THE WAY OF THE CHEROKEE
by Tsquayi

STEPS TOWARD A BETTER LIFE

In the early 1970’s, my wife, Ajila (Ah jee lah; Fire), and I left high paying professional positions in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to return to the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Our inner voices told us that we should live and rear our four children close to Nature and among our people. We built our house on the bank of the Illinois River and put our trust in the Spirits. We learned to measure success not in terms of money but in terms of fulfillment and peace. The ultimate test of any philosophy is whether or not it works. Now, thirty years later, our children are all good people with children of their own and Ajila and I are still in love, growing, busy and happy. We offer our life as testament to the truth of the words I write here.

Many people, through the ages, have attempted to describe a Beautiful Path to a fulfilling, peaceful life. I have always wanted to make a list of the steps that, in my opinion, would lead toward such a life. I wanted to write these years ago, for the benefit of my children, but I got busy and never did. The children turned out all right in spite of my procrastination. Perhaps that is evidence that it is more important to live your ideals than to write them down. Anyway, perhaps now I can make the list for my grandchildren. Most of these steps involve turning your perception and your thoughts away from the man made world around you and turning them inward to discover the Spirit World.

(Photo - Left)
Al & Frankie Herrin with the Rogers family and “Walela” - Rita Coolidge, Priscilla Coolidge & Laura Satterfield.

TURN OFF YOUR TV AND CANCEL YOUR NEWSPAPER.

Most of us are very busy and wish there were more hours in the day to spend with family or on things we enjoy doing. We wonder how our grandparents had time to go on picnics or sit on the porch and visit although they did not have the “labor saving devices” we have today. One answer is that they didn’t have TV. Most of us can gain many hours each week by turning off the TV. If we do, we will gain not only time, but peace of mind. The overwhelming message on TV, and especially in the news related programs, is negative and fills us with a sense of foreboding. The same is true for newspapers, their message is predominantly violent crime, tragedy and the worst of human behavior. Their “news” is selected food for gossip mongers and the fearful. In most newspapers, the only part worth reading is the comics. Laughter is good for the soul.

PAY AS YOU GO.

Easy credit, and especially credit cards, have made us a nation of debtors with debtor mentalities. Most of us are constantly juggling our income to cover our debts, often deciding who must be paid and who can be put off for awhile. This raises our stress level and leads us toward dishonesty. It becomes a part of our thinking to the point that we find ourselves juggling everything in addition to our money, that is, our time, our commitments and our responsibilities. We neglect our responsibilities to our family and friends, putting them off to “pay” someone else.

The way out of this trap is to pay as you go. You must be wise and not take on more debt, financial or otherwise, than you can pay. Also, you must pay every debt. For example, the person who constantly takes unfair advantage of others thinks that he or she is gaining an advantage in life. But every unfair advantage carries a debt and Nature and the Spirits will not tolerate imbalance. They demand that every debt be paid, one way or another. I am not saying that you will pay the debts in the hereafter, you will pay them, one way or another, during your lifetime. You can pay down your debt by giving of yourself. The Spirits work through mankind and Nature, so, when you help your fellow man, you do the Spirits’ work.

MOVE OUT OF THE CITY.

The crowded, noisy, polluted cities are not agreeable to our natures and cause sickness in our bodies and Spirits. Nature holds the medicine we need. If you doubt this, look at the number of people who escape from the city whenever they can. If possible, you should live where you have close and frequent contact with Nature. Regarding closeness to Nature, the suburbs are better than the city, a small town is better than the suburbs, a house in the country is better than a small town, a tipi is better than a house and a clean, dry cave is better than a tipi.

Most people let economic factors determine where they live. They sacrifice their independence, their peace of mind and, often, their principles in pursuit of money. But I have found that we tend to spend what we make, whether it be much or little, and an increase in income does not automatically bring a better quality of life. Money should be near the bottom of the list of factors that determine where you live.

LIVE AMONG PEOPLE YOU LIKE.

(Photo - Right)
Right outside of the old Cherokee village in Zaragosa, Frankie wraps her shawl against the cold.

