Guns, And A Prayer For The New Year
I live in a typically crowded town, but am blessed to have a soccer field and open parcel of land behind our place. At the far edge of those open areas stands a towering, strikingly beautiful oak tree, its branches now bare in winter. About a week ago, as often happens, I looked out to see the familiar presence of 
a sacred hawk perched near the tree’s lofty top, her tawny belly feathers glowing golden yellow in the morning sun (which my camera’s maximum zoom function failed to pick up).
Hawk is a messenger in many tribal traditions, a fast and focused ally who takes our prayers to Great Spirit.
So on that morning last week, it just happened I had a prayer to send, about the seeming unrelated subjects of guns used in violence and death, and of how we may better prepare our young people for non-violence and life. I knew the New Year was about to be born, so it was a prayer for those who will step onto an Earth journey for the first time in 2012. Millions of new lives…with new promise.
Out here in Kentucky, and in West Virginia where I used to live, the very idea of not owning a gun was anathema to many people. It is, and has always been, a way of life.
It is rather odd, then, that I should have been raised in a farm household with no guns. It wasn’t something I even thought about. That is, until I was an early teen and visited some friends who enjoyed plunking bottles and tin cans off of fence posts with the sure aim of their .22 rifles or BB guns. I came to enjoy it, too, and was a pretty good shot.
When I reached adulthood, I purchased a BB gun, a Daisy of course, on a whim and had a great time target shooting with it. I also bought a .22 for the same purpose.
With that said, I certainly have no bias against guns, except when they are in the wrong hands. But what is problematic is what seems to be our (and many other) society’s penchant for shooting each other, for real and in video games. So, naturally, this begs the question: why doesn’t our (and arguably, every other) society place at least equal value on teaching the young the value of helping each other, healing each other?
I’ve talked often in the Shaman Drums Podcast (the link is to a specific example, the "Water Ceremony" podcast, and will open in a new window) and elsewhere about the necessity of teaching our young about the deep and profound responsibility of respecting life. And even, of the responsibility we have to help others, and of our own abilities to actually help others heal. Truly, all of these are related.
It is one thing to teach a youngster about guns (which often seems to go goes hand-in-hand with the desire to teach about dominance in sports, etc.), but our society places little emphasis on teaching about the preservation of and respect for life! When I was growing up, it was common to see ads like this one (Photo, Right) from an old comic book. The “American Boys Bill of Rights” reads similarly to the ads used now by gun proponents as a way, they say, to assure that America stays free.
The Bill itself reads: "We, the Boys of America, believe in these OUR RIGHTS: the right to LIBERTY, hard-won by our forefathers; the right to HAPPINESS that comes with the growth of a healthy body and mind; the right to TRAINING, thoughtfully planned by parents, school and church; the right to OPPORTUNITY, to live, learn, play and grow up in the time-honored traditions of a free people; and the right to learn to SHOOT SAFELY. We recognize and accept the responsibility imposed by these Rights. But until we are old enough to vote, we expect YOU, our fathers, mothers and other citizens who elect America's city, county, state and federal officers, to be eternally vigilant that our RIGHTS be not abridged!"
Beneath that is a familiar quote, too: "The rights of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"
How odd that the right to SHOOT SAFELY should be lumped with the other, arguably more important rights in the Bill, though of course shooting safely should be a priority with anyone who takes aim. But the point of the ad is to play on emotions while mimicking our cherished Bill of Rights, all in order to sell BB guns.
