Hello from Jamie

[jian]

Hello everyone -

I found this forum several years ago.  A professor of mine showed the class a video featuring 'Jamake Highwater' in which he was waxing poetic about his Native Spirituality.  ::)  I smelled something fishy, so my research led me here.

I have seen many people I care about lose lots of time, money, and rational thought to new agers over the years. I've also seen many new agers appropriate any spiritual traditions/culture they can get their hands on - some with good intentions and some not, and some clearly mentally ill. It really bothers me - it's frustrating, infuriating, and sad.

I'm not NDN, and I don't have a religious tradition (I studied Judaism for many years, but it's not the path for me). I guess I can mostly be described as a humanist, but I don't rule out there are things beyond our ken. My ancestry is some recent German, but largely early colonial Virginia and Pennsylvania - religious refugees - Anabaptist/Mennonite, Quaker, Bretheren, and Huegenot.

Thanks for having me.