Great Spirit Prayer | Paul Wagner

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. It's your birthright as a human being walking on this Earth. You don't have to have indigenous ancestry to honor the Great Spirit. You don't have to adopt Native American practices wholesale. But you DO need to approach with respect, with humility, and with the recognition that indigenous peoples have been praying these prayers for tens of thousands of years, surviving genocide, forced assimilation, and erasure, and still maintaining their sacred relationship with the Earth. When you pray to Great Spirit, you're joining a lineage of people who understood that everything is alive, everything is conscious, everything is connected. You're remembering a way of being that Western civilization has tried desperately to forget: that you are not separate from nature-you ARE nature, becoming aware of itself. ### Who Is Great Spirit? Great Spirit is not a "who" in the way we usually think of personhood. Great Spirit is the living consciousness that animates all things. It's the Mystery that cannot be named but can be felt. It's the intelligence that knows how to grow an oak tree from an acorn, how to turn a caterpillar into a butterfly, how to spiral a galaxy, how to beat your heart without your conscious effort. Great Spirit is: - **Immanent**: Present in everything, from the smallest pebble to the largest mountain - **Transcendent**: Beyond all form, the source from which everything arises - **Personal**: Available for direct relationship, not mediated by institution or intermediary - **Reciprocal**: Responds to your prayers, your offerings, your attention Different from the Abrahamic traditions where God is often conceived as separate from creation, indigenous spirituality sees the Sacred as inseparable from the world. The Earth is not just God's creation-it's God's body. The animals are not just creatures-they're our relatives. The plants are not just resources-they're our teachers. When you pray to Great Spirit, you're acknowledging your place in the web of life. You're remembering that you're not the master of nature but a humble participant in the great dance. ### The Great Spirit Prayer This prayer is inspired by indigenous traditions but adapted for contemporary seekers who want to honor the essence without appropriating specific tribal practices. If you're called to work more deeply with indigenous spirituality, seek out actual indigenous teachers and communities. Support native-led organizations. Learn the specific prayers and protocols of particular traditions with permission and guidance. --- **Great Spirit,** **Grandfather, Grandmother,** **Sacred Mystery that breathes through all things,** I come before you with an open heart and empty hands. I come not to take, but to give thanks. I come not to demand, but to listen. I come not as a separate being, but as a part of the whole, remembering my place in the great web of life. **To the East, where the sun rises,** I give thanks for new beginnings, for the light that breaks through darkness, for the gift of each new day, for hope that returns no matter how long the night. I honor the element of Air, the breath that all beings share. I honor the Eagle, who flies close to the Creator and sees the big picture. I honor the Spring, when life returns to the sleeping Earth. I honor the mind, the power of vision, the capacity to see clearly. **To the South, where the sun is strongest,** I give thanks for warmth, for passion, for the fire that fuels life, for the courage to stand tall, for the energy to create and play. I honor the element of Fire, the sacred spark in all living things. I honor the Coyote, the trickster teacher who breaks me open through laughter and chaos. I honor the Summer, the fullness of growth and abundance. I honor the heart, the power of love, the capacity to feel deeply.

Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now remains one of the most important spiritual books of our time. *(paid link)*

**To the West, where the sun sets,** I give thanks for endings, for death that makes way for rebirth, for the darkness that teaches me to go inward, for the mystery I cannot see but can feel. I honor the element of Water, the flow of emotions, the cleansing rain, the deep ocean. I honor the Bear, who knows how to rest, how to go within, how to emerge renewed. I honor the Autumn, when leaves fall and the harvest is gathered. I honor the body, the power of sensation, the capacity to be present in form. **To the North, where the cold winds blow,** I give thanks for stillness, for wisdom earned through hardship, for the elders who have walked before me, for the ancestors who guide me still. I honor the element of Earth, the solid ground beneath my feet, the bones of my body. I honor the Buffalo, who gives everything so that the people may live. I honor the Winter, when life rests beneath the snow, gathering strength for spring. I honor the spirit, the power of knowing, the capacity to access ancient wisdom. **To the Earth below,** I give thanks for holding me, for feeding me, for every plant and stone and creature. I remember that my body is made of your body. When I die, I will return to you, and you will transform me into new life. Teach me to walk gently upon you. Teach me to take only what I need and give back more than I take. Teach me to honor the sacred reciprocity that sustains all beings. **To the Sky above,** I give thanks for the sun that warms me, the moon that guides me through darkness, the stars that remind me of the vastness I am part of, the rain that quenches my thirst. Teach me to reach upward while staying rooted downward. Teach me to dream big while honoring the small. Teach me that I am both human and divine, earth and star. **To the Center, where I stand,** I give thanks for this body, this life, this moment. I remember that I am the place where Earth and Sky meet, where matter and spirit embrace, where the sacred becomes visible in form. Help me to stand in my power without dominating. Help me to be humble without diminishing myself. Help me to serve the greater good while honoring my individual path. **Great Spirit, I pray for:** All my relations-not just human family, but the family of all beings: - The two-legged (humans) - The four-legged (animals) - The winged ones (birds and insects) - The standing people (trees) - The crawling ones (reptiles and amphibians) - The swimmers (fish and water creatures) - The stone people (minerals and crystals) - The green growing ones (plants) May all beings be free from suffering. May all beings know peace. May all beings remember their sacred nature. I pray for the Earth herself, who is suffering from human forgetfulness. May we remember that we are not separate from nature. May we shift from dominion to stewardship. May we heal what we have harmed. May we protect what remains. I pray for the children-seven generations forward- that they may inherit a world where clean water flows, where forests stand tall, where animals roam free, where the sky is clear, where the soil is rich, where humans have remembered how to live in balance. I pray for myself- that I may live with integrity, speaking truth and walking my talk. That I may love fiercely and forgive freely. That I may use my gifts in service to the whole. That I may die without regret, knowing I gave what I came to give.

