The Great Spirit is everywhere; He hears whatever is in our minds and hearts, and it is not necessary to speak to Him in a loud voice.

Black Elk [Heȟáka Sápa]

In A Loud Voice

Topic: Prayer, Meditation, & Contemplation

The Great Spirit is everywhere; He hears whatever is in our minds and hearts, and it is not necessary to speak to Him in a loud voice.

Black Elk [Heȟáka Sápa]

Heȟáka Sápa, commonly known as Black Elk, was born in December 1863 along the Little Powder River in what is now Wyoming. He was a member of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) and a second cousin to the renowned war leader Crazy Horse. From a young age, Black Elk experienced profound spiritual visions that would shape his life and destiny. At the age of nine, during a severe illness, he had a vision in which he encountered the Six Grandfathers, spiritual beings who bestowed upon him gifts and powers, including the ability to heal. This vision set him on the path to becoming a wičháša wakȟáŋ, or holy man, a role he embraced throughout his life.

Black Elk's life was marked by significant historical events and personal transformations. He participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 and witnessed the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. In the late 1880s, he traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, where he sought to understand the ways of the white people. Upon returning to the United States, he became involved in the Ghost Dance movement, which aimed to restore the Native American way of life. Despite the suppression of this movement, Black Elk continued to serve his people as a healer and spiritual leader, blending traditional Lakota practices with his later conversion to Catholicism in 1904. He became a catechist, teaching Christianity while maintaining his Lakota spiritual beliefs.

Black Elk's legacy extends beyond his lifetime through his contributions to literature and spiritual teachings. His autobiographical accounts, shared with poet John G. Neihardt and anthropologist Joseph Epes Brown, were published in the influential works "Black Elk Speaks" and "The Sacred Pipe." These books have inspired generations and contributed to the revival of Native American culture and spirituality. Black Elk's ability to integrate his Lakota heritage with his Christian faith exemplifies his resilience and adaptability. His life and teachings continue to resonate, symbolizing a bridge between cultures and a testament to the enduring spirit of the Lakota people.

(1863-1950) Native American Religions

Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture - a Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Paragon House, 1991, p. 594 [Black Elk (Heȟáka Sápa)].

Black Elk [Heȟáka Sápa]

Theme: Prayer

Black Elk, Heháka Sápa

It is only at the level of the transpersonal or the Absolute itself—what is above and higher and simultaneously at the center, both transcendent and immanent—that the authentic integration can be established. Some might be curious and even challenge the definition of the intellect as equivalent to the Spirit, but we need to stress that the intellect in this context is not the discursive faculty of reason but what subsumes this lower faculty and transmutes it into a transcendent faculty. This spiritual organ, also known as the “Eye of the Heart” is illuminated by Hehaka Sapa or Black Elk (1863-1950), a remarkable sage of the Lakota Sioux:

“I am blind and do not see the things of this world; but when the Light comes from Above, it enlightens my heart and I can see, for the Eye of my heart (Chante Ista) sees everything. The heart is a sanctuary at the center of which there is a little space, wherein the Great Spirit dwells, and this is the Eye (Ista). This is the Eye of the Great Spirit by which He sees all things and through which we see Him. If the heart is not pure, the Great Spirit cannot be seen, and if you should die in this ignorance, your soul cannot return immediately to the Great Spirit, but it must be purified by wandering about in the world. In order to know the center of the heart where the Great Spirit dwells you must be pure and good, and live in the manner that the Great Spirit has taught us. The one who is thus pure contains the Universe in the pocket of his heart (Chante Ognaka).”

—Frithjof Schuon, editor, quoting Black Elk in “The Sacred Pipe,” [The Feathered Sun: Plains Indians in Art and Philosophy (Bloomington, IN: World Wisdom Books, 1990)] p. 51. (See Resources for additional attribution for this commentary.)

Think of it this way: there’s a part of your consciousness that extends beyond just your personal identity. It’s this underlying unity that connects you to everything and everyone else. It’s something that transcends the individual self, something that is everywhere, within and throughout all things. Some people refer to this as the Self, others call it the Great Spirit, or God, and in philosophical terms, it might be referred to as the ‘Absolute’ or ‘Ultimate Reality’.

You’re likely familiar with the concept of your intellect, the part of your mind that reasons, analyzes, and problem-solves. But there’s another aspect to it, a higher level that isn’t about logical thinking but about intuitive understanding, like a deep spiritual insight. This is often referred to as the “Eye of the Heart”, a sense that goes beyond our normal sensory perception.

Black Elk described this beautifully. He talked about the heart as a spiritual sanctuary with a special space in the center where this divine presence or intuitive understanding resides. To access this, it’s about living a life of integrity, compassion, and understanding, essentially having a pure heart. And when you do this, it’s as though you hold the entire universe within your heart. It’s not about intellectual prowess, but about being deeply connected with the world and finding wisdom in that connection.

In A Loud Voice

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