Book Review: Ladder to the Light by Steven Charleston

Reading Ladder to the Light was so refreshing for me. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the author's perspectives and came away with a lot of inspiration to carry with me on my own path. The book really started to resonate once I reached chapter 5 and it was then (and in the few chapters following) that so many of the things that have been on my own heart lately started to come together in really beautiful ways. Thought provoking, poignant and full of wisdom; I will carry some of the words in this book with me for the rest of my life.

This quote was one of my favorites:

“Without kinship, a nation is a nation in name only. It is a random collection of isolated people, all competing with one another, bound together by rules that often favor the few over the many. Consequently, the foundation for community is inherently unstable. The nation is always susceptible to struggle and injustice. It lacks a spiritual core.

Kinship provides that core because kinship means not conformity but relationship - deep, spiritual relationship. In the Native American context, this means every person's right to be who they are and believe how they wish. It also means they are part of an intimate family relationship, grounded in sharing, cooperation and mutual respect. It means being a nation without boundaries or hierarchies. it means being willing to take less so others may have more - not because it is the law, but because it is love."

Thank you for sharing your stories and wisdom with us, Elder Charleston. I am grateful.