A song about life after life, returning home to the spirit realm.
“When My Soul Comes Home”
The Story
My uncle is a Sun Dancer. This means the participates in the sacred Sun Dance ceremonies practiced by the Lakota (Sioux), along with other indigenous people of the Great Plains. I've supported him through this experience each of these past three years.
The Sun Dance tradition is held in a circular arena surrounded with buffalo skulls, with a sky-high cottonwood tree standing in the center. This tree is a symbol of sacrifice, falling and then rising again, representing new life. Sun Dancers are then fastened to this tree, held by the skin of their chests, falling and then rising, as if dying and being born as a new person.
Each year, in an event called “Tree Day,” we go to the forest and select a tall cottonwood tree–last year's tree measured 70 feet tall! We strike the tree one person at a time, sharing a single axe, taking care to bring it gently to the ground, and then we carry it for miles and plant it at the ceremony site. To me, Tree Day brings my mind to the thought of Jesus. Everywhere I look, I see Jesus. In the people. In the tree... This song arrived into my life on Tree Day.
Image Source: National Geographic
The Lyrics
I envision life after life
I can see myself in the arena of lights
Yes I can see myself shine
Reflecting God’s Light
I will remember my ancestry
Remembering the souls who are home before me
Aho mitakuye oyasin
I honor all of my relations
I will cherish the plants and animals
Fruit flower tree herb vegetable
Yes I will cherish the living
Hummingbird jaguar buffalo
I will bathe in the Seventh Ray
Through the Violet Flame of São José
I Am
Entering a new dimension
I will go with God all the way
Let go and go to God when my soul comes home
Yes I will go in joy
Bless my soul I will go with God
I am comforted by the anticipation
Of a warm welcome when my soul comes home
Yes I am filled with warmth
Considering infinite peace
I am home right here right now
Already home here and now all right
Yes in this present moment
I am happy to be home
Gratefully,