well as you all know, I quit my job in the factory, but… here we are a month later and I’ve had about enough of laying around napping and reading. Since it’s the feds where everybody works except the actual employees, I thought I’d like to have a little “retirement job.” For some reason they won’t let me be a greeter at Walmart, but I have been given a new job. It doesn’t pay anything much but it does keep me busy for a little while since we can’t go out to recreate.
See, it’s like this, the scuttlebutt was the kitchen needed 4 a.m. shift workers, so I went to see the counselor who is in charge of “work assignments” and told him my situation. See, I’ve got a whole list of medical conditions and proscriptions, so I told him I wanted a job working in the unit doing something light, like wiping something off and then I’ll have a job. Otherwise I would have to go to medical and argue for the medical un-assigned due to my back, my restrictions and my age. I just did not want him to try to put me in the kitchen or somewhere that is gonna end up with me getting in trouble for not working when it can be easily avoided. So he told me he would re-structure his orderlies and put me on wiping down maybe the tables in the unit or the phones or a banister on the stairs, something light. Therefore I am now a bona-fide wiper offer guy! Ain’t that special?
Actually I’m glad I got this cuz I would not be at all amused were they to wake me up at 4 am in the morning to go to work in the chow hall. The staff there don’t care a bit for my outspoken nature that just refuses to take any crud from them or not speak up when I think something is wrong. Now I know that sometimes a closed mouth wins the shouting contest and I also know it keeps me from going to the hole for insolence, but I just ain’t that kind of man. I think that the Creator wants us to warrior up and stand for what we believe in even if its gonna get us in a crack. There it is, I’d rather crawl into the afterlife a warrior than ride a horse of cowardice thru the clouds, so I am now the wiper offer guy.
But I am also able to see that it’s not so different metaphorically from what I have done with the last couple of decades. See I’ve spent all this time cleaning up the mess I made of myself and finally in the end, or rather at some point, I ended up a clean slate, tabula rasa, and was able to finally understand all that I had absorbed of the things I had been studying and trying to learn. OK, so its silly to try to equate wiping off a table with the changes in my life, but hey, can’t blame me for trying and at least I copped to it. Smile. But for real, I’m kinda pleased with my little make-work type of excuse for a job. It gives me something else to do during the day for about 8.3 minutes and keeps me from the greater evil, the kitchen, or even worse, food service. I don’t even like to go there to eat let alone get up a 4 am to prep for a breakfast. And you’ve got to know, I’m not the most personable in the bright and early. so, I’ll just get my cleaning rag and be ready to wipe the tables at the end of the evening here in the unit…and keep on concentrating on where I need to be at in my mind and spirit.
Now since this is kinda short and I won’t be talking about the latest kitchen drama I avoided, I will dazzle you with another of my creative recipes. . .
Square Bowl Clam Slam
Mmmmmmm… No you can’t have any!!!! Make your own. Ok I’ll make it with you so you will know how…
You will need:
A square or rectangular bowl.
A bag of smoked baby clams.
1/4 jar of mixed peppers.
A crackhead (top ramen) shrimp soup.
A big ole dollop of gouda cheese spread.
First, smash the soup up into a gazillion little noodles by slamming it onto the floor or the counter.
Put into square bowl.
Add the clams, peppers and cheese spread.
Now here’s the tricky part – pour in some piping hot water and stir thoroughly to melt the cheese spread.
Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes
Open stir and slam it on down the hatch!!! It’s that simple and it defies logic how good this super-fast super cheap meal is. I mean c’mon, the most expensive ingredient is the clams at 1.35 a bag. Add the rest and it might add up to a couple dollars.
Oh, I almost forgot, get a roll/sleeve of crackers, I prefer the Ritz type but for a more eastern seaboard type experience you could get saltines, and if ya really wanna be all “hoity-toity” you could put in some of those little packs of “oyster crackers” you took with ya from the last seafood joint ya chowed down at. LOL.
But for real, you will really love this and it can be increased per person by adding a bag of clams and soup and all the other stuff, so try it out. I know you’ll do as I did and “slam” the whole bowl..
WILLIAM MITCHELL Race: Black, Sex: Male, Release Date: 02/23/2024
PRESS RELEASE (excerpt) Friday, January 22, 2016
Repeat Bank Robber Who Struck from Coast to Coast Sentenced to 10+ Years in Prison
Defendant Robbed Banks in Vermont, New Hampshire, Florida, Mississippi, California and Washington
A 57-year-old repeat bank robber was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 127 months in prison and three years of supervised release for multiple bank robberies and the armed robbery of the Nordstrom fine jewelry department, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.
MITCHELL has an extensive criminal history in Canada and the U.S. dating back to the early 1980s. In 1990 MITCHELL was sentenced to 207 months (10 years 4 months) in prison for eleven (11) armed bank robberies in Florida, Wisconsin, California and Washington.
