Prayer for the Great Family

Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing through night and day—

    and to her soil: rich, rare and sweet

        in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Plants, the sun-facing light-changing leaf

    and fine root-hairs; standing still through the wind

    and rain; their dance is in the flowing spiral grain

        in our mind so be it.

Gratitude to Air, bearing the soaring Swift and the silent

    Owl at dawn. Breath of our song

    clear spirit breeze

        in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Wild Beings, our brothers, teaching secrets,

    freedoms, and ways; who share with us their milk;

    self-complete, brave, and aware

        in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Water: clouds, lakes, rivers, glaciers;

    holding or releasing; streaming through all

    our bodies salty seas

        in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to the Sun: blinding pulsing light through

    trunks of trees, through mists, warming caves where

    bears and snakes sleep—he who wakes us—

        in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to the Great Sky

    who holds billions of stars—and goes yet beyond that—

beyond all powers, and thoughts

and yet is within us—

Grandfather Space.

The Mind is his Wife.

       so be it.

                                                        after a Mohawk prayer