| Weaving the Way of the Circle |
| . Most of the great teachers have expressed their insight and wisdom by way of stories. Stories use the common metaphor to take people beyond their experience to a new understanding. Native American storytellers have done this for centuries. The story originates manidoog, directly from spirit, and in its retelling becomes a tradition. These stories were not intended only for entertainment. Normally I would not be telling stories at this time of the year. Traditionally the Aniishinabeg storyteller only told stories when there was snow on the ground. But Giidzhii Manidoo, the Great Spirit, has asked me to tell stories to unfold the Vision of the Seventh Fire. I speak to you manidoog in the tradition of my people. In this story of the making of a new earth, Way-nah-boo-zhoo is a man-god who plays between the world of man and the world of spirit. He appears in many of our stories as a hero who points the way for a good life. He is our model for the Ogichidaag‘, the ones who show a new way using their strength and power with gentleness and wisdom. This story is a traditional story of the Aniishinabeg. It is for your ears and for your heart today. Hear me and open your heart. In the beginning Giidzhii Manidoo, the Great Spirit, made all things and gave them instructions how to share the earth in harmony. After a while, many creatures forgot the Original Instructions—love, honor, and respect for all beings in the circle of life. Unhappy with their behavior, Creator loosed the waters of the earth and all the land was underwater. The animals could only swim around because they had no place to rest and sleep. Way-nah-boo-zhoo took pity on them and told them what they had done. They promised to change their ways and remember the path of the spirit. Then Makinaak, the turtle had an idea. He would offer his back for the foundation of a new earth. The other animals would have to swim to the bottom of the waters and bring up mud to put on his back. Makwaa, the bear, demanded the right to be the first to create the new earth. "I am the most powerful of all the animals. I will bring the first mud to make a new earth. He inhaled deeply and plunged toward the bottom of the waters. He swam down with great power. But he could not get to the mud at the bottom. By the time he reached the surface he was nearly dead and Way-nah-boo-zhoo breathed life into him. Bizhoo, the bobcat demanded to be the next to try. "I am not as fat as Makwa‘ the bear, and I am very powerful. I shall bring the first mud to make a new earth." He inhaled deeply and plunged toward the bottom of the waters. He swam down with great power. But he could not get to the mud at the bottom. By the time he reached the surface he was nearly dead and Way-nah-boo-zhoo breathed life into him. Next Maa’ingan, the wolf, demanded to be the first to create the new earth. "When there was land on which I could hunt, I could run and run and run and not be without breath. I can swim to the bottom of the waters. I shall bring the first mud for the new earth." He inhaled deeply and plunged toward the bottom of the waters. He swam down with great power. But he could not get to the mud at the bottom. By the time he reached the surface he was nearly dead and Way-nah-boo-zhoo breathed life into him. "I am the greatest swimmer of all the animals," said Amik, the beaver. "My tail is wide and strong. With the webs between my toes I can swim very well. I shall bring the first mud from the bottom of the waters to build the new earth." With his powerful tail and webbed feet, Amik swam easily toward the bottom of the waters. But it was very deep and he, too, failed. By the time he came to the surface he was nearly dead and Way-nah-boo-zhoo breathed life into him. The animals were miserable at their failure. "Now who can reach the mud at the bottom of the waters?" cried the animals. "Without mud from the bottom of the waters we cannot create a new earth!" Then little Waszhask, the muskrat, spoke. "I think that I might be able to bring mud from the bottom of the waters," he offered quietly. "You! ha! ha! ha!" the other animals shouted and laughed. "You are not as powerful as me, little muskrat!" said the Makwa, the bear. "What makes you think you can do what I could not?" "Wazhask, You are not as strong as me!" said Bizhoo, the bobcat. "How could a little muskrat do what I could not?" "My lungs can hold much more air than yours, little Wazhask!" said Maa’ingan, the wolf. "How could you do what I could not?" "I am a much better swimmer than you, Wazhask!" said Amik, the beaver. "How could you do what I could not?" Way-nah-boo-zhoo held up his hands to make them stop making such a noise and said, "You have all puffed yourselves so full of air to make everyone think you are great. Because of this you could not swim to the bottom of the waters. In a new earth you must remember that you are all connected. Not one of you is more important than another. You must learn to love, honor, and respect each other in the circle of life. Each of you has some energy to share with the others of the circle. And the circle finds a way for each to make a contribution. These are the Original Instructions that you have forgotten. Perhaps Wazhask, the muskrat, can do what all of you wish. Would you be happy to live on the new earth if the muskrat brought the first mud from the bottom of the waters?" "Yes!!" shouted all of the other animals. Each