In his observation of Nature, the Native American not only enjoyed the beauty that abounded in his environment; he was also aware of an overlying spiritual feeling that exists throughout all of Creation.

     "When a man does a piece of work which is admired by all we say that it is wonderful; but when we see the changes of day and night, the sun, moon, and stars in the sky, and the changing seasons upon the earth, with their ripening fruits, anyone must realize that it is the work of some one more powerful than man. Greatest of all is the sun, without which we could not live....

"We talk to Wakan Tanka and are sure he hears us, and yet it is hard to explain what we believe about this."

Mato-Kuwapi or Chased by Bears, Santee Yanktonai Sioux (1843-1915), Teton Sioux Music, Frances Densmore. Bulletin 61, Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, DC, 1918, pages 95-96.

     All the tribes of animals are helped in their progress by an eternal law of the Great Spirit which is always at work. This is the Law of Cause and Effect.

     Every action has an equal reaction. This law was stated in the Bible as, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7) We call it the Law of Cause and Effect.

     The purpose of the Law of Cause and Effect is to teach. It is to teach the person either to repeat whatever actions or thoughts are "good," or to avoid further unpleasantness by not repeating the thought or action that caused it.

     Every thought, word, or deed carries within it the seeds of its own consequence.