However, what if we were to change some of that wording and the image? What if emphasis were placed on some other priorities, too? We could rewrite the words like this (my suggestions are in green, and yes, he is now holding a shamanic Lightning Stick, which is a healing tool, in the photo at right)…
“We, the Boys of America, believe in these OUR RIGHTS: the right to LIBERTY, hard-won by our forefathers; the right to HAPPINESS that comes with the growth of a healthy body, mind and spirit through learning about love & respect, for ourselves, those around us, for all peoples, and for life everywhere. We believe in the right to TRAINING, thoughtfully planned by parents, school and the workings of SPIRIT; the right to OPPORTUNITY, to live, learn, play and of growing up in the same time-honored traditions of a free people; and the right to learn how to HELP OURSELVES AND OTHERS TO HEAL. We recognize and accept the responsibility imposed by these Rights. But, until we are old enough to truly understand these things, we expect YOU, our fathers, mothers and other citizens to make sure that we adhere to them with purpose and in understanding the sanctity of life, all of life.”
Or how about this (Photo, Left)? Shouldn't there be more emphasis placed on children's rights to learn the beauty of expression without a gun in their hands?
Don't you too wonder why there aren't some cool video games, comic books and so forth more about the good stuff a kid can do, rather than to stock up on more and more vids and other violent media to blow away countless people in 3-D bloodbaths?
Like this perhaps (Photo, Below), an old comic book whose purpose I changed completely? (Ol' Lance Larson used to be a soldier of fortune whose gun was pointed right at you on this cover.)
Unless or until we begin to help our children connect with real life and all of its beautiful complexity, to open their awareness to the heartbeat of the universe and its life signs in motion, sound, light, manifestation, vibration, and the realization of the divinity within themselves, I fear they...may well become...more like us and the world as it currently is.
If you have a young child right now, or are expecting one in the new year, don't you want something better for him or her? Wouldn't it be something if you could help minimize their fears...and maximize their potential and joy?
Well, you can!
So, as we approach a new year, I now ask Hawk to put wings to a humble prayer for peace, healing and the return of our sovereign rights as a free and divine people in the great and wonderful All That Is. May we remember who we truly are, not who we are told or think we are.
Happy Healing, and teaching, and seeking in 2012 and beyond!
Aho & Namaste,
Bob
a sacred hawk perched near the tree’s lofty top, her tawny belly feathers glowing golden yellow in the morning sun (which my camera’s maximum zoom function failed to pick up). Hawk is a messenger in many tribal traditions, a fast and focused ally who takes our prayers to Great Spirit.
So on that morning last week, it just happened I had a prayer to send, about the seeming unrelated subjects of guns used in violence and death, and of how we may better prepare our young people for non-violence and life. I knew the New Year was about to be born, so it was a prayer for those who will step onto an Earth journey for the first time in 2012. Millions of new lives…with new promise.
Out here in Kentucky, and in West Virginia where I used to live, the very idea of not owning a gun was anathema to many people. It is, and has always been, a way of life.
It is rather odd, then, that I should have been raised in a farm household with no guns. It wasn’t something I even thought about. That is, until I was an early teen and visited some friends who enjoyed plunking bottles and tin cans off of fence posts with the sure aim of their .22 rifles or BB guns. I came to enjoy it, too, and was a pretty good shot.
When I reached adulthood, I purchased a BB gun, a Daisy of course, on a whim and had a great time target shooting with it. I also bought a .22 for the same purpose.
With that said, I certainly have no bias against guns, except when they are in the wrong hands. But what is problematic is what seems to be our (and many other) society’s penchant for shooting each other, for real and in video games. So, naturally, this begs the question: why doesn’t our (and arguably, every other) society place at least equal value on teaching the young the value of helping each other, healing each other?I’ve talked often in the Shaman Drums Podcast (the link is to a specific example, the "Water Ceremony" podcast, and will open in a new window) and elsewhere about the necessity of teaching our young about the deep and profound responsibility of respecting life. And even, of the responsibility we have to help others, and of our own abilities to actually help others heal. Truly, all of these are related.
