Spirit Journeys

My latest journey began on Thursday, September 4, 2008 in Minneapolis, MN. I had attended a wake for the Twin Cities Director of AIM (American Indian Movement). This was a Native American wake and I had never experienced anything like it before. Ojibwes burn sage to purify the air around them, so when I entered the All Nations Church, the air smelled sweetly of sage. There was no mourning. Instead, there were stories of remembrance, drumming and singing. Our group left around 10 p.m. In the Ojibwe culture, funerals are not sad events. It is a time for remembering the good times and being happy that the loved one got called to a better place. The funeral was scheduled for Saturday. Friday night my daughter and I got a ride from another AIM member to Red Lake, about 4 hours northwest of St. Cloud. We met with other AIM members around 10 p.m. We booked a room at Comfort Inn in Bemidji and slept until morning. Saturday came and news that there would be a ceremony held on Saturday night with the funeral following Sunday morning reached us. So, we spent the day touring the Red Lake Reservation. While driving, a hawk flew across the road, we saw a couple of bears, a wolf/dog and upon walking on Red Lake Beach, we came across a pile of bones. Next to it was a wolfs' den. These events were amazing to me because that morning I had begun wondering who my "helper guide" was. And I saw the wolfs' den, wolf prints on the beach and a wolf/dog. I shall remember this day forever. It is the day that we came together as a group and became closer. It is also the day that I discovered my own spirituality.