Palo santo has been used for centuries to clear negative energy and invite in the sacred. *(paid link)* The wood literally means "holy stick" in Spanish, and when you burn it, you can feel why indigenous shamans considered it a bridge between worlds. That sweet, piney smoke doesn't just smell good ~ it shifts something in the air, in your head, in the room itself. I've used it before difficult conversations, after arguments, when the house feels heavy with old bullshit. Know what I mean? Sometimes you walk into a space and it just feels... thick. Stagnant. Like emotional residue clung to the walls after someone's meltdown or that passive-aggressive dinner where nobody said what they really meant. That's when I reach for the palo santo. Think about that. A simple piece of wood, harvested respectfully, becomes a tool for spiritual housekeeping. It's not magic in some Disney sense ~ it's more like opening windows in a stuffy room, but for your soul.

**Great Spirit, hear my prayer.** **Not because I deserve to be heard,** **but because you hear all prayers,** **even those unspoken,** **even those that rise as tears,** **even those that come as rage at injustice,** **even those that whisper from the deepest despair.** You hear the prayer of the wolf howling at the moon. You hear the prayer of the river flowing to the sea. You hear the prayer of the seed cracking open in the dark soil. And you hear my prayer, too. **Mitakuye Oyasin.** **All My Relations.** **We are one.** --- ### Understanding "All My Relations" (Mitakuye Oyasin) This Lakota phrase *Mitakuye Oyasin* (pronounced mee-TAH-koo-yeh oh-YAH-seen) is one of the most sacred utterances in indigenous spirituality. It means "All My Relations" or "We are all related." This is not a cute sentiment. It's a cosmological truth. You are related to: - The deer you eat - The tree that provides your oxygen - The bacteria in your gut - The person who cut you off in traffic - The enemy you think you hate - The stars whose elements make up your body When you say *Mitakuye Oyasin*, you're acknowledging that what you do to any part of the web, you do to yourself. When you poison the river, you poison your own body. When you clearcut the forest, you clearcut your own lungs. When you harm another being, you harm yourself. That's not abstract philosophy. physics. What we're looking at is biology. Here's the thing: it's the truth that indigenous peoples have always known and that modern science is finally catching up to. ### The Medicine Wheel and the Four Directions Many indigenous traditions honor the four directions as teachers, each carrying specific wisdom: **East (Yellow)**: Spring, dawn, childhood, mental area, air, eagle, new beginnings, illumination, clarity, vision **South (Red)**: Summer, midday, adolescence, emotional area, fire, coyote, growth, passion, trust, innocence, playfulness **West (Black)**: Autumn, dusk, adulthood, physical area, water, bear, introspection, looking within, death/rebirth, letting go **North (White)**: Winter, night, elderhood, spiritual area, earth, buffalo, wisdom, gratitude, rest, completion, ancestors When you honor the four directions in prayer, you're not just following a formula. You're aligning yourself with the natural cycles of life. You're acknowledging that everything has a season, everything has a purpose, and you need ALL of it-not just the easy, comfortable parts.

If you do not already journal, start today. Seriously. A good journal is one of the most powerful tools for self-discovery. *(paid link)* I'm talking about real writing here, not typing notes on your phone or rambling into voice memos. Pen to paper. Something happens when you physically write that doesn't happen any other way ~ your thoughts slow down, your mind clears, and suddenly you're having conversations with parts of yourself you forgot existed. The stuff that comes out will surprise you. Trust me on this.

