By Celia Coates with Ken Cohen

Many years ago, I had a chance to meet and talk with Leon Secatero in New Mexico. He called himself a “Navajo sheepherder” and, although that was true, it left out a great deal of who he was. He taught me a fine lesson: he had been speaking to two or three of us at the back of a conference room and I began to add an idea of my own. Actually, I rode in on something he had been saying. Silently, he let me know right away that I was interrupting, not adding to the conversation. I had been following the rules of interaction that I was familiar with and he taught me in that moment another way, a way of relating with less ego. Talking together involves listening, not just rushing to make our own self-centered contributions. I had shown great disrespect by interrupting and he taught me (clearly, but not harshly) not to do that again. A later, long conversation with Leon Secatero was a joyful series of lessons.

From the start of the European invasion of this country, our interactions with the original peoples have been complicated and problem-filled. The story of the first Thanksgiving that many of us learned in grade school was about the generosity of the “Indians”. The people who were already here shared their knowledge and resources generously with the Pilgrims before that first feast. Then the new arrivals began to live in the way familiar to us, not tribal but individual, competitive and acquisitive. It continues. And the efforts of the First Peoples to teach us also continue.

Leon Secatero described and briefly discussed an ancient petroglyph from the land of the Hopi. It’s a prophecy that seems as clear and helpful as the message from the Hopi Elders in the last WINN post. The Oraibi petroglyph shows a double track for humanity, with one path leading to continued well-being and the other to destruction.

I asked Ken Cohen, what he might know about this very old prophecy and he answered,
“It is part of the Hopi Prophecy Rock. I visited Hopi in 2014 and met a cultural educator. We had a great conversation about the prophecies. He gave me directions to the rock and allowed me to take photos. I also heard one of the keepers of the Hopi Prophecies speak about it in the ‘70s and ‘80s – Thomas Banyacya. There are various books and booklets that discuss the meaning of this stone, including the portion of the stone that predicted the “gourd of ashes” (atom bomb) and the “house of mica” (United Nations).
(See the link to a video of Thomas Banyacya at the end of this post.)

 Ken has described himself as a healer and teacher who has been devoted to indigenous values and ways, maintaining close ties with his adoptive Nehiyaw (Cree) family. He was mentored, tested, and strictly trained by noted medicine people and through the lessons of his dreams and life experiences. At the heart of the First Peoples healing tradition is balance which includes both the visible and invisible realms and the belief that we are all equally children of the Creator, related to one another.

Ken has written that,
“Spiritual power used in a good way is medicine. It is not only a herb that you take in but a kind word, a healing gift that you give to others. Medicine, from a Native American perspective, is a way of life in harmony with Nature and Creator’s instructions.”
And,
“It is important to honor the medicine by creating bridges of respectful dialogue between diverse healing and spiritual traditions, including indigenous and western science. It is essential to educate about the past and continued threats to the medicine.
The land and lives of Native peoples have been harmed by the standard Western way of living – there has been colonialism, misrepresentation, and appropriation. There have been racist, abusive, and genocidal policies. First Peoples are still here, alive and strong in spite of land theft, forced removal of peoples and property, and the near genocide perpetrated by colonialism. First Peoples continue to make important contributions to all fields – science, art, music, literature, medicine, and more. … It is up to us to learn and acknowledge historical truth, to behave with honor and respect, and to not only talk about justice, but to be examples of it.”

 Leon Secatero was born in 1943 and died in 2008. An obituary in the Navajo Times wrote that he had spoken about the 500-year calendar and the future of humanity.
He’d said,
 “A new beginning is about to happen. Go back to where the wisdom is, with our elders and ancestors. We must not lose the sacred knowledge that has been bestowed upon us, the five-fingered ones. We are about to embark on the next 500-year cycle and we must heal as nations.” He asked that,
 “We all come together, leaving behind us feelings of negativity from the past, to allow our tears to clean away the sadness in our hearts, to walk into the future together as one nation, as one people, as one heart.”

 Are we going to find our way to the one heart now, while there is still time?
We are living in troubled times with many of us asking “What can I do?”.
Asking that question, SEEKING, is a place we can begin.
Next, we could go on to SHARING, forming communities where we can take care of each other and take action together to FIND BALANCE, living again in harmony with Nature and letting go of selfish materialism.
These prophecies, generously shared, are a gift for these times.
This week we can also celebrate by GIVING THANKS for all that we have and all that we have been given.

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You can learn more about Kenneth Cohen who has knowledge of two wisdom traditions:
www.qigonghealing.com   

www.sacredearthcircle.com

You can see the video of Thomas Banyacya:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxs8T_RW014

The image of the Hopi Prophecy petroglyph that leads this post is from the internet.

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