of them encouraged Wazhask to do his best and muskrat dived to the bottom of the waters. He swam and swam. It seemed to be so far down. Yet he remembered the words and the love of the others and he swam deeper. His breath was nearly gone as he reached the bottom. Scooping up a pawful of mud, muskrat brought it to the surface and put it on the back of Makinaak, the turtle. All the other animals cheered! Without puffing themselves full of air they, too, dived to the bottom of the waters and brought mud up to the surface and put it on the back of the turtle. Soon a small island was formed. As they swam around and around the island, it began to grow larger. The animals crawled onto the land and danced in a circle. They sang with so much freedom and joy that the flowers, grasses, and trees began to grow. The winds began to blow from all four directions. Soon the water that had covered the earth lived only in the Big Waters and the Little Waters and the Rivers. Then Giidzhii Makwaa, the Great Bear, was asked to live in the far north to keep the water bound up in ice and snow so that the water would not cover the land. Today they call their land Turtle Island to remember the gift of turtle. And they remember the Original Instructions. Then new beings, Inini and Ikwe, human beings, were brought to play on earth. These young ones were taught the simple rules of the game. After many, many winters some of the humans began to forget the Original Instructions. Giidzhii manidoo, the Great Spirit, was very unhappy at this silly, selfish behavior and began to consider how he would destroy the earth again and make a new creation. He asked a great being to destroy the earth with fire. The white eagle soaring high in the sky overheard his thoughts and begged the Great Spirit to have pity on the beings of earth, even the silly Little Brother they called man. "He has much to learn,"said Wabishkie Ginu*, "and still some of them remember the Original Instructions. There is hope that the others can also remember. If I can find one human who remembers the Original Instructions, will you hold back the destruction one more day?" The Great Spirit agreed. So each day the eagle flies out of the dawn to see if at least one human remembers. When he finds one, he flies up to the Great Spirit to bring the news and the earth receives one more day. Long ago the Aniishinabeg, often called Ojibwe, lived along the Atlantic Ocean in what came to be called "Canada." The Aniishinabeg developed their natural heritage of wisdom and power through dreams and the way of the circle. They followed the path of the spirit to walk in balance, in harmony with all beings. They communicated with the animals and fish that provided them with food. They knew the magic and mystery of the spirals. Using this knowledge, some of them travelled great distances with ease. Even today, some of the Hopi people of the Southwest desert in the USA still remember the stories of my people appearing in their underground chambers. They would speak with the Hopi people, do ceremony with them, and then disappear through the walls of the kiva. My people had no need for police, laws, courts, judges, or prisons. It is the way of the circle to help each other and for each to contribute their talents and skills for the well-being of the community. The best hunters and fishers would share the hunt. The women gathered food together and shared it with everyone. They lived by the Original Instructions of love, honor, and respect in the circle of life. This was given to all people at the beginning of the Creation. It is written in your heart. Over one thousand years ago, seven beings appeared to them telling them of what lies ahead for them. They were to leave their comfortable homes and the land of their ancestors to travel in unknown lands in search of a land that was to be their home. For centuries they moved farther and farther west along the Big Waters, now called the Great Lakes, to keep alive their ways--their Third, Fourth, and Fifth Fires. The Seventh Prophet of my people saw a time when the ancient stories would be returned to the people and a Seventh Fire would be lit. When I came to Europe last year I thought I was just going to market dreamcatchers, tell their stories, and teach dreamcatcher weaving. I had been told by an American Indian woman who has strong medicine that I had a much more important job to do. Great Spirit showed me that I was to teach a new way of being for a new people. I had returned the ancient stories to the people. Now is the time of the Seventh Fire. This is where the path divides. No longer will the way of the mind be allowed to dominate and divide. People of the mind will be shown the vision of the Seventh Prophet of the Aniishinabeg and given a choice to learn to walk in balance. They must rediscover their connection to all things--the path of the spirit. To many "civilized" people, the path travelled by my People seems slow and primitive. The power and wisdom of this path is not easily understood when their mind is taught to play inside boundaries and their heart is closed to sissagwaad, the soft wind of Spirit. My project is to teach the way to peace, the wisdom and the power of the spiral, the way of the circle, how to walk in balance between mind and heart, how to find inner strength and serenity, and how to use strength and wisdom according to the Original Instructions. This is the traditional way of the Native