“A very great vision is needed, and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.”
~ Chief Crazy Horse -Lakota Sioux
WHAT IS A HEYOKA?
A Heyoka in the Native American culture is an ‘energetic’ healer who encompasses all of the sacred gifts from our Divine Creator of All….God. It originates directly from the Lakota Sioux tribe. Every indigenous culture has a term for the tribal medicine man or woman, but the term Heyoka is rooted only in the Lakota Sioux tribe. Heyoka prefer to dedicate their life to the servitude of God, healing, and as a facilitator of change in the chaos of life.
A Heyoka is a true calling as a healer and one that does not come simply by appointment. It is due to characteristics of the Heyoka, the use of Thunder Being medicine as well as their profound spiritual abilities to help them navigate a life that was chosen for them rather than one they chose for themselves.
This is both a spiritually appointed title as well as a tribal appointment that is of honor, and is upheld in the highest regard. In traditional Lakota custom the Heyoka is appointed by the tribal leader; usually a male member of the tribe, oftentimes a generational medicine man. The custom is passed down with honor from father to son, or tribal elder to the identified member of the Lakota Sioux tribe. In turn, he is responsible for carrying the “medicine bundle” and assuming this healing and prophetic role within the tribe.
The path of the Heyoka is not “trendy” nor is it choice you can make for yourself. For example; you may think that because you possess certain traits that this makes you a Heyoka or heyoka empath. It probably makes you an empath, but you cannot CHOOSE to be Heyoka… you are born this way. There is so much misguided and false information out there it’s no wonder people are broken and confused. Two historical Heyoka from the Lakota Sioux tribe are Chief Crazy Horse and Chief Black Elk.
At the end of the day, labels and titles mean nothing in the sight of God… that’s the big picture here. This life on Earth is a mere speck of sand, so if you’re getting twisted up over some title, take a breath and look up and around at the beauty and vastness of creation. Hopefully you’ll gain some perspective.
I am not Native American, nor am I a male. This title was given to me by Lakota Sioux Elders in spirit. At the time, I had no understanding of what I was being told until my path and the title given to me unfolded and were in harmony with one another. This is a path where the earthly dimension collides with the spiritual dimensions and have been forged in fire. Fire can burn and destroy or fire can benefit and sustain life with it’s eternal flame.
The Heyoka are sometimes called “the sacred clown” or a “trickster” which is an inaccurate definition by today’s societal structure.
It’s not so much that it’s inaccurate, as it’s how the heyoka uses his or her medicine to defend, fight, argue, heal and/ or even live. Humor is a big part of life. They/we are very sensitive to all of God’s creations. especially to suffering, injustice, and oftentimes humanitarian conditions far outside of our reach or control that are handled in a different arena. Our God given abilities are many, and given freely when needed. Humor and more specifically, contrarian humor is a lens we use to see and describe that which we are enduring.
We are known to provoke change in characteristically unique ways in those whose spirit has been damaged or broken by suffering, trauma, and a vast number of reasons in life, and create insight into the personal dynamics of an ever-changing destiny. The heyoka uses the medicine of a Thunderbeing which comes from visions, and a sacred bond with this Prehistoric bird that appears -and has appeared throughout life.
When the Thunderbeing is seen in a vision, many will say there is a foreboding about what comes to fruition. For me, personally… the medicine the Thunderbeing brings, warns of upheaval but brings grounding, comfort and peace, almost instantly. The visions are different every time and the energy is palpable. The medicine of the Thunderbeing has carried me through some of the most horrific times of my life. I have no doubt this comes from the Holy Spirit. Peace in the midst of the storms I have experienced could come from no other BUT the Holy Spirit. God did indeed create the Thunderbeing. This is the foundation to understanding the powerful medicine it carries.
There is a level of spiritual discernment needed to have the abilities that God has given so freely. Discernment is ever expansive and never something one “conquers. It will always be worked on and be approached with reverence. It is a teacher. In the perspective that I speak of it is an experiential teacher and usually and unkind one. The levels of discernment for those with spiritual abilities I am speaking of are so outrageously high that no human being could ever really understand them, unless they too have spiritual gifts and were taught by the Holy Spirit. He continues to teach in ways that transform, expand, teach, heal, guide, touch, humble, and bring you joy.
