Great Spirit Prayer

Long before organized religion arrived on the American continents, indigenous peoples lived in direct, unmediated relationship with the Sacred.

Long before organized religion arrived on the American continents, indigenous peoples lived in direct, unmediated relationship with the Sacred. They didn't need priests to interpret God for them.

They didn't need holy buildings. They didn't need written scripture.

The Great Spirit-*Wakan Tanka* to the Lakota, *Gitche Manitou* to the Ojibwe, *Tirawa* to the Pawnee-was not a distant deity in the sky but an intimate presence woven into every breath, every stone, every star, every creature.

This prayer to Great Spirit is not something you need permission to speak. It's not something that requires initiation or special training.