Eagle’s Nest Fund
Eagle’s Nest Fund- Healing heart and home
We commit to subsidize 215 Journeys for First Nations and Indigenous Elders and Adults in 23’-24’, in memory of the children
Tk'emlups te Secwepemc - In May 2022, a horrific discovery was made: the remains of 215 children were uncovered in mass graves at the former site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, once Canada's most extensive Indigenous residential school. Throughout Canada and the US, these residential schools operated in the 19th and 20th centuries. Mandated by governmental and religious institutions, their goal was the forceful assimilation of indigenous children. Within their walls, children experienced severe physical and sexual abuse, with many deaths being hidden from their families. The deliberate eradication of indigenous languages and cultures scarred generations, leaving them alienated from their heritage and identity. These children faced extreme discipline, malnourishment, inadequate healthcare, and overwhelming trauma. While estimates of the death toll vary widely, from 6,000 to potentially 25,000, the search for unmarked graves continues, and the true scale of this tragedy may yet be revealed.
What force could have perpetrated such acts? Was it colonial mindsets? Religion used as a cover for heinous acts? Whatever powered this dark chapter in history, it certainly was detached from divine love, compassion, and humanity's inherent unity. How could an entire system endorse such cruelty? One answer might be unresolved trauma. The path to recovery and transformation lies in re-embracing love and reconnecting with our core essence. To truly progress, we must remember who we are and our interconnectedness with all life.
Drawing from insights by Dr. Gabor Mate, and the fields of quantum physics and epigenetics, it's known that trauma can transcend generations, lingering in our DNA as well as collective consciousness. To pave the way for a harmonious future, we must heal this trauma, individual by individual, fostering unity and understanding for the generations to come.
Interconnection of life
Indigenous ways are rooted in “animism,” a term that means “life-ism,” a way to see the entire universe as being alive. Indigenous people from North America draw strength from traditional ways of living, places, relationships, and collective successes. Their resilience is built up through culture, spirituality, shared values, and a strong sense of identity, accountability, and responsibility.
Prior to European arrival in North America, tribes had effectively governed themselves for hundreds of years and had developed thriving systems of nurturing and teaching their youth and governing their communities.
For those who have lost this innate knowing of connection, especially where addiction and pain get in the way, medicine Journeys remind us we are all one. Many travelers say in their journey they felt pure source love and an overwhelming feeling of oneness. Sometimes, people say that it was the first time they ever felt love in their lives.
Most plant and fungi medicines (Peyote, Santa Maria, Ayahuasca, Mushrooms etc) give us these glimpses into the interconnections of all of life, reminding us that in a modern world of loneliness and suffering- we are truly, never alone.
"Many of the struggles native communities face are caused by broken connections with their heritage,” quotes psychology professor Art Blume, PhD, of Washington State University Vancouver, The loss of cultural practices can lead to reduced social cohesion and society-wide mental health challenges because an individual's culture is closely linked with his/her/their sense of identity and belonging to a community.
Community reminds us of our connection to each other, to love, and to life and is critical for happy, whole people.
Connection as medicine
Indigenous cultures have long held the belief that there is but one true ailment – a disconnection from one's higher self, from the earth, and from the community that surrounds us. The dis-ease manifests as disease in our bodies. When in tune with one's higher self, one becomes a conduit for right thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs, which then manifest as emotions. This connection also extends to our relationship with the broader community, emphasizing the significance of collective well-being.
These ancient teachings accentuate the spiritual essence in all of Creation. Every element, be it plants, water, or even rocks, possesses a spirit. Humans are not separate but an integral, sacred component of this vast web of existence. Within this framework, the community acts as a bedrock of support, a shared space where healing, understanding, and growth occur. The belief is that the Great Spirit flows through every being, enabling healing in myriad ways – be it through the nurturing embrace of a mother, the consoling words of a friend, or the touch of a traditional healer. The earth and its inhabitants, from trees to animals, are reservoirs of curative energies. Our intentions, as well as the collective intentions of our community, therefore, are powerful tools in shaping our realities to whole, healed people.
Indigenous healing for collective healing
Medicine shows us that we are all one, interconnected and interdependent. Medicine journeys give us space to be at one with all of creation, to witness and experience that the greatest grief for the earth is the loss of the sacred connection between her and all that live upon her.
First nations people have a natural, ancestral connection to the seen and unseen worlds. We recognize indigenous peoples as the original stewards of the land, water, plants, sacred medicines, children and animals. How then, can we come back to right relationship with our world, without honoring our Indigenous people for their medicine, their connection, their wisdom and teachings. It is in these teachings we remember who we are, and all that we didn’t know we have forgotten. It is when we remember how to listen. How to turn off the monkey mind. And how to tune back in and turn on. To heal, it's essential to recognize this foundational trauma and work towards re-establishing our connection with nature, reclaiming the tribal wisdom that honored the Earth and its intricate web of life.
Ancient teachings guide our hearts
Indigenous teachings show that everything in Creation - the plants, trees, the water, wind, rocks, and mountains –have spirit. As part of Creation, we also are sacred and have spirit. Healing is seen as holistic, based on an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life and the importance of balance and harmony in Creation.
Traditional Healers and Elders say that the Great Spirit works through everyone, so that everyone can heal, whether it’s the mother who tends to the scrapes of her child, a friend who eases your pain by kind words or the Healer who heals your sickness. Everything that was put here is healing – the trees, the earth, the animals and the water. Our thoughts, words and intention are sacred tools to create.
Traditional Healing is the restoring of balance to the mind, body, spirit and emotions.There needs to be harmony and balance in us just as there is in all of Creation. When that harmony and balance is lacking, sickness ensues. It is said that a significant amount of healing comes from ourselves because we want to be healed.
Trauma blocks us from living in our truth and creates illness. We can think of illness as whatever compromises one's ability to be oneself.
In the past, knowledge of the medicines was a natural part of everyone’s learning
This knowledge is no longer widespread and many of the illnesses that our communities are faced with today were not seen in the past. Many Indigenous people are seeking emotional, mental and spiritual healing for past abuses and traumas, for the pain that they are carrying as a result of what generations of their families went through and for a loss of identity due to separation from family and culture. Others are seeking help for physical illnesses such as diabetes and arthritis that affect Indigenous people in disproportionately large numbers.
if this invitation resonates with your spirit, get in touch with us.
Elders from the Skwlax te Secwepemculecw , Dakota, and Hopi have journeyed with us and are available to speak to you about their experience for you to decide if this is right for your healing path.
◬ It is our collective prayer that all beings be happy and free. And so it is.
“For all of us, becoming indigenous to a place means living as if your children’s future mattered, to take care of the land as if our lives, both material and spiritual, depended on it.”