You wrote:
JC> JK> Unfortunately, most humans will not undertake that sort of inner
JC> JK> journey and would not understand what someone who had tried to say.
JC> JK> There are some things that must be experienced rather than taught
JC> JK> outright.
JC> PMFJI  Sorry, but this I don't understand.
JC> When someone is _told_ what is or is not a Native American belief system
JC> (whether it's called "religion", "worldview", "lifeways", "culture" or
JC> "whatever") they don't believe it because it doesn't _match_ their
JC> expectations.
It took awhile for me to realize that I had to assume the responsiblity
for filling in my own blanks.
 In other words they already _know_ what they are seeking
JC> (or at least _think_ they know) and when confronted with the notion that
JC> "Native American Religion" isn't it because there really is no such thing
JC> as one single "Native American Religion", they are disappointed because
JC> they want there to be such a thing _so_ badly.
They want the magic back, Jim.  The magic of Merlin and others that was
once in all religion. What the auld religion in England, the Druids, and
others around the world have preserved for so long in secret.  That has
been taken away from them and they are seeking.  Mostly the kids.  They
look in the wrong places for the magic today.
What they find is the black arts.
 JC> Another _general_ statement... Some "seekers" are looking for
some "easy" JC> solution to their journey. Very similar to "Christians"
that are content to JC> go to church twice a year on Easter and
Christmas and think they have JC>"found" JC> _it_. Or the rage in Zen
Buddhism a few years ago. Or "hippies". Or Oregon' JC> famous Bagwan. Or
Heaven's Gate.
All of them are followers rather than those who can make a solo journey.
There are those who can exist in the untamed areas of this globe with
very few other humans or live alone.  There are others who must live in
a crowded city with all kinds of humans around them.  I have one
daughter who must live in a city, I must remain in the woods where I am.
JC> The last couple of times I saw a bunch of folks leave a "commercial"
JC> service in which one might say they were "driven" away, the operators of
JC> the respective groups were right.
told Sondra, I think "Native Peoples" magazine does JC>an JC> excellent
job of "discussing" NA art & lifeways _without_ getting involved JC> in
"New Age vs. NA" issues. Do they avoid controversy? Nope. There was more
JC> than one "letter to the editor" about an ad or article related to
the FBI. JC> And all of their articles _aren't_ about "art".
Wonderful!  I haven't heard about that.
I am aware of the contributions made by the various Indian tribes to our
political system years ago, have on the wall the Congressional
acknowledgement to the Iroquois Nation.  As a child in New York state
years ago, we learned about that rather than gay parents.
I also was lucky enough to work with one judge on a reservation who is
an expert in Indian law.  He taught me what that was.
I haven't had much exposure to all of this, just what I picked up here
and there, but have been shocked to learn it is more than some Native
Americans ever learn about their heritage.
JC> I look upon these discussion groups very much like a large party or 
ocial
JC> gathering. People drift in and out of conversational groups. Sure, I 
suspec
JC> some are "driven" away by psuedo-intellectuals or whatever. But some also
JC> leave because the "conversation" no longer interests them. Or they have 
o
JC> go to the bathroom or some such other high priority. But, I can almost
JC> guarantee you that a "conversation" will die very quickly if "nobody" 
ays
JC> _anything_.
That is for certain.  There has to be some sort of feedback in order to
keep it going.
JC> Oh, and for another perspective... On my "download" pass, I collected 12
JC> messages from IA. Probably two or three days worth. I chose to respond to
JC> only 3 (25%) of them. I have to ask myself: "If I were at a social 
gatherin
JC> in a group having a discussion and I was only interested in 25% of what 
was
JC> being discussed, would I stick around or go find a more interesting 
group?"
You would go find someone to talk to that was more interesting, not
being either stupid or needing to punish yourself :).
 * SLMR 2.1a * hAS ANYONE SEEN MY cAPSLOCK KEY?
                                                                              
                             
--- JCQWK
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