According to records filed in the case, MITCHELL was identified as a serial bank robbery suspect following the robberies of Homestreet Bank in Seattle (July 28, 2014), Wells Fargo Bank in Seattle (July 29, 2014), Timberland Bank in Olympia (October 30, 2014) and Numerica Federal Credit Union in Spokane (November 7, 2014). Seattle police also used DNA evidence to connect MITCHELL to the armed robbery of the Nordstrom store. DNA evidence also connected MITCHELL to bank robberies in Naples, Florida on April 4, 2014 and in Santa Barbara, California on October 2, 2014. MITCHELL admitted he also committed bank robberies in South Burlington, Vermont on July 5, 2014, Ocean Springs, Mississippi on May 23, 2014 and Manchester, New Hampshire, on May 30, 2014.
Despite irrefutable evidence and numerous prior convictions, career criminal Mitchell only received 127 months (10 years & 7 months) in prison.
NOW COMPARE:Case #2In 2016
GHOST DANCER, Race: American Indian, Sex: Male, Release Date: 04/22/2030
When Ghost Dancer was arrested and charged with two Florida bank robberies in 1994, he was out on parole on two attempted robbery convictions in the State of Alabama for which he was given two (2) LIFE SENTENCES (These two convictions were proven illegal and vacated in 2015).
Ghost Dancer has steadfastly maintained his innocence in these two bank robberies! He had no fewer than seven (7) witnesses who testified as to his whereabouts on the days of the robberies, which occurred 128 and 185 miles away.
The actual perpetrator confessed to the robberies, but his testimony was not allowed in court. He withdrew his confession as part of a plea agreement with the prosecution.
The FBI and the federal prosecutor had absolutely no direct evidence or accurate eye-witness identification to prove his guilt. They had no proof at all! Nothing. Ghost’s court appointed attorney totally failed to vigorously defend his client’s interests.
In court Ghost was found guilty and sentenced to 420 months (35 years) plus an additional 60 months (5 years) because he refused to plead guilty to crimes he did not commit.
Creator, watch over the people of the Ukraine, and keep the women and children in your sight. Protect them and bring the horrible actions of the war criminals to an end.
While it is well known that I no longer condone or believe that violence is an answer to adversity or ever acceptable, I am well versed in its applications as a tool. Most of my life I was quick to act out with aggression or violence, but when I was rescued by the Creator, I was also given the conviction that all that was wrong. There are always other ways for intelligent and civilized people to deal with disagreements or controversy.
I have said that to say the following, I know that to question our government may not be the best idea for someone in my position but I don’t care. The executive administration in this country is wrong and bordering on assistance to the despicable mania maniacal leader of Russia, Putin. We need to open up our own oil and gas resources and begin the pumping that we have the means to do.
The fact that we are supporting the waging of genocide on women and children by buying oil from the sick evil twisted piece of filth that would fire rockets and missiles into civilian domiciles and hospitals and try to claim that innocent women and children are military targets is insane, as well as unforgivable. I have watched this whole thing unfurl, from CNN, Fox, NPR and talk radio shows. It is beyond my comprehension that we as a country, regardless of the Russian warnings and scare tactics would let this maniac homicidal war criminal proceed on a course of action that negates human lives as he does.
And the Ukraine isn’t his first stop, he has done the same things in other places, but the point I want to put across here is that this guy has surpassed the horrors of Saddam Hussein, he has done as much terroristic action as Osama ben Ladin. It is unbelievable how, with all the super-secret and super-special forces soldiers and operatives in the world that we can’t just “end ” this man. This is what I believe the thousands of innocents who he has murdered with his rockets and his missiles and his attacks on innocent civilian targets cries out for. Then target his generals and then all his allies in these actions against the people of Ukraine and all the other countries, including the US that he has had the audacity to threaten with the “nuclear” and “we will consider it an act of war” rhetoric that he has been spitting. How about this, he lied from the start about his intentions, he has lied every step of the way all the while plotting with other countries over his timing and his intentions.
Putin has committed more atrocities than almost any other political leader in modern history, and if his actions continue he will be on course with the likes of Hitler, Lenin and Stalin. This man must be stopped, and these political leaders that are hiding behind this “we don’t want to start a war” garbage need to grow a set and realize the damn war has been started and is running off the rails. Already gas prices are forcing Americans to endure more financial hardships, food prices are on the way up along with the cost of fuel, to the point where many Americans will go hungry. Innocent women and children are being murdered and I don’t understand why this is being allowed to go on, or why the world leaders and why our bumbler president is being allowed to say and do the things that his puppeteers are having him do and say.
After all it’s a well-known fact that he and his son both dipped their monetary beaks into the Ukraine’s money well and have been denying that they have since its discovery. So he has an interest in the Ukraine, in fact, with all the “we are the world, we are the children” pablum he threw around in his election campaign, one would think that he would be on his way to the Ukraine or Russia with an AK47 of his own looking to head shot the mad man that’s responsible for all this.
