Then white Christians from Europe "discovered" us. They said our ways were savage, our spirituality was wrong. They took our children by force in order to assimilate them into the white culture and to teach them Christianity. We were forbidden to have our ceremonies. Missionaries came in droves to convert us and to this day, many Cherokee people are Baptist, Methodist, etc. Ironically, these Europeans came here to escape religious persecution. They came here and did to us exactly what was being done to them and did not seem to see the wrong in it. You probably are asking yourself, "How can someone leave a place to escape persecution and seek religious freedom in another land, then deny the people in that new land the freedom to worship as they see fit?" How could they!

Meanwhile, in Europe, Christians were doing much the same thing to the heathens there. "Heathens" by the way, are people of the "heather", or woods. some were accused of speaking to trees, making potions, communicating with animals and healing by the laying on of hands. These people were killed in horrible ways for this behavior. Whoa, wait a minute! This sounds like Cherokee people, not European heathens or witches. Surely these people don't realize what they are doing. Surely these people, these heathens have the right to believe and practice their spiritual beliefs without being burned at the stake. Obviously not!!

Thank the Creator, the Great Spirit, the Grandfathers and the Four Directions that we can hold our ceremony without interference. We can hold sweatlodge and pipe ceremonies anytime and anyplace. At our farm that the grandchildren named "Dragon Hills", my eldest granddaughter, Cheyenne, at four years old explained to me that the trees here sing to her. she proceeded to sing a particular chant that she learned form the Grandmother Oak. She explained to me that death is like a computer game—when you master one level you get to advance to the next. She recently told me that we are all like plants with many roots. Some roots are big and strong, while some are fine little "hairs". The roots are our spiritual teachings and all of them together feed us so we become a strong plant. I pray that she follows the Cherokee path. She may be laughed at by Christians, ridiculed even, but at least for now they are not burning Cherokee people at the stake. If she continued with these gems as a pagan, I'm not sure. The message is the same, but the result is different.

I believe that every person, every spirit, who has chosen to participate in this human experience has the right to choose the spiritual walk that meets their needs. I believe that it is my duty to protect that right to the best of my ability. I pledge to make this farm available without judgment and open to all spiritual walks that respect the Mother Earth and the Creator. it will be a safe place for those who are steadfast and certain of their spiritual walk, even if I don't green with them, as well as those confused souls who are still searching. I don't care if they are of different skin color, different ideas, different sexual orientation, all are welcome here - Christian, Jew, Catholic, Wiccan, Santerian, Cherokee, Lakota, Russian, whatever!!

We will hug you when you arrive and we will hug you when you leave. I will express my views and listen to yours. We are all related! Can it be any other ways?!

AHO!
Chief BlueCrow Brother