Listening Woman
Image: Wikipedia
Labeled for non-commercial reuse.
Thirteen of us sit in a circle around Darleen, our friend of Native American descent, our friend who shared a deep spiritual journey with us that was different from what we knew. Over the months she shared the beauty of the American Indian traditions—beauty that enriched our own understanding of the Great Spirit without taking anything from our own beliefs. Beauty that helped us to behold the wonders of creation with fresh insight.
Today, she introduces us to the talking stick. A large hawk feather wrapped around a stick with leather and beads. It is used in tribal councils, and for our purpose in group discussion. The stick is passed around the circle to the person who wants to share her views. Only the person holding the stick is allowed to speak. Everyone else listens.
eagle feather soar
words born of thoughtful silence
spirit wisdom speaks
Posting a 2nd poem, a haibun, for my feather prompt at dVerse Poetics.
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
I love the way you talk about the stick:
“Today, she introduces us to the talking stick. A large hawk feather wrapped around a stick with leather and beads.”
And the mention of “tribal councils” makes me think of Survivor … voting someone off. I also like the way this might link back to that first line-break, where you create (perhaps accidentally) the phrase “sit-in.” To me, the undertone is that this group of 13 (which is sort of a dark arts number) is calmly trying to deal with an issue.
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that is very cool – i love the idea – nowadays too many people try to talk at the same time and only few are listening…
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My address is: http://Somethingsithinkabout-annell-annell.blogspot.com
I would love for you to come to see me, my feather poem is there.
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Only the one holding the stick can speak….it might work?
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I love this tradition of the talking stick and your haiku is so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing :o)
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I think a tradition of talking and listening is something we can learn from… Love this tradition
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Beautiful haiku. Well thought out words heal and enrich the listener.
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Lovely story and haiku, Victoria. I’m a big fan of the talking stick tradition. I’ve used them in groups and we had a group project where we made our own, adorning it with symbols and items meaningful to each of us. It’s a great communication tool and wonderful project for a family or group.
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[…] dVerse and Victoria’s prompt to use the fine word “feathers” in a […]
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Everyone else listens.
Oh, that we could learn. Quick to listen, slow to speak. Slow to get angry.
I love this, Victoria.
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