5 Native American Teachings to Remember Everyday

1. Remain Close to The Great Spirit

What does The Great Spirit mean to you? Do you resonate with the phrase The Great Spirit or with God, the Higher Power, your Higher Self, Jesus, Oneness, Krishna, Buddha, or any other? Whichever is your truth, remain close to it, know it is your ‘Great Spirit’ and know that it nourishes you, provides for you, and gives you strength. Remaining close to The Great Spirit keeps you close to yourself. Acknowledging The Great Spirit multiple times a day also allows for a deep sense of gratitude.

2. Show Great Respect for Your Fellow Beings

Showing respect is honoring those around you. Be it your boss or a loved one, the homeless man on the street, the cat next door, or the plant that needs watering on your deck. As we respect our fellow beings, we are also respecting ourselves. As the Mayans say, “In Lak’ech,” which means, I am another you or you are another me. The Hindus and yogis say, “Namaste,” meaning, the light in me honors and is one with the light in you. In Africa they say, “Ubuntu,” meaning, I am because you are. These phrases reiterate the importance of showing respect to our fellow beings because they are no different from you.

3. Give Assistance and Kindness Wherever Needed

Providing a helping hand can add brightness to a person’s day and kindness can come in any form, perhaps a smile or a hug. Sometimes we are moving too fast to stop or to even notice that someone could use our assistance. So when we keep our eyes open for where kindness or service is needed, we are taking a step outside of ourselves and outside of our own problems. This keeps us from focusing on our own burdens and lets us be another person’s blessing.

4. Be Truthful and Honest at All Times

Telling the truth might at times feel hard, but it honors the person we are speaking to and it is better for our mind, body, and spirit. Keeping feelings, secrets, or truths inside can eat at us. Speaking honestly is something that might have to be relearned or remembered because many of us were told to ‘be quiet’ or to follow the directions of our guardians and teachers. As a little kid, hearing the words ‘be quiet’ can affect a lot more than just not talking in the library. It can cause us to shut our mouths at times when we really want to speak up, or worse, we might just say what we think people want to hear because we are ‘being nice.’ Allow yourself to share your truth openly, honesty and with kindness in your heart.

5. Look After the Well-being of Mind and Body

As we take care of our mind and body, we are honoring ourselves, The Great Spirit, and all those around us. Looking after the well-being of the mind and body will be different for everyone, maybe you care for your mind and body by eating foods full of life and by living an active lifestyle. Whatever it is we do for ourselves, we are showing ourselves love, which allows us to better love others. When you love yourself above all else, you will love every living thing around you because they are you as you are them. Giving more care to the mind and body can help restore balance, allow your mind to relax, your body to rest and your spirit to just be.