Sacred Heart #4

The great sea has set me in motion,
set me adrift,
moving me like a reed in the river.

The sky and the strong wind
have moved the spirit inside me
till I am carried away.

Uvavnuk (mid 19thc) was a female shaman of the Nesilik Eskimo. One night she had gone outside to pee when a ball of fire appeared in the sky and entered her body which began to glow. Filled with joy, she ran back inside and sang this song to her family. After that whenever she sang this song, she could heal others.

Enlightenment does not only come through spiritual practices but can also happen through the physical, through the senses, unexpectedly in our everyday life. In Uavnuk’s case her spirit was loosened by the sea, sky and wind until she was carried away. What was carried away was her small self, letting her inner radiance shine forth. Did the ball of fire come from the sky to meet in her heart; or did her heart soar upwards to the sky? Light is the essence of Life.