Legacy & Bequests
Written by: J Cornish
Leaving a Bequest in your Will and planning your giving beyond your life is an action that benefits you and others.
The definition of Bequest is "the gift of personal property, money, assets under the terms of a will to an organization, person or group". Some questions that you may want to explore are:
- To whom will we give when we are done with our worldly goods?
- Does family extend beyond blood relations?
- What is my Legacy? What fragrance shall I leave behind?
- Can I create a spark that fires into a future time?
In the shadow of our own deaths, we can sometimes see and know that which has helped us move ahead and into places of love and light in our lives. To be grateful and acknowledge this also illuminates our death as well as our lives.
We can offer thanks to those that have helped us in life, to that which has helped the light come in, not just in times of darkness but in times when we have known that we are ready for the more, ready to take on challenges and shown us new expansive horizons.
When we think on what or who has added to the richness and abundance in our own lives, we can sometimes see a clear path or the people that have made our lives more bountiful. Sometimes it is a person and sometimes it's an organization.
As we are writing in this article, we shall focus on the organization the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society (DTMMS).
This is the organization that has and is preserving the teachings of the Twisted Hairs. This includes the teachings given in Chuluquai Quodoushka workshops, Shamanic De-Armoring, Red Lodge, Rites of Passage and many other programs. It is the organization that protects by teaching the sacredness of the Purification Lodges. It is also the organization that provides the oversight of testing and vigilance to keep the teachings clear and true to their origin.
The teachings have allowed many of us to learn, heal, test and benefit from the wisdom that has been given by the Twisted Hair Elders. DTMMS is dedicated to preserving these teachings so others can continue to benefit as well as promoting them to us here and now.
It is the responsibility of the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society to monitor and maintain safeguards to keep the Twisted Hairs teachings intact. This takes care, forethought, dedication and indeed funds. The Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society is charged with the task of both teaching and preservation of all the wisdom and knowledge contained in the gifted downloads received by and from the Twisted Hairs Elders. This requires an active archive and storage system and people to attend to the works. It also requires funds, money and investments.
It is here we are discussing how to plan ahead so you can do this when you are done with what you have! How to build it into your Will and discuss it with those close to you. Let them know what you are planning and talk about why it is significant to you.
In contemplation and action in our Wills and indeed our deaths, we get to think about our own LEGACY and BEQUESTS. What are we going to leave when we go? To whom shall we leave that which we have been fortunate to gather in life? Especially , the tangible, things that we have enjoyed in our living realm. A BEQUEST to the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society sends your gratitude to an organization that has benefitted you in your life.
In part 2 of this series, we explore how to do a BEQUEST to an organization like DTMMS or an organization that you align with.