Prayers for Peace and Wisdom

Let us know peace.

For as long as the moon shall rise,

For as long as the rivers shall flow,

For as long as the sun shall shine,

For as long as the grass shall grow,

Let us know peace.

— Cheyenne Prayer

Earth teach me stillness

as the grasses are stilled with light.

Earth teach me suffering

as old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me humility

as blossoms are humble with beginning.

Earth teach me caring

as the mother who secures her young.

Earth teach me courage

as the tree which stands all alone.

Earth teach me limitation

as the ant which crawls on the ground.

Earth teach me freedom

as the eagle which soars in the sky.

Earth teach me resignation

as the leaves which die in the fall.

Earth teach me regeneration

as the seed which rises in the spring.

Earth teach me to forget myself

as melted snow forgets its life.

Earth teach me to remember kindness

as dry fields weep with rain.

— “Earth Teach Me to Remember,” John Yellow Lark,

Fill us with the Light.

Give us the strength to understand, and the eyes to see.

Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live.

— Sioux Prayer

Oh, Great Spirit who dwells in the sky,
Lead us to the path of peace and understanding.
Let all of us live together as brothers and sisters.
Our lives are so short here,
Walking upon Mother Earth’s surface.
Let our eyes be opened to all the blessings you have given us.
Please hear my prayers, Oh, Great Spirit.
Oh, Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
Hear me! I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty
And make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made
And my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand
The things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have
Hidden in every leaf and rock.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
But to fight my greatest enemy
~ myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
With clean hands and straight eyes,
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
My Spirit may come to you without shame.
All my Relations!

By
Yellow Lark of the Sioux

10 thoughts on “Prayers for Peace and Wisdom”

Such beautiful quotes, especially the Lakota (Sioux) words, “Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live.” We are destroying our natural world, because we don’t know how to walk the soft earth as relatives. Ecology should precede economy in all societies.
Thanks, I always enjoy your posts, Lesley. Hope you are having a good day.

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Lesley says:

April 6, 2022 at 7:29 pm

Sabishi, I agree with you 100% on what you say about ecology. Our planet is so precious.
Funnily enough, I always enjoy your comments. 😀 Hope you’re having a good day too. 🙂

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