Journey to Eloheh

by Randy Woodley, Edith Woodley

Overview

Discover the Harmony Way and learn ways of life that lead to true wholeness, well-being, and justice.

We stand on a precipice, the future unknown. But Indigenous people carry forward the values that humans need to survive and thrive. In this riveting account of their own journeys toward deepening their indigeneity and embodying harmony, Edith Woodley, an activist-farmer and Eastern Shoshone tribal member, and Randy Woodley, author, wisdom-keeper, and Cherokee descendant recognized by the Keetoowah Band, guide us to the everyday practices of Eloheh.

Eloheh is a Cherokee word meaning harmony and peace, and with it, we have a chance at building well-being and a sustainable culture. By learning the ten values of the Harmony Way, we can transform our worldviews and lifestyles for a more sustainable Earth, a just common life, and personal well-being. These ten values, held in common across at least forty-five Indigenous tribes and nations, are harmony, respect, accountability, history, humor, authenticity, equality, friendship, generosity, and balance.

In Journey to Eloheh, Randy and Edith Woodley generously share their life experiences, values, and practices to demonstrate how the values of the Harmony Way, of Eloheh, have been and continue to be embodied and celebrated. Together, we can convert to another way of living--one that recognizes the Earth as sacred, sees all creation as related, and offers ancestral values as a way forward to a shared future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506496986
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	10/08/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley is an activist, scholar, author, teacher, wisdom-keeper, and Cherokee descendant recognized by the Keetoowah Band who speaks on justice, faith, the earth, and Indigenous realities. He is the author of numerous books, including Becoming Rooted and Shalom and the Community of Creation. He and his wife, Edith, co-sustain Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice and Eloheh Farm&Seeds outside Portland, Oregon.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Search for Happiness

PART I: MOVING TOWARD THE PRECIPICE

Chapter 1: A Distorted Reality: How False Binaries Came to Be

Chapter 2: A Failed Experiment: How the West Was Lost

Chapter 3: People: Edith's Journey

Chapter 4: Identity: Randy's Journey

PART II: FINDING A NEW MAP

Chapter 5: Sweat Lodges: Questioning Religion, Seeking Spirituality

Chapter 6: Bear Dreams: Returning to Our Indigenous Roots

Chapter 7: Harmony: Seeking Peace

Chapter 8: Respect: Honoring the Sacred

PART III: THE INSIDE PATH

Chapter 9: Accountability: Remembering that We Are All Related

Chapter 10: History: Looking Forward by Looking Back

Chapter 11: Humor: Laughing at Ourselves

Chapter 12: Authenticity: Speaking from Your Heart

PART IV: THE OUTSIDE PATH

Chapter 13: Equality: Listening to Everyone

Chapter 14: Community: Increasing Friendships

Chapter 15: Balance: Working Hard and Resting Well

Chapter 16: Generosity: Sharing What You Have

Epilogue: Life Is a Circle, Not a Straight Line

About Eloheh

Notes

Editorial Reviews

"Edith and Randy Woodley's passion and persistence to create spaces of community and care are inspiring. A blend of storytelling, theology, and guidance harvested directly through Indigenous wisdom, Journey to Eloheh reminds us to stay true to the path of kinship and belonging, and to never give up on justice and peacemaking in the world. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is searching for a way to be a better relative on this earth or to fight for a better reality for future generations. This book will help you get there." —Kaitlin B. Curtice, award-winning author of Native and Living Resistance

"Spiritual journey as autobiography: like a Navajo weaver, Journey to Eloheh skillfully connects Native American theology and personal experience into a way of life. If you are looking for your own path, Edith and Randy Woodley's story is a good place to begin." —Steven Charleston, author of Ladder to the Light, Spirit Wheel, and We Survived the End of the World

"There is so much we can all learn from the wisdom of Indigenous culture. In this book, Randy and Edith Woodley invite us to join them on a journey of learning a different way of living that leads to wholeness, abundance, and peace. They generously share their life experience and spiritual insights to show us a better path toward harmony with the whole of creation. I highly recommend it!" —Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil, author of Becoming Brave and Roadmap to Reconciliation 2.0

"A practical antidote to despair, hopelessness, and aimless consumption, this book offers a robust and healing path to well-being for all of us. The Woodleys are wise and trustworthy guides for restoration and embodied goodness within the community of creation." —Sarah Bessey, author of Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith

"Randy and Edith Woodley write with insight and wisdom from their years of experience. They have prophetic voices that draw attention to the needs of all of our relatives. Their voices rise out of difficult situations in which they have done more than survive; they are showing how to flourish in an ever-changing world." —Ray Aldred, director of the Indigenous Studies Program, Vancouver School of Theology

"For many years, I have considered Randy Woodley one of my teachers. His books, lectures, and personal conversations—together with his humble, yet bold, spirit as a teacher—have enriched and challenged me. His new book, co-written with his wise and eloquent wife, Edith, is a masterpiece, a book I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It beautifully combines the sharing of their life-story with the essence of their lifeway, articulated in ten powerful Indigenous values that are as deeply spiritual as they are deeply practical." —Brian McLaren, author, teacher, and activist

"In my twenty-seven-year journey as a pastor, I had two prolonged, intense internal struggles wrestling to keep my faith. Randy and Edith Woodley's Indigenous values and their friendship played big parts in restoring hope for me during my second struggle. Their generous sharing of painfully beautiful and vulnerable stories, along with life-giving, wise values, in Journey to Eloheh will surely be a gift to anyone who reads it." —Eddie Han, pastor in Los Angeles

From the Publisher