Brother Phil Lane – Indigenous Wisdom for Compassionate Living and Unified Action

Around the world at this very moment and as foretold by the ancient Indigenous Peoples of Mother Earth, we are reawakening – lighting the way to a sacred wisdom and entering into a way of being that is helping to lead us to heal and unify as one human family.

Hereditary Chief Phil Lane, Jr. will share an introduction to Indigenous Talking Circles and The 16 Indigenous Guiding Principles for Building a Sustainable and Harmonious World.

In the first learning circle, you will:

• Gain an overview of the historically profound 16 Indigenous Guiding Principles for Building a Sustainable and Harmonious World (derived from four decades of work among Indigenous leaders globally)
• Learn how Indigenous Talking Circles can provide a forum for local and global transformation on the planet
• Embark on the journey to uncovering your role in the healing process needed to guide the planet to a more sustainable way of living
• Link the 16 Indigenous Guiding Principles inextricably to your own life and to a process that is bigger than you are
• Engage in a deep reflective process about your personal journey in this current space and time to discern what will enable you to be more consciously engaged in actively creating a different pathway into the future

Peoples from all walks of life during the past 500 years of the Great Spiritual Wintertime have dealt with hardship and suffering in various ways. These paths have ranged from the hopelessness of a broken spirit and despair, assimilation, self-hatred and discrimination, and even violent resistance. Not one of these outcomes nourishes the spirit of a person and their people, nor leads to the healing that is required to overcome and transform our destructive realities.

In this module, Chief Phil Lane, Jr. will share his ancient knowledge about the Medicine Wheel and the Four Directions that will help you to see and understand more of the ancient wisdom available from these integral energetic and healing Indigenous systems. In this teaching, he will explore the utility of this ancient symbolism and its application to your current life and the powerful gifts that you contain.

In the second circle, you will:

• Learn how the four elements represented by the Medicine Wheel have distinctive and powerful aspects representing the physical world as well as your own nature, promoting balance and the will for living
• Uncover how the four aspects of your nature have potential to grow into powerful gifts and how a vision of those gifts can be a strong magnet pulling you toward your true nature
• Illuminate how your identity affects your ability to actualize your potential, as well as influence the healing or suffering that you experience

In the haste and paving over that is so characteristic of the modern world and material dream, ancient traditions for building and sustaining community have been largely forgotten. Even the most aware of us still carry unwanted patterns of being that can detract and discourage us from connecting with others and ourselves. And we often lack a “spiritual compass” to help guide us to maintain authentic relationships and engagement with others in community. The principle of a Talking Circle is that starting from within – working in a circle, in a sacred manner – we heal and develop ourselves, our relationships and the world.

In the third circle, you will:

• Learn about the basic principles behind Talking Circles, and how they contribute to a more cohesive and collaborative way of conducting business, creating dialogue in conflict-ridden scenarios and building continuity and trust among all people
• Learn the steps to conduct the ancient practice of Talking Circles in a way that can be used to promote trust, problem resolution and action, even in places that currently do not have good relationships
• Uncover how the attributes of respect, commitment, consideration, valuing, diversity and contribution create consensus – even in the most difficult situations

After learning, applying and facilitating the Indigenous Talking Circle tradition, we can begin to sit with one another and deeply explore The 16 Indigenous Guiding Principles for Building a Sustainable and Harmonious World. These principles, developed and successfully utilized over the past 45 years, are fundamental truths exemplified in the phenomena of the natural world and our evolution as human beings. They are not doctrine or dogma – nor require any beliefs. They are a “spiritual roadmap” for building and sustaining peace, within ourselves and in our communities.

In the fourth circle, where you will learn about the first four Indigenous Principles, you will:

• Gain an understanding of how human beings can transform their world and that this belief is the most essential piece in any effort to make lasting, positive change
• Identify how the truth emerges from within, and that when you neglect the inner life, it halts your own development as well as any transformation that you might be able to invoke in the world
• Learn how to evoke the vision of who you can become and how that will contribute to a sustainable world, as well as uncover how your vision works as a powerful magnet, drawing you to your potential
• Begin to heal your past, close up old wounds and learn healthy habits of thought and action to replace the dysfunctional thinking and disruptive patterns that prevented your own sustainability in the world and have prevented your profound contributions to date

Mother Earth is one unified and living being, in which all life – including human life – is an interdependent and interconnected part of the unfolding story of Spirit that calls her home. Everything is connected to everything else. Therefore, every aspect of our healing and development is related to all the others (e.g., personal, social, cultural, political and economic). When we work on any one part, the whole circle is affected.

In the fifth circle with Hereditary Chief Phil Lane, Jr., you will learn about the second four Indigenous Principles, and will:

• Uncover that you cannot heal and transform yourself without realizing and engaging with the vast web of relationships that define your spiritual and collective journey with others
• Explore how the concept of unity, or oneness, is the key behind the movement forward into healing and transformation of our world, and that disunity is the primary disease of our communities
• Begin to participate in the active engagement of your mind, heart and soul to promote your own healing and development and take ownership in your own destiny
• Understand how every person (regardless of gender, race and religion) must be accorded equal opportunity to participate in the process of healing and development, and to receive a fair share of the benefits

If everything in our world is connected to everything else, how much more must we human beings be connected to each other? The basic fact of our oneness as a human family has always been known and understood by the wise. Nevertheless, the reality is that what happens to some of us really does happen to all of us.

