Speaking Her Language

Sacred Hoop by YvetteNeshi Lokotz (Feb, 2017)

The Ancestors, the ancient ones, knew the importance of our connection to Earth and Sky. In fact, they knew that our survival here on Earth depends on our understanding the language of Sky and Earth.

People who are called indigenous in modern times are those who still remember the importance to understanding the language of both Grandmother Earth and Grandfather Sky. I am an indigenous woman to the North American continent, specifically, the United States, which we call Turtle Island. Please understand that we are all indigenous people to one of the major continents of the world. But, not everyone remembers the language of Grandmother Earth or Grandfather Sky. I believe there is a disconnect from this innate language in modern times.

In my family, we refer to Earth as Grandmother. Our ancestors, our many generations of great-grandparents, knew our physical bodies were created here on Earth while our spirit-self comes from the Grandfather—Sky and Stars. We carry the very elements of Earth in our physical bodies as well as the Stardust; this is why it is vital for us to remember our original language of both Grandmother Earth and Grandfather Sky. The language reminds us of our connection to the earth, sky and to all of creation. We are the blend of the physical and spirit manifest on Earth.

Let us focus on the language of Grandmother Earth. In the Potawatomi language Grandmother Earth is “Kok-mis-kikan”, and in the Lakota language, “Unci Maka”. The innate language of Kok-mis-kikan contains no words. This language is a non-verbal language. We feel this language in our hearts first and then it is translated to our minds as images and feelings. This language could be considered a female language because of the use of these feeling and images.

The Mamos, holy men, of the Kogi in Guatemala call this language the Language of the Heart. If we master this language of the heart, we are closest to our original spirit vibration or signature with which we arrived as we came into physical form here on Earth.

You might be asking, how can I achieve this language and how do I know when I have this language of the heart? Literally, in plain English, the language of Kokmiskikan is the feeling we have when we are in nature.

When we are in nature, a place that we enjoy and find beautiful, we are at ease and in awe of such beauty. This ease of mind and body is the language of Grandmother Earth. She speaks to us most audibly in these places. Our minds eventually quiet down when we are in nature. Our heart and mind are in sync during this time. The alignment of heart and mind means you are at peace and alert. She speaks to us to calm us so that we can feel the balance. She prepares us for the active life we humans experience.

Even if we spend a good portion of our day inside a building, it is important that we continue to remember Unci Maka’s language. Our minds cannot tell the difference between a remembered image and being in the physical place as long as the remembered image has a strong emotional feeling attached to it. I would like to be clear in this statement. Our remembered image of being in nature has to be a clear image and our remembered feeling of being in that place is just as strong as when we are physically in that place.

Having images around us in our offices and homes of those special places in nature can help us remember the language of Unci Maka and these pictures or pieces of art can help us to bring that feeling of the language back to our minds.

We all know Unci Maka’s language. We are master linguists of this language. We simply have to remember. We just have to listen and allow the remembering to flow within us. Let’s practice. Let’s remember.

Find a nice quiet place. You may be outside if you like or sitting at your desk. Do this practice listening, quietly, without talking. Take a couple of deep breaths through your nose and let them out slowly through your mouth. If you are outside, just bring your full attention to the trees around you. Notice the sound of the wind. Close your eyes and listen. Notice the different sounds of nature around you. There is nothing to do but listen. Open your eyes and now listen with your eyes open. Quietly notice how you feel and where you feel this emotion in your physical body. You recognize the language of Unci Maka’s.

If you are doing this practice indoors, please do this quietly, no talking. Take a couple of deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Bring to your mind a place in nature that you just love. It is a beautiful place that you have been to and find it very beautiful. You will probably have more than one image come to mind. Just select one and stick with that one image at this time. You can always use one of the other images at a different time.

Imagine being at this beautiful place in nature. Imagine and remember how the trees looked. Spend some time with this memory of the trees. Remember how the wind sounded or how the sun was warm on your skin. Remember. Remember the scents in this place in nature. Notice the loamy smell of Grandmother Earth. Remember. Take a couple of deep breaths and open your eyes when this feels complete for you. Notice how your body feels; notice how quiet your mind is at this moment.

We came into this physical life knowing the language of Unci Maka and Grandfather Sky, Wanka Tanka. We are master linguists of this language. We need only to turn our attention to this memory stored in our hearts.

I thought you might like to watch a video about honoring Mother/Grandmother Earth. Enjoy.

Jage Nagonan, (All My Relatives)

Neshi