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Transplanar Wisdom

Transplanar wisdom summarizes what is generally tacit understanding about the culturally indigenous worldview of some Indigenous People, specifically the Indigenous people of the United States and Canada known as Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and First Nations, hereafter Native.

Academically, transplanar wisdom illustrates Native ontology as planes, and it states that many Native People, through tacit cultural understanding about these planes, draw upon them to inform decisions and action. The planes are animacy and time: all things are animate and time exists as in-the-moment.

Animacy

Native animacy understands that all things are living, whether or not they appear as such. Thus geologic and hydrologic parts of the earth are as animate as fauna and flora. Since all things are animate, all things deserve equal respect by humans.

Time

Transplanar understanding of time does not segregate past and future from the present, all time exists as now. Thus sensemaking is grounded by an understanding that decisions and actions are informed by preceding and forthcoming events. That is, all time exists as a sustained "now" and decisions are based on this enduring moment.

The Planes

Native philosophy in general acknowledges cardinal directions as sources of metaphysical power, commonly stated as The Four Directions. These influences are expressed by medicine wheels. Additionally, Native philosophy acknowledges two additional sources of metaphysical power and a core these powers influence. The two additional metaphysical influences are sky and earth, commonly stated as above and below. The core is the self, the individual person.