In these tumultuous times, we should pay a great deal of attention to our Spiritual life. Now is the time to join with others outside our usual circles. We all need each other.
The spirit of the tundra stands with us, and we collect sunlight together, We are refreshed by small winds. We do not need history in books to tell us who we are Or where we come from, I remind him.
Joy Harjo
Jan 12, 2026. This story of spontaneous connections between all kinds of people begins at the site of Renee’s death and is still expanding, carrying us together into our future. It is a healing balm, a gift of restoration and resiliency, as we move forward to disassemble the replication of Nazism that is gripping the US government. Written and Narrated by Elder Kaia Svien
Spirit Walking in the Tundra
All the way to Nome, I trace the shadow of the plane as it walks Over turquoise lakes made by late spring breakup Of the Bering Sea. The plane is so heavy with cargo load it vibrates our bones. Like the pressure made by light cracking ice.
Below I see pockets of marrow where seabirds nest. Mothers are so protective they will dive humans. I walk from the tarmac and am met by an old friend. We drive to the launching place And see walrus hunters set out toward the sea. We swing to the summer camps where seal hangs on drying frames. She takes me home. I watch her son play video games on break from the university.
This is what it feels like, says her son, as we walk up tundra, Toward a herd of musk ox, when you spirit walk. There is a shaking, and then you are in mystery.
Little purple flowers come up from the permafrost. A newborn musk ox staggers around its mother’s legs.
I smell the approach of someone with clean thoughts. She is wearing designs like flowers, and a fur of ice. She carries a basket and digging implements. Her smell is sweet like blossoms coming up through the snow. The spirit of the tundra stands with us, and we collect sunlight together, We are refreshed by small winds.
We do not need history in books to tell us who we are Or where we come from, I remind him. Up here, we are near the opening in the Earth’s head, the place where the spirit leaves and returns. Up here, the edge between life and death is thinner than dried animal bladder.
(FOR ANUQSRAAQ AND QITUVITUAQ) NOME, ALASKA, 2011Harjo, Joy. Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems (pp. 34-35). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.
“The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.”― Terry Tempest Williams, Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert
For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet (excerpts)
Do not hold regrets.
When you find your way to the circle, to the fire kept burning by the keepers of your soul, you will be welcomed.
You must clean yourself with cedar, sage, or other healing plant.
Cut the ties you have to failure and shame.
Let go the pain you are holding in your mind, your shoulders, your heart, all the way to your feet. Let go the pain of your ancestors to make way for those who are heading in our direction.
Ask for forgiveness.
Call upon the help of those who love you. These helpers take many forms: animal, element, bird, angel, saint, stone, or ancestor.
Call your spirit back. It may be caught in corners and creases of shame, judgment, and human abuse.
You must call in a way that your spirit will want to return. Speak to it as you would to a beloved child.
Welcome your spirit back from its wandering. It may return in pieces, in tatters. Gather them together. They will be happy to be found after being lost for so long.
Then, you must do this: help the next person find their way through the dark.
Harjo, Joy. Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems (pp. 5-6). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.
The Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings is a wonderful quote. Thank you