As I said, while I don’t condone the use of violence, I am well versed in its applications as a deterrent to unwanted behaviors like the actions of Putin, or the little clown in north Korea, “Rocket man” or that other despot in China, who’s name I can never remember. I’m sure if left to his own devices he will become a genocidal madman and murderer as well, after all look what he has already done to the innocent people in his country.
I just hope that the Creator can allow the types of justice and healing that are going to be needed, that he can see to the needs of the innocents and women that are being targeted in a sick attempt to force President Zelensky to surrender in order to stop these attacks. Hummmm… Come to think of it we have seen that behavior before, when they hounded Sitting Bull until he was forced to submit in order to keep the mountain cannons from cutting down the rest of his women and children, or like the biological warfare waged on women and children by the former British lieutenant, Sir Geoffrey Amherst (of college fame) in leaving blankets outside the villages of Native women, elderly and children in the depths of winter, after attacking and burning all their other cold weather garments and goods. I don’t know, I’m afraid of the world, I’m afraid of governments that are afraid to fight to keep peace and do so at any cost. I hope the Creator can help us out on this, but if not a well-placed bullet or missile ought to do the trick. One last question, what have we become if we don’t scream at the wrong of all this, if the horror of what’s being done to these people isn’t dealt with, without talk of alliances and allies and acts of war, isn’t right still right and wrong still punishable?
Throughout his decades in state and federal prisons, honoring his cultural heritage, practicing and teaching his Native American religious beliefs has been Ghost Dancer’s strength and purpose.
The spirit run and sweat lodge ceremonies are central to the mental and spiritual well-being of many traditional Native people. Being in prison did not stop Ghost from giving his all for causes and people he cared about.
Spirit Run. Victorville USP CA 12/2011
Between 1996 and 2011, right up to the time the prison butchers surgically disabled him, Ghost ran thousands of miles and touched thousands of lives organizing Spirit Runs for Native inmates wherever he was sent. Ghost ran for numerous causes including his own family and for his people in the Santa Rosa Creek Indian Tribe in NW Florida.
Among incarcerated Native people these traditions incorporated into the Native-created PIPES program for recovering addicts and alcoholics are far more effective in healing and restoring wholeness to those who have fallen away from the old ways than even the most well-intentioned prison programs. Ghost has served both officially and unofficially as a PIPES instructor in prisons where the staff of psychological services welcomed him serving all who came from any race or religious background.
Now as Ghost adapts to his new found freedom and finds help to try to restore some of the mobility stolen from him, he is bringing forth a beautiful vision he has had for years to bringing these ancient healing traditions to so many others who suffer deeply from physical and psychological trauma. In the immediate future Ghost has his own hurdles to jump, but by the spring of 2023, he hopes to be ready to move forward with his vision. Already he has garnered strong support from within the veteran’s community in northwest Florida. These men and women clearly understand the enormous needs of so many disabled veterans and first responders. In the meantime, he would like to introduce as many as possible to his vision, for the heart and effort of many will be required. – epd, Sings Many Songs
~~~
The Spirit Run and Sweat Lodge
Crying, Cleansing, Releasing & Healing Ceremonies
For Veterans and First Responders
By Ghost Dancer
Introduction
The Spirit Run is a time-honored tradition among the indigenous people of North America. It is not a competition but rather an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities, from the strongest to the weakest, to strive as one, united in prayer, toward a common goal for the honor and benefit of all. In the old days, acting as one, the strongest might have physically carried an elder or disabled person. In modern times, the stronger ones might push the weak unable to walk in the same spirit.
Historically, the sweat lodge (Inipi, meaning Breath of Spirit) in which the associated healing ceremonies are held began as a tradition of the plains tribes of North America. In recent years the custom of sweating ceremonies has spread across the country and beyond with many variations reflecting the needs and values of the local community.
Both the Spirit Run and the Sweat Lodge Ceremonies are sacred practices that help each participant learn the lessons of prayer, sacrifice, humbleness, and cleansing and build a stronger community of more balanced individuals supporting one another.
It is important to understand that the Spirit Run and related Sweat Lodge Ceremonies are all about helping those in need. By participating in any way not only shows your support but helps each one involved realize that you too are a Spirit Warrior following the Sacred Path of giving, humbleness, compassion, generosity, and most of all love. The Spirit Run is not about self-pity, or egos! It is all about following our hearts to help those we love and honor for all they have suffered and continue to suffer.
The Sweat Lodge Ceremonies are about praying, participating, giving, and suffering with all. They serve to make us all ONE with our Creator and all life.
It is about forgiving and releasing all the anger, frustrations, pain, regrets, fears, doubts, including bad things we have done or others have done to us. To cleanse one’s spirit is just as important as cleansing one’s body.
The Spirit Run and the Healing Ceremonies are ancient ways of doing all of these things and returning us all back to walking in Beauty, Harmony, Balance and Love, not only within ourselves but with all around us.
