Breath of the Invisible – The Way of the Pipe

By John Redtail Freesoul.

217 Pages | A Quest Original, First edition 1986, second printing 1987 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606112.

The Pipe as spirit, object and art.

Breath of the Invisible traces the dramatic revival of the Plains Ceremonial Pipe as a tool of self-realisation and unity. But there is much more to this story. In its fullness it is actually a broad overview of the spiritual heritage of the American Indian, incorporating chapters on The Sacred Sweat; A Hopi Indian's Healing Power, and the Odyssey of the Medicine Wheel (how to make one; how to use one, and why). Comfortably, effortlessly the author blends these aspects of Indian life into a cohesive, meaningful spiritual culture. He includes many illuminating human interest anecdotes as he brings to light the essential humane-ness of the American Indian based on a conviction that all life is sacred and interdependent; that there is nothing whatsoever that is not alive. Here then is the Native American as a faithful caretaker of the sacred things in life.

Cheyenne-Arapahoe - John Redtail Freesoul - is the spokesman for the Redtail Hawk Medicine Society, an 'intertribal' spiritual society embracing the traditions of many tribes. The society also works for the revival of traditional Indian medicine as spiritual and therapeutic healing tools. John is an artist, teacher and professional therapist. For his distinguished artistry he has received twenty-seven awards including many first-place ribbons for Ceremonial Pipes given by the Southwestern Association on Indian Affairs. The author lives on a ranch in the foothill of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

From Chapter 7 - 'Medicine Wheel I: The Circle, the Spirits and the Totem' (p. 46):

" Of all existing symbols, the most universally occurring in nature is the circle. It is the approximate shape of Earth Mother, Grandmother Moon, Father Sun and other planets. It is essentially the shape of planetary orbits and the path of smoke rising from fire. It is the shape of the nests of the winged ones, the hunting patterns and territorial markings of animals, and the growth patterns in trees, flowers, and rocks. Biochemical reactions that comprise the physiology of body, as well as the thought processes of mind, are cyclic. Psychological behavior patterns are cyclic. The shape of the eye and the pupil are round. The shapes and orbits of atoms and molecules are circular, as are eggs and the seeds of life. The entrance to the womb and all open orifices to the body are circular. "