How to describe what ONE needs to hear? EagleMan's voice speakstruth and tells a story that each two-legged needs to be aware of. Thesinging and drumming create openings for Spirit to Move us. With the hearing of Black Elks songs-we can return the gift by repeating these songs. Blue Man, it is a good day to die!!Hokahey!!!!!

My desire to understand and commune withthe Great Spirit of the Native AmericanWays satisfies my sacred spirit in everygood manner when Ed McGaa speaks about Black Elk and the Vision.Joseph Campbell, the great Mythologist,called Black Elk's Vision the greatest example of imagery and spirituality.This inner locus of control to find our sacred spirit and commune within GreatSpirit with all good people seems to methe essence of our spiritual quest.During the last century, perhaps 1872, Black Elk had a Near Death Experience atage nine years. My NDE happened in 1945 at age seven years. My NDE, and many others, will be presented in a new book called "Children of the New Millenium" in early 1999 by PMH Atwater.The patterns of life that emerge in thelives of such children amazes me! Black Elk kept his fascination with life and all good people, from the enchanting description of his encounter in Londonwith Queen Victoria, called Grandmother England, to his own survival of the massacre at Wounded Knee!"In a Sacred manner I have made them walk..." sings Black Elk about his role as a healer among his people

I may never be pierced in a Sioux Sun Dance Ceremony, but I would like to be cleansed by a Sweat Lodge Ceremony. If nothing else I will look for my Wotai stone, and hold it up to the rising dawn. Perhaps I will beseech the four directions and Mother Earth, Father Sky, and Wakan Tanka. This book can give anyone a greater appreciation of the stewardship of the Oglala Sioux, and greater respect for Mother Earth.

This book provides information on Indian ceremonies and the contribution of Indians to this democracy. There are highly personal and remarkable accounts of Eagle Man's own quest; such as the Yuwipi Spirit-calling ceremony to find a downed airplane, and the finding of his personal tipi canyon agate.

Mother Earth Spirituality is a necessary addition to the shelves of anyone who wants to learn how to live in harmony with Mother Earth and all Her inhabitants. It is a beautifully written, clearly defined book that explains some of the major concepts of Lakota spirituality and how they can be applied in our world today. It will also increase your awareness of the struggle the Indians endure to hold on to their traditional ways. The author's account of his Sun Dance experiences illustrate a part of this struggle. This book will increase your awareness and strengthen your bond with Mother Earth and all her creatures, including humans. Its wonderful!

I commend Eagle Man for this sensitive and indepth commentary on Native American spirituality and our responsibiity to Mother Earth. In this hustle, bustle world today, we too often lose sight of the environment that we were given. At one point, it was clean and pure and bountiful. Now, we have polluted our water, descecrated our land, and exterminated animal species. Not much of a commentary on how we take responsibility for and care of these gifts we have evolved into taking for granted. Eagle Man opens our eyes to the simple facts that his forefathers knew and that we have allowed to fall by the wayside. It is works like this that should be required reading in our schools. It is a wake up call that unless we do something to change our world, we may not leave much for our descendents. I highly recommend this book not only for its enviromental impact but also to provide knowledge of the spirituality and philosophy of the Native American people.

This book accomplishes something many writers try but few succeed in doing. Historical fiction has traditionally provided a way for writers to weave real "factoids" together with personal recollection and fantasy. McGaa goes beyond that by weaving factual historical events into the visionary life-world of Native Americans. Even more remarkably, however, he is able to weave personal and historical recollection, vision, and dreams through time without losing the reader! As McGaa tracks the path of a modern-day warrior living his personal vision along the historical path of his ancestors, the reader is at once in today and yesterday, in both the "real" and the visionary world. This IS Mitakuye Oyasin! McGaa and his story are related and connected to the lived world of the Native American in a profound way that literally gives flesh and breath to history.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have been searching through literature for many years for the truth of the Old Ways. It is difficult to find books written without influence of the European/White Man, as such. I could tell as soon as I finished the first chapter, that this was a true story. Having read Mother Earth Spirituality, I also knew this was McGaa's own story.

I was deeply moved by this book. There were times when I had to put it away due to the anger and hurt that I felt resulting from the treatment of these people and their beliefs. If you are studying Native Americans, have an interest in their ways and want to know the truth about this culture, read this book. I have read other books about Black Elk and the Sioux but this touches on many of the ceremonies and gives wonderful details of how spiritual these Holy Men were. It is very descriptive and draws one right into the midst of these spiritual encounters. You won't be the same.....

