Wanagi Thamakhoche
(Keeping of the Spirit)
My profession as psychologist and avocation as Lakota ‘Medicine Man**’ are inextricably linked. The science of working with the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of people is not separate from the Indigenous ‘knowing’ that the spirit world exists and wishes to assist us.
I did not appropriate what I practice from the Lakota culture. I was invited in 1990 to the Rosebud to learn. Then to become a pipe carrier, performed hanblechya, Sun Dance and eventually the spirit world visited me so that I would become wapiye …a lowampi man and yuwipi man. A healer.
Why would the Lakota people be amenable to such a thing? The answer is that white people are killing The Mother and now white people must learn how to repair the Mother. Everything that is taking place now my elders informed me about, warned me about.
Things do not HAVE to end badly. It isn’t too late yet. But we are very close.
Over the decades I’ve been invited by medicine people of many nations to learn their medicine. Elders from many nations have asked. me to perform ceremony for or with them. There is no enmity. Only sharing of wisdom. I have had teachers from the Crow, Anishinabe, Stock-Bridge Munsee, Inuit, Cherokee, Dine’, Hopi, Penobscot, Dakota, Nakota, Pueblo, Menominee and Lakota people.
The common message has been and continues to be, “The Mother and all her children are in peril. The vibration of the earth is aligned with greed, lying, stealing, hoarding, lust and violence….death. Instead The Mother must return to a vibration of compassion, companionship, love, relationship, receiving, kindness, giving …. life.
There are numerous interventions that must be performed now to save the life of The Mother and her children. I wish to speak about just ONE intervention, one ceremony, in the course of this post.
In the Lakota tradition the spirit world is called, wanagi thamakhoche. In that world are spirits of humans, plants, animals and stones that have lived on this planet. There are also spirits of beings that have never lived on this planet. This entire family of spirits works together for the health and help of all things. To be of Thawachin Wanzila , one mind. Together as ‘One Mind’ we can repair many things.
The spirit world informed the people that the spirit in a human being is not only precious but it is fragile. A spirit of a LIVING person can be broken into pieces, sometimes the pieces lost. A person does not feel whole or complete. A spirit retrieval ceremony has helped many people whose soul was broken by war, violation, tragedy, drug abuse and other such disturbing events.
The spirit of a person who has died tragically, violently and/or unexpectedly needs a different kind of ceremony. In Lakota tradition the spirit of a person who has died unexpectedly and/or violently may benefit from the Lakota ceremony Wanáǧi Yuhápi — Keeping of the Soul.
I won’t go into any depth about the ceremony BUT wish to inform you of a ceremony that is needed to help so many of the lost souls now walking the earth. Lost, not because they are evil, but lost due to circumstance.
Syria, Somalia, Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Congo, Kurds, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, USA….across the world tens of thousands of humans are dying tragic deaths. Violent deaths. Death by starvation. Death by sickness. Death by suicide. Death by bombs that vaporize the body. Deaths by crushing. Deaths by Zionist torture or IS or Irani or USA or Russian or Somali torture. Deaths for which they were not prepared and deaths horrific in nature.
In countries around the world animals, plants and minerals dying by explosions, bombs, nuclear waste, fire, flood, earthquake, oil leakage, tar sands piled high… fish suffocate. Trees burn. Birds die of starvation. Cows die of heat stroke. Deer die of thirst.
Each of us CAN perform the following ceremony for the health and help of all the lost souls the wounded souls the cracked souls. The souls wondering if anyone remembers them? Here are the basics:
From a list of names of the dead in the Middle East or Ukraine or Russia or whatever pick one.
Consider the plants and animals in the area of where the person died and pick one of each.
Consider the water, air, what rides on the wind and the earth. What HAS been in this place that is no longer there? What is there now? How are these mineral or plants or animals being poisoned?
Then … for one moon cycle Keep the Spirit of the person and the spirits of the animals, plants and minerals and water to keep the human spirit company.
Set up candles or a candle. What you might think to be the favorite food of the person you are inviting. The favorite drink. And a small quartz crystal stone.
Using whatever type of sage or cornmeal or tobacco you can smudge yourself and the room …. you are creating an inviting place. Sacred space. Set up the small ‘altar’ area of the stone, candle, food…. a place that the spirit can look at and feel peace. A place where it can sit and be with you.
You call them by introducing yourself. You tell them why you are calling them. Then set out the food and the essence of the food and your verbal invitation will bring them to you. Don’t worry about feeling them or not feeling them. Don’t worry about bringing in something evil. Just bring in that spirit.
Ask them to stay for one moon cycle. And for that one moon cycle you eat for them, listen for them, see for them, speak for them, smile for them or with them. The way you live your life that month will heal that lost soul …. because it needs love and recognition and hope. What you think, feel, hear, speak or do are all vibrations of healing. You cannot harm this soul … it is at the lowest vibration it can be. Do your best to raise the vibration. Talk. Sing. Dance. Play bingo. Show them what a good happy life is ….
And when you are ready to release the spirit you let me know and I will assist you in that and/or teach a class on that.
Thank you
** Yuwipi Man, Iyeska or Wapiye
this is a keeper.
spread it far and wide.
Thomas, thank you for this heartfelt and thoughtful post!