Short Story: The pipe-smoking American Indian medicine woman
@innertalks (21631)
Australia
June 25, 2024 11:47pm CST
Relia Two Toes, was an American Indian healer, and medicine woman, who also had her pipes, which she used in every religious ceremony that she officiated in their tribe. She had large big toes, on each foot, hence her name.
She would load her pipe, with a different plant, depending on what she wanted to achieve at that meeting. She had over 100 different plant species that she used.
Her favourite filling was sumac, a plant known for its medicinal qualities.
In the end, though, her pipe smoking came back to bite her, and she got a virulent mouth cancer that killed her.
Nevertheless, we can take away some positives still from her life, of 56 years.
Her spirit helper was a bear, and bears are known as keepers of wisdom. She was a wise old woman.
When we move our heart away from love, it hardens. We should follow the bears, and always have a dancing heart.
Bears also bring inner healing, and protection, to a person too, and Relia knew that bears knew how to heal themselves too, and bring about healing to their wounds.
She knew that nobody is ever totally enslaved by nature, as the great spiritual father, could often bring about a miracle that could override them, the laws of nature, at times.
Relai was softly spoken, but her words carried great conviction, and power, in them, nevertheless.
She would say,
"It is far better to keep softness in the heart, burning brightly with God's light, than to speak from a dark cloud, with excessive thunder, in the mouth."
"We need to be silent enough to hear the voices of nature talking to us through plants, and animals."
"A heart and a mind can only dwell together, or work together, when love is behind each of them."
"Our best teacher is our heart, not our mind."
"When we ask questions with our heart, our heart must answer us, not our mind."
"God gives us a tongue, but we should not allow it to bring deafness to our heart. Our heart must sing God's song that he gives us to sing, and we should not mouth off words, without the proper tune, or tuning by God, and his love."
If everyone could speak that wisely, they will live a wiser life then too. Keep your heart alive, and tune it into God's wisdom, for your life.
Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from my own collection of photos.
Relai Two Toes was a wise old American Indian woman.
6 people like this
6 responses
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@just4him (317038)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
29 Jun
@innertalks I agree.
Romans 2:14-16 gives us hope for those who are isolated from the rest of the world.
2 people like this
@innertalks (21631)
• Australia
30 Jun
@just4him Yes, l think that every life can have hope of making it to Heaven.
@innertalks (21631)
• Australia
27 Jun
Yes, we should try to ensure that God is living in our hearts, to guide us in all that we do.
Anything other than God, can deceive us, and transport us away from trusting God, to put our trust in other things instead.
A lot of people, falsely trust the wrong things in life, when trust must be directed first to God, and not diverted elsewhere, into worldly things, and pursuits.
In those times, God was still available to all people, despite his favouring the one race too, I think.
Even an Australian Aboriginal, or an American Indian, isolated from the rest of the world, could know God then too, I think.
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@innertalks (21631)
• Australia
4 Jul
Yes, I think a lot of people can't give up their smoking because they really like doing it. A habit like that ties you up in itself.
@annierose (21589)
• Philippines
26 Jun
Relia Two Toes' wisdom is truly inspiring. Her teachings about keeping a soft heart and listening to the voices of nature resonate deeply. Thank you for sharing her story and these beautiful lessons on living with love and wisdom.
2 people like this
@innertalks (21631)
• Australia
26 Jun
Thanks. I like to read stories about wise, and kind living, people too.
@Shiva49 (26470)
• Singapore
26 Jun
Our physical world influences the mind more, but the heart is connected to our creator.
If are divorced from the heart, we lead an empty life devoid of fulfillment.
The American healer pressed the right buttons to enlighten her tribe.
We are an integral part of nature and intertwined with it for our survival and well-being.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (21631)
• Australia
26 Jun
Yes, we need the input of our heart to live a full life of love connected to God, but we also need a good mind to properly manage our life for us too.
@innertalks (21631)
• Australia
27 Jun
@Shiva49 Yes, balance is a key factor, as long as we overbalance our lives towards God.
We need to stay on God's side of the equation, as balanced fence sitting does not cut it sometimes, either.
@Shiva49 (26470)
• Singapore
27 Jun
@innertalks It all boils down to balance at the end of the day.
We should not deprive any parts of their due.
But we should not put the cart(mind) before the horse(heart).
1 person likes this
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@innertalks (21631)
• Australia
26 Jun
Yes, I agree, as without love, life would nearly always conquer us in our living of life.
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