Native American and Nature-based Spirituality
Many of us find ourselves naturally drawn to these concepts as an antidote to the materialistic, consumption-based Western values we see around us. They represent something simpler and closer to nature, rather than the destruction of resources that our society seems so fond of. We can find a peace and harmony in nature that we can’t get from Facebook or checking our emails before we go to bed. (The links to books and other materials to purchase are via Amazon and I receive a commission payment from any purchases made via the links as an affiliate. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.)
Some of my favourites are given below.
Mother Earth Spirituality: Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World
Eddie McGaa Eagle Man. Eagle Man is a Sioux Indian who is also an American lawyer and ex-fighter pilot who saw combat in Vietnam. It was after these experiences that he returned to his native roots and explored his spiritual tradition, much of which is explained in this book. There is a lot of tradition and ritual included which may not seem relevant to us, but it is a fascinating insight into the world of Native American spirituality. This really is about being at one with nature and everything contained within it.
Calling to the White Tribe: Rebirthing Indigenous, Earth-Saving Wisdom
Eddie McGaa Eagle Man. We are the White Tribe, i.e. the non-Native Americans who live in the West. This book is Eagle Man’s appeal to us to stop destroying our environment – our world – and get closer to our roots in nature. This doesn’t mean living in caves. It means being aware of what we’re doing and the impact it has on the world that needs to sustain us. By changing our attitudes, one person at a time, we can bring the individual changes that will make our planet more sustainable and survive.
Dreaming the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Dreaming for Healing and Becoming Whole
Robert Moss. This is written by a western shaman and explores the concept of our soul and how it communicates with us via our dreams, both whilst asleep and the visions and thoughts we have whilst awake. Tapping into these helps us to see what our soul is really trying to tell us, what it really wants. Our soul is part of a wider network of everything and is intimately connected with everything we see and experience around us, including nature. This is the real practise of shamanism. Rather being something to do with ‘witch doctors’, it is about communicating with our soul using the power of nature and our dreams to help us.
Medicine for the Soul: The Complete Book of Shamanic Healing
Ross Heaven. This is billed as a complete course in Western shamanism and goes through all the key principles, showing both how they can help generally but also how to use them. The ‘course’ element relates to the author’s foundation and exercises that can be submitted to it, but you don’t need to do this, it offers an excellent introduction to the whole field of shamanism without it.