| Native Path to Deep Spirituality with Grandfather Duncan Sings-Alone |
Many people are searching
for ways to deepen their
spiritual lives. This workshop
will explore native approaches
to getting in touch with one’s
deeper self. Starting with the
recognition that all are one,
that we belong to each other,
we will explore ways of
experiencing this sameness
and of finding the sacred within
ourselves and in all creation.
for ways to deepen their
spiritual lives. This workshop
will explore native approaches
to getting in touch with one’s
deeper self. Starting with the
recognition that all are one,
that we belong to each other,
we will explore ways of
experiencing this sameness
and of finding the sacred within
ourselves and in all creation.
Deep spirituality is not a set of techniques. It is a way of relationship with all that
is, or what my people call Mitakuye Oyas’in, (all my relations). This means that
when you walk the land you know that the Grandmother beneath your feet is alive,
that the tree beside you has its own consciousness, that the stones over which you
step have their own consciousness, and that the world around you and you are one.
Living in that knowledge is what we call deep spirituality.
This workshop will use experiential exercises and stories to explore the meaning of Mitakuye
Oyas’in, (all my relations) and to deepen our sense of connection with each other and with
the sacred.
Many Indian tribes have prophecies that we are moving through the last years of an old age,
and looking forward to a new age being born. Human beings must learn to take care of each
other, respect and love each other as Sacred Beings.
This workshop is in the stream of teachings aimed at preparing all of us to fully participate in
the birthing of a new age of enlightenment where all races may become human in the best
sense of this word.
is, or what my people call Mitakuye Oyas’in, (all my relations). This means that
when you walk the land you know that the Grandmother beneath your feet is alive,
that the tree beside you has its own consciousness, that the stones over which you
step have their own consciousness, and that the world around you and you are one.
Living in that knowledge is what we call deep spirituality.
This workshop will use experiential exercises and stories to explore the meaning of Mitakuye
Oyas’in, (all my relations) and to deepen our sense of connection with each other and with
the sacred.
Many Indian tribes have prophecies that we are moving through the last years of an old age,
and looking forward to a new age being born. Human beings must learn to take care of each
other, respect and love each other as Sacred Beings.
This workshop is in the stream of teachings aimed at preparing all of us to fully participate in
the birthing of a new age of enlightenment where all races may become human in the best
sense of this word.
Grandfather Duncan Sings-Alone is an enrolled Cherokee (Georgia Tribe of Eastern
Cherokee), a storyteller, healer, and spiritual teacher. He is also a Dharma Holder in the Zen
Garland School, An International Spiritual Family. His book, Sprinting Backwards to God,
contains many lessons told in story form.
Like so many other First Americans, the Wounded Knee occupation of 1973 called Sings-
Alone back to his roots, and he became deeply involved in Native American spiritual practices.
Spirits led him to a Lakota/Monacan medicine man with whom he studied intensively for
seven years, sometimes participating in or pouring six sweatlodges a week. In the lineage of
Chief Fools Crow, Dawson No-Horse, and George Whitewolf, the Sacred Pipe and the Inipi
have been his home for thirty-three years. In 1988, following a Vision Quest, he established
The Free Cherokees, an inter-tribal spiritual group dedicated to fostering Native sacred
teachings to people who were no longer connected to their tribal roots.
At the Spirits’ direction, he is now dedicating his life to teaching Native American Spirituality
outside the indigenous Community. His workshops brim with humor, story, and direct
experience of the Sacred.
Cherokee), a storyteller, healer, and spiritual teacher. He is also a Dharma Holder in the Zen
Garland School, An International Spiritual Family. His book, Sprinting Backwards to God,
contains many lessons told in story form.
Like so many other First Americans, the Wounded Knee occupation of 1973 called Sings-
Alone back to his roots, and he became deeply involved in Native American spiritual practices.
