In the Lakota tradition it was the White Buffalo Calf Woman who brought
the sacred pipe to the people and taught them to pray. The bowl of the
pipe was the receptacle that held tobacco, an herb with male and female
medicine. The stem of the pipe represented the male entering the female
and seeding life. In the coming together of the male and female, the
connection to the divine energy of the Great Spirit was made. As the
pipe was loaded with tobacco, every family in nature was asked to enter
into the pipe and share its medicine as prayer and praise to the
heavens. The smoke was considered to be visual prayer, and was very
sacred and cleansing.
All animals are sacred, but in many traditions White Buffalo is the most
sacred. The appearance of White Buffalo is a sign that prayers are being
heard, that the sacred pipe is being honored, and that the promises of
prophesy are being fulfilled. White Buffalo signals a time of abundance
and plenty.
Buffalo was the major source of sustenance for the Plains Indians. It
gave meat for food, hides for clothing, warm and soft robes for long
winters, and hooves for glue. The medicine of Buffalo is prayer,
gratitude and praise for that which has been received. Buffalo medicine
is also knowing that which has been received. Buffalo medicine is also
knowing that *abundance* is present when all relations are honored as
sacred, and when gratitude is expressed to every living part of
creation.
Because of its desire to give the gits that its body provided, and
because of its willingness to be used on Earth for the highest good
before entering the hunting grounds of Spirit, Buffalo did not readily
stampede and run from hunters.
To use Buffalo medicine is to smoke the pipe in a sacred manner, and to
give praise for the richness of life to be shared with all races, all
creatures, all nations, and all life. It means smoking for others so
that their needs are met, praying for the good of all things in harmony,
and accepting the Great Mystery as a part of that harmony.
If you have the Buffalo in your life, you may be asked to use your energy
in prayer. You may also be called upon to be an instrument of someone
else's answer to a prayer. This could portend a time of recognizing the
sacredness of every walk of life, albeit different from your own. To
honor another's pathway, even if it brings you sadness, is a part of the
message that Buffalo brings. This may be a time of reconnection to the
meaning of life and the value of peace. Most assuredly this time will
bring serenity amidst chaos if you pray in earnest for enlightenment and
the power of calmness and give praise for the gifts you already have.
Buffalo medicine is a sign that you achieve nothing without the aid of
the Great Spirit and that you must be humble enough to ask for that
assistance and then be grateful for what you receive.
CONTRARY:
TO receive Buffalo upside-down is a signal that you have forgotten to
seek help when it has been needed. If your hand is closed in a fist, you
cannot receive the bounty of abundance. In understanding the
significance of the reversed Buffalo, you may well ask yourself:
1) Have I forgotten my eternal partner, the Great Spirit?
2) Am I pushing myself too fast in the physical world and keeping myself
from seeing the importance of reunion with the Source of all life?
3) Have I forgotten to honor the ways of others and to afford them the
same respect that I wish to receive for myself?
4) Am I feeling like my life is being used for the highest good as this
time?
5) Have I forgotten to be grateful for my life, my possessions, my
talents, my abilities, my health, my family, or my friends?
6) Is it time to make peace with another, or to make peace with some
inner conflict I have so that I may walk in balance again?
Become Buffalo. Feel the smoke of prayer and praise change your Buffalo
robe to white so that you may be an answer to the prayers of the world.