It is one thing to teach a youngster about guns (which often seems to go goes hand-in-hand with the desire to teach about dominance in sports, etc.), but our society places little emphasis on teaching about the preservation of and respect for life! When I was growing up, it was common to see ads like this one (Photo, Right) from an old comic book. The “American Boys Bill of Rights” reads similarly to the ads used now by gun proponents as a way, they say, to assure that America stays free. The Bill itself reads: "We, the Boys of America, believe in these OUR RIGHTS: the right to LIBERTY, hard-won by our forefathers; the right to HAPPINESS that comes with the growth of a healthy body and mind; the right to TRAINING, thoughtfully planned by parents, school and church; the right to OPPORTUNITY, to live, learn, play and grow up in the time-honored traditions of a free people; and the right to learn to SHOOT SAFELY. We recognize and accept the responsibility imposed by these Rights. But until we are old enough to vote, we expect YOU, our fathers, mothers and other citizens who elect America's city, county, state and federal officers, to be eternally vigilant that our RIGHTS be not abridged!"
Beneath that is a familiar quote, too: "The rights of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"
How odd that the right to SHOOT SAFELY should be lumped with the other, arguably more important rights in the Bill, though of course shooting safely should be a priority with anyone who takes aim. But the point of the ad is to play on emotions while mimicking our cherished Bill of Rights, all in order to sell BB guns.
However, what if we were to change some of that wording and the image? What if emphasis were placed on some other priorities, too? We could rewrite the words like this (my suggestions are in green, and yes, he is now holding a shamanic Lightning Stick, which is a healing tool, in the photo at right)…“We, the Boys of America, believe in these OUR RIGHTS: the right to LIBERTY, hard-won by our forefathers; the right to HAPPINESS that comes with the growth of a healthy body, mind and spirit through learning about love & respect, for ourselves, those around us, for all peoples, and for life everywhere. We believe in the right to TRAINING, thoughtfully planned by parents, school and the workings of SPIRIT; the right to OPPORTUNITY, to live, learn, play and of growing up in the same time-honored traditions of a free people; and the right to learn how to HELP OURSELVES AND OTHERS TO HEAL. We recognize and accept the responsibility imposed by these Rights. But, until we are old enough to truly understand these things, we expect YOU, our fathers, mothers and other citizens to make sure that we adhere to them with purpose and in understanding the sanctity of life, all of life.”
Or how about this (Photo, Left)? Shouldn't there be more emphasis placed on children's rights to learn the beauty of expression without a gun in their hands?Don't you too wonder why there aren't some cool video games, comic books and so forth more about the good stuff a kid can do, rather than to stock up on more and more vids and other violent media to blow away countless people in 3-D bloodbaths?
Like this perhaps (Photo, Below), an old comic book whose purpose I changed completely? (Ol' Lance Larson used to be a soldier of fortune whose gun was pointed right at you on this cover.)
Unless or until we begin to help our children connect with real life and all of its beautiful complexity, to open their awareness to the heartbeat of the universe and its life signs in motion, sound, light, manifestation, vibration, and the realization of the divinity within themselves, I fear they...may well become...more like us and the world as it currently is.
If you have a young child right now, or are expecting one in the new year, don't you want something better for him or her? Wouldn't it be something if you could help minimize their fears...and maximize their potential and joy?
Well, you can!
So, as we approach a new year, I now ask Hawk to put wings to a humble prayer for peace, healing and the return of our sovereign rights as a free and divine people in the great and wonderful All That Is. May we remember who we truly are, not who we are told or think we are.
Happy Healing, and teaching, and seeking in 2012 and beyond!
Aho & Namaste,
Bob
Posted by Bob at Friday, December 30, 2011 10:24 PM 
Categories: Shaman Share Essays Videos And More
Tags: hawk as messenger for prayer Great Spirit non-violence life New Year prayer guns video games peace healing Shaman Drums Podcast respect for life Bill or Rights divinity 2012
Categories: Shaman Share Essays Videos And More
Tags: hawk as messenger for prayer Great Spirit non-violence life New Year prayer guns video games peace healing Shaman Drums Podcast respect for life Bill or Rights divinity 2012
Comments