Spirits led him to a Lakota/Monacan medicine man with whom he studied intensively for
seven years, sometimes participating in or pouring six sweatlodges a week. In the lineage of
Chief Fools Crow, Dawson No-Horse, and George Whitewolf, the Sacred Pipe and the Inipi
have been his home for thirty-three years. In 1988, following a Vision Quest, he established
The Free Cherokees, an inter-tribal spiritual group dedicated to fostering Native sacred
teachings to people who were no longer connected to their tribal roots.
At the Spirits’ direction, he is now dedicating his life to teaching Native American Spirituality
outside the indigenous Community. His workshops brim with humor, story, and direct
experience of the Sacred.
DUNCAN SINGS-ALONE
| WORKSHOP Saturday, April 24, 10am-4pm at HMCLZC Fee: $65 |
APOLOGIA
This is a note S-A wrote his family regarding his involvement in Zen. Thought you might be interested in this
integration of Zen and Native American Spirituality.
integration of Zen and Native American Spirituality.
2/3/10
Dear friends, cohorts, and others:
This will be an unusual letter as I generally find it pointless to try to explain oneself, and these
things may not be of much interest to you one way or the other. Some of this material you have
already heard in snips and pieces. I will try to put it all together in a sensible whole for you.
You may know that back in 1973 I met Rolling Thunder, a Cherokee/Shoshone medicine man who
told me I was miserable and would never be happy until I knew who I was... To come live with him
and he would teach me some things. It was a miserable time in my life, but, I did arrange to move
near him and he taught me how to live in the Indian World. Later, Sarah (my wife at the time) was
transferred to Bethesda Hospital in Maryland and I hooked up with George Whitewolf. For seven
years I spent a great deal of time with him learning the medicine ways. For the past 37 years the
Red Road...the Native Path...has been my life to a great extent. It continues to be my spiritual way
even though I can no longer practice it the way I would want.
I think you all know that several years ago the Grandfathers told me I was to spend the rest of my
life teaching outside the native community. They said that the time was approaching when people
would need the kind of spirituality we practice. i.e. Mitakuye Oyas’in...respect for the Grandmother
Earth and all her children....the environment, animals, people etc., an understanding that we are all
part of the Earth, of the same “stuff” as the earth although in different forms, and that as the earth
is sacred, we too are sacred.
I developed a couple of workshops and began to present them in various venues. They have been
well received and I will continue to do them. The trick has been to teach the spirituality without it
being grounded in sacred ceremony. The sad truth is that the Sacred Pipe (Chanupa), Sweatlodge,
Vision Quest are not widely available. There would be no point in teaching things that required
participation in those ceremonies, so I worked to separate the spirituality from the rituals. After all,
good ritual expresses the spirituality but is not the same as that spirituality.
It also happened that a couple of years ago I “discovered” Zen, began to read widely, and to
participate in Zen meditation.
As you know, February 2009, the Grandfathers told me I had done my last sweatlodge. They said
that so long as I was grounded in the lodge, I would not be teaching in the way that was needed. I
think too, that they were feeling sorry for me. The lodge was becoming physically harder for me at
75 and even more so for Cilla as young as she is. I complained that if they wanted me teaching
more, they would have to open some doors for me.
They did, big time. I gave my workshops at the church, at Harmony Center and another place or
two. I was also asked to present at the Mother Zendo of the Zen Peacemaker movement. To say
that I was enthusiastically received would be an understatement. Soon thereafter I was scheduled
for the Sivananda Yoga Retreat Ashram on Paradise Island, the Bahamas at the end of this month
and during the 2010 Christmas season.
I have found that Zen philosophy is consistent with our Native beliefs. I have read literally stacks of
books on Zen. There is nothing there that is foreign to me. Meditating the Zen way is available to
everyone, and I find it very satisfying. I feel more centered, less irritable and more empathic. I am
not holding on to anger and resentments. I am embarrassed to admit that my language has cleaned
up a lot. I don’t think I realized how bad mouthed I had become until Priscilla told me about a year
ago. All in all, I have found that Zen has filled a big, empty spot in my heart, and as I noted, it is
widely available to anyone who wants to learn whereas the sweatlodge and other Native Ceremonies
are nearly impossible to find except for the lucky few.
In the course of this past year, I have become very close to Genki Roshi who was the spiritual
director of the Zen Peacemakers. He has now returned to his own group in New Jersey. He also
has a formal Zen relationship with people in Switzerland, the Ukraine, and around this country. He
is organizing the Zen Garland School: An International Spiritual Family. Part of the work of this
school will be to redo everything from liturgy, liturgical garments, songs to make them all less
Japanese and more American...to make all of our work more compatible with this culture.
I am now part of this group, bringing Native concepts and practices into it. Cilla and I have already
had a hand in rewriting the vows for membership in this organization to make them less Japanese
and more western. This past week I sat in a 3 day silent meditation retreat at the end of which, I
formally became a Zen Buddhist and a Dharma Holder (assistant teacher under Genki Roshi’s
direction). Some time in the future I will probably be ordained as a Zen Priest. I am in the process
now of organizing the first of two Zendos (teaching communities) that will carry the name, Red Path
Zendo, or something like that. I will do one here in Upton and another in Leland.
No....I won’t be shaving my head or wearing saffron robes. I fantasized coming home from this
past retreat with one of those costume bald heads and a saffron robe to just shock Cilla, but
decided not to. I am probably stretching her credulity enough.
Yes....I continue with my Pipe. Of course, I can’t do sweatlodge or vision quest, but I can work with
my Pipe and the Spirits still work with me in that setting. None of that changes. First and
foremost I remain a Cherokee Medicine Priest. Did you know that I am registered in Maryland,
Massachusetts and Connecticut that way for legal purposes...weddings etc. I also remain an
enthusiastic Unitarian/Universalist. The inclusiveness, love, and commitment of that group makes a
big difference in our lives, the community and the world. Fortunately, I could be a purple eyed
magic dragon and our UU’s would still embrace me.
If you have any questions about all this, please ask. If you are thinking that you need to admit me
to a psychiatric facility for examination, talk to Cilla. Even so, I would love you (grin).
Much love,
Daddy
Dear friends, cohorts, and others:
This will be an unusual letter as I generally find it pointless to try to explain oneself, and these
things may not be of much interest to you one way or the other. Some of this material you have
already heard in snips and pieces. I will try to put it all together in a sensible whole for you.
You may know that back in 1973 I met Rolling Thunder, a Cherokee/Shoshone medicine man who
told me I was miserable and would never be happy until I knew who I was... To come live with him
and he would teach me some things. It was a miserable time in my life, but, I did arrange to move
near him and he taught me how to live in the Indian World. Later, Sarah (my wife at the time) was
transferred to Bethesda Hospital in Maryland and I hooked up with George Whitewolf. For seven
years I spent a great deal of time with him learning the medicine ways. For the past 37 years the
Red Road...the Native Path...has been my life to a great extent. It continues to be my spiritual way
even though I can no longer practice it the way I would want.
I think you all know that several years ago the Grandfathers told me I was to spend the rest of my
life teaching outside the native community. They said that the time was approaching when people
would need the kind of spirituality we practice. i.e. Mitakuye Oyas’in...respect for the Grandmother
Earth and all her children....the environment, animals, people etc., an understanding that we are all
part of the Earth, of the same “stuff” as the earth although in different forms, and that as the earth
is sacred, we too are sacred.
I developed a couple of workshops and began to present them in various venues. They have been
well received and I will continue to do them. The trick has been to teach the spirituality without it
being grounded in sacred ceremony. The sad truth is that the Sacred Pipe (Chanupa), Sweatlodge,
Vision Quest are not widely available. There would be no point in teaching things that required
participation in those ceremonies, so I worked to separate the spirituality from the rituals. After all,
good ritual expresses the spirituality but is not the same as that spirituality.