people of North America. I have taught this with drumming, storytelling, song, dance, and the weaving of dreamcatchers. It was not enough. There must be more. Bit by bit the pieces have come together. I saw that I must teach people how to be guided by spirit and how to receive energy from the universe. Then they would become Ogichidaag‘, leaders who would use their power with gentleness, wisdom, and love to guide others to a new way of life. To do this we must emphasize the importance of the way of the circle in remembering the Original Instructions of love, honor, and respect for all beings. Many others have taught the way of the circle but the circle was not integrated into the lives of people. There must be a focus, a purpose that creates a vortex around which the circle can spiral into being. Then I found Kay whose direction it is to provide a new way for a new time, by way of the Original Instructions and the path of the heart. We have each been walking this path alone, unaware of each other. I’ve travelled far and long to find her. Now we are walking this path together. We want to help people learn how to do the earth experience in a new way, a way that works with the new energies of this new time. The old way is a way of individual limitation, separation, isolation, hierarchies, domination, and a mind guided by ego. The new way is a way of individual blossoming, togetherness, community, the circle, cooperation, and a mind that is guided by heart, by spirit. The most effective method we can use to learn this new way is a practicum, a practical application of the experience of the circle way. In the practicum we will create a community with a common purpose of mutual support using the Native American model of the circle way. A surprise to me, I found that the best learning medium for this is network marketing. I was introduced to network marketing through Amway in the early 1970‘s. Later, I became a distributor of Super Blue-green Algae through Cell Tech. I was in Nutrition for Life until they lost the contract to sell some important products. And then Nature’s Sunshine because of their excellent line of herbs at reasonable prices. And JewelWay. From each of these I learned the hard way what it takes to be successful in network marketing. Network marketing has become a very effective marketing system. In the typical corporation there is a small group of decision-makers at the top of the pyramid. They direct the work of middle level managers who, in turn, direct the work of office staff and salespeople. In network marketing, each person is his/her own boss. They choose how and when and how hard he/she works and with whom. There is no discrimination against women, or people without a title in front of or after their name. Without a large investment or risk, ordinary people can do what they normally do—tell other people about things that interest them. They have an opportunity that does not require sales ability or experience. They never have to write orders, keep an inventory, do paperwork, or deliver products. They don’t need a license, a certificate, an office building, a factory, a warehouse, delivery equipment, or employees. One of the secrets to success in network marketing is duplication. You need to teach others how to do what you do. They need to see you do what they believe they could do also. Even if you are the greatest salesman in the world, you can only meet with a few people each day. And your sales are based only on your own work. Network marketing is so successful because you help others do the simple things that you do. They do the same. All of them are amplifying your efforts. Please understand that the explanation that follows is only a simple way to describe the potential that is possiblefor showing others how to be successful. Your success is based on their success. Their success is your success. This is also the magic of the circle way. Imagine a one-year program in which you only find two people each month and help them find two people. Well, I don’t want to go on with this for the rest of the one-year program. I think you can see where this goes. These numbers are getting too big to hold them in the mind in a realistic way. The point that I want to make is a very large network organization could be built in about nine months if all you did was You don’t need to give up your regular job if you don’t want to. Just reserve enough time and energy to find two people and teach them how to do what you do. This is not only about selling products. We want to help people find the secret to success in life through network marketing. We are providing people with information, knowledge, experience, and the wisdom of the circle way. We invite you to play this learning game with us. Our intention is to have fun while we learn how to help others be healthy, how to work together for common purpose, and create new ways to relate to others based on the Original Instructions of love, honor, and respect in the circle of life. In the circle each person cares for the whole circle and the whole circle cares for each person. In the circle leadership is shared, rotated so that each person learns to lead and to follow. As ducks and geese migrate between their winter and summer homes they fly in a V-formation that takes advantage of an undulating flow of air, a vortex street, that begins with the wingbeats of the leader. The birds in the second position follow at the left and