We have recently begun to learn that if we poison the air we breathe and the water we drink (i.e. the environmental commons), we are poisoning ourselves. Similarly, if we poison our relationships with other people who live in the same social world as we do (the social commons), then we and our children will sooner or later discover that we have poisoned our own lives.

In the sixth circle, where you will explore four additional Indigenous Principles, you will:

• Learn that human beings are both material and spiritual in nature, and that neither you nor the rest of humanity can live sustainably without bringing your life into balance with your spiritual nature
• Tap into your moral foundation which is centered in the wisdom of the heart and will help you to maintain your own moral compass and live by your own ethical principles, causing you to evolve in consciousness and action
• Sense how the oneness of the human family requires living and acting with the knowledge that all beings must be cared for, or the world is not sustainable
• Uncover how your own healing and development, and that of the human family, must be rooted in the wisdom, knowledge and living processes of the culture of the people.

In the mounting crises of our current age, we must have understanding and compassion for relatives who are no less frightened out of their wits, and therefore, unengaged and ineffective in supporting or leading change. Disbelief turns to despair, despair can transform to disconnection, grotesque disillusionment or total apathy. The negative strikes fear in people and drains energy.

This is not to say we should ignore the negative, but that it should be balanced with the antidote of hope, vision and unified action that moves to the positive by creating the world we wish to live in. This fills the human spirit rather than depletes it. To act otherwise is to misunderstand what it is that connects, inspires and enables a human spirit to engage fully in life in the face of our global challenges.

In the seventh circle, you will hear about the final four Indigenous Principles, and will:

• Strategize about the best approach to solving the critical problems in your life and community by visually focusing on the collective strengths we already have, rather than on fighting the things you want to change
• Identify how the concept of learning and seeking the truth is at the core of healing, development and social change, and begin to integrate hard truths into your own life for healing and global sustainability
• Learn how to promote sustainability within yourself, your community and the globe through an efficient use of resources
• Explore how to walk the path of your new way, and invite others to join in by positive role modeling and the creation of living examples of the solutions you have envisioned

Conflict and crisis are at the core of what it means to be an individuated spirit among relatives who, just like ourselves, are journeyers in this world. Being human is not easy! It is not a matter of IF conflict will arise, but a question of how it will be dealt with when it happens, and how it can be used as a force for connection and transformation. Sustained disunity is the poison of development, and too often it remains present through our inability or lack of wisdom to heal it. The Principles of Consultation have been utilized by thousands of Indigenous communities and other members of the human family around Mother Earth!

In the eighth circle, Chief Phil Lane, Jr. will support you to:

• Outline the values behind Indigenous Principles of Consultation, so that you will feel skilled and supported in taking your vision into your life, community and world
• Help you feel emboldened to take the prime aspects of this consultative approach into your action in the world with respect and appreciation for the diversity of each member of the human family
• Learn to expect that the truth will emerge from the clash of differing opinions, and that from the process of this collaborative model, optimal solutions will emerge to promote healing in yourself and on the planet

In this module, Brother Phil will support you to synthesize the vast richness available in the Indigenous wisdom principles and in the collaborative processes shared to envision how you will next move into the world in your truth and power as an empowered, compassionate healer who will make unified change happen in multiple dimensions in your life.

In this final module, you will:

• Review and practice the collaborative process for using the Talking Circles
• Synthesize the learnings from the Indigenous Principles, and think through how to use these principles in nitty-gritty conversations with your family, community, and even globally
• Explore how you can integrate the Principles of Consultancy with The 16 Indigenous Guiding Principles to resolve deep-seated and intractable conflict within your community and across the globe
• Design a version of a personal or social action project that will manifest your passion, vision and skills into the world in new and creative ways

These special images created by Chief Phil and his father are a beautiful illustration of the sacred world around us all. Send these images to friends or print them out to beautify your workspace or home. Images include the Medicine Bear symbolizing power and healing, and the Sacred Wolf following the Red Road of Life.

This award-winning semi-animated video depicts Phillip and Martha, a brother and sister who go for a walk in the woods with their grandfather. As they walk, their grandfather teaches them valuable lessons about life by drawing their attention to different aspects of the natural world around them. After they arrive at the home of another elder, they hear the traditional native story, “The Great Wolf and Little Mouse Sister.” Beautifully and sensitively presented, this two-part video has been carefully prepared to teach positive, life-enhancing values to children and adults.

In this video, Indigenous People describe their experiences with substance abuse and the process they used to heal and regain insight into and connection with their Indigenous roots. Realizing that they were put on Earth to fulfill a spiritual purpose by seeking help from their elders and returning to their cultural traditions, including the sacred pipe, the sweat lodge and the Sun Dance, these individuals have found their true identities and are proud of who they are.

This dynamic and heartfelt video documents the devastating effects of the Indian boarding schools that dramatically shattered aboriginal culture, children, families and communities throughout North America. Viewers join Native American participants from Canada and the United States, during a four-day culturally-based healing process for understanding and recovering from this type of traumatic experience.

This e-book was written for “changemakers” working with communities committed to making just and lasting change. It bridges linear and holistic thinking systems by applying ancient wisdom to a new medium of communication – social networks – and the emerging sharing economy. It offers a framework for designing what we call deep social networks that produce meaningful results and build deeper relationships that learn and grow in ways that sustain and enhance life for all inhabitants of Mother Earth.