And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I’m livin’ the dream that he kept hid

Movin’ me down the highway
Rollin’ me down the highway
Movin’ ahead so life won’t pass me by

Jim Croce – I Got a Name

I was reading from one of my plethora of meditation books today and came upon this entry. It of course inspired thoughts of you due to the many names you currently use to identify yourself.  So I feel compelled to share it.

Naming Through Actions

Long ago, Indian People were given many names during their lives. These names reflected their growth as human beings. The names given at birth were changed when children passed a certain age, which varied from Tribe to Tribe. Some secret names were given at birth and were never known by anyone other than the child’s mother, the Wise One giving the name, and the Creator.

Later in life, a name change would generally reflect some deed that showed a person’s temperament, gifts, or basic nature. Not all of these names were met with appreciation on the part of the recipient. A person could be called a new name due to bad behavior as well as good. For the people who received shameful names through their actions, it was necessary to correct their behaviors before another name could be acquired.

Think of the impact of our modern world if all people were named by their family and peers for their deeds. What would the effect be if people had names like Steals Money or She Who Lies, Refuses to Listen or Beats His Wife? What would happen if every human being were stuck with the name that was widely known, until her or she changed the behavior? To find out how your chronic attitude could name you, take a look at how others see your behavior day by day, finding the truth of what needs healing. What would your family and peers name you today?

From Earth Medicine: Ancestor’s Ways of Harmony for Many Moons by Jamie Sams

Shortly after entering Al-Anon, I became very interested in Native American spirituality. This due to the fact that at the core all 12 step programs are spiritually-based. Therefore it was necessary, for me anyway, to find a spiritual path as part of my program for it to be most effective in my desire for recovery. As from what I’d read about the program, it was the spiritual aspects of the program which were the most valuable in increasing its efficacy.

While I’d never had a particularly strong Christian identity, for obvious reasons. That is to say, due to my sexual orientation. When I ventured off into finding a spiritual path that might prove comfortable for me, I began to explore well outside the confines of mainstream religions/spirituality.

About that time, in a moment of undoubted cosmic synchronicity,  I met a gentleman through Yahoo! personals  who had lived on the island of Kauai for several years. When I mentioned to him my exploration of spiritual beliefs in conversation, he introduced me to the indigenous spiritual beliefs of the Hawaiian people—Huna. By scouring through New Age/Spiritually-oriented bookstores, I was able to find a few book on the subject as at that time Huna was ever more esoteric than it is today. It was through my exploration of Huna that I discovered Shamanism and the associated spiritual beliefs of Native American tribes. All of these belief systems, particularly Huna, resonated strongly with me and appeared to be a perfect fit with regard to my desire to heal from the past through 12 step recovery work.

Being of a somewhat obsessive nature, the more I became interested in this particular spirituality the more tools I picked up here and there. One of which is The Sacred Path Cards also by Jamie Sams. One of the concepts Jamie speaks of in the book is the Great Smoking Mirror. The crux of the GSM is the idea that the perception others have of us is formed as a reflection of our attitudes and actions. And also on some level the life we see reflected back at us is also formed by our thoughts and behaviors.

After reading about the concept of the GSM, I made a concerted effort to be mindful of this principle each day.  To each day reflect to others the kind of individual I wished to be and the type of life I wished to live. And to remember to see the less than pleasant situations I might experience in a day as reflections of how I wished my life not to be.  At first, it was a bit of struggle for me to maintain the mindset. However, over time it’s become integrated into my being, for the most part, and I don’t have to think about it much anymore.

So I would like to think most days due to my reflection in the GSM the name folks in my tribe would give me would be something like He Who Is Always Smiling or He Who Gives with a Big Heart, or maybe He Who Walks Like a Happy Fool. What name do you think the tribe might give you  on any given day based upon your reflection in the GSM?

As always, I hope this finds you well.

TGL