Hearken, O peoples of Mother Earth, and incline your hearts unto the ancient story, for the story of Joseph is not finished. It liveth still wherever the innocent are cast down, wherever the dream is rejected, wherever the faithful are hidden in darkness, and wherever the Creator turneth sorrow into wisdom, exile into mission, and injustice into a hidden blessing.
This is the heartfelt call to Joseph from his Indigenous relatives of the Americas. It is the call of those who know the well.
It is the call of those who know what it means to be wounded by those who should have protected them. It is the call of those who have carried grief in silence, who have waited long in the darkness, who have seen sacred promises delayed, distorted, or denied.
It is the call of those who do not seek revenge, but justice. It is the call of those who do not seek division, but truth. It is the call of those who do not seek to punish, but to restore right relationship and bring peace back to the land.
Calling unto Joseph. Calling unto Yúsuf. Calling unto the beloved son of Jacob. Calling unto the dreamer of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Calling unto the radiant youth whose own brothers cast him into the well. Calling unto the one sold away from his homeland. Calling unto the one forgotten in prison.
Calling unto the one raised in due season by the Hand of the Creator. Call unto Joseph of Canaan. Calling unto Yúsuf of the Qur’án. Calling unto the rejected dreamer. Calling unto the prisoner who became a liberator. Calling unto the brother who forgave. Call unto the guardian of life who fed the nations in a time of famine.
O Joseph, hear us. We call to you not as a figure lost in the past, but as a living pattern of the sacred law of transformation. For through you the Creator hath shown that the well cannot destroy the dream, the prison cannot silence the promise, and the betrayal of brothers cannot overcome the purpose of the Most High. O Joseph, beloved one, speak unto your Indigenous relatives of the Americas.
And Joseph answereth: “Were ye wounded by those who should have protected you?”
And we answer: Yea, Joseph, many were wounded and lost thier physical lives. Comfort was denied. Consultation was denied. Clear knowledge was denied. Preparation was denied. Free, prior, and informed consent was not honored. Decisions were made over the people, around the people, and without the people. Hearts were left confused.
Some went away in sorrow. Some were silenced. Some remained faithful, yet carried pain for many years. Some stood alone, wondering why the family of spirit had failed to act as family.
And Joseph saith: “Then ye know something of the well.”
And we answer: Yea, Joseph, we know something of the well. We know what it is to be lowered into darkness by the hands of those who should have stood beside us. We know what it is to be misunderstood by those who would not listen. We know what it is to have the dream treated as though it were the danger.
We know the ache of being cast aside by the household of spirit. We know the silence of the pit. We know the loneliness of waiting. We know the place where no comfort cometh, except from the Creator.
And Joseph asketh: “Did the injustice destroy the dream?”
And we answer: Nay, Joseph, the injustice did not destroy the dream. It tested the dream. It purified the dream. It widened the dream. It carried the dream beyond one house, beyond one institution, beyond one circle, beyond one name, beyond one nation, and beyond one people.
What seemed to be rejection became release. What seemed to be exile became preparation. What seemed to be betrayal became a doorway. What seemed to close the path caused a greater path to open.
And Joseph saith: “Then let not bitterness become your food.”
And we answer: Nay, Joseph, bitterness shall not be our food. We shall feed upon truth. We shall feed upon prayer. We shall feed upon unity. We shall feed upon sacred consultation. We shall feed upon the promise that the Creator abandoneth not those who stand for justice with clean hearts.
We shall not drink from the waters of resentment. We shall drink from the living stream of courage, discipline, compassion, and holy remembrance.
And Joseph asketh: “What shall ye build where comfort was denied?”
And we answer: We shall build comfort. We shall build circles of healing. We shall build places where wounded hearts may speak without fear. We shall build a council fire where grief is not shamed, where tears are not despised, where pain is not hidden beneath polite words, and where those who suffered are not pushed aside for the sake of false peace.
We shall make room for those who left wounded. We shall make room for those who remained faithful. We shall make room for those whose voices were not heard. We shall make room for the brokenhearted, the confused, the silenced, and the waiting ones.
And Joseph asketh: “What shall ye build where consultation was denied?”
And we answer: We shall build consultation. We shall listen before we act. We shall pray before we decide. We shall sit in the circle until the hidden wisdom of the people is made known.
We shall honor the voices of women, men, Two-Spirit relatives, Elders, youth, and the Seventh Generation. We shall not speak of unity while practicing domination. We shall not speak of love while withholding voice.
We shall not place sacred words upon unjust actions. We shall remember that the circle is holy, and that every soul carries a portion of the light needed for the whole.
And Joseph asketh: “What shall ye build where knowledge was withheld?”
And we answer: We shall build transparency. We shall speak clearly. We shall share what the people need to know. We shall not hide behind authority. We shall not call silence wisdom when silence is used to conceal.
We shall not treat the people as children, for they are sacred beings endowed with agency, dignity, memory, responsibility, and spirit. We shall remember that truth spoken with humility healeth more deeply than power guarded in fear.
And Joseph asketh: “What shall ye build where consent was ignored?”
And we answer: We shall build sacred respect. We shall honor free, prior, and informed consent. We shall honor the sovereignty of peoples, communities, families, and souls. We shall remember that no true spiritual work can be built upon coercion.
We shall remember that unity without consent is not unity. It is control. We shall remember that the Creator delighteth not in forced agreement, but in hearts freely joined through truth, love, responsibility, and sacred purpose.
And Joseph saith: “Then the well hath taught you.”
