A Man Among the Helpers - The Book that Started Helpers Mentoring Society
Did you know that the book that kicked off the teachings of Helpers Mentoring Society is still in publication? Over the years we have also professionally produced an audio book version! Each year new people find their way to reading A Man Among the Helpers and to Helpers Mentoring Society. Below are ways to access both the hard copy and the audio book versions.
This book is my personal experience with the traditions of the Lakota people. I do not claim to be Lakota, nor an expert on all things Lakota. I can only speak from my times with these medicine ways and ancient traditions. Lakota spirituality is not a dogmatic religion; each medicine family has its own particular connection to the Grandfathers, and these various connections require different approaches. Due to this, what you read here may differ greatly from your own personal experiences or understandings of Lakota or other Native American traditions.
The year was 1989. Spiritual forces were at work, calling out to those who could hear. The damage to the world that humans had inflicted had just passed a critical point—the Earth could no longer be healed physically. A spiritual calling was being shouted from deep within the Earth for aid, and many people heard the call at this time. All over the world, contemporary humans turned to traditional indigenous people for help. Many began seeking to live a more balanced, spiritual life.
It was during this time that I unexpectedly received a great Vision—a Vision that changed my life and transformed me from a self-centered teenager into a healer. I embarked on a mission to learn what this calling meant, and what I needed to do. Within months I began helping a Native American Medicine family in sacred ceremonies. Within a few years, I was living with and had married into this family, one of the last direct links to ancient Native American medicine.
In that time of my youth, I set up the altar for sacred Lakota ceremonies. I worked with Benjamin Godfrey Chipps, a spiritual interpreter of the Oglala Lakota Sioux; a practitioner of the “Yuwipi” ceremony with blood links to its originator. I spent over 10 years being educated in traditional medicine and healing practices. Through this medicine, I learned the healing power of the Earth. I became a translator for the ceremonies, which are bridges linking the ancient Lakota way of life to the present moment.
My story and the information contained in this book are based on my personal experience. This book describes Native American concepts, philosophies and actual ceremonies from a modern perspective. I was on outsider, raised in another culture but still welcomed with open arms into an ancient way of life. During my training, I was taught healing practices that can be traced back to the foundations of the Earth. I was expected to fully explain these concepts to non-native ceremonial participants. This book is a continuation of my responsibility to preserve these ancient ways for all of humankind.
