Spiritual healing, like knitting together a broken bone is not instantaneous, although in a moment of encounter it may seem so. The late Anishinabe elder, Art Solomon, used the metaphor of fire. He said that Ishkote, the sacred fire of traditional teachings, almost all went out, and we need to brush away the ashes and fan the ashes into life again. Our relations, whose spirit has been covered over and dimmed with deprivation and abuse, are discovering the embers of spiritual life within themselves and they need plenty of oxygen and fuel and protection from harsh winds if they are to burn brightly.” (Solomon as cited in Guimond, Stout & Velaskakis, 2008, p.231)
Valaskakis G. G., Stout M. D., Guimond E. (2009). Restoring the balance: first nations women, community and culture. (p.231)Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press.