#BEFRIEND DIVERSITY - MAKING FRIENDS FOR LIFE
#BEFRIEND DIVERSITY - MAKING FRIENDS FOR LIFE
#BEFRIEND DIVERSITY - MAKING FRIENDS FOR LIFE
standing rock
a tribute to the standing rock water protectors
offered by Angelique Rodriguez
Standing Rock Reservation is the land of the Lakota Sioux Tribe. It is sacred land and sacred waters. In 2016 a youth from the Lakota Sioux Tribe by the name of Tokata Iron Eyes and her friends were the first to voice their concerns for the sacred water, calling for action to help stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.
But it wasn’t until Ladonna Brave Bull Allard asked for help to protect the waters on social media, that people heard the call. By inviting people to stand with her on her private property as an act of solidarity against this pipeline being put through the waters and sacred lands of Standing Rock, she inspired a movement that made history.
That call to action gave us all permission to stand on that sacred ground in solidarity with the Lakota Sioux Nation. What occurred after that call, made global history.
People came from all walks of life,
young and old, rich and poor, indigenous or not. There were few boundaries, but none were based on who you were - only on what you did.
In a very short amount of time there was a convergence of like hearts, and minds. Suddenly Standing Rock became a beacon for Nations around the world, compelled to show our relatives of the Sioux Nation they were not alone is this demand, for respect, and honor for our waters, and all life.
Standing Rock brought together a true League of Nations, sharing indigenous wisdoms, traditions, culture, ceremony, stories, prophesies, and song and dance. Some Nations felt so inspired they came sharing very intimate ceremony at the sacred fire of Standing Rock as a demonstration of good will, trust and love.
Thousands came together with hearts wide open. The genuine care and service from love is a hallmark of Standing Rock. The care poured out with a divine innocence, as people were excited by the new experience of unity on a level none of us has ever witnessed before. There were 10k people there at one point and everyone's needs were met. We all ate, we all had warmth and shelter, we all had the needed clothing for a climate that can be unforgiving in the winter months.
The gift of Standing Rock is, it offered us all the opportunity to be of genuine service for the greater good beyond ourselves.
It gave us new lenses to see past our own boredom and complacency. Being there gave a feeling of flow and movement filled with life. There was a magic making things feel open and possible. There was play and laughter, sharing and sadness. Tears of joy and celebration and tears of pain and sorrow.
All of us were striving to embody to the best of our abilities, what it means to be a good relative, while learning improvements of how to communicate clearly, how to listen actively, how to be in allowance of the differences.
We were learning new ways to raise our voices as one and say, No More! Water is Life!
Standing Rock bred a new consciousness of purpose beyond self for so many. People began to realize how good it felt to live in community to eat good foods to keep conversations uplifted and focused on the purpose of protecting the water in prayer.
This melding pot of human richness came to Standing Rock to have new experiences of what’s possible when we work harmoniously with a purpose, in service to one another from the vibrations of love.
For so long the Lakota Sioux Nation has stood like a rock, unwavering. Waiting. Waiting for us to hear the call of the water, waiting for us to come and pray in one voice, to sing and dance till the earth knew our step.
Waiting for us to sit around the sacred fire and learn to truly see each other with new eyes.
The spiritual foundation that keeps Standing Rock unshakable is the love that was shared there. The love for the Water, because Mni Wiconi, Water is Life.
Water is alive and she has called her spiritual warriors to Standing Rock. She has gathered them not only on the sacred lands but in hearts the world around ~ spiritually connecting the masses in love, for water.
Standing Rock is the seed that burst open in the sacred fire that continues to grow exponentially. Every day growing, reaching through new inspirations born of Standing Rock. The vibration and frequency that was embedded by the protection of the water has given us all a new signature code of heart frequency of love. Reprogramming our perceptions of what’s possible when we work together for a common goal in love.
Showing us that we can live together as a family community of like heart and mind, in service to the whole.
Of course we have not forgotten the spiritual warriors who have permanent damage to their body, or perhaps, there are severe emotional traumas and pain that some of our relatives continue to endure ~ experiencing daily pain that came from their time at Standing Rock.
There were elders and children who were also subjected the chemicals, frequencies and microwaves not to mention dog bites among many other forms of abuse.
Some would say that Standing Rock failed, because the pipeline went through after all that suffering hard work and effort.
However, if we look closer, we might see a spiritual blueprint fromStanding Rock. Could it be Standing Rock was the sacred ground meant to host the spiritual warriors so they could begin to learn the lessons that our next paradigm may be built from? What if the Water calling us to action through prayer was to remind us of the need for prayer to navigate these times we are in now.
Some would want to simplify Standing Rock as “a demonstration of prayerful resistance for the Water”.
But for those who experienced moments of physical harm or potential death due to freezing you begin to get a new perspective of the state of our Nation, getting a closer view of the abuse and disregard so many of our relatives have been experiencing for 500 years now. Harming prayerful people for choosing clean water over profit?
Please, take some time in your meditations and prayers for all those who live in a shadow of Standing Rock.
Let’s offer our gratitude and healing light to each and every one of our brothers and sisters who sacrificed peace of mind, physical wholeness, or heartbreak for clean water. Relatives who suffered, please accept this small offer of prayers and deep gratitude for your selfless demonstration of love.
We have not forgotten the sacrifices you made. No, we stand poised, ready to engage in unity once again. Arm in arm, holding strong the spiritual line that holds Natural Law higher than mans law. Continuing our practice of the spiritual lessons learned on the sacred lands of the Lakota Sioux’s Standing Rock reservation.
In 2016 the seventh generation put out a call. The elders were there to echo their voices and the sacred pipes and prayers came, to protect our waters.
In return she invites us to remember who we really are as co-creators in partnership through healing and stillness. Standing Rock was the fertile ground of many lessons and inspirations that continue to change the world in a good way.
We stand strong in solidarity, in prayers that ignited prophetic fulfillment, carrying a fire of love in our hearts for water that brings the winds of change for a better earth.
This is a tribute to the unity and love born from the sacred fire of Standing Rock to all who’s hearts remain devoted to the protection of our Eternal Mother, Water.
Mni Wiconi
Chief Phil Lane Jr. shares historical events never shared before,
offering inspirational insights and wisdom born from Standing Rock.
Thank you to Erik Kollasch for creating this beautiful Tribute to Standing Rock Water Protectors
With deep gratitude
to Angelique Rodriguez for her generous and loving curation and to all the photographers who have kindly shared these powerful images for this tribute.