A Morning Prayer

O holy, Great Mystery, thank you for this day.

Thank you for the Universe, which is our temple.

Thank you for the Star People, who watch over our water and all that lives, and who guide us and provide direction and a place in life.

Thank you for Grandmother Earth, mother of all the living beings who are our relatives.

Thank you for the Sunrise Wind, which brings us the Morning Star to open the dawn, permitting us to begin each new day without repeating our mistakes of yesterday.

Thank you for the Dawn Spirit, who brings renewal into our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our spirits, as it revives the spirits of our Grandmother Earth and of all our relatives, her children.

And thank you for the Black Tail Deer and Elk People, who live in the East and watch over us.

Thank you for the Summer Wind, which bears warmth and generosity to our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our spirits, as well as to our Grandmother and to all our relatives, her children.

And thank you for the Owl People who live in the South and watch over us.

Thank you for the Sunset Wind, which brings the lightning and thunder spirits to cleanse and refresh our Grandmother and all our relatives, her children, with rain, and which bears cleanliness and refreshment to our hearts, minds, bodies and our spirits.

And thank you for the Thunder Beings who live in the West and watch over us.

Thank you for the Winter Wind, Waziyata, which brings the strong and enduring winds that give our Grandmother, Unci Maka, and all her children, our relatives, strength and endurance, and bears strength and endurance to our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our spirits.

And thank you for the Buffalo People, Pte Oyate, who live in the North, and watch over us.

I thank you for all the winged things of the air, everything that flies, for their teachings, their generosity and their sacrifice. Thank you especially for the eagle, who flies the highest, sees the furthest, and is faithful to its mate.

Thank you for the four-leggeds, who give us so much and teach us so much, for their sacrifices and sharing. Because of them, we have learned how to eat and what to eat. Help us to look after them, for as they go, so go our people.

Thank you for all our relatives who crawl and live within the earth, for their sacrifices and sharing and their generosity. Thank you for all their teachings and for everything that they give us.

Thank you for the salmon and the trout and other swimming beings, who teach that it is our birthright to return to our home. May we remember our journey is always to return home.

And thank you for the spider, the coyote, the raven and the other tricksters who teach us that intelligence is not always the best strength and can feed our ego, prevent us from listening and learning, and fool us into hardships.  May we pay attention to their example. 

Thank you also for everything that grows, all the green things of the Earth. They teach us so much and give us so much. Thank you for their sacrifices and for their sharing. May we always remember that they give life and only we can take it away. 

Thank you especially for the tree with the whispering leaves, for its strength and independence, for its teachings. And thank you for the sacred Tree of Life, which we must nourish and care for, in order to ensure that it blossoms once again and so allows our people to live.

Thank you for each of the sacred teachings on respect, love, courage, humility, truth, honesty and wisdom and for the purification and cleanliness rituals that remind us of these sacred teachings.

Thank you for the sacred air and water, which remind us that we are owned by Grandmother Earth. May we be mindful that every breath we take and every drink we take must be given back.

Thank you for the power to dream, imagine and seek visions, which you granted us and which permit us to recognize a good road to follow throughout life, a road that is positive and independent, a road lead by good thoughts, good words, and good actions.

Thank you for knowledge of story and of our ancestors, who remind us of who we were and provide us the privilege and responsibility of thinking like a grandparent for our children. May we always remember that how we live honors or dishonors their teachings and sacrifices that made it possible for us to be hear.

Thank you for our women, who were once girls and young women who aspire to give the gift of life worthy of the universe. 

And thank you for our capacity to heal and our conscience, which motivates us to care for the infirm and the crippled and the sick, and thank you for the sweet medicines produced by our relatives who grow.

Thank you for the sweetwater, all the sacred colors, and songs of our Grandmother. Together, they represent everything that is worthy in life, and individually teach us so much. 

Thank you for everything that is holy and sacred and good. All teach us respect, wonder and awe and remind us that in the One is the many, and in the many, the One.

We are all related.