Meditations with the Cherokee: Prayers, Songs, and Stories of Healing and Harmony

by J.T. Garrett

As a boy, J. T. Garrett sat beside his grandfather and the other medicine men of his tribe as they chanted and drummed the stories of his ancestry. From those stories comes this collection of active meditations for reconnecting with the natural intelligence that is our birthright.

Genres: Spirituality, Native American, Nonfiction, Indigenous, Philosophy, History

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2001

Reviews

[Michael Stalnaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed using this book with my meditation/yoga practice. It helped me become a little more spiritual with myself, learning new types of meditation and a Cherokee-inspired prayer that I now use almost daily, with a pinch of tobacco as an offering of course ❤️ I want to read his other Cherokee inspired books now, this book always put me into a great mindset!

[Rick.Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring,engaging and beautiful

Thank you! For this book it found me just when I needed it! Inspiring by helping find my Great Grandmother's view of life and having me wanting to follow her and my ancestors. Engaging enough to get you to try to follow the Red Road. Beautiful when you walk in beauty.

[Elissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'm reading a few different books written focusing on different Indian tribes - this one's the first, and admittedly, who doesn't know the Cherokee? I had heard about half of the stories before, probably from school, and reading about their prayers and traditions, I wasn't really additionally enlightened. The Cherokee beliefs are the standard New Age beliefs; I think it's just plain vanilla New Age, there was really not any deviation from it from what I could tell. I did find it interesting that the author said that what he was teaching was called "Old Wisdom." That was very interesting to me. New Age, Old Wisdom.
One thing that was not clear to me, and has never been clear to me is the acknowledgement of the "Great One." I assume that means God, but you know where assumptions get you, and honestly, this 'Great One' is not really defined; it's as though they don't actually interact with him. Which may be the case.
One more thing I read that was interesting was the phrase "way of life;" this was his "way of life." Where does that phrase originate from? What do people actually mean by "this is my way of life."?
A lot of the rituals are also bound by secrecy, claiming that holy things (paraphrase) are kept from outsiders.
I thought it was interesting that Christianity is said to have been accepted - sort of - in the middle of the book, ofc associated with the small pox of colonialism. It was one of the rare moments when their native medicine failed them. That part is punctuated in the Cherokee mind. Also very interesting.
He also mentioned that in 2001 that there would be "more spirit people (little people)* among us." in 2023 it seems interesting to me the growing interest in Aliens*, UFO's and ascension. I'm sure there's no connection there.

In any case, I didn't learn much from reading the book that I didn't already know, but I appreciate the effort to write the book. That's never an easy endeavor.

[Aaron Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book! I loved all the stories, anecdotes, and wisdom - I found a lot of the book very applicable and highly educational! There were a handful of moments that I felt a little lost; definitely a result of limited contextual understanding on my part.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Choices are sacred to life's journey. They lie along the path that all of us must follow for ourselves. - J.T. Garrett, Meditations With The Cherokee.

A brief and lightly touched overview on some of the main ceremonies of the Cherokee. Enjoyable little read.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book.