Rattling the Bones

In the name of the Father. Of the Son. And of the Holy Spirit. I must have been 2 years old the first time I invoked trinity in prayer before going to bed. I don’t remember every learning where this ritual came from and what it meant exactly. All I know is it was taught to me by my parents and it became a steady repetition all through my life: Two decades as a practicing Roman Catholic and two decades as a traditionalist. At the age of 12 years old I remember privately and personally changing the prayer to suit my own journey. By then, I had steadily become interested in Native Spirituality and it seemed to make more sense to invoke the name of the Mother, the daughter and the Holy Spirit. I was emerging as a young woman and I wanted to be connected to the Earth, to the other women around me, to my mother, to my sister and to all of my female friends. I was looking to understand the feminine. From the age of 6 years old to the age of 18 years old I went to school at the convent....

What is the difference between spirit, ancestors and ghosts? We all know that when we speak of ghosts we usually speak of entities with some unresolved. Ancestors don’t necessary have any unresolved. The term is often used in spiritual circles to imply people who have passed away a long time ago and have wisdom to share through their story. Spirit is a generic word that speaks of entities without a physical body. Yet, First Nation traditionalists will often use the word to imply that something or someone holds a story. A house for example can have Spirit because it harbours memories. A locket, a car, a book or a river, a tree or a mountain can be referred to as having Spirit because it shows personality and tells a story. I often work with real estate agents and their clients who are either selling or buying homes. Believe it or not more and more people are influenced by their hypersensitivity to Spirit. We all have the ability to sense and to read Spirit. Yet like any othe...

In 1988 I graduated from McGill University in English Literature and Religious Studies. In the span of three years I literally read over 3,000 books. For as long as I can remember I’ve loved reading. Yet, from the moment I could write my dream was to become a writer. I have always loved stories. Once an elder told me, that when traditional dreamers are called to the path they dream about the old Creation stories, which are shared with them by the ancestors. When it’s time for them to start their dreamer initiation they are given one particular story, which is said to hold all of what they need for their life’s path and purpose. For me this was certainly true! After I graduated from school I got married and became a full time mom. Often just this sentence turns off people because it gives an illusion that I spend a decade being bored and busy with diapers, feedings and day cares. Yet for me this was in no way my experience. For the first decade of my children’s life I concentra...