Ajila and I have lived in many places around the United States. Each was beautiful in one or several ways, such as, snow capped mountains, pristine forests, high deserts, rugged seacoasts, great hunting or fishing, high paying jobs, etc. But, we moved back and made our home in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Oklahoma has quiet beauty, but, its greatest beauty is it’s people. Because of the people, we chose to make Oklahoma our home and the place to rear our children.

This is not to imply that I advocate intolerance. It is desirable to live among people you like but you must also practice tolerance and respect for those who are different from you. I believe that the same Spirits are present in all living things. I have observed nothing in my experience or in history to indicate that the Spirits or Nature favors any group or sect of mankind more than another or, for that matter, favors mankind over other living things. Therefore, I believe that all people and all living things deserve our respect.

FIND YOUR TALENT AND USE IT.

Our goal should be to discover our talent and use it; preferably as our life’s work, but at least, as a pastime. Each of us does something that is Natural and easy for us but is difficult for others. Therein lies our path to success. But often, we are afraid to pursue our talent because we feel that our talent is unimportant, that other people who have that talent are better at it than we are, or that the world will not accept us.

You must believe in yourself and be bold and you will discover that mighty forces of Nature and the Spirit World will come to your aid. You will discover that you are able to accomplish things that you have previously thought impossible. As for the acceptance of your talent by others, you will find that the world will allow you whatever position you claim. Most “special people” are only special because they had the courage to do what they feared they could not do.

KNOW YOURSELF.

Most people join a church, political party or social group because their parents, friends or others influential persons convince them to do so. Then, they form their convictions based upon the convictions of their associates.

You must do exactly the opposite. Look within your self and see what your intuition will reveal to you. These intuitions, along with your own experience, will form your convictions. Then, if you need associations, seek those that are compatible with your convictions.

Self examination is difficult and requires courage. Self doubt is the greatest obstacle you must overcome. You are surrounded by those who think they know what is best for you. Listen to them but let your intuition judge the truth of their words.

Seeking to know yourself is the beginning of wisdom, peace, fulfillment, and an understanding of the Spirits.

TRUST YOUR INTUITION

Seek the Spirits within yourself and in Nature. The Spirits speak to you through your intuition. Your intuition is your infallible guide to what is right and wrong for you.

You might think that, if every person followed their own intuition as to right and wrong rather than following a standard list composed by some religion, there would be nothing but chaos with no two people agreeing on what is right or wrong. But, right and wrong are not arbitrary rules that someone has listed. They reflect reality and truth.

I am always amazed at how the minds of people run in similar channels, regardless of how far apart they are separated by geographic location, race, creed, age, or time. What I consider beautiful or good, I find is also considered beautiful or good by many others throughout the world and over all of human history. Often, I read the words that someone wrote long before I was born and recognize a thought I had yesterday. The Spirits spoke to that person and spoke the same thought to me. You need not fear that your intuition will take you away from others; the intuitions of individuals are not divergent, they are parallel.

BE WILLING TO LEARN.

Will Rogers, who was Cherokee, said that he never met a man he didn’t like. I have met a few men, and women, that I didn’t like, but, I never met a person I couldn’t learn something from. Learning is my greatest source of fulfillment. I believe that learning is a lifelong process and, when a person stops learning, they begin to die.

(Photo - Left)
Cherokees have a good spirit about them.

Obviously, you can’t learn everything, so, how do you determine what you should learn and what you should ignore. In school, your teacher tells you what you should learn, but, we all know that, as soon as the course is over, we promptly forget most of what we “learned.”

It used to worry me that I might forget things that I needed. But, I learned over the years that some mechanism within my mind filtered out and kept the things I needed and discarded that which I did not need. Much more important than memorizing facts is learning how to ask the right questions, how to investigate, how to find the facts you need, and how to reach logical conclusions based on the information available

SIMPLIFY

The complexities of our modern world are a crushing burden to each of us. They raise our stress level to the extent of adversely affecting our mental and physical health and shortening our lives. Our material possessions, to a large extent, add to our burden.

