Marya Mann : Blog : 7 Generations Medicine

7 Generations Medicine

“Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people, and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground – the unborn of the future . . .”

This, written in the Constitution of the Iroquois Nations: The Great Binding Law, inspires us with the indigenous wisdom of Seven Generations. We’re connected to the first people who walked on this earth, but we’re also connected to those who aren’t even born yet, who are going to walk on this Earth we are tending.

The Seven Generations principle invites a soul-balancing ethic, a frequency of unconditional sanity that colors every thought, word and action we create. It says that in every deliberation, we consider the impact on the seven generations ahead. Seven generation sustainability urges us, the current generations, to live in ecological harmony and work for the benefit of all sentient beings, even the smaller-than-human and the more-than-human beings, for seven generations into the future. That’s approximately 140 years from now. Can you imagine that?

Do you think seven generations ahead? Oren Lyons, Chief of the Onondaga writes that, “We are looking ahead to make sure make every decision that we make relates to the welfare and well-being of the seventh generation to come. Where are you taking them? What will they have?”

We receive our hands and hearts, our minds and muscles, as an inheritance from the past. We add ideas, what we love, our truths, and we transform this gift through action and make a bundle that we offer to the future. In Seventh Generation wisdom, the gifts of our ancestors are not so important as what we give to the children now and to our descendants in the future.

Seven Generations thinking highlights seven core values – sustainability, creativity, mutual respect, multi-cultural richness, integration, excellence and hands-on learning – that inform everything from our lifestyles, decision-making processes, our arts, industry and sciences, and how we interact with each other as a community.

Indigenous people all over the world remind us it’s not just about us, about me, about my pride, my ego, my expectations. We inherit a duty with the gift of life. We inherit a responsibility. Don’t just come here expecting to benefit. You come here to work hard so that the future can enjoy that benefit. That’s a different kind of responsibility, the kind that produces great healing for the world. It gives us “7 Generations Medicine.”

It’s free, easy and good for you. It’s good for the planet. Take this 7 Generations Medicine but still remember to “Be here now!”

Big Beautiful Blessings,
Marya