Some Random Thoughts

Greetings Relatives,

I am going to just ramble a little today, so please bear with me. First I want to talk about visions in general. Lots of people ask me how to tell if something is a vision or not. Before I answer that question though, I want you to understand the importance of symbols – especially to Indians. Symbols, signs, and omens have always played an extremely important role in the life of the First Peoples. Further, we have always been a very visual people. Since we did not have a written language, oral traditions and storytelling were also extremely important ways of passing on the culture and teaching the traditions, songs, and rituals. In all of these things we understand the world around us through the use of symbols. Everything we see or hear has relevance and meaning. Our ancestors lived close to the land and had to know the meaning of these signs and omens as a matter of survival. These symbols were built into our culture and language. Our concept of reality was based upon these symbolic representations of our universe.

To explain this let’s travel back in time about 200 years and meet some native Samoans. They would tell us about the warm ocean water and how it was like a mother to them as it provided for many of their needs of food, clothing and adornment. They would tell about swimming and even surfing in the warm waters. If we told them that water could fall from the sky as small six-sided flakes (snow) they would not believe us, or would think we were insane since they had never experienced snow and it was not a part of their reality. Next we could visit some native Inuit peoples living above the Artic Circle. If we told them that we knew some people who swam and surfed in the warm ocean waters again they would not believe us, or would think we were insane since they had never experienced warm ocean water and it was not a part of their reality. However, they would tell us of the many words they had for snow. They had one word for sleet, another for freezing rain, another for ice, another for ice-flow, another for glacier, another for wet snow, another for dry snow, another for soft fluffy snow, another for hard-packed snow, another for hail, another for big snow flakes, another for small snow flakes, another for blizzard, another for white-out, and so forth. I have been told that some of the Inuit peoples had as many as 100 different words for the various types of snow they knew about as part of their reality. So we must ask why it was so important for the Inuit to understand the many different types of snow. Why was it so deeply ingrained into their culture that they held many ceremonies centered on the many types of frozen water? Why were they so fervent in teaching this to their children? The answer to these questions is easy. Their very survival was based upon these concepts. They had to know when they could go out hunting. It was not safe to go hunting in a blizzard or white-out. It was easier to track animal’s paw prints in soft, fluffy snow that it was in hard-packed snow.

So for both the Samoans and the Inuit these things were important for survival. Their very concept of reality was based upon their observations of the world around them. It is important to understand that spoken language is a symbol. The word snow represents something that is observed in the world. When you say the word for freezing rain to an Inuit, they immediately understand what you are saying and a mental image forms in their mind of that type of frozen water. It could be a warm, sunny summer day and they would still have that image in their mind. For people who do not have a written language, but who rely upon oral traditions, this is even more so true. The spoken language and mental images are both symbols. It goes even further and all of the thoughts, feelings, activities, rituals, songs, art, dreams, stories, dances, teachings, and so forth are imbued with these symbols. Everything about the culture becomes a symbolic representation of their understanding of the world around them, their understanding of reality.

Even their concept of the nature of man, his spirit and the spirit world is based upon these symbols. If I were raised in the Hindu culture and I had a vision, I would have one that was relevant to my culture. It might be a vision about Krishna or Shiva. If I were Muslim it might be about Allah or Muhammad. If I were Jewish it might be about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If I were Christian it might be about Jesus. Therefore, my visions would ALWAYS fit into my culture and my understanding of reality. Another way of saying this is my culture forms the basis from which my visions are created. It would be meaningless for a Hindi to have a vision of Jesus. Their culture would not have provided them the means to either create such a vision nor would they truly be able to understand its relevance. It is quite possible for peoples of different cultures to have identical visions. The elements and symbols of the vision would be different, but the message conveyed by the vision would be identical.

Visions are often very similar to dreams. There are some differences. Visions are always lucid. Lucid Dreaming means dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. This consciousness allows you to guide your dreams. The person’s consciousness is absolutely related to the culture they were raised up in. Therefore, the symbols in the vision are culturally related. In visions (and lucid dreams) everything seems just as real as in normal waking reality. The person having the vision (or lucid dream) can use all of their normal senses in their normal ways. They can see colors, feel objects (and experience pain), hear sounds, taste flavors, and smell odors. Often, these senses seem more vibrant and alive than in normal waking reality. Colors are brighter; sounds are crisper. You can visit people and places and have normal conversations. The elements and symbols of your culture will be a vital part of the vision (or lucid dream). You will be able to clearly remember everything when you wake up.

So how is a vision different that a lucid dream? Visions tell you about events that either happened in the past, or will happen in the present or the future. But that alone is not enough, these events MUST be verified by outside sources – either by other people who have had the same vision or by documented evidence of past events, or by the event actually happening in the present or the future.

All of my visions have been verified in all of these ways. The red-tailed hawk of my vision saved me in my normal reality. I knew that something bad might happen if I did not see him soaring above me, and indeed had a hawk not flown by at that precise moment I would have been killed. Several Wôbanaki elders have verified my Seven Fires Vision. It is the same vision foretold of by the old prophecy and the same vision that Grandfather Commanda had. It is a well-documented fact that our ancestors named fires, using the specific names given in my vision.

That’s all for now.

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller