Returning to Ceremony

This last week I was once again at Sundance. This is a ceremony to honor men's rites of passage, however at the one I attend, there is an exquisit balance of masculine and feminine energies. While it is not my intention to share the ceremony with you, as that would violate an agreement I have with all Native American Ceremonies that I and any one might attend.
What I want to do today is to describe what the ceremony does for the people that attend.
Imagine for a moment a place where you go once a year, to touch into the way it could be on Mother Earth. Where all people help eachother, there are three pairs of hands for every task, where everyone, even the young 8-10 year old boys have something they can contribute for the good of the people. Imagine all colors, all races coming together to dance in peace. Where everyone is acknowledged and gratitude is heaped on people for the tasks they offer the community. Most people do not what the praise, they just are glad to help.
One such of the tasks that was needed were runners for the communication between camps, since some of us were camped up to two weeks like this for young boys is as a runner. Since we did not have use of cell phones, computers or other electronic divises, and were asked to unhook, and not use them during the dance, we needed young boys to run around and deliver messages. These boys were wonderful, responsible kids, who brought us what we needed to be communicated. It gave them a sense of purpose, and gave them something to do besides. They carried a painted stick, that told everyone they were the official runner, and so we all paid them a great deal of attention when they came to our camps, offering them water, or food, or something else to drink.
We also had free medical help, several of us volunteered for the work to keep people up right, dancing and praying for the dancers who were out there for 4 days with no food or water, voluntarily dancing and praying for the people. They were not just praying for this set of people (400-500 strong) that attended the dance. They prayed for all the people, all over the world, in addition, they prayed for the animals and plants and for Mother Gaia. They prayed for their children, and what a wonderful thing to see, people, 500 strong, who were in prayer for the Mother Earth and her children for 4 days.
When that many get together with the intention to ease the pain of life through prayer, you can feel the prayer, it is palapable, and it works to heal, and maintain life for the good of all.
In addition, each service provided (garbage pickup, or water deivery where each camp had a barrel of water they could use - yes this is a highly organized dance) the money we paid for these
services, went to the collective good of the people. Over the years, a non-profit had been set up to spread the word of how we can live together on Mother Earth.
Now bringing what I learned over the years at Sundance back to the people at large, it is a different world than the one we live in, or is it? When we celebrate life with regards to the Earth, including her and the whole cosmos into the equation of our lives, we find a paradise that is possible to achieve. It is a good way to live, and whether people are black, white, red or yellow, we can achieve this, as every year thousands of people all over the world dance in this way for the good of the Earth.
It makes all of our lives better, greeting the Sun every dawn, seeing the stars flooding the night sky, feeling the integrity and love of the Earth. This is the best thing we can do, the best way to live. It just takes a change of heart. It takes an awareness that the Earth is alive and willing to relate to us as a loving mother that she is. The spirits of our grandmothers and grandfathers are with us to help, love and be with us. To guide us.
This is the grace that prayer brings. With All My Relations, Robin White Turtle.