Our Ancestors want us to be Cedar
My all time favorite dude Mr. Rogers told us to look for the helpers. It was something his mother reminded him to do in times of crisis. I think they both probably meant people helpers, but I am going to just extend the invitation to look for helpers in the plant world. Thus is born a new monthly series: Our Ancestors want us to be [fill in plant of the month here]. In this series I will feature a plant and humanize its characteristics through Ancestral teachings on how we ought to be behaving as stewards of this planet. Also, it feels worth saying that I am not a doctor and I am in no way qualified to give nutritional advice.
I just returned from 10 days of ceremony with my community and cedar was central to every part of that gathering.
Cedar is our silent guardian. This medicine gounds us, wisens us, protects us, and strengthens us. When we clear out, cedar is there to support us in filling the spaces with rootedness.
Our Ancestors want us to be cedar because they want us to care for, protect, and ground each other. They want to reconnect us with the natural world and with each other through our visible and invisible root systems.
Cedar protects us from the trappings of absolutes and guides us home to generosity. Cedar trees remind us to stand firm, weather storms, and shade others. Our Ancestors want us to be cedar because cedar wood never rots. For millennia, these trees have stood silently as witnesses and aids to the unfolding of human history. In times of peace, upheaval, and change, we can embody cedar through steadfast groundedness. The mere presence of cedar protects and shields us, just as we must protect and shield each other with our votes, decisions, consumption, and values. Cedar teaches us how to fish, then provides materials for fishing rods and nets.
Homes, boats, temples, baskets, and ropes can be made from cedar. All of which require weaving, care, and strengthening through many threads. Our Ancestors teach us these lessons of community through cedar. Then, the smoke of this medicine carries our messages to our Ancestors.
Cedar shows us courage, and our Ancestors are calling upon us to be courageous. We can follow the lead of cedar through history and into our collective future in which each being is grounded, protected, and nourished.
I am in the process of creating a communally written prayer throughout this spring and summer. I invite you to comment, email me, DM me, text me, or mail me your addition(s) to this. The format is loosely:
We so loved the Earth so we ___________________________
and/or
And we so loved our planet while we ___________________
Please share the invitation with the young people in your life, the elders, the partners, the neighbors. When you submit them, please share the following information so I can include you in the credits of this creation:
What you want to be called
Your age
Your location
All parts of this prayer will be shared on ourmedicine.substack.com
A course I created titled Elder in training is up for grabs on my website.
Being an elder – and not just an old person – requires a lifetime of preparation and intentionality around your legacy. Eldership means healing and cleaning up your side of the road in your younger years so that you can guide the youths with clarity and from a well place. This course is designed by me, a hopeful future elder. Throughout the course, you will be invited to carve out time, space, and resources to imagine a future filled with elders who are well, centered, nourished, and woven into communities of care.
I, of course, don’t have all of the answers. Instead, I invite you to find your own unique set of answers as you plan toward eldership. I want a community to explore this with.