Standing Rock and the Sacred Stone Camp

I stand with the People of Standing Rock and the Sacred Stone Camp

I have been keeping track for some time of what was going on at the Sacred Prayer Camp Standing Rock Reservation and stand in complete solidarity.  Water is Sacred, Water is Life.  But make no mistake, this struggle goes far beyond this seemingly simple statement "Water is Life."   Water is necessary for all life on this planet; everything that lives and grows needs water.  The  United Nations in 1952 stated that clean water is a basic right of all people in all countries in our world.  Included in this struggle are the sovereign rights of the indigenous peoples.   Treaty rights that were made long ago giving these nations the power to make their own decisions on their land must be upheld now.  The struggle is also about all of humanity’s right to clean water.  The struggle is most definitely about people's right to clean water and a clean environment on every level opposed to the rights of corporations to use and pollute our Earth for their profit. It is about the rights of the next seven generations of human beings to be left a planet that is clean, vibrant and healthy for them.

I've been praying from home with the people of Standing Rock and the Sacred Stone encampment for all the reasons stated above.  Knowing that as it is spoken in prayer that is the way it will be.  I woke up Sunday morning after ceremony on Saturday knowing that I'm not the "ONE" but I am part of the "ONE"  and with that knowing, I knew that I must prepare and leave as soon as possible  for the journey until my feet are standing on that sacred ground.  I then must invest my prayers and those prayers that were sent with me  into the goodness that has arisen at that sacred ground. So I prepared and I left and drove for 3 days as I was driven by my spirit to get there as soon as possible,  which I did.  I could tell you of the beauty I saw there  which started with the same words from every person I met, which were "Welcome, thanks for coming."  It is important for everyone to know of the spiritual Unity of this Gathering of people from the four directions, the Deep spiritual understanding of the purpose of why they came together at this spot and at this time.  I could tell you of the deeply personal signs and things that the Spirits showed me and of what happened to me in rapid time from the moment I walked onto this land. But I won't as that was a gift for me. I can say this Gathering of human beings goes far beyond  the many environmental reasons and justifications to stand together for the protection of the Mother Earth and its resources from the greedy corporate monsters that would destroy the Earth for a few dollars a profit!  This Gathering of people from around the world of the four directions was nothing less to me then the spirit of loving-kindness coming together showing us how mankind can work together to solve our many human and physical and spiritual problems together.

The Gathering at the Sacred Stone Camp has already changed my life and the lives of everyone who has and will show up there to the support Earth. The Sacredness and the Power of these actions will go out to each person who is praying in support and it will spread from contact with people who have been at this event.  If the Spirit calls you should go now!  If you know someone who has been there, gather in small groups to pray and listen to the stories about what is really going on at the Sacred Stone Camp. #NoDAPL is just the beginning.

Please let me share one more thing I saw there and the vision that was shared with me. There were many people from all age groups working and praying and taking action together. I now have very strong hope that from this gathering will come the new generation of young activists that are now needed for the future health of our planet. The vision shared with me is that this Sacred Stone Camp will continue to gather young and old from all the races from around our world to bring into view the many environmental, treaty, human rights and social and political justice, climate change, any and all issues from local to worldwide that need attention if life is to go on..

Nature in Balance

“Fill the earth with your songs of gratitude.” Charles Spurgeon

This past autumn, a group of volunteers came together to plant a teaching garden for the girls and boys at the Oso Lake Camp. This garden is filled with drought resistant plants which are native to California.  The plants provide good habitat for California quail, butterflies and other native birds and wildlife. All of these plants were used by the indigenous native California tribes for medicinal purposes. One of the plants, for example, is Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum, California Buckwheat.  It has flowers, leaves and seeds that are all used by butterflies and small birds. The buckwheats are very important butterfly plants and are one of the pillars of their communities. Another plant, Baccharis pilularis consanguinea, Coyote Brush, provides a place for Jays to plant acorns under the bushes.  Baccharis species are the nectary sources for most of the predatory wasps, native skippers (small butterflies) and native flies.  The Mexican elderberry or Tapiro,(Sambucus mexicana) is a deciduous shrub to tree with butter yellow flowers in April-August followed by purple berries in September-October.  If you look carefully as you pass an Elderberry you may see a hummingbird, butterfly, chipmunk, Jay, Thrasher, or other bird as it is an excellent wildlife plant.

Indigenous people everywhere hold the view that we are all part of the earth in which we are related to all things and each thing has its place and purpose in this living world. There is a natural order that creates life and balance to this ecosystem. When we support this natural system we live in harmony with all of our relations. Our purpose in planting this garden was to teach the younger generation the importance of habitat restoration to maintain the natural order of their local environment. Rather than just taking from the earth, we can make a choice to replenish, to revere, and to support growth of all living things. To choose otherwise contributes to imbalance and a future of greater uncertainty. 

While we planted we remembered that the soil cares for us as we care for the soil. As we felt the joy of cooperation and achievement through working together we realized that we are a natural part of the ecosystem that sustains life.

We would like to thank all those who participated in the project.

Gene and Joyce Stone