2025 Day 323: The Great Law of Peace, Jewish Indigeneity and Good Mind Between Nations

7:24 AM Wednesday.

Thank you, Creator. 

Blessings, world. 

I woke at 5 AM this morning after just enough sleep, said my morning prayer, sat on my meditation cushion with a cup of dandelion root tea and did some Red Road reading. Then I had a very helpful telehealth psychotherapy session with my healer in Rochester. I won't call her a medicine woman because she is not tribally enrolled and she is not a prescriber, either, but what should I think about my telehealth session with my prescriber in Buffalo tomorrow? Is she a medicine woman? Now this is actually very interesting, because maybe most of the traditionalists will say that she cannot be a medicine woman to me. But on the other hand, I am just about to read Chapter 1 in The Sacred Pipe after reading all of the prefatory material this morning. Those who know something about the responsibility of carrying the pipe will know that it involves chastity. In 2019 I was destroyed in a cloud of smoke by my porn addiction, and in 2021 I was reborn chaste, in part by the power of the Great Spirit, and in part by the power of modern psychiatric medicine. My prescriber in Buffalo understands all of this from a non-denominational Christian point of view. So, from a syncretic interfaith Red Road perspective, am I allowed to consider my African American prescriber in Buffalo a medicine woman sent by the Creator to help me walk in balance on a personal and collective healing journey? 

This opens the door to a deep discussion about Native American psychiatry, psychotherapy and mental health. And one of the issues we definitely need to talk about here is the Sacred Pipe, and what it might mean to be a pipe carrier on the Red Road in a syncretic American fashion. Back in 2012, I was convinced it meant using a bowl to smoke cannabis and red willow bark. "This is less harmful than tobacco," I said to myself. Now I don't smoke or vape anymore, for physical and mental health reasons, and the mix of medications and supplements I take to stay in balance is far more complex. But after five years of celibate chastity, is it possible that I am finally learning how to be an authentic pipe carrier on the Red Road in the Black Elk tradition? Is it possible that for some of us, the smudge bowl is enough?

https://share.google/aimode/4tynfht3Di2BgXEZZ 

Maybe even smudging is too much appropriation. We will see.

After psychotherapy this morning, I settled in to write this post. My plan is to finish this up by 9 AM, then spend the rest of the day focused on three blogging projects. First, I want to write a post about the Great Law of Peace for my new Political Theory course. Second, I want to write a post about the question of Jewish indigeneity for my Jewish studies course. And third, I want to write a post about Good Mind between nations for my International Relations course.

May all go well on your own journey today, kind reader.

End 8:56 AM.