Ed McGaa, Eagle Man, has provided historians and spiritual seekers an invaluable, first-hand account of renewing the spirituality of the American Indian. Although told as fiction, "Eagle Vision" is nonetheless an important historical document. Most Americans don't realize that after the American Indian Religious Crimes Act of 1889, the constitutionally guaranteed Freedom of Religion was denied to American Indians. It required an act of true heroism for a few individuals to defy authority and bring these important religious ceremonies back into the open. "Eagle Vision" will become a classic in the years to come, and I sincerely hope that one day it will be made into a movie. Charging Shield's story has much to teach us about our freedoms and about spirituality.

This book is a compilation of Ed McGaa's lectures at an "upper income, midwestern, metropolitan suburban school". In it, we mainly get his personal views and experiences of the "Natural Way" which, generally speaking, represent the tradition of his native Lakota Sioux. McGaa's credentials are pretty good: he claims to have studied with Frank Fools Crow and Bill Eagle Feather, without doubt two of the most influential Sioux medicine people. This therefore is an opportunity to partake of life experiences of an insider who is willing to share his views of God, religion, spirits and interconnectedness of life. We learn of such key elements of Lakota worldview as the 6 Powers, the Wakamaskan (animal brothers), yuwipi, Sun Dance, details of Black Elk's vision and the attitude of reverence and respect towards the "Great Mystery". Native Americans cannot comprehend the concept of a wrathful, revengful God, nor can they understand the concepts of sin and "being saved". They have seen what we have forgotten - that what makes a person harmonious, kind and peaceful is their closeness to Nature which gifts them the power of presence (is it therefore surprising to see that the people who wreak discord in the world are characterized by their disconnectedness from Nature and their own bodies?)

McGaa has a lot of beef with organized religion and by golly do I agree with him. According to him, the concept of heaven and hell was great for the priests trying to to keep in control ignorant masses. The more we shed our ignorance, the closer we get to the Great Spirit and the freer we are from the leeches trying to take over our spiritual life. This is why, says McGaa, knowledge is so crucial. Knowledge leads to wisdom, wisdom leads to understanding, and understanding leads to peace. The key to developing knowledge is observation. We do not have to believe anything : it is enough to be patient, observe and draw conclusions for oneself.

In short, this is an eminently practical book written by a knowledgeable person of great integrity. I recommend it.

If you have any questions about "Native Spirituality", read this book. Eagle Man again makes the logical reasonings of the Native American easy to understand. I personally met him about 3 years ago, and he is the person he comes across as in his books-straight,honest,sincere,kind,& willing to share his knowledge with the world. More of us need to listen to him!!

I have bought this book for it was first, written by McGaa, second there is a non-exaustive Sioux dictionary, and third because the Title "....Natural Way" was what I want to learn about. I am reading it and still learning. Come back later for a complete review.

Telling people how to perform ceremonies that they have no qualifications for or experience in is sacrelidgeous. Period. Anyone who practices or performs these ceremonies (who hasn't cashed in on their ancestry for twenty bucks a pop) knows this. I have done extensive research on this kind of cultural misappropriation (Ward Churchill has, among many others, an excellent book called Indians Are Us? that contains an essay on Mr. McGaa and other "plastic medicine men"). The person who stated the fact that this book is sacrelidgeous is not close-minded, he or she is aware of the facts. You cannot claim part of someone else's religion for your own.

Ed McGaa, writing about what he is called to write about, has the blessed good fortune to be published. The ceremonies he writes about have meaning to him and he wishes to share their essence with the readers. There is nothing about exploitation in this. What this book does is send a message of hope that people will do SOMETHING in themselves to correct their insane ways and reconnect with the living Spirit that flows through Nature. Small minds need opening. Small hearts need opening. Envy is a disease of the soul. 1000 blessings to Ed McGaa, whoever he is, for his beautiful efforts. Small stones dropped in the water make ever-expanding rings. It is for readers to reflect on the meaning of what is written. Noone has to go out and perform rituals that are not theirs. There is something universal in all people's rituals, however. The wise see it and can work with it. The lazy idiots sit back and sling mud. When has it ever been otherwise? Bright Blessings.

This book is a collection of stories of people taking the natural way instead of the closed minded dogma of most religion.

In this book Mr. McGaa releases more of his distaste for "christianity" I suffered too much at the hands of "christians" as well.

If you are interested in taking the natural way; this book offers some guideposts to follow.

If your mind and heart are closed; as demonstrated by the reviewer from San Francisco below; go back to you dogmatic religion where you are forced to give your power away to the people in power. I wish you peace.

Minds and hearts are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

Questions or comments E-Mail me. Two Bears

Wah doh Ogedoda