The Heyoka endures and perseveres through the depths of the abyss with the medicine of the Thunderbeing and the Holy Spirit. I stress the importance of discerning the origin of this vision as well as any other vision. There are many evil spirits that will deliberately deceive. It’s extremely important to test your teachers as is written in the Bible
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Whether one chooses to take a bold look at this is up to that individual, but if there is a modicum of fear present, the stark reality will rise and become more evident the more it is ignored.
I speak of the ‘ TRUE ‘ Thunderbeing and the levels of spiritual discernment needed so there is an understanding that this can only be taught by the Holy Spirit.
The sacred path of the Heyoka is God given and you were predestined. You don’t choose it.
Even if you have been deceived and misguided by malicious souls and false teachers, this does not mean that you have somehow failed and you’re doomed for the remainder of your life, cursed, possessed, or that God want’s nothing to do with you.
Quite the opposite. God will use this as an opportunity to bring out the true nature of your medicine, to teach you levels of discernment, to help you truly understand Thunderbeings and bonds with this sacred bird as well as understand that there is so much more than the simplicity of a vision.
The expectations which come from Heyoka medicine and the Thunderbeing visions is interactive, and expansive to your growth and transformation and strength as a human being and a child of the Living God.
The Heyoka, as a contrarian, negates side stepping political correctness and is more concerned about the healing that needs to happen. They are straight forward in their approach to the vast nature of suffering and individualized root causes. Their ways are often difficult to pinpoint you often can be described as “wow, I didn’t see that coming”
The trendy term of “heyoka empath” is a title that has no basis in tribal customs, nor in the Lakota Elders in life or in spirit, and is a concept that has evolved over the years is and has no origin within the Lakota tribe.
The term “Heyoka ” is indicative of a person within the Lakota tradition. The term “heyoka empath” is NOT a term used or recognized by the Lakota Sioux.
There is an assumption that the term Heyoka is universal and can be randomly applied. This is a false teaching that misrepresents the Heyoka of the Lakota tribe. It has been gaining speed in trying to keep up with humanitarian trends for an understanding of empathic abilities and the ways in which they manifest.
The Heyoka has the ability to demonstrate an “outside the box thinking” through the exploration of shadow “medicine”. Gazing into a Divine mirror of truth often brings about very raw emotions which are sometimes buried deep within the psyche. The agent of change in the way they heal others is one that includes unadulterated reflection as well as rigorous honesty. Finding an unobstructed path of transformation depends on the individual’s willingness and readiness. If done so with complete abandoned, they can explore their true fate and allow pertinent aspects of change to rise to the surface.
A heyoka is thought to be a spiritual wildcard in the capacity of the spiritual abilities bestowed upon them. They have the capacity to discern and dominate energy that is more often than not misunderstood, and is often described as a dance type of feeling. It is not intentional or purposeful , it just simply is who ( not how) the heyoka is.
The Heyoka have been predestined to answer a calling to walk into the unknown. They are led by the Holy Spirit and live by blind faith especially during times of suffering where they must endure and persevere. They recognize the destructive and disheartening aspects of humanity and the embellishments that deceives the world into suffering. They have a level of discernment and a sacred bond with the Thunderbeing that further compels them to be driven by the Holy Spirit to serve in whatever capacity God wants.
This is a blessing.
Heyoka are deeply spiritual in their beliefs and ever steadfast in their faith. I can’t imagine life without the true Father that created me.
Perhaps this is just my view.
I strongly urge you to read other pages on this site. Not just this page. There is a great deal involved in everything I speak of and should not be looked upon anecdotally or approaching the subject matter of mentoring lightly.
Many of the questions you have can be answered if you read through some of the pages on this site. I wrote it that way for a reason… to educate, and I will continue to do so. I am always happy to discuss mentoring if this is something you are looking to pursue, or if there is something in particular you need assistance with.
It it deeply humbling to be a conduit of the Holy Spirit in which change can be facilitated.