EAST

Sunday, September 28, 2025 01:44PM

Reading Notes from:

"Honoring the Medicine" by Kenneth Cohen, 2003,

A One World Book, First Edition, United States of America.

July 19, 2025, 11:30 AM

FROM PAGE 55:

"aS THE SUN RISES IN THE eAST, THE MYSTERY OF THE NIGHT FADES. tHE eAST IS THUS EARLY MORNING AND SPRINGTIME."

"It is the direction of spiritual renewal and the birth of new ideas."

"pRIMARY SYMBOL IS THE EAGLE"

Also: the Bear..."Bear goes to sleep in the West, the autumn."

"East Wind teaches us to look out on the world like a bear cub, with fresh innocent eyes."

From page 55:

"...direction of rebirth for people who have overcome difficult challenges."

"By letting go of beliefs and belief systems, we are able to experience life directly and immediately without the mediation of concepts."

"The best strategy for happiness may be to have no strategy at all. Expect the unexpected; be ready for surprises. Step out into the light of day in the East."

"The ability to commune with nature, a person, or spiritual forces requires a quiet, open, and receptive mind. A person who can achieve this quietude is walking the Native American path to TRUTH, commonly called the RED ROAD."

"Red is the color of the East Wind, the color of blood and life."

"Among Northwest Native Nations, a person who wears red clothing to a ceremony is saying, I make a commitment to life. I will try my best to leave this world a better place at the end of life than when I entered it."

Earth element

"...the whole world is sacred"

"Each blade of grass, every insect, every star in the sky deserves respect and has a lesson to teach."

"Earth people are those who make harmony with nature and respect for life their priorities. Being an Earth Person is not a matter of skin color but rather of the character of the heart and of having the courage to behave in ways consistent with its wisdom."

"White Buffalo Calf Woman"

"Prayerfulness is symbolized by the Eagle"

"Eagle is considered a messenger"

From Page 56:

Eagle "represents creativity and inspiration"

"To Native Americans, the most important form of creativity is the freedom to follow one's own path while maintaining respect for other spiritual paths."

"The Eagle leave no tracks in the sky and follows no trail. Yet the flight of the Eagle has direction and intent. Isn't this the paradox of spiritual life? We follow a path without signposts; we balance courage, commitment, and trust, journeying from, through, and toward the UNKNOWN."

author refers to his first Vision Quest in Chapter Four

Inuit of Baffin Bay: "evil tends to avoid places where people are happy."

Aua, Igluik Shaman: "Ava's joy emerged for no reason at all, unbidden, rather than as a result of pain and deprivation. It makes sense that spiritual powers prefer mirth to misery."

mirth defined: (from Websters) "gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied withlaughter, a feeling of high spirits that is expressed in laughter, play, or merrymaking."

"...rebirth teaches us the importance of hope and renewal, of blessing and being blessed, the Virtue of HOLY JOY."

FROM PAGE 57:

"Suffering can be accepted as a passing sseason that is not rejected, but certainly not encouraged, pursued, or prolonged. Life brings enough suffering without having to make a virtue of it."

"The lesson of the East Wind and the new day is to stay focused on the NOW, to life in the present."

"The Mouse teaches us that life is always changing...with an open heart, we can trust that beauty, like spring flowers, will always return."