Every Experience is a Teacher

By Elaine Whitefeather

Grandmother walked softly upon the trail, greeting the children of the Earth Mother, bidding a “Good Day” to the tiny flowers who stretched their faces to catch a glimpse of the wise elder. They had greeted her the first time she came to this Sacred Place to seek the healing of her body, to ease her mind, and to comfort and nurture her heart, Here, Grandmother always received the healing she needed, even if when did not know what healing was required.

“Good day, children! What beautiful colors you are wearing today,” she acknowledged each flower as she walked gracefully down the road toward a large boulder. As she approached, she heard the Stone Person call out.

“Good day, Grandmother, I have been waiting for you. Rest your body while I share a story with you. I used to sit high upon the face of Sacred Mountain. Long ago, I was called upon to assist the meadow spirits in healing two-leggeds who would one day journey to this place. The Earth Mother lifted me on a fast-moving snow blanket to this very spot. Here, I provide a sitting place for two-leggeds to meet and visit the meadow spirits who dance the healing dance; and whose joyful songs bring the medicine to heal the sadness of the heart.

The sacred waters flowing here cleanse and purify the body and spirit, bringing healing to those who seek it. To open to this healing, learn to sit in the stillness, to listen with the heart and silence the chatter of the mind. Each of us around you holds a story and a viewpoint of what we have learned from the particular place we landed upon. I suppose you could say that we hold the knowing within us until it is asked to be shared.”

Grandmother looked around. Indeed there were several other large boulders sitting in very specific places around the meadow. It looked very much as though each was a gateway to another perspective. The wise old Stone Person gave such a feeling of comfort and support to Grandmother that she relaxed and entered the Stillness to fully receive the medicine that was offered.

She thought back to her first visit to this place. Like the old Stone Person, the changes her body was going through was so much like being carried on a fast-moving snow blanket. She recalled how quickly everything had transpired since her diagnosis of cancer. It was the beginning of the end… a death walk that led her to this place of birth. Her safe, secure reality was shaken loose and came tumbling, crumbling, and spilling out of control with the diagnosis. Surrendering to her spirit was all that Grandmother could do; it was her first lesson. She learned that her true strength and power came in letting go and allowing her body to become her friend.

Though Sacred Mountain had called her many times before, Grandmother did not answer the call because the needs of her family always came first in her heart and mind. Caring for others, worrying for them, praying for them, and carrying their burdens had defined much of her life. This was her next lesson…

“It was truly a gift to learn just how much it means to love and care for my own life. It was a blessing indeed to learn to receive from the Earth Mother, all of the love and support that is given me, if I seek it. Receiving from Her made it possible to receive love and support from others. It did not make me weak, it made me stronger. It was not a burden for others, but a gift they could give me. I learned how to value and honor myself and have gratitude for every part of life. That has sustained me.”

This reflection allowed Grandmother to truly feel the experience and medicine that was given through the journey of cancer. The elder embraced the experience as her teacher — acknowledging how profoundly transforming it had been. Touching the old Stone Person, Grandmother whispered her heartfelt gratitude for helping her to remember the medicine gained from this journey of healing. She retraced her steps along the trail, marveling at the wondrous magic of life; grateful for the lessons her body had taught her, while embracing the love her spirit helped her reclaim.

Choosing to discover and learn the lessons of every experience will lift your out of the valley of victim consciousness. When you choose to seek the wisdom of every experience, you begin to understand that you are blessed with teachers whose knowing is a gift that empowers your life. It becomes an act of love and courage for the Self. It makes the difference between living fully and just surviving life. It is to become a partner in your life and a path of continued healing and discovery.

Wisdom from every experience transforms your life from one of pain and struggle, burdens to bear, and crises to survive… to one of blessings to receive and treasures within to explore. Life is not meant to be a survival course. It is the greatest gift given to us by a loving Creator. It is to feel alive in every moment, never powerless or helpless. You will feel the Creator’s love in your breath, in the sound of your heartbeat, and in the wind in your hair. You will hear the Creator’s voice in the rustling leaves, in the constant rhythm of waves upon the shore, in the cleansing rains and the radiant sunrise, in the beauty of sunsets and moonrises... the Divine Presence is everywhere.

Loving your life and all of your experiences will take you beyond your limiting beliefs and paralyzing fear. It will move you beyond your wounded heart and the ties that bind your spirit. It is a teacher of wisdom and love. The wisdom of your experience is the ultimate teacher’s lesson.

This article is an excerpt from Many Blessings: The Gifts are in the Journey, by Elaine Whitefeather. One Amazon reviewer wrote, “This book changed my life. It is an easy read and a life saver. I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to empower themselves.”

Elaine Mayumi Whitefeather is the Executive Director of A Community for Peace, a domestic violence provider for Sacramento County. Visionary, passionate, and fiercely dedicated to the empowerment of every victim of trauma and abuse, Ms. Whitefeather has spent her last 38 years in human service work, 36 of those years in the field of domestic violence, Motivated by personal experiences that included childhood abuse, racial violence, sexual assault, and cancer, she has turned these obstacles into opportunities of empowerment, healing, and wholeness.

In 2015, Elaine received the Service To Mankind Award from the Mountain West Region of Sertoma. You can watch her 6-minute acceptance speech here.

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