Native American & Christian spiritual ways have been an experiential blessing for me. On this Father's Day weekend I spent time with Mother Earth and Father Sky at a local powwow, ironically located at one of the in/famous California missions...another place of Fathers.

     On one end of the grounds at the mission were sculptures of Jesus, Mary, and scenes of their lives, the Mission building itself, and tributes to the work and messages the missionaries brought. On the other end of the grounds was the powwow where ceremonial dance grounds, booths, food, etc. were. The local Native communities invited all peoples to celebrate, to dance, drum, listen, sing, and partake in food, friends, and family; a warm evening connecting to the Earth.

     A ceremony for Veterens played to my heart during the powwow as we were invited to enter the dancing grounds to shake the hands and thank those who had served in Vietnam, Iraq, and so on. My heart pounded and my body disappeared as I approached the drum circle of 12 men beating in unison, arriving at the line of men awaiting our graciousness for their service. I looked into the eyes of each person who had endured War, shook their hand and thanked them. I had been nervous to enter the invisible boundry into the sacred circle, pushing through my preconception that a non-native should not enter. The experience of meeting eyes with these father/peer/elder warriors confirmed my respect for those who fought for what they believed in. We were told that the first casualty in Iraq was a Native American woman and we spent a moment honoring her. We were told that 75% of Natives serving in Vietnam volunteered, only 25% were drafted. A culture ladden with warriors rises to the occasion. 

    Paralled by the powwow was the presence of Jesus, another Father. Father of Love, as in the understanding of the father above like Father Sky; holding a space for expanding our awareness as children walking this Earth. Someone had placed flowers in Jesus' hand—a sculpture of him bearing the cross. The sculptures had a presence of Truth if sought by the seeker, a three-dimensional experience of the life and beingness of Jesus embodying Love. I found a new expericence of appreciation for a Father who led by following his true self...

     It was a beautiful blending of the two worlds.

     Happy Father's Day.

     The next day my father and I watched an action movie and relaxed about. He thanked me for making him a father. I thanked him for being mine. Later that week we sat around a campfire and talked about life. We talked about my father's father who died two years ago, whose birthday was also within that same week. My dad helped me work though my undertsanding of my life as it is now. I felt comforted listening to the reflections of my dad, nearly 30 years my elder, having lived a very different life than mine.

     Who is your Father? Or the abscence, or spirit of?

     Who are your lineage of Fathers?

     We are all fathers and mothers to someone, each other...striving, one would hope, to honor all boys and men as fathers, all women and girls as mothers.