Bear's Den: "Valentine's Day is okay but it's a much lighter... ´Shade´ "

Umm, Valentine´s Day. It makes the two-legged ki-te-hi (heart) go all aflutter. It´s all about candy, cards and cupid´s – coupled with whispered sweet nothings and shouted terms of endearment alike. Yep, it´s these, and so much more, that make the day so supposedly... special. But since this column will print initially on the date of this holiday, I figure that I´ll scribble my 2 cents on the topic. Yep, and inflation not factored-in, my two pennies say... that for all of its pomp and ceremony, Valentine´s Day is all about a ´lighter shade´ of affection, not... Gay-ak Auh-qualech-eke, or… True Love.

In more ways than one, this holiday is a tad too light. To my mind, it's just about chocolate candy, lovey-dovey cards and similar doo-dads – all symbolizing forms of a lighter love-like affection. Oh, don´t get me wrong – I ain´t begrudging anybody make´n a buck. And, I like affection, too, even if I can´t find anyone... willing to show me any – know what I mean? Yeah, and Indians are big into symbolism, also, so since I´m partial to love, then you´d think that this day would have meaning for me. But alas, it does not. That´s because these symbols are taken far too lightly for something which is far too important. To me, they are not symbolic of what I call ´love´. Love, after all, is an emotion for all two-leggeds here upon Earth Mother. Yet, although the day named for a saint is for lovers… that doesn´t mean that´s it´s necessarily a special day for those who are truly… in-love. Nah, for those truly in-love, the emotion is a constant – not a one-day, once-a-year deal. It´s much like the constantly spinning planet that we all share. The Earth Mother... swirls around the red hot kesathwa (sun) and flaming True Love always... revolves around Godly worship.

Yep, for those who are spiritual lovers, every day is special. For them, every day – not just Valentine´s Day – is a day to be thankful. Uh-huh, thankful, because it goes without saying.... that you already love your soulmate, eh. God allowed you to find this person, and then He let them become connected to your soul. Now, just so´s you know, this is where the old, misconstrued saying comes from: "I worship the ground she or he walks on". Oh, sure, it´s often used in jest nowadays, but it has its roots in ancient times. And that´s what I mean. No two-legged should ever be worshiping another two-legged – uh-uh. No human is a god, and never can be. No, if you´re fortunate enough to have a soulmate, then you thank the Creator, every day, for allowing this special someone to be a part of your life, for giving it grace, fulfillment and... actual meaning. Yep, and in so stating this gratefulness, folks... you are worshiping... God, the Master of Life – ipso-facto.

Yeah, I know – it sounds corny. But, just the same, I´ll wager that you´ve probably heard somebody say that they ´worship´ the one that they´re infatuated with... haven´t´cha? Well, in a nutshell, that´s what I´m saying here in regard to Valentine´s Day and true-love. Saying such a thing about worshiping another two-legged may sound cool or neat, but it takes something far too lightly, which is... far too important. See, I know that real love is spiritually based, and cannot be ´real´ if it isn´t – it just can´t. Yeah, I know. You may not agree, and that´s okay. But here´s the thing. See, most American Indian nations have – in some form – a little spiritual doo-dad called the Medicine Wheel. It symbolizes American Indian Spirituality. For many traditional Indians, the Medicine Wheel denotes the individual journey that each two-legged must take to find their path through akeewin-an (life).

Thus, the wheeled circle represents the Circle of Life. Now, within the Medicine Wheel there are many things to know. But, basically, there are the Four Main Wind Directions and Four Sacred Colors. Each represents something within its realm, with varying connotations. But, here´s the important one concerning what I´m talking about here. On the Medicine Wheel, east is colored "red". In addition to success and triumph, it is also the color designated for two-legged love. Um-hmm, and red beads are sometimes placed on the Wheel to conjure the red spirit, hoping to insure success in true-love. See the tie-in? Medicine, spirituality and true-love? They are, folks.... all one and the same.

Ya know, at one time or another, I´ve told all five of our kids that love... is all about life and death. Yes´sir, it absolutely is; and here´s how. When you think of Valentine´s Day, a color almost always pops into your head, doesn´t it? It just works that way. You know, it´s red and green for Christmas, and Kelly green for St. Patrick´s Day, and so on. Now, red is the color for February 14th – right? You bet´cha, and maybe that´s because red is a really emotionally intense color. It´s the color of fire and blood, so it´s associated with both life and death. And, this is the kicker: no matter who you are, if you´ve ever had a "real, true-love", then you know… that you would easily trade your "life" for that of your loved one´s, and readily accept "death" to save them. This is the truest form of love, an earnest emotion, and one... that is only divined by God, the Creator. Only He and He alone… has the power to allow for this form of drastic involvement between two souls – not some chubby winged baby with a stubby bow and arrow, sexy underwear or a heart-shaped box of chocolates – nope. Real, true love is much more spiritual than it is sexual and passionate.

Now, granted, many folks may say that they love someone. But you know there´s the old adage that goes, "talk is cheap". Only those two-leggeds who are more than willing to trade their own life for their beloved´s are truly… ´in-love´ with that person. It cannot be otherwise. So, that is why love is colored red, because it is a life and death defining emotion, eh. So, true-love for a traditional American Indian is a very spiritual thing. It is never taken lightly.

Yes´um, and that´s a lot of weighty ground for a simple color to cover, huh? But now, if you´re talking about lighter shades of red, overall… well then... that´s different, eh. I mean, lighter means lesser – right? Sure, so light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love. Pink denotes romance, love, and friendship. Not only those, but it also symbolizes feminine qualities and passiveness, too. Now, that said, all of this stuff may be fun to flirt with or pretend about, I reckon. But unless you and your significant other have that God-given connection, then true-love is not what you´re in – it´s one of those lighter shades of Valentine´s Day, know what I´m saying? So, there you have it. With no inflation factored-in, that´s my two cents on Valentine´s Day. I believe that this holiday only symbolizes light affection – not Gay-ak Auh-qualech-ekee, or… True Love. Now then, since I do like ya´all…

Happy Valentine´s Day!

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David Walks-As-Bear is an Inter-Tribal Elder and Kispoko Shawnee Indian. He works as a private game warden and detective and is a novelist and syndicated newspaper columnist living in Northwest Michigan. Contact him at his home paper The White Lake Beacon: 231-894-5356 or visit his website at: www.Walks-As-Bear.com