Ten Sacred Principles for Successful Consultation:
● Honor and Respect All Voices
Every voice in the circle is sacred. We are all sacred bundles of experience, pain, prayer, and purpose. Respect is the first law of the sacred circle. Each person is a thread in the Sacred Hoop, and no thread may be broken.
● Cherish Each Contribution
No offering is too small, no insight unworthy. Every drop contributes to the river. We listen not just with our ears but with our hearts. The silence between words is sometimes where the greatest wisdom lives.
● Speak with Freedom and Courage
Speak your truth without fear. In our ways, we are taught that to speak from the heart is to offer medicine to the fire. Let your words be seeds planted in fertile soil, not arrows flung in defense.
● Receive with Openness and Humility
To truly listen is to take the burden of self out of the way. When wisdom flows from another’s lips, do not guard your position—make room in your lodge for their truth. What comes from others may be your own answer in disguise.
● Stay Aligned with the Sacred Task
Consultation is a sacred canoe. We must all paddle in the same direction, focused on the purpose Spirit has given us. Though stories and jokes may build trust, consultation must center on solutions and healing.
● Unite in the Shared Vision
A mission without vision is like a drum without a heartbeat. We must keep our shared purpose in the center of the circle. When we are all facing the Sacred Tree, we cannot see each other as enemies.
● Trust in the Wisdom of Diversity
When thunder and sunlight meet, the rainbow appears. From the tension of differing ideas, greater truth can be born. Diversity is not a problem to overcome—it is a gift to embrace.
● Release Attachment to Opinion
We must give our thoughts as offerings, not weapons. Once shared, they belong to the circle. Clinging to our own view is like holding smoke—it blinds us and escapes us all the same. Harmony grows when we let go.
● Speak with Dignity and Grace
Words are sacred arrows. Once released, they cannot return. Speak with kindness, even in disagreement. Let your tongue be guided by wóčhekiye—a prayerful awareness that your voice has the power to bless or to harm.
● Guard the Spirit of Unity
We are relatives. No decision, however wise, is worth the fracture of our sacred relationships. Protect the warmth of the circle. Let unity be the drumbeat beneath all our decisions, and may our coming together be a light for generations to come.
Four Worlds International Institute