Aaniin, today on Rezidivism I would like to talk about “using the force”. When I was a little kid, my grandma would always have us put our tobacco out when there was a storm coming. We would always put out tobacco when we went on long trips or when we needed additional help. There always seemed to be something brewing on the stove and us kids would have to line up to take our dose. The old men and women would always talk about a connection to the spirits and how we can get that connection by using our asemaa.
When it came to healers, there was some extra power that was conveyed to them in order to help the Anishinaabe People. That power comes from the will of the Manidoog. The ability to use energy outside our physical realm in order to perform work that aid in the healing of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual ailments would only be available through the will of the Manidoog.
The ability to communicate with the Spirit World is a given in Anishinaabe Culture. Basically you would need to set out some tobacco & food, let the manidoo know your intentions using the language as the conduit and accept the food on behalf of the Manidoog in order for it to be transferred over to the Spirit World. Here you can ask for assistance, guidance and express gratitude for everything and anything all at the same time.
These connections are dependent on eachother acting accordingly to one another. The connection can be described as energy transfer similar to that of electricity or photosynthesis. You send out energy and receive energy in relation to connection strength. The energy available is infinite and there is “Nothing the Manidoog can‘t do”, as stated by Ojibwe Elders. Here in the physical world, the energy has limitations. Although it is accessible, the nature of our environment seems to restrict energy on a physical level. There seems to be nothing here on Earth that is capable of holding insurmountable energy that is available from the Spirit World.
It seems to be that the Ojibwe Culture is the basis of Stars Wars, or so it seems through my perspective. The Jedi are Anishinaabe. You will see that through their lives, they aim for connection to energy in order to be of service to others. To help them in time of need and be of service. Using energy that needs a built connection, trusting their visions or ”the Force” guides them through the toughest of situations.
The ”Dark Side“ can easily be compared to the American Efforts of using Christianity to dominate a society. They have many “storm troopers”(priests, nuns, teachers) that patrol the communities and police acts outside the accepted protocols of the Sith(Boarding School Administrators, American Government). Using fear as the main conduit needed for conversion, they were able to transfer energy from the Traditional Ways into that of faiths outside the relevancy of an Indigenous Community.
My fellow Anishinaabeg, please remember that the 1000 generations of our ancestors live within us collectively. Not 1 of us holds the power (outside of the story of Star Wars). When we come together and avoid separation is where our power is the strongest. The Force has already been built within us from our Anishinaabe Spirits. It is up to us to use it to increase our connections individually to come together collectively in order to express infinite energy relating to our ancestors for a better future.
Build your spiritual connection, be of service to your community and care for one another. Remember, the Force is with you.
We will further get into this topic and look forward to hearing your stories.
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Miigwech