breast plate of the high priest. It has been used as a sacred and power stone by the Native Americans, the South American Indians, the Aztecs, the Egyptians, the African tribal elders and the Mayans. The believed powers held within the stone unleashed through the intention of the wearer are as follows: a) Enhancing internal fire b) Aids in bringing creative ideas into reality c) Aids a person in freeing themselves from negative, energy draining relationships d) Helps in creating a flowing acceptance in the mist of change Garnets can be worn as helpers enabling a person to be more committed through devotion to a high purpose or calling. The loving powers of garnet tend to bring love to others as expressions of warmth and understanding. Garnets were pulverized and mixed with a liquid by Egyptian royalty because of their power and healing properties.
		TOP | home | jewelry for sale online | powwows&shows | classes