Those who have ever suffered, endured or experienced things together have a special bonding. This is why when we participate with others in these things we form a bond that is full of love, compassion, generosity, honor, and forgiveness that will remain with us. I encourage everyone to participate.
The conductor of the ceremonies will be a recognized spiritual leader. He is both qualified and authorized and has conducted these ceremonies for decades across this country.
Basic Plan for the Spirit Run
Help heal and release the pain and suffering that warriors, both male and female veterans are and have been experiencing for so long.
To help raise funds to help all the wounded warriors and their families by gathering and organizing promotional businesses, organizations, news media, communities to work together.
To provide healing and prayerful guidance to all and work with each of those who need to release and cleanse themselves of painful mental and emotional traumas they have and still suffer such as PTSD or any other type of problem.
To educate and teach those who don’t know what to look for when it comes to recognizing and understanding PTSD and other problems.
To bring together families, friends, and communities in a common goal to support and help Veterans and First Responders for so many of them have given their lives, bodies, to help, protect and be there for others.
Participants my commit to push or otherwise assist individuals with disabilities or run in the place of someone who is unable to participate.
Every part of the Spirit Run is conducted in prayer – always. Each day will begin with an opening prayer and close with prayer.
There will be a special prayer focus each day that everyone will be asked to pray for. So as participants are pushed, rolled, walk, jog or run, they will all be focusing with one heart, one mind, one voice, and one prayer together.
Traditional Native Prayer Songs and/or other purposeful songs may be sung by the runners, walkers and ambulants with disabilities as they travel each day.
All prayers are based on the faith and beliefs of each participant. Please remember that we all have the same Creator and no one is better than any other. Pray any way you choose, just be respectful of everyone.
Traditionally fasting was required by those participating, especially for the first day of the run. This is an option for those who wish but is not required.
As is Native American tradition, smudging or purification by fanning sacred sage or cedar over sacred areas, sacred items and individuals will be done at the beginning and end of each day. Participants in the Spirit Run are welcome to participate.
The runner designated to lead off the run will carry a sacred staff that he or she has made. No one is allowed to run in front or ahead of the staff. If a runner or walker wishes to pass the one carrying the staff, then the staff must be handed to that person and that person must carry it respectfully continuing in constant prayer. Usually for the first four (4) miles, drummers walking just behind the staff carrier will set the pace and lead prayer sons. Everyone else falls in behind.
Records will be kept recording the miles covered by each person registered to participate. Participants and sponsoring businesses, civic organizations, corporations, churches etc. will pledge money, products, materials etc. for each mile covered. For example, if a total of 10 people registered and ran/walked or otherwise logged in 10 miles each, the total distance would be 100 miles. The businesses or organizations sponsoring this event would donate accordingly. (Registering as a participant is voluntary and free choice)
There MUST be no alcohol, no drugs, no foul language, no weapons, no disrespect, no type biases or discrimination of any type allowed.
Committees of volunteer veterans would take positions and be responsible for arranging everything needed. This would include:
Gathering sponsors
Soliciting news media coverage.
Coordinating with city, county and state government.
Obtaining permits if necessary.
Selecting a spokesperson
Persons responsible for the gathering of needed materials, etc.
Basic Plan for the Sweat Lodge Ceremonies
Area designated as Spiritual grounds or areas must be established and sectioned off to allow privacy for those who are participating in ceremonies with the Native American spiritual leader who will be in charge of these matters.
Only those who are participating or those helping in these matters will be allowed in this designated area.
Depending on the capacity of the sweat lodge, only a specific number of participants will be allowed at one time.
Those wishing to participate will need to pre-register so as to receive a specific time.
Smudging will be used more regularly at the sacred grounds and the Inipi. All who enter the sacred grounds area will smudged! If for a medical reason that this cannot be done. The spiritual leader will make a special alternative that will meet the traditional requirements.
Respect must be paid for all Sacred items or ceremonial items. This means they will only be touched or handled by those who own them or those authorized or granted permission to do so.
Whatever is said or happens in the Sacred Ceremonies is private and will not be talked about or discussed outside of the grounds by anyone.
The purpose of the crying, cleansing, releasing, healing ceremonies is to help individuals identify, address, release, cleanse and heal themselves of all the trauma, pain, suffering, mental and emotional damages as well as physical pains they have suffered and are suffering and experiencing. This includes:
Veterans or First Responders
Family members, relatives & friends who have someone that needs help in identifying and understanding their loved one who may be causing them emotional or mental problems.
Women who are beginning, having, or just finished their moon (menstrual cycle) will be asked to wait till they have completed this cycle, before participating in a lodge ceremony. A female assistant who is responsible and knowledgeable about the purposes and reasons for this will be speaking discretely with all women seeking a ceremony, requesting them to be honest about their current status.
Any and all persons who wish to participate in the lodge ceremonies, must be cleansed of all perfumes, cologne, hair grease, oils, lotions on their bodies. This is not only for their protection but for all those who would be in the lodge with them.