### How to Practice This Prayer **1. Create a Sacred Space** You don't need an elaborate altar, but it helps to have a designated space. This could be: - A corner of your home with objects from nature (stones, feathers, shells) - A spot outside under a tree - A simple cloth laid on the ground with a candle The point is intention. You're marking this as sacred space, different from ordinary space. **2. Make an Offering** Indigenous prayer always involves reciprocity. You don't just ask-you give. Offerings can include: - Tobacco (traditional offering to many tribes, but only use sustainably harvested, and never on fire-sensitive land) - Cornmeal (sacred to many indigenous peoples) - Water (returned to the Earth) - Song, drum, or rattle - Your time and attention (the most valuable offering) **3. Face Each Direction as You Pray** Stand or sit and physically turn your body to face East, then South, West, North. Feel the difference in energy in each direction. Some will feel more comfortable, some more challenging. All are teachers. **4. Pray With Your Whole Body** Don't just recite words. Let your body pray: - Raise your hands to the sky when addressing Sky Father - Place your hands on the ground when addressing Earth Mother - Place your hands over your heart when you speak of gratitude - Let tears come if they want to come Indigenous prayer is embodied. It's not just happening in your head. **5. Listen** After speaking your prayer, sit in silence. Listen. The response may come as: - A breeze that touches your face at just the right moment - A bird that calls nearby - A sudden knowing in your belly - A memory that surfaces - A feeling of peace or clarity Great Spirit doesn't always speak in words. Often, the response is a presence, a felt sense of being held. ### Modern Application: Healing the Disconnect Most of us have been raised in a culture that taught us we are separate from nature-that we are superior to it, that it exists for our use, that we can dominate it without consequence. Here's the thing: it's the root sickness of Western civilization, and it's killing us along with the planet.

Tulsi (holy basil) is considered sacred in Ayurveda, and the science backs up what the ancients knew. *(paid link)* Here's the thing that gets me: these old traditions weren't just throwing darts at a board when they called certain plants sacred. They were onto something real. Tulsi has been revered for thousands of years as a plant that brings clarity and peace, and now modern research is showing it actually does regulate stress hormones and support mental balance. The compounds in tulsi - eugenol, rosmarinic acid, ocimumosides - they're not mystical fairy dust. They're actual molecules that measurably calm your nervous system. Think about that. Ancient wisdom meeting current science, and they're shaking hands. Makes you wonder what other "folk remedies" we've been too quick to dismiss, doesn't it? Sometimes the old ways knew exactly what they were doing, even if they couldn't explain it in peer-reviewed journals.

The Great Spirit prayer is medicine for this sickness. It reconnects you to the truth: **You are not separate. You are part of the whole. Your wellbeing and the Earth's wellbeing are inseparable.** This doesn't mean you have to live in a teepee and hunt buffalo (though you can if you want). It means you make choices that honor your place in the web: - Where does your food come from? Can you source it more locally, more sustainably? - Where does your water come from? Do you waste it or honor it as sacred? - What do you put into your body? Is it nourishing or depleting? - How do you move through the world? With awareness or on autopilot? - Do you spend time outside regularly, or are you trapped in artificial environments? - Do you know the names of the birds, plants, and animals in your area? - Do you know whose indigenous land you're living on? These are not "should" questions designed to make you feel guilty. They're invitations to remember and reconnect. ### The Prayer as Activism Praying to Great Spirit is not escapism. It's not checking out of the real world to hang out in spiritual la-la land. It's the opposite. It's radical presence. It's powerful remembering. When you remember that all beings are your relatives, you can't turn away from their suffering. When you remember that the Earth is sacred, you can't participate in its destruction without it tearing you apart. When you remember that you are part of an ancient lineage of people who lived in balance, you can't accept the modern myth that this is just "how things are." Great Spirit prayer makes you dangerous to the status quo. It makes you someone who can't be bought, can't be distracted, can't be convinced that your little individual life is all that matters. You become someone who lives for something bigger. ### Closing Words The indigenous peoples of this land have been praying to Great Spirit for longer than recorded history. They've survived attempted genocide, forced assimilation, boarding schools designed to "kill the Indian and save the man," stolen land, broken treaties, and ongoing systemic oppression. And still, they pray. And still, they remember. And still, they hold the wisdom that could save us all if we'd finally listen. This prayer is not mine to own. It belongs to the Earth, to the ancestors, to the seven generations forward. I offer it as a bridge-a way for those of us who have forgotten to begin remembering. But don't stop here. Seek out indigenous voices, indigenous teachers, indigenous-led movements. Support land back initiatives. Learn the history of where you live. Honor the treaties. Show up for indigenous rights. Prayer without action is incomplete. Action without prayer is depleting. You need both. **Mitakuye Oyasin.** **All My Relations.** **May we all remember.** **May we all come home.** **Ho! Aho! It is done!**