Finding our way

“There was once a time as indigenous people when we didn’t have any maps or road signs, yet we were able to make our way. We were able to journey,” Grandmother Mona explained. “We had the sacred fire, so that when there was a moment when we felt we lost our sense of direction, when we were lost and disoriented, not knowing which direction to go, we would sit down before this Grandpa Fire. In poor health physically, mentally, spiritually, we would sit down before Grandpa Fire and say our prayers. In that way we would be shown the direction we needed to go, the things we needed to do. We would be given the signs through Grandfather fire. Our hearts would be filled with warmth, love, and compassion. That’s the way this Grandfather Fire is. Always respect it, always look to it, let it be there to help you.

“This teaching about Grandpa Fire was given to me by my mother, so that I could sit here with the Grandmothers who all came here with good feeling, seeking something good and a new direction, not only for ourselves but for all of the people,” she said.

— Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 60

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Our beginnings

“My mother taught me that her tummy was my first world,” Grandmother Rita says. “And whatever she did while I was in her was something I learned. Being in the mother’s womb is like being under the ice, unsure of the light and hearing things but not clearly.”

Yupiks [a northern tribe] believe learning begins while the body is developing inside the mother’s womb. Whatever the mother does during the time of gestation has an impact on the child. So there are teachings about how to be with the baby before it is born. Yupiks believe it is significant that we are born very small and grow slowly, not eating right away, slowly developing our awareness of the world.

— Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 45

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Respect the plants

We have the power to regenerate with the plants,” Grandmother Flordemayo says. “But we must honor, respect, preserve, and pray for them. We have a relationship with the spirit of the plant, the spirit of the sacred waters. We must take care of these things for the generations to come. Ritual, ceremony, and astronomy teach when it is best to plant the seeds. We have a strong body of teachers behind us for this work. The peoples of Central America already know how to make emergency first-aid medicine. If we could start all over again and be empowered, we could give solutions to modern-day ailments.

— Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 31

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A world of beauty

“I am doing my prayers around the world to create a world without war and tension,” Grandmother Aama says. “I want to see this world full with natural beauty, where everybody will have equal rights and opportunity to share nature’s womb.”

— Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 85

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Treat the earth well

We have to be careful about how we treat even a blade of grass, Grandmother Agnes says. We need to understand that the trees give us the ability to live on this planet, because we breathe the air that comes from and is cleansed by them. Most people don’t even know the history of the ground they walk upon, she says.

— Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 170

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It’s up to the women

The condor is said to carry the spirit of the ancient Thunderbird, a legendary raptor that existed in ancient times when the first people lived on the North American continent. Larger than both the eagle and the condor, the Thunderbird was said to be gifted with the great power of sight and was able to transmit telepathically ancient wisdom and knowledge in prehistoric times.

“It is going to be a wonderful thing, when the Thunderbirds come home,” says Grandmother Agnes. “We hope the Eagle can carry our message to the Sky People and the Creator and help us with our prophecies. I do believe we will see a change, as the prophecies state. Our prayers are for the whole world, for all the people. We are at the threshold. But it is up to the women. We are the ones who can carry more than one spirit in us. We are what I call ‘multi-modal’: we can carry a child, stir a stew, and kick the cat out all at the same time!”

Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 126

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Return to your inner spirit

Spirituality’s highest purpose is to touch a mystery beyond words, which is perceived only in silence and solitude, the Grandmothers say. Listening within the silence puts one in touch with the energy, vibration, and spiritual forces that are at the heart of Creation. The realms are real, not of the imagination, and can only be reached by a quiet mind and by practice. This does not mean there is a lack of critical thinking, only that thinking about the experience while in the moment stops the experience. The Grandmothers believe we must return to our inner spirit and the spirit of all things, which we have abandoned while looking elsewhere for happiness.

— Carol Schaefer, Grandothers Counsel the World, p. 7

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Come closer together

Grandmother Mona organized youth and elder conferences that were held in the winter and the spring, where elders of the tribe would talk to young people about life and the traditional ways. The young people were able to hear traditional songs sung properly and learn traditional games, which gave them a greater sense of identity, purpose, and direction. A fire would be built o the grounds, where celebrations were held, and prayers would be offered by the elders.

“Once, a Mohave elder stood by the fire, looked around at everyone before he offered his prayer and said, ‘You know, there is really something special about this. Nonnatives so often build a huge bonfire, so big that everyone has to stand back. Natives build a small fire, so that everyone has to come closer.’ That was the way we worked, all close around the fire, so that we could all hear each other and feel the warmth, too.”

— Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 59

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What the grandmothers say

We can make a difference, but there isn’t much time, the Grandmothers say. We must stop pollution now. It is time for there to be no more hunger in our world. There should never be any hunger. The United States especially needs to learn how wrong it is to throw so much away. We must join those who are already fighting for our Mother Earth, fighting for the betterment of all our lives here on our beautiful planet. Together we have the power to make a difference, the Grandmothers say.

— Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 169

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Open your heart

“What I see today in the world,” says Grandmother Clara,”is a lot of darkness and a few points of light trying to illuminate us as we go through the dark tunnel of our Age. We Grandmothers here are holding each other’s hands, illuminating this path, so that we can bring health to this Mother Earth and heal the wounds She is suffering from, wounds made by ignorant men, ignorant of the truth of the Light and of the Creator. The message from the Beings of the Stars is that it is necessary for everyone to open their hearts to the truths of the Spirit, of the Spirit World, as it is this truth that will lead us to our salvation.”

— Carol Schaefer, Grandmothers Counsel the World, p. 120

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