Proper clothing should be worn at all times showing respect for others and their sensibilities. This would mean wearing short pants, trunks, gym shorts. Ladies will be required to wear a top also or a they can wear long full dresses that are appropriate.
No one – repeat – no one should wear any metal jewelry or have any metal in their clothing. This could cause the person to be severely hurt or burned.
Do not eat for at least 6 hours prior to coming to the lodge. Those who seek to follow the traditional ways will want to fast prior to any ceremony.
There will be volunteers who will question each participant about their medical condition. This is to ensure the safety of each participant. For those who are not medically fit for the sweat lodge, there will considerations and arrangements made to meet these needs.
Please respect and honor all rules, items, materials and the grounds where these ceremonies are taking place. Do not leave or throw trash on the grounds.
All event participants must be willing to help when requested to do so.
This could mean helping someone enter or exit the lodge.
Help with the building, putting up or taking down the lodge.
Helping with the fire or bringing in the hot rocks.
And yes even most importantly with your prayers.
Now with this small sample of insights into what can be expected in a Spirit Run and Sweat Lodge Ceremonies, and a basic understanding of these things, hopefully the plan has piqued your interest and desire to participate in a beautiful tradition to support and honor those who serve us all.
You can even participate by long distance now days by showing your support and helping anyway you can. The Spirit Run and associated ceremonies are designed strictly under spiritual guidance to help those in need. By participating you are helping heal everyone and fill everyone’s heart full of Love and Happiness.
Note: Soon we will be starting a new series that will reveal Ghost’s whole and true story from his earliest formative years through all the trials, difficulties and triumphs during more than 40 years as a Native American activist and prisoner in the American system of justice. Anyone who claims, honors or respects Native Peoples, their history and their struggle will not want to miss a single chapter of “ALL FOR THE RIGHT TO PRAY.” Sings
October 25, 2016 – Before the brothers entered the sweat lodge, Ghost Dancer recalls, “I was drumming and singing outside the lodge teaching the brothers and all the little winged ones came and landed on the fences surrounding the grounds. And a large crow sat itself down on the telephone pole above and they were all trying to sing with me. That was a blessing. And then a beautiful butterfly landed on me and sat there enjoying the music, a nice blue one.”
When Ghost and the brothers entered the lodge, they discovered many spiders sitting on the tarp overhead, so as their ceremonies started; Ghost sang a spider song for them. As Ghost sang, one came down and landed on his face. He just kept singing. He laughingly said the spider kissed him and then crawled down and sat on his shoulder and listened while he continued his teaching.
The message of this part of the ceremony was to help the brothers learn about the importance of their role as fathers. Ghost wanted the guys to realize what a huge impact their incarceration has on their children. He helped them understand that children do not understand why their fathers are gone and they are afraid. The children know only that their fathers are being punished for bad things they have done; and yet in a child’s mind, they somehow believe that they themselves are the ones to blame; that their father’s suffering is their fault.
The point is brought home that for any child to grow up healthy and strong, they need a strong father to love and protect them and set a good example.
So these incarcerated men are learning that to truly love their children, they must step up and act like real men. Ghost said, “As the brothers contemplate these things in the intensity of steaming heat born of the meeting of hot sacred stone people and sacred water, the lessons will not soon be forgotten.”
At the end of the day, when Ghost called to tell of these extraordinary experiences, his voice sounded weak and raspy. He explained this was just from hours of singing and dehydration.
Later Ghost wrote: “So you see, these are the experiences I’m talking about. The cramps and muscle spasms, are nothing compared to the joy and beauty of seeing and enjoying all the other.”
A word from Sings Many Songs: This is the last of Ghost Dancer’s teachings garnered from files of daily correspondences shared during the last nine years of his incarceration. From this point on all posts by, for and about Ghost will be written in the here and now — at long last Ghost is free from the horrors of chains and cages. He has begun the struggles, dreams and goals of being free in body as well as spirit.
This is not to say we won’t be drawing on accounts written in the past, for in truth, Ghost has a huge personal story to tell and preparing for this has been a years-long effort. Next time we will share some about Ghost’s accomplishments as a spiritual leader learning, practicing, and sharing sacred traditions of many Native peoples and his vision for bringing them to all who would benefit in the wider world.
Then Ghost will begin answering the question people are so quick to ask about people in prison, “What did he do?” Little do too many people seem to understand, that in America today there are literally thousands of innocent people and even more who are so over-sentenced as to be an abomination. Think about it… what would you say if you asked the question and someone said they were innocent? Would you just roll your eyes in disbelief? And when that person finds themselves in court – how should they respond to the inevitable measure of remorse that influences the severity of their sentence? How can a person beg forgiveness for something they didn’t do? And when some prosecutor offers a special “deal” for a lighter sentence if they plead guilty, how does an innocent person face the dilemma that creates? Where is justice when an innocent person is asked to lie?
