Two kinds of light guide us on our journey. One is the visible light of the sun, which shines upon Mother Earth, revealing the beauty of creation—the mountains standing in their majesty, the rivers flowing with life, and the sacred plants and animals that walk, crawl, swim, and fly. This light allows our eyes to see the world around us, yet it does not give us the power to perceive or understand the meaning woven into all things truly. For this, another light is needed.
This second light is the sacred light of wisdom, the illumination of the spirit, the knowing that flows not from the eyes but from the heart. The light comes from Wakan Tanka, the Creator of All Good Things, the Great Mystery who set the stars in the sky and breathed life into all beings. This light does not simply allow us to see—it allows us to understand. It opens the soul's doorway, revealing truths hidden from the ordinary eye, allowing us to witness the deeper harmony that unites all things.
Just as the sun rises in the east, carrying warmth and life across the land, so too does this inner light awaken within us when we seek the wisdom of our ancestors, when we walk in balance with all of creation when we listen to the whispers of the wind and the voices carried in the sacred fire. This light guided the holy ones, the visionaries, the sacred messengers—those who saw the world as it was and the world as it could be. This sacred light allowed them to see generations ahead, to speak of things that would not be revealed for thousands of years, for their vision did not come from the limits of time but from the eternal wisdom of the Great Spirit.
This is the light we must seek with all our hearts—the light that does not flicker like a candle in the wind but shines like the Morning Star, steady and unwavering. It is the light of truth, of justice, of love. It is the light that has always been carried by those who walk the Red Road, those who remember the sacred ways, those who know that true sight is not only with the eyes but with the soul.’
I pray that the Creator, the Great Mystery, the One Who Sees All, will touch our hearts with this sacred light. We may walk as luminous beings, shining even in the darkest places, bringing warmth where there is cold, clarity where there is confusion, and hope where there is despair. Let this light be our guide, as the stars guide the traveler, the fire keeps the lodge warm, and the rising sun signals a new beginning.
For in the light of Wakan Tanka, all things are made clear.
Lala, Deksi, Ate, and Brother Phil -Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ. We are all related.
Šúŋkmanu Hé Miyédo! Čhaŋnúpa Sápa Hé Miyédo!
Ĥeȟáŋ Wičhášta/Delória Tiwašpaye, Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ, and Chickasaw Nations
