They used to say that he carried a sacred stone with him, like one he had seen in some vision, and that when he was in danger, the stone always got heavy and protected him somehow. – Black Elk About Crazy Horse. Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
When a vision comes from the thunder beings of the west, it comes with terror like a thunder storm; but when the storm of vision has passed, the world is greener and happier; for wherever the truth of vision comes upon the world, it is like a rain. The world, you see, is happier after the terror of the storm. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
The Wasichus [Whites] did not care for each other the way our people did before the nation’s hoop was broken. They would take everything from each other if they could…They had forgotten that the earth was their mother. This could not be better than the old ways of my people. – Black Elk After joining the Wild West Show and traveling to Chicago and New York to learn from the Whites. Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
All over the sky a sacred voice is calling your name. – Black Elk When he was five spirit messengers appeared in an impending thunderstorm singing these words. Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
And as he spoke of understanding, I looked up and saw the rainbow leap with flames of many colors over me. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
Grandfather, Great Spirit, once more behold me on earth and lean to hear my feeble voice. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
In sorrow I am sending a feeble voice, O Six Powers of the World. Hear me in my sorrow, for I may never call again. O make my people live! – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
The Universe is circles within circles, and everything is one circle, and all the circles are connected to each other. Each family is a circle, and those family circles connect together and make a community, and the community makes its circle where it lives on the Earth. It (the community) cares for that part (of the Earth) but cares for it as a circle – which is to say in a cooperative and egalitarian way, where everybody is cared for, and everybody is respected. – Black Elk
It is a fact that he never kept one horse long. They wore out. – Black Elk About Crazy Horse. Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
It is good to have a reminder of death before us, for it helps us to understand the impermanence of life on this earth, and this understanding may aid us in preparing for our own death. He who is well prepared is he who knows that he is nothing compared with Wakan-Tanka, who is everything; then he knows that world which is real. – Black Elk The Sacred Pipe, by Joseph Epes Brown.
And I saw the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
You remember that my great vision came to me when I was only nine years old, and you have seen that I was not much good for anything until after I had performed the horse dance near the mouth of the Tongue River during my eighteenth summer. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
Also, as I lay there thinking of my vision, I could see it all again and feel the meaning with a part of me like a strange power glowing in my body; but when the part of me that talks would try to make words for the meaning, it would be like fog and get away from me. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
The boys of my people began very young to learn the ways of men, and no one taught us; we just learned by doing what we saw, and we were warriors at a time when boys now are like girls. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.
The power of a thing or an act is in the understanding of its meaning. – Black Elk The Sacred Pipe, by Joseph Epes Brown.
Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the sacred hoop of the nation, and so long as the hoop was unbroken the people flourished. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
I was four years old then, and I think it must have been the next summer that I first heard the voices. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives. Nourish it then, that it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
I cured with the power that came through me. Of course, it was not I who cured, it was the power from the Outer World; the visions and ceremonies only made me like a whole through which the power could come to the two-leggeds. If I thought that I was doing it myself, the hole would close up and no power could come through. Then everything I could do would be foolish. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
The soldiers did go away and their towns were torn down; and in the Moon of Falling Leaves (November), they made a treaty with Red Cloud that said our country would be ours as long as grass should grow and water flow. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
I think I have told you, but if I have not, you must have understood, that a man who has a vision is not able to use the power of it until after he has performed the vision on earth for the people to see. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt.
When you pray with this pipe, you pray for and with everything. – Black Elk The Sacred Pipe, by Joseph Epes Brown.
To use the power of the bison, I had to perform that part of my vision for the people to see. – Black Elk Black Elk Speaks, by John G Neihardt.