Thanksgiving Address Greetings to the Natural World

Adapted from Native American prayer by Camille Linen

 

THE PEOPLE: Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the day to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as PEOPLE.

THE EARTH MOTHER: We are thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our MOTHER, we send greetings and thanks.

THE WATERS: We give thanks to all the Waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms – waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of WATER.

THE FOOD PLANTS: With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, the vegetables, beans, and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Food together as one and send them a greeting and thanks.

THE ANIMALS: We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animals life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and hope that it will always be so.

THE TREES: Now we turn our thoughts to the Trees. The earth has many families of trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the TREES.

THE SUN: We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest brother, the SUN. Each day, without fail, he travels the sky from east to west bringing the light of the new day. He is the source of all fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our brother.

THE FOUR WINDS: We are all thankful for the powers we know as the FOUR WINDS. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring the change of seasons. They come from four directions bringing messages and giving us strength. We send greetings and thanks to the FOUR WINDS.

GRANDMOTHER MOON: We put our minds together and give thanks to our oldest GRANDMOTHER, the MOON. She lights the nighttime sky. She is the leader of women all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face, we measure time, and it is the MOON who watches over the arrival of children here on earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our GRANDMOTHER, the MOON.

THE BIRDS: We put our minds together as one and thank all the BIRDS who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the BIRDS, from the smallest to the largest, we send our joyful greetings and thanks.

THE ENLIGHTENED TEACHERS: We gather our minds to greet and thank the ENLIGHTENED TEACHERS who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to those caring TEACHERS.

THE CREATOR: Now we turn our thoughts to the CREATOR, or Great Spirit and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the CREATOR.

CLOSING WORDS: We have now arrived at a place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.