On Friday, January 17th, at 9:30 a.m., a star ascended to the heavens, carrying with it the luminous soul of Grandmother Medicine Song.
Grandmother Medicine Song was a unique woman, a guardian of Hopi wisdom, an ancient soul who bore the songs and teachings of her culture. To me, she was a guide, a radiant being on my spiritual path. Her presence was a blend of gentleness and strength, imbued with love, generosity, and a joy that seemed to come directly from her deep connection to the Earth.
She taught me to look beyond appearances, to silence unnecessary judgments, and to root myself firmly in the ground, to "take a stand," to find the strength to be authentic. With her, I learned to embody my life mission, to embrace my shadows and my light, and to dance with the shifting energies of life, like the wind dances with leaves.
Her departure sent a wave of duality through my soul. A deep sadness filled me, mourning the absence of her voice and her presence. Yet, amidst the sorrow, a gentle joy arose: the knowledge that she was finally free. Her body, which she carried with such courage despite her suffering, could finally rest. She left lightly, like a cloud dancing with the wind, as the Hopi elders whisper.
The shock of grief: a journey into oneself
Beyond the pain, I feel a void that sometimes seems to stifle everything else. But grief, I am learning, is also a process of transformation. Psychology teaches us that grief passes through several stages: shock, denial, anger, sadness, and eventually acceptance. These stages are not linear. They intertwine, repeat, and unsettle us to help us rebuild.
As I watched my tears flow for her, I felt they carried profound ambivalence. They were both a tribute of love and an expression of the immense void she leaves behind. This silence, where I can no longer exchange words with her, where her luminous answers no longer guide my steps, confronted me with my own solitude. Yet, within this emptiness also lies an invitation: to learn to listen differently—in the whisper of the wind, the song of birds, or the silence of starry nights.
Quickly, fears emerged, like shadows at the edge of the light: the fear of being alone with my decisions, the fear of losing others I hold dear. This void forced me to explore my own anxieties, to recognize in this sadness a mirror of my vulnerabilities. This grief was not only hers but also of other losses I had not yet fully processed, like the departure of my former "Maestra."
Her absence awakened fears about the future: the inevitability of losing my parents and the unavoidable losses that weave the fabric of existence. But there was also a more intimate fear: the fear of not being able to preserve and pass on her teachings, as though her absence could dry up the living source of her wisdom.
Emerging from darkness: surrendering to faith
Faced with these fears lingering in the shadows, I understood that listening to them meant losing myself in them, locking myself in a labyrinth of darkness, doubt, and sorrow. So, I quickly chose to silence those voices whispering anxiety. I closed my eyes and surrendered to faith. There was only one way forward: to entrust everything to the Creator. In this surrender, I felt a profound peace, as though an invisible hand placed a soothing balm on my wounded heart. Faith offered me a light in the darkness, a path to move forward despite the pain, with the certainty that everything is part of a greater design.
The circle of life: honoring the eternal cycle
I wondered how to honor my grief without being consumed by it, how to transform this sorrow into an offering worthy of Grandmother Medicine Song's legacy. She comes back to me in my memory, luminous and serene, with these words she often repeated: “Life is a circle. What seems like an end is only a new beginning.” These words invite me to connect with the deep wisdom of the medicine wheel.
In this wheel, each direction, each season, embodies a stage of the human journey: birth, growth, adulthood, and the wisdom of elders. This eternal cycle teaches me that grief is not an end but a transformation, a door opening to another form of presence. Grandmother Medicine Song, in her wisdom, has never left this circle. In 21 days, she will join the position of the North, where the ancestors reside, and will continue to watch over us from this sacred direction. She still dances with those who came before, illuminating our steps with a soft and timeless light.
Transforming pain into light: the teachings of grief
In this process, I recalled an essential truth: every moment we share is a precious gift. The love we give today becomes the light that brightens the days to come. Every smile, every kind word, every embrace are seeds we sow in the infinite field of memory. This field, nourished by our acts of love, becomes a timeless refuge where our bonds endure, even beyond absence.
Grandmother Medicine Song’s departure reminded me of the importance of living fully, of telling those I love how much they mean to me, and of inhabiting the present moment. Time is fragile, and this moment is all we have.
Her absence whispers to me: to love without restraint is also to accept the vulnerability of an open heart, ready to welcome both joy and grief. It is to recognize that our bonds are not broken by time; they evolve, transform, and find new ways to touch and inspire us.
Honoring her departure, perpetuating her light
Grandmother Medicine Song has not left this world. She still dances in the breath of the wind, the song of the rivers, and the light of the stars. By celebrating her legacy, we keep her message alive: to live with love, gratitude, and respect for the sacred circle of life.
Her departure is not an end but an invitation to fully embody the teachings she carried. Through her words and songs, she planted seeds of light within us. Today, it is up to us to nurture them, to share this wisdom, and to honor these sacred bonds that never disappear.
During our last conversation, she told me, “I am the dance.” And now, she rises in every movement, in every vibration of life. She dances in the breath of the wind, the song of the rivers, the light of the stars. And I dance with her, every moment I celebrate her legacy, every time I connect to her wisdom.
By dancing, we keep her message alive: to live with love, gratitude, and respect for the sacred circle of life. May we walk in beauty.
AHO
ASKWALI (thank you)
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