Grandmother Twylah Hurd Nitsch
Grandmother Twylah Hurd Nitsch is the Wisdom Leader of the Wolf Clan of the Seneca Tribe. The Seneca are original members of the Five Nations Peace League, known as the Iroquois Confederacy, and are the acknowledged philosophers of the League. The role of the Wolf Clan in Seneca society is to preserve and teach the wisdom, philosophy and prophecy of Earth history, namely that all creatures are members of the one family born of Mother Earth and that our destiny is to reclaim that Oneness. Grandmother Twylah's family has been teaching the wisdom-traditions of the elders since the 1700s. Grandmother Twylah's role as the Lineage Holder of Seneca wisdom and as leader of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge was prophesied before her birth, and she assumed this role at the age of 9 upon the death of her grandfather. In 1999, she was awarded the North American Living Treasures Award for her life work in disseminating her ancestral teachings worldwide.
The passages and questions below are offered as a starting point for discussion, and are simply listed in sequential order as they appear in the book.
- Page 24 "When anything negative enters your Sacred Space - such as an inharmonious thought or a disagreeable person - it disrupts your peace and harmony. You become unbalanced and things begin to get difficult. The only way to restore harmony is to act with wisdom, integrity, stability and dignity." I [the author] take these words in each time I edit this piece, breathe them into me so that I can move them beyond the ideational realm and make them part of how I operate in the world. I ask myself: What do these qualities actually look like in my life? How can I develop them more fully? How do they relate to each other? To my needs and desires?
- Think of a recent event where you were in a similar situation. What did you do (or could have done) that would have restored your harmony? Did this involve wisdom, integrity, stability or dignity?
- What are your responses to the questions that the author, Margaret Wolff, poses?
- Page 25 "Once the bonds of Love Within are broken and you begin to operate outside of your Sacred Space, you forget that you and all of life are a part of Great Mystery and that Great Mystery loves all creatures equally and unconditionally. When you are no longer aware of your true nature, you feel threatened by anyone or anything that is different from you; so, in an attempt to restore your own balance, you make others wrong or the world broken. When something inside us needs work, most people generally don't take the time to look at it honestly or deeply enough because, initially, it can be a painful exploration. So we hang onto false beliefs, false patterns of self-knowledge because they keep us from making important inner changes or we try to 'fix' others rather than make things right within ourselves. Truth Within is sacred. It's whole. It's a positive energy that unifies and feeds the body and the mind. It helps you digest your food, digest your lessons, and move through your Earthwalk in a focused and positive manner."
- Wow! This inspires me to move through my Earthwalk being mindful and connected to the Truth Within. If you are similarly inspired, what are some things that you already do that connect you to Great Mystery or your spiritual equivalent? What are things you may need to change or release to connect more fully with Truth Within and Love Within?
- Page 28 "The two elders walked slowly, arm-in-arm, along the ice and snow-covered path to the Lodge, with members of the Dalai Lama's party and the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge following at a respectful distance. Then, without warning, Gram [Grandmother Twylah] and the Dalai Lama slid on a patch of ice, lost their balance and fell, in Gram's words 'butt over tea kettle' on their backs into the snow. For a few brief moments, no one breathed. Horrified monks and Wolf Clan members engaged in a mad scramble to assist their leaders, but Gram and the Dalai Lama just turned to each other and burst out laughing. Then, like two mischievous school children, they gathered a lump of snow in their hands and initiated a snowball fight."
- I often perceive spiritual leaders as loving and compassionate, and yet solemn and inspirational. Here are two great leaders more than willing to laugh at themselves! This reminds me that humor and the ability to play breaks down interpersonal barriers and establishes connection faster than anything else. How do you incorporate humor or play into your spirituality?
- Page 32 "Seneca people gauge accomplishment by where we are on our Earthwalk, how we've developed our natural potentials and shared our gifts. Our elders know we're ready to move forward by the questions we ask. There is no criticism or praise, there is only movement through the labyrinth of experience until we remember Who we really are. A bear wakes up in the morning knowing who he is and what he must do each day. He doesn't 'accomplish', he just lives in harmony with Great Mystery. This is true for us as well."
- This outlook on accomplishment contrasts greatly with the current Western perspective, which skews towards getting ahead through possessions and promotions. How would your perspective on your life change if you were to adopt the Seneca's perspective on accomplishment?
- Was there a particular passage that made you stop and either consider or appreciate?