Psalm 100

Southwest On My Mind

And now?

The month is almost ending.

Maybe it's the sweet April showers promising to bring some May flowers.

Maybe it's the upcoming merry month beckoning to chase bees, recall past trusts and past vows, and capture anew moments of tenderness.

Whatever.

However.

NOW IS THE TIME to cap this series with a southwest blessing.

PSALM 100, A Paraphrase For The Southwest

Written for the Shepherd of the Valley UMC Disciple Class, January 1993

1 Beat your ancient drums to the Great Spirit, from the Bridge of Coming and Going, to the paths of the sun and the winds.

2 Kneel before the Venerable One in the great Hall of Worship; fall on your knees before the spirit table with chanting for your heavenly gifts.

Needlepoint: Navajo Yei Rug. By ATV. Yeis are the supernatural 

beings that allow communication between the Navajo

and their gods. September 2021

3 Revere the Great One with the echo of bronze bells. It is He who made us mighty hunters and virtuous maidens, and we are His; we are His people whom He keeps safe beneath the ancestral tepees

 

From the DeGrazia Apache Collection,
Superstition Mountain Museum

4 Enter the Mesquite Gate and the courtyards of the Mighty Buffalo with gratitude to our illustrious Ancestor. Give thanks to Him for prosperity, harmony, piety, and peace; bless Him whose name makes everything harmonious.

5 For the Patriarch is good; His love is as pure and as constant as the water from the Laughing Brook, and His Eagle shadow hovers all generations.

Aho.*

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*Aho is Lakota and has been borrowed into many other North American languages. It means, Yes, I agree. It is used in prayers in somewhat the same way that Amen is used.