“All my relations”
Richard Wagamese (1955-2017) was an Ojibway from the Wabaseemoong First Nation in northwestern Ontario. On the inside cover of his book, Embers, it says of him: ”...he was recognized as one of Canada’s foremost First Nations authors and storytellers who authored 15 books.
Embers is described as a “carefully curated selection of his meditations (in which) he explored the various manifestations of stillness, harmony, trust, reverence, gratitude and joy.” One of the themes present in some of his meditations was his belief that we are all part of one human family.
As he wrote, “I’ve been considering the phrase ‘all my relations’ for some time now. It’s hugely important. It’s our saving grace in the end. It points to the truth that we are related, that we are all connected, that we all belong to each other.”
He says, “The most important word is ‘all.’ Not just those who look like me, sing like me, dance like me, speak like me, pray like me. ALL my relations. That means every person, just as it means every rock, mineral, blade of grass, and creature. We live because everything else does.
“If we were to choose collectively to live that teaching, the energy of our change of consciousness could heal each of us - and heal the planet .... Divine light shines through everything and everyone all the time. My work is to look for that light. In those fleeting , glorious instances when I see it. I am made more, right then, right there .... ”
He also writes, “Relationships never end; they just change. In believing that lies the freedom to carry compassion, empathy, love, kindness and respect into and through whatever changes. We are made more by that practice.”
In another meditation he writes, “It is love itself that brings us all together. The human family we are part of, this singular voice that is the accumulation of all voices raised together in praise of all creation, this one heartbeat, this one drum, this one immaculate love that put us here together so that we could learn it primary teaching - that love is the energy of creation, that it takes love to create love.”
Elsewhere he adds, “I don’t need to live for approval. I need to live for acceptance and joy in the unique, worthy, lovable, beautiful sacred being that I am, and to celebrate the same thing in others .... I’m learning to love my imperfections; in the end, they make me who I am, in all my flawed glory.”
I believe that if we consider the wisdom expressed in the above quotations by Wagamese, and see our relatedness to the whole human family, we will have a good feeling about ourselves, which will help us feel at one with other people. May it be so for us! Harvie Barker is a Penticton resident and writer of inspirational messages.