It also happened that a couple of years ago I “discovered” Zen, began to read widely, and to
participate in Zen meditation.
As you know, February 2009, the Grandfathers told me I had done my last sweatlodge. They said
that so long as I was grounded in the lodge, I would not be teaching in the way that was needed. I
think too, that they were feeling sorry for me. The lodge was becoming physically harder for me at
75 and even more so for Cilla as young as she is. I complained that if they wanted me teaching
more, they would have to open some doors for me.
They did, big time. I gave my workshops at the church, at Harmony Center and another place or
two. I was also asked to present at the Mother Zendo of the Zen Peacemaker movement. To say
that I was enthusiastically received would be an understatement. Soon thereafter I was scheduled
for the Sivananda Yoga Retreat Ashram on Paradise Island, the Bahamas at the end of this month
and during the 2010 Christmas season.
I have found that Zen philosophy is consistent with our Native beliefs. I have read literally stacks of
books on Zen. There is nothing there that is foreign to me. Meditating the Zen way is available to
everyone, and I find it very satisfying. I feel more centered, less irritable and more empathic. I am
not holding on to anger and resentments. I am embarrassed to admit that my language has cleaned
up a lot. I don’t think I realized how bad mouthed I had become until Priscilla told me about a year
ago. All in all, I have found that Zen has filled a big, empty spot in my heart, and as I noted, it is
widely available to anyone who wants to learn whereas the sweatlodge and other Native Ceremonies
are nearly impossible to find except for the lucky few.
In the course of this past year, I have become very close to Genki Roshi who was the spiritual
director of the Zen Peacemakers. He has now returned to his own group in New Jersey. He also
has a formal Zen relationship with people in Switzerland, the Ukraine, and around this country. He
is organizing the Zen Garland School: An International Spiritual Family. Part of the work of this
school will be to redo everything from liturgy, liturgical garments, songs to make them all less
Japanese and more American...to make all of our work more compatible with this culture.
I am now part of this group, bringing Native concepts and practices into it. Cilla and I have already
had a hand in rewriting the vows for membership in this organization to make them less Japanese
and more western. This past week I sat in a 3 day silent meditation retreat at the end of which, I
formally became a Zen Buddhist and a Dharma Holder (assistant teacher under Genki Roshi’s
direction). Some time in the future I will probably be ordained as a Zen Priest. I am in the process
now of organizing the first of two Zendos (teaching communities) that will carry the name, Red Path
Zendo, or something like that. I will do one here in Upton and another in Leland.
No....I won’t be shaving my head or wearing saffron robes. I fantasized coming home from this
past retreat with one of those costume bald heads and a saffron robe to just shock Cilla, but
decided not to. I am probably stretching her credulity enough.
Yes....I continue with my Pipe. Of course, I can’t do sweatlodge or vision quest, but I can work with
my Pipe and the Spirits still work with me in that setting. None of that changes. First and
foremost I remain a Cherokee Medicine Priest. Did you know that I am registered in Maryland,
Massachusetts and Connecticut that way for legal purposes...weddings etc. I also remain an
enthusiastic Unitarian/Universalist. The inclusiveness, love, and commitment of that group makes a
big difference in our lives, the community and the world. Fortunately, I could be a purple eyed
magic dragon and our UU’s would still embrace me.
If you have any questions about all this, please ask. If you are thinking that you need to admit me
to a psychiatric facility for examination, talk to Cilla. Even so, I would love you (grin).
Much love,
Daddy
To register, email the office or call 201-891-9100. Pay by
credit card, Paypal or check. Make checks out to "HMCLZC"
and mail to HMCLZC, 393 Crescent Ave., Wyckoff, NJ 07461.
credit card, Paypal or check. Make checks out to "HMCLZC"
and mail to HMCLZC, 393 Crescent Ave., Wyckoff, NJ 07461.