If you are to have peace, you must simplify your life. You must rid yourself of your excess material possessions that hang, like a great weight, around your neck. The most difficult task is determining what are necessities and what is excess. We need to shed the excess, like a crayfish must shed its exoskeleton before it can grow.

DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND DO NOT DO WHAT IS WRONG.

A good life is largely a matter of choosing to do what is right and not doing what is wrong. How do you know right from wrong? Organized religions would like you to believe they alone can define right and wrong. But, there are Spiritual laws as surely as there are physical laws of the universe and those Spiritual laws are available to every person. What you, through your intuition, and other persons, through theirs, perceive as good is good. Good is related to truth, beauty, love, peace, enlightenment and fulfillment. It is not imaginary; it is as real as any matter, energy or force in the universe. It is not only good, it is right in that it is agreeable to your constitution. It is not a burden or a sacrifice but as easy, pleasant and natural as the air you breath. Finally, the greatest test of whether something is good is whether or not it works for you without harming others.

PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR MIND.

Throughout your life, you are surrounded by those who claim to know what is best for you. When you are a child, you need the guidance of your parents and other elders. But, when you become an adult, your mind must have independence if you are to find peace and fulfillment. Give control of your mind to no one or no thing, neither friend nor foe, parent nor spouse nor child, god nor mammon, nor church, nor political party, nor drug, nor any other thing that threatens the independence of your mind.

For, if you keep your mind open, you will have direct access to all you need for a happy, successful, fulfilling life. The Spirits and Nature speak to mankind through open minds.

PRACTICE MODERATION

Most of our problems result from excesses. As an individual, your mental and physical health depends upon an internal balance being maintained in your body. Excesses disrupt your internal balance. Things that are good, if used in moderation, often become bad when used in excess. Food is good and necessary but, if you eat too much, you may become obese and, usually, develop associated mental and physical problems. Behavioral excesses can also cause problems. We have all seen the bad effects of greed, hate, lust, political and religious fanaticism, etc. on the lives of individuals and those around them.

Excesses also cause most of the problems of mankind as a whole. Excessive usage of our Natural resources threaten our environment and the future of mankind. Excessive political and religious fanaticism have caused countless wars and unimaginable human suffering and continue to do so. Lust for power has enslaved countless bodies and minds through the ages.

But, there are some things in which the practice of moderation is seldom necessary. Loving, practicing tolerance of those who are different from you, seeking truth, learning, helping others who need your help, enjoying and communing with Nature, and spending time with your family are all activities that it would be difficult for you to do in excess.

SEEK TRUTH AND BEAUTY.

Scientific truth, which deals primarily with the physical universe, is not constant, but changes as new facts cause a change in the interpretation of a body of scientific knowledge. Spiritual truth is transcendent, remains constant over time and the same for every person, regardless of the interpretations of the various religions of mankind. Spiritual truth is simple, not complicated or mysterious. You have no need for Nostrodomas or any “Revelations” which claim that the Spirits speak in riddles. Spiritual truth is apparent to any person who looks inward.

Through your life, choose to walk a Beautiful Path and let beauty become your way of life. Beauty gives pleasure to your senses and exalts your mind and Spirit. Inherent in beauty is a sense of truth, peace, completeness, balance and suitability. Beautiful things or experiences are a good fit; they are just right. Beauty, so defined, is the best word I know to express the mystic harmony which exists among the Spirit World, Nature, and your own Spirit.

One of my favorite poems is a Benedictory Chant from the Navahos. It ends with the lines:

The poem is Navaho but it also describes the life of a Cherokee who walks the Cherokee Spirit Path. I have shared with you some things I have learned as I have walked my Spirit Path. I tell you these things to encourage you to seek your own Spirit Path. I have provided you with some guidelines that can help you on your journey. I believe it is a journey infinitely worth taking. “Walking in beauty” is not an exaggeration or fantasy but is completely true and possible for you.

The Anikilohi