The Indigenous cultures which have their spiritual and social structures arise through their relationship with the Earth and Universe were overtaken years ago through the onslaught of colonization and genocide.  It is with deep humbleness that I recognize the depth of that holocaust. It is also with profound regret that I realize the ongoing nature of the Indigenous Peoples’ holocaust which continues to bring about systemic injustices, lack of sovereignty, poverty, suicide, additions, and the legacy of generational grief, among other difficulties. It is with deep gratefulness that I am aware of the courage and persistence of the few individuals who survived colonization in the United States and gave their lives to preserve the rituals, ceremonies, and culture of their people in the face of such destruction.

Present day Nature Connected practices work with the essential qualities of human beings as well as the essential qualities of nature, and so the practices can not help but have similarities to Indigenous culture, and at times are informed by the practices of those who lived closer to the Earth on other continents and those who originally occupied North and South America. I take care to name practices used at Sacred Journeys in ways that purposefully differentiate them from original practices of cultures for which I am not a part, to acknowledge the origins of certain practices, and to be engaged in ongoing education, self-reflection, and advocacy of reparations.