And we answer: Yea, Joseph, the well hath taught us. The prison hath taught us. The silence hath taught us. The long years of waiting have taught us. The pain hath become instruction. The wound hath become wisdom. The exile hath become mission. What was done in darkness hath become a teacher of light. What was meant to diminish us hath enlarged our understanding.
What was meant to silence us hath given us a clearer voice. What was meant to scatter us hath prepared us to gather many.
And Joseph asketh: “Will ye answer injustice with revenge?”
And we answer: Nay, Joseph, we shall not answer with revenge. We shall answer with vision. We shall not answer with hatred. We shall answer with disciplined truth. We shall not answer with humiliation. We shall answer with a wider circle. We shall not seek to destroy those who caused harm. We shall seek to correct what is wrong, restore what is broken, and bring peace back to the land.
We shall seek justice without poison in the heart. We shall seek accountability without losing compassion. We shall seek correction without becoming like that which wounded us.
And Joseph saith: “Then ye are ready to stand.”
And we answer: Yea, Joseph, we are ready to stand. We stand as Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. We stand with those who left wounded. We stand with those who remained faithful. We stand with those whose voices were not heard. We stand with the children and the grandchildren. We stand with the Seventh Generation.
We stand with Mother Earth. We stand with Bahá’ís and former Bahá’ís. We stand with traditional spiritual peoples. We stand with Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, followers of Supreme Master Ching Hai, and all sincere servants of peace. We stand with every soul who seeketh truth without domination, unity without coercion, and justice without hatred. We stand with the holy powers of the Creator behind us.
And Joseph asketh: “Do ye understand why ye were sent ahead?”
And we answer: We are beginning to understand. Perhaps we were sent ahead to prepare a place of refuge. Perhaps we were sent ahead to gather those who were scattered.
Perhaps we were sent ahead to feed the people in a time of spiritual famine. For there is famine in the land. A famine of trust. A famine of consultation. A famine of kindness. A famine of courage. A famine of sacred listening. A famine of true relationship. A famine of people willing to tell the truth and still love one another.
And Joseph saith: “Then do as I did. Preserve life.”
And we answer: Yea, Joseph, this shall be our work. We shall preserve life. We shall preserve dignity. We shall preserve the sacred teachings. We shall preserve the unity of the human family. We shall preserve the spiritual promise given to Indigenous Peoples.
We shall preserve the council fire. We shall preserve truth. We shall preserve hope. We shall preserve the dream until the dream is no longer hidden, but made visible in deeds of justice, mercy, courage, and peace.
And Joseph saith: “Remember ye this: my brothers thought they were ending the dream. Yet by their own actions, they sent me forth to the place where the dream could serve many nations.”
And we answer: Yea, Joseph, now we begin to see. Those who acted without comfort, without consultation, without knowledge, and without consent may have thought they were closing a door. Yet perhaps the Creator was opening a greater one. Perhaps what was meant to diminish us hath released us.
Perhaps what was meant to silence us hath strengthened our voice. Perhaps what was meant to scatter us hath prepared us to gather many. Perhaps what was meant as exile hath become a sacred sending.
Perhaps what was meant as loss hath become a covenant of wider service. Perhaps the well was not the end of the dream. Perhaps the well was the hidden road by which the dream was carried to the nations.
And Joseph asketh one final question: “Will ye forgive without surrendering justice?”
And we answer: Yea, Joseph, we shall forgive without surrendering justice. We shall seek justice without hatred. We shall seek correction without revenge.
We shall seek healing without denial. We shall seek unity without pretending that harm did not happen. We shall not cover the wound with false peace. We shall cleanse it with truth, prayer, humility, and love. We shall remember that forgiveness is not forgetfulness.
We shall remember that peace is not the burying of injustice. We shall remember that true peace is the restoration of right relationship. We shall remember that true forgiveness is the freedom to stand in truth without being ruled by bitterness. We shall remember that true justice is the correction of what is wrong so that life may flourish again.
Therefore, O Joseph, walk with us now. Walk with your Indigenous relatives of the Americas. Walk with those who know the well. Walk with those who have waited in the prison of silence. Walk with those who still believe in the dream. Walk with those who refuse revenge, yet refuse to surrender justice.
Walk with those who seek to gather the scattered, feed the hungry of spirit, comfort the wounded, and restore the sacred circle of consultation. Teach us to stand together. Teach us to consult together. Teach us to pray together. Teach us to correct what is wrong together. Teach us to bring peace back to the land together.
Like Joseph, may we remain faithful to the dream. Like Joseph, may we not let the well define us. Like Joseph, may we rise not to punish, but to serve. Like Joseph, may we gather the scattered. Like Joseph, may we feed the people in a time of famine. Like Joseph, may we trust that the sacred powers of the Creator can transform injustice into blessing, exile into mission, sorrow into wisdom, and wounded memory into a greater covenant of peace.
O Joseph. O Yúsuf. Dreamer. Prisoner. Brother. Forgiver. Guardian of life. Hear the heartfelt call of your Indigenous relatives of the Americas. Help us remember that the dream survives. Help us stand together in unity. Help us bring justice with compassion. Help us bring correction with humility. Help us bring truth without hatred. Help us bring healing without denial. Help us bring peace back to the land.
And may our Creator, the Great Mystery, the Maker of All Good Things, guide our steps, purify our hearts, strengthen our council fire, and make of our exile a mission, of our suffering a medicine, and of our unity a blessing for all nations.
Aho. Amen. May it be so.
