A few years ago, I was driving back from the grocery store with a horrible cold, speaking to my friend about one of my family members. Consistent with my life theme of generally feeling misunderstood by others, I was describing this very scenario with said family member. All of a sudden, Chief Red Cloud appeared in the back seat of my car holding a beautiful, brightly-colored Native American blanket!
Now, I already knew that Red Cloud is my family member’s spirit guide, so it made some sense why he appeared during that conversation. But when I asked my guide Yellow Feather for more information, he said that Red Cloud knew I was feeling sad about my strained relationship, so had brought me a Blanket of Hope to comfort me.
Furthermore, he had a message which I have recalled to the best of my memory here:
When you hear the wind whispering in the trees, we are here.
When you see the majestic eagle soar above, we are here.
When you hear the rustling of the deer, we are here.
When you see the sun glistening on the river, we are here.
When you feel alone, wear this Blanket of Hope as a warm hug and call out to us. We are always here with you.
I cannot tell you how much that meant to me at the time and how much I envision Red Cloud’s etheric blanket wrapped around me whenever I feel lost. In fact, every day when I do my walking meditation in the forest, I speak with Red Cloud and do listen for him and the other spirits in the whispering of the trees. And I know they are there.
I share this message so that you, too, can call out to Red Cloud whenever you feel lost and ask him to wrap his Blanket of Hope around you. Do you have your own connection with Red Cloud? Try speaking with him the next time you find yourself in the quiet of nature.
Red Cloud has visited at other times as well. Several months after the car ride, he appeared as I was sitting outside on my patio, again speaking about my family member. At this time, he asked if I had thought about reaching out to my family member again, despite feeling like the door was closed. He is such a soft, gentle presence and always speaks to me without any judgment. And he gave me the hope to open the door with my family member again, because I know he loves her.
It is interesting to read about Red Cloud’s life as an Oglala Lakota chief in the 19th century. I am still getting to know him but it is no wonder he ostensibly pursued a life of protecting his people and fighting the injustices of greed in his day. I will honor him by providing the following interesting summary of his life, if you would like to learn more about him:
Red Cloud : Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center
I will also write more about him if he appears again. And remember, you never really know when Red Cloud is going to show up in the back seat of your car!
