Going to Water

Sacred Medicine Ways – Part 10

A Teaching by Ghost Dancer

In the old days and even back to the ancient times of the mounds, our ancestors had a Sunrise Ceremony. This was our traditional way of renewing our birth connection to our Mother Earth and Grandmother Sun. When we are in our mother’s womb, floating in water, we feel this eternal connection to our birth mother and now even more to our Earth Mother and Grandmother Sun. This connection recycles for all eternity with all of us if we just listen. Even as babies when we are put in water, our memories flash us back to that connection – one heart, one beat, one with all and everything. What mother feels the infant absorbs and feels as well. This connection is the reason all infant’s umbilical cords were saved and dried hanging in the tree of life to dry to become part of the child’s medicine bag.

Now knowing all this you will better understand what Going to Water actually means. Going to water is more than a bathing ritual. It is a religious act to submit ourselves to returning to our Mother’s womb and cleanse ourselves in her life blood (water). This ritual is our reconnection to being born each day as a new born babe to start the day. We greet Grandmother Sun as she rises and blesses us as we stand in the water and sing the greeting song to her and for our Mother. The women have their own place to go and they take the small babes with them, young toddler boys too. Boys old enough to walk on their own go to the men’s place.

Now to truly understand the ritual and the practice, put yourself in this mode. It is early before the break of dawn. The women gather up their personal scents, and cleaning things. They awaken all the children, babies too, and take them to the path that the Beloved Women, Keethlas, Medicine Women, and Clan Mothers are already walking, saying prayers as they go. The men are doing the same, being led by the Beloved Men (elders who are very wise and gifted), Keethlas, Medicine People, and Miccos, to a different path that leads them to water out of sight of the women.

Each group will wait until the Grandmother Sun is fixing to rise and then everyone goes in the water. They submerge themselves fully; the women holding the babies submerge them as well. They feel the Mother’s heart beat while they are in her living womb. They honor the life gifts of air, water, earth, and with the rising of Grandmother Sun, fire is now also completing the four elements of life. We all reconnected to life as a baby, new and fresh, cleansed, not only of filth, but of corruption of the mind, spirit, and body. We sing songs of joy, songs of thanks and then we go about washing ourselves. It makes no difference what the weather is – hot, cold, rain – we still do this everyday. It is our way of life and our life is our religion!

  
Mvskokee Water Song   

mvskokee uewv yvhiketv


seceyetv  seceyetv  celayetv wace vnokeckv seceyetv 
seceyetv mocv-nettv mekusvpetv momen ometv ohmerretv 
em wace ohnenne nak-vcakv
enka enka  peme opvnetv vpeyetv wace enka enka peme e-
hvsvthicetv hiyomecetv seceyetv seceyetv hahvketv hvmken 
hvtvm seceyetv  seceyetv ofv nak-avcakv ohnene enka enka 
peme e vnokeckv mocv -nettv enka enka peme emetv e 
wace estofis 


Ghost’s translation:

Going into the water, going into the water, 
Touching Mother’s Love, going into the water.

Going into the water today, praying and receiving 
Mother’s precious blessings.

Yes, yes, we dance as we go to Mother. 
Yes, yes, we go to be cleansed. 

Going to water, going to water we become one again.
Going into the water, going into the water, we walk around. 

Yes, yes we give our love today. 
Yes, yes, we give to Mother always.

Going into the water, going into the water to feel mothers love
Going into the water, going into the water to pray and be blessed,
Mother’s sacred way.
 
Yes, yes, we dance to go to Mother
Yes, yes, we clean ourselves this way 

Going into the water, going into the water, become one again.
Going into the water, going into water in a sacred way.

Yes, yes, we love ourselves today
Yes, yes, we give to our Mother always.

Now, to keep the balance, we also have a sunset ceremony. As we tell Grandmother goodnight and we welcome Grandfather Moon who shines his light upon all of us and all life. We all know how the Grandfather affects all life and even the waters. Remember we are a people of balance; we walk and live in balance. Going to the water and submerging ourselves as before; women to one area and men to another, we cleanse our bodies, say goodnight to our Grandmother and greet our Grandfather who loves our Grandmother and our Mother. He spends his time chasing them both.

Singing our prayer songs and feeling the love from our Grandparents and our Mother too, we all knew we have this special connection to all life in these sacred ways. As we walk back to the town or village, we begin to come back together as a people, all loving and happy. Now it’s time to enjoy stories, dances, and good food; a people all as one, and one with everything as our Grandfather Moon smiles down on us. Sometimes he shows only part of his face; sometimes only the other side. Sometimes he is so big and so close and sometimes he looks new and young. Sometimes he has friends there with him; a council going on. Sometimes he is gold and sometimes blood red. He shows his many emotions and faces to us and we all know he loves us too.

So, I ask you: How well do you know Grandfather Moon and our Grandmother Sun and our Mother Earth? Will you think of these things when you see them? I hope this helps you better understand our ways, Ghost.

Ghost Dancer © 2016