The Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society is available to you in a number of ways. Their vision is to foster the well-being of the Four Colts of the Gold Horse — the flourishing of Beauty, Power, Knowledge and Freedom for all!
With the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society They offer the Sweet Medicine Sundance Path. The Sweet Medicine SunDance Path (SMSD) promotes a spiritual practice that has evolved out of the ancient ways of the Twisted Hairs medicine men and women of Turtle Island (the Americas). Through its world-wide network of teachers, lodges, study groups and affiliated organizations, SMSD offers teachings, lectures, workshops, classes, ceremonial opportunities, publications and learning tools to anyone who seeks knowledge, healing, spiritual self-development and physical mastery.
Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society offers many spiritual ventures such as rite of passage ceremony, workshops, and also alternative medicines to help in healing.
I, myself, am a spiritual person who strives to heal in alternative ways and feel that this place is a great place to find yourself inside and out.
Unfortunately, this Society is also a CULT! I just heard from someone doing one of their workshops where you HAVE TO work like a slave for days (and pay for the priviledge), make costly gifts to the leaders upon your arrival and on top of that, suffer constant anti-Obama rhetoric. Pretty disturbing! Among other things they try to force upon you is a costly ($200 hourly) session with the leader. Also, hypocritically for someone who calls themselves a Medicine Society, you are forced to chain smoke the entire time and make "cigarette" gifts to the leaders. WTF?
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that Nina is making such comments without personal experience. What she says has not been my experience within the Deer Tribe. I have had disagreements with some of the people in the organization and with some of what the leader (Thunderstrikes) says (primarily politically), but the teachings and ceremonies have been invaluable to me. There are many and varied political leanings within the individuals of the Tribe. No one is forced to adhere to a particular viewing point. I have never been forced to chain smoke or to have a $200 session with Thunderstrikes (that may be what he charges, but any meeting with him is voluntary). I have never been forced to do anything I did not want to do if is spoke up and said so. I have found that participating in the preparation for ceremony has deepened my experience of the ceremony. I have found the teachings profoundly beneficial for me and have met many leaders and teachers on this path with great integrity and very supportive of my questioning and searching. One of the first thing any teacher on this says is "don't believe a single thing we teach you, take the information, work with it, try it, experiment with it - if it works for you, great! - if it doesn't great!. Use what works for you and set aside that which doesn't" If you seriously want to grow and develop as a sacred human, I recommend checking out the Sweet Medicine Sundance Path as disiminataed via the Deer Tribe; if you want to be entertained, look elsewhere
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that Nina is making such commments without personal experience. It reminds me of the game telephone where what was originally said, and what the last person in line says has little to do with each other.
ReplyDeleteWhat Nina describes is not my experience at all. Like Moon Star Seeker, I have never been forced to do anything, including never been forced to chain smoke or make lavish gifts or have a session with Thunder Strikes, paid or unpaid.
I also have no knowledge of anyone who has ever been forced to do anything. All you have to do is speak up, if you are asked to do something that you are uncomfortable with or that doesn't work for you. Some aspects of ceremony need to be done a certain way if you want to do that ceremony, but you are always at choice about whether you participate.
Again, I know of no one who has ever been forced to do anything on this path. It is all by agreement.
Yes, Tbunderstrikes has many political opinions and some of those opinions are anti-Obama. If you need to only be around people whose politics agree with yours or who never offer a political opinion, you will probably not like the diversity of opinions that exist within the Deer Tribe or the fact that people (including ThunderStrikes) will sometimes share those opinions.
If hearing political opinions or hearing political opinions you don't agree with is offense to you, at least on occation at Deer Tribe functions, you will probably be offended.
Personally, I'm much more interested in the medicine teachings, and that is the bulk of what is talked about. Since I tend to learn more when I listen to people who think differently and have different opinions than me, the occational lapses into politics is not a big deal to me.
Yes, preparations to do ceremony can take time and effort, but for me those preparations have always deepened my experience of the ceremony, and I consider them an important part of the ceremony itself. If you want everything to be given to you in exchange for nothing or very little and you do not want to put in honest, solid effort on behalf of your own self growth, you definately need to go somewhere else.
This path is only for people who are serious about growing and changing and are willing to put in the kinds of effort that faciliate that.
My understanding of cults is that once you are in, they try to keep you from leaving. My experience of the Deer Tribe is that everything is totally voluntary. If you decide it isn't for you, no one is going to stop you from leaving. I've seen many people come and go. It isn't a big deal. If you want to keep participating, great. If you want to leave, that is okay too.
I know this path isn't for everyone, but I keep showing up for the next ceremony and for the next set of teachings because each step of the way has been so valuable in my own personal growth.
The time I spend with the Sweet Medicine Sundance Path as made available by the Deer Tribe, is, and continues to be, one of the highest return investments I have every made for myself.
I also find it interesting that Nina is making such commments without personal experience. It reminds me of the game telephone where what was originally said, and what the last person in line says has little to do with each other.
ReplyDeleteWhat Nina describes is not my experience at all. Like Moon Star Seeker, I have never been forced to do anything, including never been forced to chain smoke or make lavish gifts or have a session with Thunder Strikes, paid or unpaid.
I also have no knowledge of anyone who has ever been forced to do anything. All you have to do is speak up, if you are asked to do something that you are uncomfortable with or that doesn't work for you. Some aspects of ceremony need to be done a certain way if you want to do that ceremony, but you are always at choice about whether you participate.
Again, I know of no one who has ever been forced to do anything on this path. It is all by agreement.
Yes, Tbunderstrikes has many political opinions and some of those opinions are anti-Obama. If you need to only be around people whose politics agree with yours or who never offer a political opinion, you will probably not like the diversity of opinions that exist within the Deer Tribe or the fact that people (including ThunderStrikes) will sometimes share those opinions.
If hearing political opinions or hearing political opinions you don't agree with is offense to you, at least on occation at Deer Tribe functions, you will probably be offended.
Personally, I'm much more interested in the medicine teachings, and that is the bulk of what is talked about. Since I tend to learn more when I listen to people who think differently and have different opinions than me, the occational lapses into politics is not a big deal to me.
Yes, preparations to do ceremony can take time and effort, but for me those preparations have always deepened my experience of the ceremony, and I consider them an important part of the ceremony itself. If you want everything to be given to you in exchange for nothing or very little and you do not want to put in honest, solid effort on behalf of your own self growth, you definately need to go somewhere else.
This path is only for people who are serious about growing and changing and are willing to put in the kinds of effort that faciliate that.
My understanding of cults is that once you are in, they try to keep you from leaving. My experience of the Deer Tribe is that everything is totally voluntary. If you decide it isn't for you, no one is going to stop you from leaving. I've seen many people come and go. It isn't a big deal. If you want to keep participating, great. If you want to leave, that is okay too.
I know this path isn't for everyone, but I keep showing up for the next ceremony and for the next set of teachings because each step of the way has been so valuable in my own personal growth.
The time I spend with the Sweet Medicine Sundance Path as made available by the Deer Tribe, is, and continues to be, one of the highest return investments I have every made for myself.
Wow!! I just happened to stumble on this blog site totally by accident and I'm glad I did at the time that I did-cuase quite honestly I probably would have sided with Nina a year ago, but now I just laugh at my reflection and say don't you look pretty now. Blessings and Love!
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