Ghost will tell the full story of his life, who he is at the core, and how he got tangled up in a web of deceit and twisted treachery in high places. With honest candor Ghost will share the facts about his youth and early influences, his God-given talents, his mistakes, and his unyielding determination to follow a sacred path that brought him into direct conflict with a system of strong-arm “justice” determined to do whatever it took to isolate, punish and silence him forever. . . ALL FOR THE RIGHT TO PRAY.
Your “thumbs up” means you care and that means the all the world. Thank you!
What do you feel you have done that makes you incomplete?
What have you failed to do that keeps you from your sleep?
What would you do to feel in control of your life?
What could you do to fix what you left broken?
What is it that makes you run or scared to find who is really inside?
What if you could find the answer in one second if you truly looked?
Would you do that?
Who have you hurt by not doing these things?
Who have you neglected to tell the truth?
Who have you forgotten to help all this time?
The answer you have looked for, wanted, has always been there for you!
The answers to every question, mistake, pain, loss, doubt, everything in your life can be found right now!
The answer is YOU! You hold the key to everything you want, everything you need, every single dream can be yours if you chose YOU! You must make the change! You must make the choices! You must want to be free, be in love, be happy, be successful, be spiritual, and be as you were created to be! By loving you, you can be anything!
Hello there once again! Guess it’s time for another “The world as Walks now sees it” and I have a question. Does anyone remember the “Brady Bunch?” It was about a man and a woman who for whatever reason were both raising 3 kids on their own, the guy 3 boys, the woman 3 girls, ok? Until one day when this lady met this fellow and they knew it was much more than a hunch, and they soon became the Brady bunch! Idyllic, right? Look, that pie in the sky American family “leave it to Beaver perfection doesn’t exist. Never has, never will. And not only just in families either. I’m almost 62, I have never known of a family that was not in some way dysfunctional.
No matter what picture they tried to present to the world, I promise, just scratch the surface and you will find someone who had an issue. Period, cut and dried, and not just someone, but everyone at one point or another. See, in my family I’m the one who was the predominant problem growing up. We have already established that fact in the statement, I was born broken, and we moved on. But this very moment I was in a conversation with the wisest person I know, (no not myself in the mirror but a reasonable guess…lol) On the phone we were laughing about how I said I have known a lot of families in my life and there was not a single one that didn’t have a few speedbumps or problems. So as far as I’m concerned, the idea of a perfect family is total BS.
And that all told I have also known a lot of people over the years and even in that small pocket of the whole people, family/friends equation there wasn’t one single person that wasn’t in some way flawed, or that hadn’t messed up or been an ass or been opinionated or arrogant or conceited or whatever. You get the picture here. I also pointed out that I had never been in any kind of relationship, be it romantic or friendship, with anyone that at one point or another there wasn’t a “hic-up.” See, I finally figured it out, there are no perfect human interactions because there are no perfect humans. Wow, how friggin profound is that?!!?
It all boils down to maybe we are all in need of the compassion and understanding we want and expect from each other. Maybe there is no perfect dynamic or relationship, in fact I have never heard of one of those. All people bicker and then get along, disagree and then like the same things. I believe that being “in love” is different than loving someone. See to be “in love” is like the magical stage, sort of like the Brady Bunch thing. But loving someone is more about being able to overlook all the things that really tick you off about them because they are so overshadowed by the things that you do like about them, the qualities that make you want to be friends or husband or lover or whatever. In your mind and heart, these great qualities are more important than the things that bother you about that person.
Then, even then, from time to time you’re able to disagree, or argue or get mad and stomp off and give yourself some time, cool off or whatever, and then you find it was not as bad as it seemed, not such a big deal. Then you take the high road, make up with them or try to see their point of view. After all we can’t all always be right, otherwise we would just vanish as a species. O.K., so maybe not that but I am dang sure we would live a lonely existence cuz no one would want to be around us. When you set yourself up as in-fall-ible, you’re bound to fall. Kinda sorta the reason that is part of the word.
So there ain’t no perfect families or whatever. Behind what people see, maybe dad is a drunk, mom’s on pills, the daughter’s bulimic or the son bipolar. Someone is flawed and it won’t be everyone all the time, but someone has issues. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good family. It doesn’t mean anything other than your family is normal. Humans make mistakes, people do stupid stuff and life won’t let it be any other way, you just have to remember the person that you feel disappointed by or that your mad at, well, they may feel the same way. It’s about get over it. Ask if the good in that person is more important than the not so good?
I think we all know the answer to that, so there it is, Walks “We are the world” message…and the Brady Bunch thing, yeah, it’s BS.
Talladega Prison, March 31, 2020 – Today our ceremony was all about prayers and singing for everyone’s family members, friends, and all life that is suffering, sick or those who have passed from this Covid-19. It poured down rain on us and got us soaked for hours, so we didn’t do the sweat lodge. We did a pipe ceremony and did our prayers in the lodge and talked about all that is going on. I shared some insights and told what Spirit has shown me in my dreams.
