I often hear complaints of teachers or readers who are “misleading” others, but in my experience, I find that for the most part they are doing this out of ignorance rather than maliciousness. You may have heard the old adage that the teacher (and this could also be the psychic or medium) teaches what he/she most needs to know. When I see anyone pushing a particular series of teachings/ideas you can be sure that they are the one who needs to learn it most urgently.

I know this was certainly the case for me. When I first arrived in Australia over twenty years ago I was persuaded to teach Native American Indian wisdom ways. Looking back I can clearly see it was because I most needed to really learn what those wise elders had taught me because I was not living it fully. At the time my Elder (a Blackfoot pipe carrier who has now passed on) pushed and prodded me into teaching circle.

Even when I refused and returned back to Canada and begged to be able to stay with him and the family on the reservation, he kicked me out and insisted that I return to Australia and complete my mission.

Initially, like probably most people, I assumed what I did for others was more important than what others, and the interaction of circles/personalities and dramas, would do for me. Well, no doubt you wise ones out there can immediately see what I could not. It was, in the end, all about me.

For a huge number of us, the only way we can grow is to teach others what we need to learn. If, however, the teacher is foolish enough to imagine that their teachings/wisdom is all about “those folks who need me” out there, then they are in for a heck of a rocky road. No doubt you have seen this demonstrated many times over.

Of course most people in the spiritual movement totally support Native American Indian wisdom, accept when it comes to eating meat. You might be aware that traditional people over there are definitely not vegans, yet at the same time they revere animals and see them as teachers. This utterly confused me as a young woman making my way around the Indian reservations of Northern Canada. One day I asked one of the elders about this whole issue because I couldn’t reconcile the hunting parties with the obvious respect and honour they offered the individual totem animal spirits.

Even the word totem means friend in the Cree Indian language and all traditional people claimed to have strong ties to their particular totem. As I asked this of my elder, the old man looked at me with very sad eyes, and said : “you mean, you do not understand granddaughter?”

I must have looked particularly blank because he turned away for a moment, clearing asking for guidance from his spirit keepers. He then turned to me and began to tell me a story:

The Littlest Dragon

“Long, long ago the Great Spirit danced across the world like a cloud. He/she (in the Cree language ki means both male and female) formed the deserts, the mountains, the rivers, the oceans and made it into a beautiful place for the lost children of the universe. The lost children were called the “two-legged” ones and they had destroyed four worlds because of greed and selfishness.

Out of the trees, the bushes and the rivers, the dragon people came forward to thank Great Spirit for the beautiful world that they had lived in for many, many centuries. Some of the dragons were enormous, others were quite tiny, and yet others could swim in the deep oceans. They gathered with love and adulation at the feet of Great Spirit and began to sing their long and beautiful songs of love and gratitude.

When they had finished, Great Spirit stood and told them that their world was now being given to theTwo Legged ones in order for them to learn how to open their hearts and love one another and the beautiful world. Goddess Mother Earth had volunteered to give her body for this endeavour and so all the fruit trees had blossomed with fruits that the two-leggeds could eat ready for their arrival.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the littlest dragon dashed forward. She was small, green, with a long scaly tail, but she had huge brown eyes filled with tears and love.

“Oh Great Spirit I would like to stay to help Mother Earth, for I have seen that these two legged ones are very cold, uncaring and selfish. I wish to serve you and serve love,” said the littlest dragon.

Great Spirit smiled down at the tiny dragon with great love and explained that the Two legged ones could be very cruel, harsh and callous and that all dragons would be killed and probably eaten. However, the little dragon wept and pleaded to help.

At that moment all the other dragons stepped forward, and on bended knee pledged to help Great Spirit open the hearts of the Two legged Ones.

Great Spirit thought for a moment and spoke:

“Thank you dragon people, and because you love with all your hearts, I shall give you a gift. You shall become the highest of teachers in this world and instead of scales you will have feathers. I will also give you the gift of flight, so you can fly away and be safe, but yet be an inspiration to the Two-Legged ones.

Now return to me tomorrow, after you have sang and danced all night. I shall give each one of you a new identity, a new medicine and a new power.”

And so it was.