right in the wake of the leader. They can fly with much less effort in the rolling waves of the leader‘s rhythm. Their wingbeats catch the wake and stroke it to keep it rolling along the formation to the the birds in the third position and so on. When the leader tires she falls back in the formation while another moves ahead to work at splitting the air for the others. The formation rides along on the shared effort of all. Life can be so much easier for humans if they would learn from nature. For humans the circle is a most natural and fulfilling way to live. In the circle we can see that giving is the same as receiving. When the geese and ducks migrate they give and they receive, receive and give. There is no difference. The others in the formation are important to them. Each has value and worth. Not all can fly with the same strength and endurance. Perhaps others are more alert to danger when the flock is resting or sleeping. Others may be better at identifying the landmarks or the best places to stop and eat. Who knows? Using network marketing as a vehicle we can create vortex streets like the wingbeats of the birds, that can carry each of us, all of us, to a deeper experience. There are many leadership tasks in a dynamic circle. Some are good at talking to people. Some are teachers. A few are good at selling. Everyone has some form of creativity that has yet to be fully tapped and appreciated. Some are effective communicators on the telephone or in a group. Others write well or understand computers and internet access. We can discover the special function of our being in the circle, like an organ in a body. Each of us can learn from others in the circle. We learn how to fly together, to travel beyond our limitations, to discover how unlimited we really are. In the circle, all are woven into the same fabric so that giving is not about losing or giving away something of yourSelf. Self expands and becomes progressively larger. The illusion of that which is ME and that which is NOT ME begins to disappear. In this way the environmental movement is fundamentally flawed. The concept of Environment divides our experience into ME and NOT ME. Environmentalists, even though well-intentioned, start from a limited vision of themSelves. Guilt and obligation have limited value in creating change. These are pragmatic manipulations that cannot be sustained. The motivation does not come from within. People with a grander vision of WHO they are will be more likely to buy environmental products because it is in their Self interest. Their definition of Self is broader and far-sighted. They want to reduce the chemical contamination of the rivers and streams because the River is WHO we are. Recognizing that the Air is ME leads to real sustained, effective change. The breeding ground for such awareness is in the circle. For thousands of years American Indian people have lived in such an awareness. They recognized their connection in the Web of Life. The mountains and rivers, rocks and waters, the flowers and trees and grasses, all of the animals were their relatives, their elder brothers and sisters. Turtle Island was treated like a garden on a continental scale. Everything was in balance and in harmony. By the light of the Seventh Fire come the Ogichidaag', those who would use their power and strength with wisdom and gentleness to bring harmony and balance. They will soar with wabishkiginu*, the White Eagle, bringing the wisdom of Spirit with the first light of day. They will learn of their power and strength like the gidzhii makwa' ' the Great Bear who holds ice and snow in the North so the Earth would not be covered with water. And they will open their mind and heart like makinaak' the turtle who offered his back upon which to build a new earth. We want to provide the experience, knowledge, and wisdom of the way of the circle so that you can provide the leadership to do the same for others. Our circle will then create new circles by showing others how to use the circle way. When the way of the circle is practiced around the world we will have a basis for a new international economy, a new way of business, a new way of life. Now is the time. Why not? All things are possible! All rights reserved. Copyright 2001, Allen Aslan Heart |
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| Since April 2, 2001 |
| 1st month you find 2 people and teach them how to find 2 people 2nd month—those 2 each find 2 and so do you 2X2=4+2 from last month+2 new people= 8 3rd month—those 8 each find 2 and so do you 8X2=16+8 from last month+2 new people=26 4th month—those 26 each find 2 and so do you 26X2=52+26 from last month+2 new people=80 5th month—those 80 each find 2 and so do you 80X2=160+80 from last month+2 new =242 6th month—those 242 each find 2 and so do you 242X2=484+242 from last month+2 new=728 7th month—those 728 each find 2 and so do you 728X2=1456+728 from last month+2 new=2186 8th month—those 2186 each find 2 and so do you 2186X2=4372+2186 from last month+2 =6460 9th month—those 6460 each find 2 and so do you 6460X2=12920+6460 from last month+2 =19382 10th month-those 19382 each find 2 and so do you19382X2=38764+19382 from last mo.+2=58148 11th month-those 58148 each find 2 and so do you58148X2=116298+58148 from last month= ????? |
| find two people each month and help them find two people each month and teach them how to find two people. |
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