An Ancient Lineage Navigating Modern Times
By Ingrid Liepa
When we listened to the legends of our Sweet Medicine SunDance Path lineage, we learned that for thousands of years and hundreds of generations, the teachings and ceremonies carried within our Path were transmitted orally, direct from guide to apprentice, from wise elder to student. These unique relationships traditionally spanned many years, even decades, and involved many trials and tribulations for the apprentice, including fasting, vision quest and pilgrimage, in order to develop the deep skills and understanding of the ways of spirit, alchemy and healing. Those who chose this kind of life path were few and far between.
As part of its visioning several years ago, DTMMS saw the foundational teachings and knowledge of the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path becoming available to seekers anywhere in the world with the help of digital technologies such as the internet and streaming video. Stepping into 2020, a new DTMMS website is in place along with the recent outreach Friends of the Deer Tribe website. Feel free to access the growing library of teachings from a dozen different teachers and a dedicated team is preparing the foundation for more online content delivery.
Taking a step back to see this movement within the thousands of years of its history, the change and transformation in how teachings of this Path are becoming available is nothing short of revolutionary. Anyone, anywhere, with a device and internet access can now “dip their toes into the water” if they so choose.
While digital technology may be the mark of our times, there are core elements of the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path that could never be replaced with technology and will thus endure across the ages. Since always and for always, the traditional relationship of guide and the apprentice, the gathering-together circles for learning and ceremonial experiences, and the magick of sitting down for one-on-one teachings with a teacher remain integral parts of the seeker’s journey toward internal leadership and spiritual awakening.
In the 1980s, recognizing the need for humans to come back into balance with Grandmother Earth, DTMMS, a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization, was founded for the purpose of gathering, translating, teaching and preserving the Wheels and Keys, of the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path. We invite you to learn more about our programs: https://dtmms.org/programs/
Edited by Kristin Viken & Dianne Reagan