The Seven Fires of
Creation
Booshoo……..Hello
Greetings, My Fren’
It is good to see you again
I see by the look on your face
And the light that shines thru……
Grandfather , the Creator
Has blessed you with the winds of beauty and grace.
AHO
But….you ask, “Why do we sit in the dark?”
Listen…..and perhaps you will see.
Is it Story…..Myth….Tale….Legend ?
The teaching is known as The Seven Fires of Creation
And is taken from the sacred scrolls of the Anishinabe Nation.
Of that Nation , there is a tribe called the Ojibway.
It is in their tongue,
It is told of the Seven Sacred Fires.
The teachings belong to all time
And to all the people that may pass this way
But, it is ever theirs – The Ojibway.
Ages and ages ago……beyond memory…….
Before time was born…….It is told.
There was no light……Neither Earth, Sun, Moon, Water nor Life
Only Empty, silent cold.
In and upon the dark vast
Nothing moved, nothing could be heard….Nothing could be seen
Light and Life had not yet been…….
Only the dark, cold, silent, empty void.
Then…..out of the silent void there came a soft murmur…..
Faintly at first……then, louder AND LOUDER.
Suddenly….A loud burst….As a clap of thunder.
And, once again, silence across the vast, lonely emptiness.
Then , out of the stillness, a soft rustling sound…...A rasping,
clicking, all around.
It shimmers and shakes….and the sound it makes, is like,
Is like seeds in a fourd…..seeds good and pure, we are told.
AHO
Beyond that , there was another sound…….
From somewhere a feeling, sound ,
As if from the centre and all around.
From the Centre and in the Centre was the Creator.
And so came The First Fire.
All thought was with Him….For He was the first…..
There was none before…..
Not the sound…..Not the seed …..Not the rhythm.
He looked around and seeing the cold, empty vast
Sent His thoughts to all directions……Near and Far.
Being there nothing, He called them back.
To this day, wherever His thoughts travelled
There are milky trails
And here, there and everywhere…….He left a star.
All thought , all light , and all life was with him.
He thought to see, and so a fire He made to be…..
The Fire being the second, was sacred.
He sent His Fire to travel in a circle……
And in so doing, created the Sacred Circle……
The Sacred Fire became the Light by which to see.
Thought He…..To make the Circle in four parts…….
And so it was…..
So it is even unto this day.
And as it was given…..
There are Four Seasons, Four Directions, Four Winds and Four Ways.
He saw the Light was good and that it should have a Twin……..
And so came to be the Day and the Night…….
And to this day, there are two of every kind.
Even unto the Stars, the Moon , the Earth……..
And thus, it was the Third Fire.
He set in motion the Universe…..
And seeing the four ways of His work
He smiled and saw that it was good
And being good, was made sacred
And there was…….The Fourth Fire.
He looked about and said, “Where shall be my Seed ? “
Who will sing for me?
In so doing, came to be
The birds….of every voice, of every colour…..
Of every song to be heard.
And so it was….The Fifth Fire.
He thought to make Earth upon which to scatter His Seeds……
Earth shall be My companion
And in so doing …..Earth was made Woman.
And to this day, the Mother of all things.
Raindrops were Her tears of joy upon seeing her.
Water is Her Lifegiving blood
The lakes , streams ,and rivers her veins.
Both above the ground and below
That this is true we all know.
So….to First Woman came the birds carrying the seeds……
That were scattered and mated to the soil, upon her breast.
From Her bosom came all there was…..
And all that there is…..
Of every voice, of every colour….of every size, of every shape.
Came they to take their place in the Circle.
The Wings of the air,
The Swimmers,
The Four legged,
The Flowers,
Laughing with happiness ran the Rivers
Tall and serene stood the Trees
Winds of calm and storm swept the Seas
And so it was, there reigned peace and happiness
For ages and ages….without measure
And , upon Her bosom shown The sixth Fire.
Then took He four handfuls of earth
Thru the Meegis Shell blew His breath
And …..in His own image was created…..Anishinabe.
And thus it was that Original Man came
Walked the Earthas he was asked
Giving names to all the animals, the plants
And to the trees, rivers, streams and ponds
Even the valleys and mountains, forgetting none…..
Not the water-beings, the grass , the ants, the bees nor the wasp.
Shown then was The Seventh Fire, at last.
Thus it was, thus it is
From the very first, in truth,
It has come to pass.
To Anishinabe…….it was given
And is told in tongue of the Ojibway
From whence came the Creator?
Need we ask……save to remember the cold empty vast?
Do I know it is true?
The Earth is my Mother
I am one of Her many children……
I am nephew to the Stars
Cousin to the Wind
Before my Grandfather , There was no other,
I heard His Voice in the wind…..Ni Mizhoo
Loving , gentle and ever forgiving is He……..
Gitche Manitou
Yes , I am relative to the river, mountains, valleys and trees.
I am brother to the wings, to the four footeds
To the swimmers and the crawling things.
I am brother TO ALL THINGS and ALL BEINGS…..
Even you!
