All thru my readings and studies of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, and Native American beliefs, a common theme seems to run thru and connect them all, for me — that we are, each and every one of us, connected not only to each other but also with all of creation. We are all related.

As the famous astronomer and cosmologist, Carl Sagan, observed — “We are made of Star Stuff.” With the same creative source energy running thru everything.

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“With all things and in all things, we are connected and related. Indian John told me the Native Americans refer to the rocks as “Stone People” because the spirit of The Creator of All Things flows thru the rocks in the same way as it does thru you and me. And thru the bushes, the bees, the wildflowers—everything.” — Little Red Bear (Excerpt from “The Storm” story in “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler!”)

The Native American Lakota mantra ‘Mitakuye Oyasin’ expresses it very well, best explained by Mary Black Bonnet of the Lakota Nation.

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~ Mitakuye Oyasin — We Are All Related ~

“In Lakota culture, we give thanks, always, for everything. We wake up, greet the morning and give thanks for making it to another sunrise. We look out and give thanks for Unci Maka (earth) and all her beauty.

“When it’s time to eat, we give part of our breakfast and Wakalyapi (coffee) to the spirits with a prayer of thanks. We then offer up prayers for the gorgeous day we are about to embark on. By the time I’ve ingested my food and am ready to start my day, I’ve already offered up thanks for so many things.

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Being aware that the creator is responsible for everything we do, we see, we experience, is innately part of us; it’s the fabric of our culture. It helps us to stay grounded, humble, Ice Wicasa, or Ice Winyan: common man or common woman.

“It reminds us we are no better than anything around us, we do not rule over the grass or the pebbles just because we are larger than them.

“I feel this is a lesson for all human beings, Lakota or not. This is what seems to have been forgotten in wasicu* [white] society, or perhaps they never had it. Based on their past and present history with women, and other nations, I imagine the latter is probably true.

“For Lakotas, one of our common mantras is “Mitakuye Oyasin” — we are all related. All of us, no matter who you are (person), or what you are (grass, trees, rocks), are the same. No one is better than anyone else.

“Our lives really are circular, and yes, everything REALLY is related to everything else. Some say related — I like to say enmeshed because it really is.

“That is why when you speak with a Lakota person, you will get the story you are asking about, but then about 50 other stories, because the one story you are asking about is enmeshed with all the others.

“This drives many wasicus’ crazy. They just want the answer RIGHT now. But you can never have a right now because there is — and always will be — a before…”

~ by Mary Black Bonnet

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(Mary Black Bonnet is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, artist, and writer.  You may find out more about Mary Black Bonnet on the ‘Life As A Human’ site.)

* Note — Wasicu or Wasi’chu, a Lakota word for “non-Indian”.  Its literal meaning is “someone with special powers”, originally intended as a compliment, but as relations with the white man eroded, over time the word was viewed more negatively, sometimes taking on the connotation of a greedy or dishonorable person after treaties were continually ignored and violated by the government.

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I invite you to watch the “Symphony of Science – ‘We Are All Connected”, featuring Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Neil deGrasse Tyson & Bill Nye.

You — and me — and everything else — we are all connected — made of ‘Star Stuff.’

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We truly are all connected, each with another, and with everything in the natural world in the same way as threads in a universal quilt, connected and interwoven.

When one thread begins to unravel, it weakens and destabilizes the entire fabric, whether it be us, our neighbor, a stranger on another continent, a tree in the rainforest, a mountain gorilla, sea turtle, wildflower, or an ocean coral. We are all connected and in this life together.

Will you join with my friend Little Red Bear and me in spreading the word, and trying to help make the world a better place today — for every One and every Thing ?

If you enjoyed this post, check out — “I Will Greet This Day With Love In My Heart”

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                               “I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together.”                               — John Lennon & Paul McCartney

“To realize that everything in the universe is connected is to both accept our insignificance and understand our importance in it.” –  Jeffrey Fry

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Meet Little Red Bear & His Friends —  “Once Upon A Time In A Very Special Woods . . . .”