Water & Land-Based Medicine with Elder Francis Horne and Brenda Horne

Following the National Month for Truth & Reconciliation, many are carrying the heavy realities of our histories. It is a time of year dedicated to honouring truth, to healing relationships, and to holding up acts of Indigenous resilience, resistance, and resurgence. We recognize the healing that is happening in communities, in relationships, and by individuals. This healing takes many forms. It is both personal and collective, shaped by truth and by strength. For all of us, it is an opportunity to connect more fully with who we are and who we can become into the future.

To honour those who are on their healing path, we offer teachings from Elders Francis Horne and Brenda Horne, who have supported countless others in reclaiming their power through land-based, cultural healing. Their work is grounded in ceremony, water, and the wisdom that we all have spirit and the power to heal within us. 

Elder Francis Horne Sr (Khut Whee Mul Uhk) is a distinguished member of the Coast Salish community, from Tsawout First Nation and Lummi Nation. He is joined by his partner in life and work, Brenda Horne who is a 6th generation settler. 

A Return to Spirit

For Francis and Brenda, healing is about returning to spirit. In their own journeys and in the work they do with others, they focus on supporting people to "allow the spirit to go to work".

Francis, a Sixties Scoop survivor, shared, "I don’t talk about the trauma now because trauma triggers trauma, so I don’t share much of that. I share about how I healed." This focus on sharing healing to bring healing is a powerful message for those engaged of the work of decolonization and reconciliation. As we honour the truth of the past, we have an opportunity to do this in a way that emphasizes strength and resurgence. An opportunity to attune to all the ways that Nations, communities and individuals are returning to spirit. 

Reflecting on his own journey, Francis recalled being told by an Elder, "Go to the mountains, go to Waterfall, and you'll find your power." At 21, he went. "I found a waterfall and nothing happened. I left." Years passed. Life unfolded. And at 50, after ongoing struggles, he returned, "I went to that waterfall. And I discovered wholeheartedly and realized that my journey was just beginning." From that moment of readiness, everything began to shift. Here there is a lesson that healing comes to us when we are ready to receive it. This calls for a gentle patience towards our respective journeys.

The Waterfall Healing Journey

For Francis and Brenda, their work began with the water. It was in the mountains on Coast Salish Territory where a waterfall helped guide them onto their current path.  Reflecting on the start of this healing journey, Brenda reflected, "We just allowed the spirit to take over and guide us and show us the way to heal. And not only individually, but together as a couple. So that bonded us in a way that we could move forward and do this work together".

Their connection to the water became the foundation for the Waterfall Healing Journey—a land-based process developed through working with men in recovery. "We would take people on a healing journey... anywhere from two to five men on a physical and strenuous journey." Each man carried something with them, "The go-to emotion for most people is anger," Brenda explained. "Talking with the Elder, listening to their own spirit, coming to the realization that it was basically anger that had driven them to the point of them being where they were."

Reflecting on the transformative quality of this experience, Francis shared, "Some of the guys would break down, right down to their knees and cry". The water would often help people find distance from the patterns they found themselves in. The voice of their own spirit would come in to guide them back to what was most important in themselves and in their relationships; away from fear and back towards love. 

Water as Medicine

Water is central to these teachings. Francis shared, "Water is knowledge, water is intelligence, water is life, but most of all, water is the love of Mother Earth."

"When we sit by the water, we're constantly channeling," he said. "I came out of the water and I thought about what the Elders had told me. I looked around. One Elder told me, 'Everything has a spirit.' I looked at the waterfall and I thought, I get it now. Everything is full of water."

Reclaiming Power and Spirit

At the center of their work is a return to spirit. "For me, reclaiming your power is to take back your spirit," Francis said. "And we don't realize how easily we surrender our spirit. That can be mentally, physically, spiritually."

Francis teaches that fear shows up in many forms: "Shame, blame, guilt, trauma, broken expectations, jealousy... there's so many ways that we can live in fear. And of course the opposite is living in love. And when we take back our power, when we reconnect with our spirit, we learn to live in love, respect and harmony."

Forgiveness as a Path Forward

Francis and Brenda now teach a forgiveness prayer that has been shared across the world. As Francis said: "The key to this whole journey is forgiveness. That's taking back your power, forgiving the past and moving forward, putting that past completely behind you. Love and forgiveness."

He teaches that, "If you teach a dying man or woman love and forgiveness, they'll pass away in peace. If you teach a healing person love and forgiveness, they'll begin to heal."

To close, they offered this prayer:

Creator,

I ask the people that I have hurt to forgive me.I choose to forgive the people that have hurt me.Most of all, I choose to forgive myself.I also choose not to bring the past forward and punish myself or anybody else with it.I ask the Guardian angels place a shield of protection over each and every one of my loved ones.Keep them safe in their travels, in their homes, workplaces, and schools.Thank you Creator.

Thank you Angels.

Thank you Ancestors.

Thank you Grandmothers and Grandfathers. 

We invite you to welcome the moments when healing finds us. May we honour those who are healing. And may we return to water, spirit, and love both in ourselves and with each other. As Francis reminds us, "Healing triggers healing."

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Francis and Brenda are offering cultural services through LPC. If you'd like to learn more about their services, please reach out through our online contact form.