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SPIRIT
LODGE
LIBRARY
Myth
& Lore
Page
60
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(Main
Links of the site are right at the bottom of the page)
Some of the 86 pages in this Myth & Lore section are below.
The rest will be found HERE
The Little People of
the Cherokee
By Bear Medicinewalker,
LoreKeeper
The Little People of the
Cherokee are a race of Spirits who live in rock caves
on the mountain side. They are little fellows and ladies
reaching almost to your knees. They are well shaped
and handsome, and their hair so long it almost touches
the ground. They are very helpful, kindhearted, and
great wonder workers. They love music and spend most
of their time drumming, singing, and dancing. They have
a very gentle nature, but do not like to be disturbed.
Sometimes their drums are
heard in lonely places in the mountains, but it is not
safe to follow it, for they do not like to be disturbed
at home, and they will throw a spell over the stranger
so that he is bewildered and loses his way, and even
if he does at last get back to the settlement he is
like one dazed ever after.
Sometimes, also, they come
near a house at night and the people inside hear them
talking, but they must not go out, and in the morning
they find the corn gathered or the field cleared as
if a whole force of men had been at work. If anyone
should go out to watch, he would die.
When a hunter finds anything
in the woods, such as a knife or a trinket, he must
say, 'Little People, I would like to take this' because
it may belong to them, and if he does not ask their
permission they will throw stones at him as he goes
home.
Some Little People are black,
some are white and some are golden like the Cherokee.
Sometimes they speak in Cherokee, but at other times
they speak their own 'Indian' language. Some call them
"Brownies". Little people are here to teach
lessons about living in harmony with nature and with
others. There are three kinds of Little People. The
Laurel People, the Rock People, and the Dogwood People.
The Rock People are the mean
ones who practice "getting even" who steal
children and the like. But they are like this because
their space has been invaded.
The Laurel People play tricks
and are generally mischievous. When you find children
laughing in their sleep - the Laurel People are humorous
and enjoy sharing joy with others.
Then there are the Dogwood
People who are good and take care of people.
The lessons taught by the
Little People are clear. The Rock People teach us that
if you do things to other people out of meanness or
intentionally, it will come back on you. We must always
respect other people's limits and boundaries.
The Laurel People teach us
that we shouldn't take the world too seriously, and
we must always have joy and share that joy with others.
The lessons of the Dogwood People are simple - if you
do something for someone, do it out of goodness of your
heart. Don't do it to have people obligated to you or
for personal gain.
In Cherokee beliefs, many
stories contain references to beings called the Little
People. These people are supposed to be small mythical
characters, and in different beliefs they serve different
purposes. There are a lot of stories and legends about
the Little People. You can see the people out in the
forest. They can talk and they look a lot like Indian
people except they're only about two feet high, sometimes
they're smaller. Now the Little People can be very helpful,
and they can also play tricks on us, too.
And at one time there was
a boy. This boy never wanted to grow up. In fact, he
told everyone that so much that they called him "Forever
Boy" because he never wanted to be grown. When
his friends would sit around and talk about: 'Oh when
I get to be a man, and when I get to be grown I'm gonna
be this and I'm gonna go here and be this,' he'd just
go off and play by himself.
He didn't even want to hear
it, because he never wanted to grow up. Finally his
father got real tired of this, and he said,' Forever
Boy, I will never call you that again. From now on you're
going to learn to be a man, you're going to take responsibility
for yourself, and you're going to stop playing all day
long. You have to learn these things. Starting tomorrow
you're going to go to your uncle's, and he's going to
teach you everything that you are going to need to know.'
Forever Boy was brokenhearted
at what his father told him, but he could not stand
the thought of growing up. He went out to the river
and he cried. He cried so hard that he didn't see his
animal friends gather around him. And they were trying
to tell him something, and they were trying to make
him feel better, and finally he thought he understood
them say, 'Come here tomorrow, come here early.' Well,
he thought they just wanted to say goodbye to him. And
he drug his feet going home. He couldn't even sleep
he was so upset.
The next morning he went
out early, as he had promised, to meet his friends.
And he was so sad, he could not bear the thought of
telling them goodbye forever. Finally he began to get
the sense that they were trying to tell him something
else, and that is to look behind him.
As he looked behind him,
there they were, all the Little People. And they were
smiling at him and laughing and running to hug him.
And they said, 'Forever Boy you do not have to grow
up. You can stay with us forever. You can come and be
one of us and you will never have to grow up...we will
ask the Creator to send a vision to your parents and
let them know that you are safe and you are doing what
you need to do.'
Forever Boy thought about
it for a long time. But that is what he decided he needed
to do, and he went with the Little People. And even
today when you are out in the woods and you see something,
and you look and it is not what you really thought it
was, or if you are fishing and you feel something on
the end of your line, and you think it is the biggest
trout ever, and you pull it in, and all it is, is a
stick that got tangled on your hook, that is what the
Little People are doing. They are playing tricks on
you so you will laugh and keep young in your heart.
Because that is the spirit of Little People, and Forever
Boy, to keep us young in our hearts.
*Twelve arenas of study (three
for each of the four elemental forces) encompassing
the outer ring of the Medicine Wheel.
*Studies within the four
elemental quadrants, their dimensions and inhabitants.
*The ability to map your
way around the Medicine Wheel and create your own avenues
of exploration.
*Understanding the path of
initiation and the tests it holds.
*Self-empowerment and walking
your path in a right manner.
Channeling Guidance:
This course consists of 9
seminars designed to assist you in connecting to your
guides. You will learn to communicate and establish
a relationship with them.
*Maintaining a balanced energy
center through centering and grounding.
*Connect with Guides, Spirit
Helpers and Totem animals through meditation, guided
visualization and prayer practices.
*Recognizing energy signatures
and patterns.
*Development of sensory abilities
and quickening as you connect to your inner spirit.
*Raise your vibratory frequency
and channel higher sources of guidance.
*Learn to understand the
languages of the creature-teachers and Spirit Helpers.
*Understand the process of
seeking enlightenment.
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Libraries
are on this row
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INDEX
Page 3
(Main Section, Medicine Wheel, Native Languages &
Nations, Symbology)
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INDEX
Page 5
(Sacred Feminine & Masculine, Stones & Minerals)
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©
Copyright: Cinnamon Moon & River WildFire Moon (Founders.)
2000-date
All rights reserved.
Site
constructed by Dragonfly
Dezignz 1998-date
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