smudging

[xxkristenxmariexx]

i'm trying to find out if there are any connections between the elements and the four directions. when i smudge i'm trying to find some way to do it especially during prayer. can anybody please give me four smudging herbs, each one of the four elements? and does anyone know if each direction has an element to go with it? i think it seems like a good idea to face a certain direction while smudging using the corresponding herb if that makes any sense..?

[LaughingWaterWI]

i'm trying to find out if there are any connections between the elements and the four directions. when i smudge i'm trying to find some way to do it especially during prayer. can anybody please give me four smudging herbs, each one of the four elements? and does anyone know if each direction has an element to go with it? i think it seems like a good idea to face a certain direction while smudging using the corresponding herb if that makes any sense..?

Where your from and....

Wouldn't that be something that is practiced among your people.... In general there are 4 colors, 4 directions, 4 elements, and 4 of other stuff too. like eyes ears feel taste.... do you have anyone that you can go to... if no one in your family can tell you then I would try to ask a good friend who hopefully can answer your questions.... cedar, sage, sweet grass, asema is what shinobs use ... but my ways or our ways may be lets say.... different from the way the Navajo's may smudge an pray .... but you sound like you know some things...
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[xxkristenxmariexx]

i'm cherokee and choctaw, but my grandparents died when i was younger and my mom doesnt know much so neither do i. i don't have any friends of those nations but i'm sure some of my friends probably have connections with someone of cherokee descent, thanks for trying.

[Josiah]

i'm cherokee and choctaw, but my grandparents died when i was younger and my mom doesnt know much so neither do i. i don't have any friends of those nations but i'm sure some of my friends probably have connections with someone of cherokee descent, thanks for trying.

We would go to the water not smudge
smudging is not cherokee

[steelemagnolia63]

and not all tribes historically used sage....

[LaughingWaterWI]

and not all tribes historically used sage....

I don't believe I said all tribes used sage....
I said....
cedar, sage, sweet grass, asema (Tobaco) is what shinobs use ... but my ways or our ways may be lets say.... different from the way the Navajo's may smudge an pray......

[steelemagnolia63]

I don't believe I said all tribes used sage....
I said....
cedar, sage, sweet grass, asema (Tobaco) is what shinobs use ... but my ways or our ways may be lets say.... different from the way the Navajo's may smudge an pray......

I don't believe that I quoted you in my response....

[xxkristenxmariexx]

oh, okay. lets not fight now. :P & josiah: what do you mean "go to the water"? is there something else i can be doing?

[Joe's Dad]

oh, okay. lets not fight now. :P & josiah: what do you mean "go to the water"? is there something else i can be doing?

Finding out from your mother where your family came from. Then go to that place to see what is the appropriate way to pray.

Not to be rude, but you sound like you're grasping at straws. As in any culture, there are certain beliefs. They are not generic. Many are tribal specific. Don't *******ize the way things are done.

[tribaltagz]

As Josiah said, going to water is how we pray, or we take our prayers to the fire when we're at Gatiyo.

The plants we use most often are Cedar and Tobacco, esp "jol' agayvli" but they have VERY VERY specific uses and are not used in, I think, the sense you're referring to here.

I know from your post on buckskin dancing that you're very young, so I will just say; you will probably not find very valuable information over the net about what you're looking for. Not that there aren't MANY people here who are very knowledgeable, but that I think for most of us, things that have to do with medicine aren't shared without a relationship being established personally.

This isn't like a forum on New Age wicca or "paganism" where people freely share what they've read in books or what they have experienced. Many people here were taught these things by their parents, granparents, aunties and uncles and represents an unbroken chain of passing that knowledge down through the generations, and are generally not thought of as things that can just be discussed openly without prayer and personal interaction.

At least that's how it is in my own home community. I don't want to discourage you because it's good that someone so young is wanting to learn, but just handing over some these teachings over the internet is in my mind a bit like sending a loaded gun to someone through the mail. If you handle it without knowledge, you could get really hurt or hurt someone else.

[Josiah]

As Josiah said, going to water is how we pray, or we take our prayers to the fire when we're at Gatiyo.

The plants we use most often are Cedar and Tobacco, esp "jol' agayvli" but they have VERY VERY specific uses and are not used in, I think, the sense you're referring to here.

I know from your post on buckskin dancing that you're very young, so I will just say; you will probably not find very valuable information over the net about what you're looking for. Not that there aren't MANY people here who are very knowledgeable, but that I think for most of us, things that have to do with medicine aren't shared without a relationship being established personally.

This isn't like a forum on New Age wicca or "paganism" where people freely share what they've read in books or what they have experienced. Many people here were taught these things by their parents, granparents, aunties and uncles and represents an unbroken chain of passing that knowledge down through the generations, and are generally not thought of as things that can just be discussed openly without prayer and personal interaction.

At least that's how it is in my own home community. I don't want to discourage you because it's good that someone so young is wanting to learn, but just handing over some these teachings over the internet is in my mind a bit like sending a loaded gun to someone through the mail. If you handle it without knowledge, you could get really hurt or hurt someone else.

Excellant answer!
Too often some of this knowledge is shared on these forums that shouldnt be
Has no place here
This website is about Powwows which have many meanings
But do not involve the things we are discussing here on this thread.

As Tribaltagz mentioned its a personal thing that is not discussed in open forum
It has to be done face to face

[xxkristenxmariexx]

kay, thanks. maybe i'll find someone at the next pow wow i'm going to that will talk to me about these things.

[steelemagnolia63]

It's better that you find an elder to mentor you. You'll get some pretty wild answers online, most of them are not the kind of answers that you need. And you need to be humble when approaching elders. Being cocky and brazen will not get you the answers that you are seeking. It could be some time before an elder trusts you with the knowledge be prepared to be patient, part of the process is gaining patience....

Respect for what those of us who are much older than you will be you a lot further than you think. People always remember those who respect them and those who don't show the proper respect...

[xxkristenxmariexx]

do you think it's a good idea to try and find an elder at the pow wow i'm going to soon? or is that something where i should wait to be offered to be mentored?

[SuzzeQ4]

go to the powwow wearing a dress below your knee, no spegetti straps and something to cover your shoulders. Take tobacco. Meet people and talk to people. People your age, people older.then you. Make friends, form relationships. Let them get to know you PLUS you need to get to know them, first impressions can be off, you want to learn from the right people. So as you meet people, volunteer to do dishes at the feast or something. Getting involved in your local community will be the ticket to learning and meeting.