1. As you board the Ark, make your own Covenant with the Creator and Maasaw. That does not mean you will exchange what you are going to do on the Ark for your own religious faith. While the Ark does function in a relationship with the Creator, it is not a place of specific religion, nor does it recognize any religion as superior to others. You do not even need to have a specific religion, believing in a Divine Creator is enough! This message now is not about eternal matters, or the afterlife, it is about one thing, SURVIVAL.
2. Live simply, as Maasaw himself lives and don't let materialism control your life.
3. Practice self-denial.
4. Practice self-sufficiency. Each of us should possess whatever margin of preparation we need to get us over humps that may last for long periods of time. We who live in cities must ask ourselves what we would do if all of our food supply sources closed down tomorrow. Practicing this is something the Traditionalist Hopi do as a natural way of life, and it is one of the strategies that has enabled them to endure for thousands of years. Having learned from long experience that circumstances can change drastically from one year to the next, they lay aside enough food each Fall to get them through the next year. If the worse happens, they are ready. We too are advised to stock our shelves with enough non-perishable foods to sustain our families when the prophesied emergencies strike.
5. Change your priorities. Make careful choices.
6. Recognize that it is the Creator's wish to rescue us, and that together with the Hopi we can rescue the world.
7. Think of attitude as being an equal partner of application. What you think about what you do may be even more important than what you do.
8. Make your attitude regarding life and the environment a reverent one.
9. Throughout the Ceremonial Cycle there will be dancing in the Ark. This pursuit we are following has a serious nature, but we know it will be successful. This awareness keeps us in a state of joy and fulfillment. So, except for the sixteen days of Soyal, listen to music and dance when you want to. Remember that it was the Creator who originated the Kachina and unmasked dances. The Hopi perform social dances throughout much of the year. The Creator made it possible for us to enjoy sex too, so long as we do this in a healthy way and with a sense of responsibility.
10. During the first part of December say prayers for the well being of the entire world. What is being done during this season is to prepare the atmosphere for the coming year. During this period, you will be blending with the world, and your consciousness of this state will enfold you and affect everything else you do during the coming year. If people all over the world are doing this, think of what the effect will be.
11. On December 21, do initiations to bring others aboard the Spiritual Ark. |
