a Native American prayer: the cardinal points

Once again, I share a meditation I really like.  It's also from Eknath Easwaran's book God Makes the Rivers To Flow: An Anthology of the World's Sacred Poetry and Prose.

Great Life-Giving Spirit

Great Spirit of Love, come to me with the power of the North.

Make me courageous when the cold winds of life fall upon me.

Give me strength and endurance for everything

that is harsh, everything that hurts,

everything that makes me squint.

Make me move through life

ready to take what comes from the North.

Spirit who comes out of the East,

come to me with the power of the rising sun.

Let there be light in my word.

Let there be light on the path that I walk.

Let me remember always that you give the gift of a new day.

Never let me be burdened with sorrow by not starting over.

Great Spirit of creation,

send me the warm and soothing winds from the South.

Comfort me and caress me when I am tired and cold.

Enfold me as your gentle breezes enfold your leaves on the trees.

And as you give to all the earth your warm, moving, wind,

Give to me so that I may grow close to you in warmth.

Great life-giving Spirit,

I face the West,

the direction of the sundown.

Let me remember every day that the moment will come

when my sun will go down.

Never let me forget that I must fade into you.

Give me beautiful color.

Give me a great sky for setting,

and when it is time to meet you, 

I come with glory.

And Giver of all life, I pray to you from the earth,

help me to remember as I touch the earth

that I am little and need your pity.

Help me to be thankful for the gift of the earth

and never to walk hurtfully on the world.

Bless me to love what comes from mother earth

and teach me how to love your gifts.

Great Spirit of the heavens,

lift me up to you

that my heart may worship you

and come to you in glory.

Hold in my memory that you are my Creator,

greater than I,

eager for my good life.

Let everything that is in the world

lift my mind,

and my heart, and my life to you

so that we may come always to you 

in truth and in heart.

Native American Tradition