Prayer for the Great Family – a mohawk prayer

Gratitude to Mother Earth
sailing through night and day
and to her soil; rich, rare and sweet
In our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Plants
the sun facing light changing leaf
and fine root hairs;
Standing still through wind and rain;
their dance is in the flowing spiral grain
In our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Air
breathing the soaring Swift
and the silent Owl at dawn
Breath of our Song
clear spirit breeze
In our minds so be it.

Gratitude to wild beings,
our brothers, teaching secrets,
freedoms and ways;
who share with us their milk;
self-complete, brave and aware
In our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Water
clouds, lakes, rivers, glaciers;
holding or releasing;
Streaming through all our bodies salty seas
In our minds so be it.

Gratitude to the Sun:
blinding pulsing light
through trunks of trees,
through mists,
warming caves where bears and snakes sleep –
He who wakes us –
In our minds so be it.

Gratitude of the Great Sky;
who holds billions of stars –
and goes beyond that –
beyond all powers and thoughts
and yet is within us
Grandfather Space.
The Mind is his Wife
So be it.

(I was asked to read this prayer at a dear friend’s wedding and think it so beautiful that I decided to share it on this blog).