No one has ever experienced what has gone on in the past few weeks or what is to come in the next few weeks or months. People are scared, worried about everything. Our prayers are to help all life. And to help folks find their true strength in their love and faith.
No matter what your beliefs are you must have faith and live in love.
We can’t change what is happening and we have no control over any other. But we can change how we live and all that we do, how we see things, and feel about things. We all know that with this new virus C-19 everyone’s life styles have been affected. Many folks have lost their income, jobs, educational access, traveling ability, social life styles and so much more.
Now the majority of the world can’t handle being cooped up, restricted in their movements, limited in their purchase of items, shopping etc. This has caused people to become stressed, depressed and scared.
Many of the elderly alive today never got to travel very much and couldn’t go out to buy things so getting to visit and have company was a luxury. Back in the day people had homes, farms, chores, responsibilities at home that kept them busy enough. Going to town was a holiday, just as going to church was the highlight of the week. Even I can remember those days. I can remember when kids couldn’t go to school because they had to work at home getting the crops in. Now everyone is panicking because they have no idea of how to live simply.
Yes people have gotten so used to everything being readily available they have no memory of the way life used to be just a generation or two away. Not so long ago, entertainment was what you created yourself. Kids had imaginary races with their cars in the dirt, you used a stick and pretended it was a horse or a motorcycle. Girls were no different than boys, everyone played outside and used their imaginations. Everyone had chores and played with toys you made yourself. Once again folks have become so accustomed to easy life, they have forgotten life is as easy as you make it. To have food, you didn’t go buy it. You grew it, raised it, caught it, hunted it or you traded for things you needed.
So once again, how we see things, how we feel about things, will be important in adapting to living simple lives and finding happiness in it. I remember making my first sling shot. I was so proud of myself. I cut the branch, whittled it the shape I wanted with my pocket knife. Cut me a strip of an old rubber tire and tied it to the branch. When I made my first bow and arrow by myself, I was a true hunter then. I used to take string and toss it in the water for a fishing line. Used a stick to help sometimes. I remember spading my first garden. Ask an elder what spading is if you don’t know. You won’t need a gym after doing that! LOL We didn’t buy things. What we needed or wanted, we made. How it looked depended on how well you knew what you were doing.
How many clothes were made for you or did you make for yourself ? Yeah even us boys had to learn to sew our clothes. Otherwise we might get our rear ends tore up for tearing our clothes up! LOL, yeah had to learn that real good. I was rough on everything. My mind would be too busy to pay attention to other things beside whatever I was doing. Talk about blinders on a mule! I was totally tunnel vision. I still am many times. LOL
Now, I can remember my step-grandmother, Alma Jacobs. We called her Maw or Maw Maw Jaybird. She was my grandmother in my eyes and heart. Maw was totally blind, yet worked in the huge garden we had. Seemed to me she was very old when I first met her. Never saw a doctor in her whole life. Never had electricity or light in her home or indoor plumbing. She would tell me all the stories she had about her childhood. Even though she was totally blind, she worked and helped her family. She chopped wood kindling with her hatchet, and could cook, make clothes, sew and so much more.
Maw knew every animal on her property. We had livestock pigs, mule, cow; and all the birds, chickens, pheasants, pea fowl; and hunting dogs. We drew well spring water by hand, later built a winding pulley rope, and bathed in a foot tub. Yep even in the winter, you just heated some water on the wood stove. Years later my dad and I put in plumbing for her just so she had running water in the house. We also put electric wiring so there were some lights in the house. But she didn’t want no indoor toilet though! Said it would just be wrong to have that. Yeah, I grew up different than my siblings, but that was my choice, and I’m so thankful for the experience also.
Have you have seen a child lost in its own little world, happy and content, not a care in the world? This is the power of being unrestricted, not programmed. What has happened to the world is that everyone has got caught up in a rat’s race of never using what they have right with them always and depending on someone else to do everything for them or entertain them. So while all this madness is going on in the world, it is a good time to learn to be you, be safe and be creative.
Now it is time to relax. Love you, Ghost
Note: The day after this letter was written, the prison went on full lockdown in an attempt to prevent Covid-19 from sweeping through the population. Prisoners were confined to their cells 24-7 for week after week for many months thereafter. Eventually, when restrictions lightened up, all religious and social activities, indoor and outdoor, were shut down permanently. There were no more Sweat lodge ceremonies allowed until December 2021. By then the lodge poles had so deteriorated and dried out as to be dangerous. Ghost had been granted a compassionate release in October 2021 and the remaining brothers were never able to have another sweat ceremony. Then the second wave of Covid swept through the prison and on January 31, 2022 the entire facility went back on total lockdown once again.
