In this very moving installment of Global Spirit, host Phil Cousineau focuses on the relevance of indigenous wisdom to the contemporary world. The ancient traditions provide us with key insights into the importance of regular spiritual practice, the rebirth of the feminine, the reality of interspecies communication, the respect for mystery, and the perception of a world of many beauties.

Cousineau talks with Flordemayo, a Mayan spirit healer, and Angaangaq, an Eskimo-Kalaalit Shaman from Greenland. Meeting for the first time, these two indigenous guests share their experiences and spiritual paths as they talk about harmony with nature, reverence for trees and seeds, the dance of lights in healing, the heartbeat of the universe, the dialogue between the hunter and the animal being tracked for food, and the wall between the natural world and the everyday lives of modern people.

To Continue This Journey:

  • Watch Sacred Planet, a stunningly beautiful film that challenges us to learn from indigenous peoples of the world about living in harmony with the Good Earth.
  • One of the many things we like about indigenous peoples is their spiritual practice of gratitude. Share your responses to the etiquette evidenced by Flordemayo and Angaangaq as they commune with an old and tall tree. What earth etiquette do you practice?
  • Indigenous people are convinced that humans are off balance in our relationships with the Good Earth and with animals. What evidence do you see to support this perspective?
  • "The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science," said Albert Einstein. It is also is at the core of an indigenous view of the world. What role has not-knowing played in your spiritual life?