Cry of the Eagle: Encounters With a Cree Healer by Russell Willier, David Young, Grant Ingram, Lise Swartz

People are the victims of fate only they do not understand how to react to the "pattern" in the things happening around them.

The ability to understand what is happening and to act in a way that changes the future course of events entails power. 

Nobody has the right to challenge the authenticity of another's spiritual experiences.

Taking another world-view seriously means that we do not regard it as consisting merely of interesting beliefs.

"The Great Spirit has helpers like Fire, Thunder, Wind, and Water.  They are the elements -- the Grandfathers". Russell Willier

"If you use a plant and ask that plant spirit to get help from the Great Spirit, the power will come through". Russell Willier

Because of their wrongdoing, people are less worthy than a blade of grass to talk to the Great Spirit directly.

Every living creature is a tangible expression of the spirit for that species.

Fasting and prayer may be required for deep communication with the spirit world, but even simple purification rites such as burning sweetgrass or a fungus from the diamond willow will allow one to perceive the presence of spirits.

Burning incense is like opening a curtain.  When the curtain has been pulled back one can see and communicate directly with the spirits.

Spirits can assist the shaman not only in foretelling but in changing the future.

It is dangerous to take part in ceremonies conducted by incompetent people, but it is even more dangerous not to do the ceremonies at all.

"All the plants and trees and animals have got something that they can give to help cure different sicknesses." Russell Willier

That night he dreamed about the incident.  In his vision a little man about four feet tall came to him.  He was the spirit of the herb Russell had been looking for.

The animal spirits reside in their namesakes.  Thus, the Buffalo Spirit dwells in every buffalo.

When the spirits arrive it feels as if your stomach suddenly leaves you.

A Cree Healer and His Medicine Bundle: Revelations of Indigenous Wisdom; Healing Plants, Practices, and Stories by Russell Willier, David Young and Robert Rogers

All quotes from Russell, David and Robert's book

A lot of times the spirits tell you to use a particular combination.  You don't select it; you are told what to use.  You don't question it.  But if the combination is passed on from a human, you really have to check.

The circumference of the [Medicine Wheel] circle represents the sweetgrass trail, around which the individual travels as he seeks to pass through life successfully and eventually return to the Great Spirit. 

The primary role of a healer is to help people who approach him in the correct way, asking for healing and guidance from the Great Spirit.  Since the Great Spirit is too holy to be approached directly, the healer must work with Spirit Helpers, the Grandfathers.  The Grandfathers carry requests from the healer to the Great Spirit and return to the healer with information and spiritual power.  The healer then channels this assistance to those who have requested it.

Rocks are some of the most important Grandfather spirits, as they have been here from the beginning of the world and will be here long after people, trees, and plants have gone.

Each species of animal, plant, fish, and insect has its own Grandfather spirit, of which all members of that species are living expressions. 

Everything that works for good in the world is duplicated by an equivalent set of spirits that work for the bad…. The only exception to this dualistic worldview is the Great Spirit, which does not have an evil counterpart. 

An important task of a good healer is to diagnose which problems are caused by curses as opposed to problems due to natural causes.

There are a lot of predictions that people laugh at, such as that a time will come when money is no good or that the trees will be very important…. People will try to survive.  But they will need a different kind of building that can withstand the winds. 

An individual is composed of three elements: physical, emotional, and spiritual.  Illness upsets these elements and thus has spiritual, psychological, and physiological manifestations.  Regardless of the etiology of an illness, treatment must address itself to all three of these elements.