THE GREAT MYSTERY Solitary Worship.
The Savage Philosopher.
The Dual Mind.
Spiritual Gifts versus Material Progress.
The Paradox of “Christian Civilization.” The original attitude of the American Indian toward the Eternal, the “Great Mystery” that surrounds and embraces us, was as simple as it was exalted.
To him it was the supreme conception, bringing with it the fullest measure of joy and satisfaction possible in this life.
The worship of the “Great Mystery” was silent, solitary, free from all self-seeking.
It was silent, because all speech is of necessity feeble and imperfect; therefore the souls of my ancestors ascended to God in wordless adoration.
It was solitary, because they believed that He is nearer to us in solitude, and there were no priests authorized to come between a man and his Maker.
None might exhort or confess or in any way meddle with the religious experience of another.
Among us all men were created sons of God and stood erect, as conscious of their divinity.
Our faith might not be formulated in creeds, nor forced upon any who were unwilling to receive it; hence there was no preaching, proselyting, nor persecution, neither were there any scoffers or atheists.
There were no temples or shrines among us save those of nature.
Being a natural man, the Indian was intensely poetical.
He would deem it sacrilege to build a house for Him who may be met face to face in the mysterious, shadowy aisles of the primeval forest, or on the sunlit bosom of virgin prairies, upon dizzy spires and pinnacles of naked rock, and yonder in the jeweled vault of the night sky!
He who enrobes Himself in filmy veils of cloud, there on the rim of the visible world where our Great-Grandfather Sun kindles his evening camp-fire, He who rides upon the rigorous wind of the north, or breathes forth His spirit upon aromatic southern airs, whose war-canoe is launched upon majestic rivers and inland seas—He needs no lesser cathedral!
That solitary communion with the Unseen which was the highest expression of our religious life is partly described in the word bambeday, literally “mysterious feeling,” which has been variously translated “fasting” and “dreaming.” It may better be interpreted as “consciousness of the divine.” The first bambeday, or religious retreat, marked an epoch in the life of the youth, which may be compared to that of confirmation or conversion in Christian experience.
Having first prepared himself by means of the purifying vapor-bath, and cast off as far as possible all human or fleshly influences, the young man sought out the noblest height, the most commanding summit in all the surrounding region.
Knowing that God sets no value upon material things, he took with him no offerings or sacrifices other than symbolic objects, such as paints and tobacco.
Wishing to appear before Him in all humility, he wore no clothing save his moccasins and breech-clout.
At the solemn hour of sunrise or sunset he took up his position, overlooking the glories of earth and facing the “Great Mystery,” and there he remained, naked, erect, silent, and motionless, exposed to the elements and forces of His arming, for a night and a day to two days and nights, but rarely longer.
Sometimes he would chant a hymn without words, or offer the ceremonial “filled pipe.” In this holy trance or ecstasy the Indian mystic found his highest happiness and the motive power of his existence.
When he returned to the camp, he must remain at a distance until he had again entered the vapor-bath and prepared himself for intercourse with his fellows.
Of the vision or sign vouchsafed to him he did not speak, unless it had included some commission which must be publicly fulfilled.
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
The text suggests that God transcends human speech ('all speech is of necessity feeble and imperfect') and cannot be formulated in creeds, aligning with the via negativa.
Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.
The worship is free from self-seeking and requires casting off human influences.
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
The divine is referred to as the 'Great Mystery' that surrounds us and is met in 'mysterious, shadowy aisles,' emphasizing a God who is concealed yet accessible through solitude. [quarantine-w4: divine_hiddenness x native_american — see rellm data/quarantine/dossiers.jsonl]
Ascetic disciplines that prepare the body and mind for spiritual receptivity or purification.
The text describes the 'bambeday' as a religious retreat involving fasting (implied by the duration and lack of food) and prayer (chanting hymns or offering the pipe) to prepare for divine encounter.
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
The text emphasizes 'consciousness of the divine' and 'solitary communion with the Unseen' achieved through personal experience rather than creeds, preaching, or priestly mediation.
The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.
The worship is described as 'silent' because speech is feeble, and the practitioner remains 'silent and motionless' to ascend to God in 'wordless adoration.'
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
God is depicted as active, riding the wind and kindling camp-fires in the sky. [quarantine-w2: living_god x native_american — see rellm data/quarantine/dossiers.jsonl]
Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.
Solitary worship is described as silent, motionless, and focused on the divine.
The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.
The description of 'solitary communion with the Unseen' and meeting God 'face to face' in a 'holy trance or ecstasy' points to a merging of the individual soul with the divine.
Eckhart's radical reading of Matthew 5:3 — the saint as one who wants nothing, knows nothing, and has nothing, having emptied even the will and the self with which to receive God; distinct from renunciation_of_wealth (material poverty).
Worship is free from self-seeking, and the seeker wears minimal clothing in humility.
The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.
The young man prepares for the retreat by taking a 'purifying vapor-bath' and casting off fleshly influences to appear before God in humility. [quarantine-batch-2: ritual_purity x native_american — see rellm data/quarantine/dossiers.jsonl]