Wolf Fur, a Turkey Feather, and Some Balls of Dirt

“What’s in that bag you wear around your neck? Can I see it?” We get that question a lot. As people who follow a traditional tribal spirituality, we keep – and wear frequently – a leather pouch we call a medicine bag. Sometimes we have more than one over our lifetime. During a recent trip […]

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Lessons from an Ice Rink

The Five Faces of Discipline   he bedroom was always completely dark. I shared it with my mom while growing up in the tiny (800 sq ft) home of my grandparents. And my twin bed was so warm and cozy in the dead of winter. With not much insulation in the walls, our second floor […]

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What Are You Doing These Days?

Pandemic or not… we must refill our Pot of Life daily with… Work, Play, Eat and Sleep! We would like to share how we are coping during this time. During much of my life I have conscientiously made good choices that have been enriching. Most of those choices have been… See-Want-Do. This has filled my […]

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Seven Gifts from the Stone of Death – Part 2

This week, we discuss the last four gifts of the Stone of Death: Attitude – why it is the driving force of your life, Senses – how they help us interpret our world, Action – what you do brings you to understanding… and Perfection – when and where perfection exists, and why you are already perfect!

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Seven Gifts from the Stone of Death – Part 1

“Each night when we go to sleep, Creator places the Stone of Death on our eyes. When the sun rises the next morning, Creator lifts the stone from our eyes that we might live another day.”  This is an old Panji Sippe belief that my Mide’ has always taught me: When we open our eyes […]

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Thoughts on a Tattered Road Map Called Life

During these convoluted times, most of us have in some way or another, reflected on where we are, how we got here and what’s next. At the WeWán Institute we have likewise been contemplating these and many other important questions. The questions and the answers we find, will be pivotal for the future of each […]

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Grandpa Grew Roses

Grandpa George loved flowers. More specifically, he loved to grow flowers. In the summer, he grew gladiolas, snap dragons, zinnias, dahlias, asters, in every color of the rainbow. But the pride and joy of my grandfather’s flower garden were the roses. There were long stemmed, clusters, white, red, peach, pink, lavender, and yellow. They lined the perimeter of the little patch of lawn we had at the back of our house. He tended to those rose bushes like they were his children.

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For the Crooked Path of Life is the Teacher of all Things Important

The axiom in life is that it’s complicated, and through those complications, we become better in all things small or large. Take for example, the air conditioner project we’ve been working on. This last January we created a really fine gym in our one car garage, with elliptical, weight bench and free weights, chin up […]

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There Was a Baby Alligator in the Bathtub

Grandma was going to take a shower. We were on vacation in Hawai’i and had been at the pool and on the beach all afternoon. Everyone needed to get refreshed and ready for dinner. We had two connecting rooms – grandma Violet and my aunt Marlene shared one, and mom and I shared the other. […]

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