Finding Our Place in Space

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Foundational Orientation Framework

This framework emerged from my lifelong exploration of language, sound, place, relationship, and spiritual orientation. It was originally inspired by teachings I received from Lakȟóta Elders, later influenced by my ancestral return to Ireland and my study of the Irish language.

This chart is not intended to equate distinct cultures or spiritual traditions. Rather, it represents my personal effort to understand how many Indigenous peoples begin teaching not with doctrine or belief, but with orientation.

- Before philosophy comes relationship.

- Before theology comes place.

- Before explanation comes experience.

A child first learns:

- Where am I?

- What direction am I facing?

- What do we call it?

- What is my relationship to it?

For me, prayer is often less about asking for something and more about positioning my spirit within the living world. In the Lakȟóta tradition, offerings of tobacco are often accompanied by honoring the directions. My own daily practice has evolved into a similar orientation through Irish language and ancestral remembrance.

The Irish words presented here are not intended as direct translations of Lakȟóta teachings. They serve as a linguistic compass for my own devotional practice and as an example of how language, sound, memory, and place can work together in learning.

At the center of this framework is gratitude.

The directions, Earth, Sky, Spirit, Mystery, ancestors, and all relations become points of orientation through which I remember where I stand and offer thanks.

For my academic audience: This framework should be understood as a personal cross-cultural orientation model informed by Lakȟóta teachings, Irish language study, ancestral inquiry, and the development of the Five-Tier Phonetic Language Learning System (PLLS).

For friends and allies: Prayer, in this context, is not primarily asking. It is orienting, remembering, and giving thanks.