Just got back from our sweat lodge ceremony. It was very, very hot and humid today. We will have our equinox ceremony on Saturday. I requested that we get it today because we have more rain expected on Saturday. With all that is going on in the world it is important that we get our prayers in. As I told you a while back I saw [something drastic] coming. And it will get worse, so I urge everyone to use even the smallest patch to start growing some of your food. It doesn’t take much to grow potatoes, tomatoes, lima beans or butter beans, peas or green beans. All it takes is that you want to. Going to stores soon will not be a good thing at all – if you will even be allowed to. If things get much worse, they will restrict all travel. Yeah that means you going to the store and even that could be very dangerous.
The brothers and I prayed hard and offered our bodies up to Spirit for our prayers to be answered. People need to start drinking herbal teas, eat more natural vegetables, and live in harmony with Mother Earth, not do all they can to pollute and destroy all of nature and Mother herself.
We asked Spirit to help all those in need, especially the elderly, and young ones. Protect those who can’t protect themselves and don’t even know what is happening in this world.
Now, I don’t believe in causing people to stress out or be in fear. No, quite the opposite. Ignorance causes fear, and pain. Knowing what to do, and how to survive and protect all those you love is vitally important. We asked Spirit to come to everyone in dreams and show them what they need to do. Show them how to live. Because telling people any other way isn’t working too well.
We prayed for all life. And we sang the songs to ask for help from all directions, all elements, all kingdoms of life, from all spirit helpers, to add their prayers with ours.
OK, I’ve been thinking. Yeah, I know that’s dangerous and I ain’t supposed to do it on my own but there is just so much to think about and so few that I wish to share the endeavor with that I sometimes just go forth alone into the wilds…again, my brain, scary place. But back to whatever… I sat in the cell last night after watching Gold Rush on TV, just waiting on the cop to lock the door, and I got to looking around at all my “junk,” clothes and bowls and this and that, and it led me to thinking, man, I don’t need all this crap, which of course led me to thinking about what I will and won’t need when I get “home,” whatever that is. It sure won’t be all the material things that one would think of. My needs are going to be minimal for the first year at the halfway house. I’ll need a phone, some clothes and a laptop for school and writing and merchandising or ordering materials for my business, “Rocks on a String” earth jewelry.
So there it is. I believe I’m going to need a vehicle, but that is such a big cost, especially with the way things are these days, so I don’t even know how that’s gonna ever happen for me. I would have to buy insurance and fuel, so whatever happens it doesn’t look good for my lowest of the low budget. But I digress. I love using that word, makes me seem smart. Smile. So I was at what I need. Now my wants, shoot, that’s a whole different creature but I have gotten to the point where truth be told my “wants” are pretty much my needs.
Why? Well 2 reasons: First, I just don’t need all the top of the line, state of the art wisecrack gizmo’s. All I need is utilitarian and functionable because I don’t got a clue how to use all that stuff anyway. I have never touched a cell phone before, and don’t know how to get “on line” with a laptop let alone do all the cool things that only time and patience and s.l.o.w.i.n.g. d.o.w.n. will allow me to learn. By the end of my first year I ought to be able to be past the ID-10-T error stage (that is so hilarious). The 2nd reason is because I don’t got no money for all the top of the line gimcracky, whiz-bang devices.
So there it is, and on that note I will go on to say that the kind chapel lady came to the unit and announced religious services. She yelled for me and asked if I wanted to have a service? I was shocked. I had forgotten that the Native slot for this block was on Friday evening. So I said yes! Let me get my coat! I grabbed my coat and my pipe bag, and off we went. I’m the only Native in my block, so I was the only one to go. All the others are back down in the Unicor unit and since I no longer slave for Unicor, I went to my first pipe ceremony alone. The lady asked me if I would be able to have a service by myself and it dawned on me – another A-ha moment – in order to get closer to the Creator, all I need is me and my pipe, a hand drum and a smudge. Man, it was amazing. I was able to smudge my pipe and myself, to purify after the move and the lockdown. I was able to smudge and purify the group’s drum as well. So even though it would have been good to share the ceremony with my brothers the Creator would still be with me and hear my prayers.
I know I have my own drum and an abalone shell and some sage waiting for me at Sings Many Songs’ house, so when I get “home” I will actually have everything I NEED to hold my own ceremonies, even if there is no one around to sing and pray with me. All the rest of those other “things” won’t matter, as long as I can remember to relax, keep my prayers strong and my heart good, all the rest will come along if and when it needs to. Yeppers, gotta get to the meat of it all, the heart of the matter. I have learned to live in a space only slightly larger than a bathroom, with a minimum of stuff to use and live, so what do I really want? Pretty much my pipe, my drum, a smudge, my songs and prayers and the love and understanding of the Creator. I will rely on the Creator’ strength to navigate a new world and a whole new adventure. What do I need? The Creators’ help in getting by and getting my life together. See, as we all know by now, I was born broken, but I’m still trusting in the fix… and that requires… so little…
Journeys of the Spirit 