Medicine & Miracles
My Life Among the Navajo People
This is my story...
...a true story—about my life with the Navajo People, both as a school teacher and as a medical doctor. Not only does the story give a detailed glimpse into Navajo life and culture, it clearly demonstrates how the act of stepping into another’s shoes with empathy and open-minded curiosity can bridge the cultural divide between people of different races and religions—especially relevant in these divisive times. What I learned about the power of love profoundly changed the course of my life.
As a newly minted school teacher in 1971, I came to the Navajo Reservation, knowing nothing about my students or their culture. After my first week teaching at the boarding school, I almost left in despair, unable to communicate with the children and unable to understand their behaviour. When my teacher’s aide asked me if I would like to learn about her people, my life radically changed. She taught me about their history and culture, and she even offered to help me learn to speak Navajo, considered one of the most difficult languages in the world.
Once I started learning their language, the children began to trust me. They responded to my interest in them with an intense desire to learn English. It was exhilarating watching them go from barely speaking English to winning a regional speech contest.
A strong bond developed between my students and me. They invited me into their homes and sacred ceremonies, and shared with me the richness of their ancient traditions and their enchanting land.
I took a deep dive into a world that few non-native people have ever experienced and rarely take the time to grasp.
As I was drawn ever deeper into their culture, I participated in a series of profound events that included miraculous healings, peyote ceremonies, and encounters with ancient spirits. Most chilling of all was surviving a face-to-face encounter with a mountain lion, which a Navajo elder later explained was my spirit guide. That same elder prophesied that I would one day bring powerful medicine to the people. Fulfilling the elder’s prophecy, I did indeed return years later as a medical doctor to offer my services to Navajo patients. More miracles occurred while serving as a medical doctor.
My experience among the Navajo people has influenced the rest of my life, including how I practice medicine. I have witnessed the importance of living in harmony with one’s community and with the land—what the traditional Navajos call “walking in beauty.” Most important of all, I learned that miraculous healing can take place against all odds when it is grounded in love.
What People are Saying
“Dr. Erica Elliott’s account of her life among the Navajo people is a story of high adventure that surpasses the wildest fiction. Elliott’s willingness to transcend her cultural conditioning and enter another complex society is an act of great courage—one that reveals her boundless empathy and compassion. This book is sorely needed at this moment in America, when divisive voices incessantly warn us of the other, the foreigner, those who “are not like us.” Mystery and Medicine in the High Desert: My Life Among the Navajo People reveals how diversity and inclusiveness can enrich our own society—a lesson on which our future may depend.”
–Larry Dossey, M.D., author of
One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters
“What a wonderful book! Elliott’s voice mesmerized me. For weeks after I read this, I thought about her time with the Navajos. Such an inspiring, life-affirming, yet tough tale, woven through with a strong drive to realize her life path. Beautifully written. Elliott is an exciting new voice.”
–Natalie Goldberg, author of
Writing Down the Bones and Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home
“Erica Elliott writes fearlessly, with an original voice that grabbed me from the first page. Her true adventures on the Navajo Nation as a teacher, a shepherd, an emergency room doctor—and best of all, an open-hearted student immersed in a spiritually rich culture—make a great story. She leaves the reader with something to ponder: The abiding importance of reaching out to others with joy and respect. I love this book.”
–Anne Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author of
The Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito mystery series
“This is a powerful and personal book about courage and compassion. Reading it, we are drawn into the web of Dr. Elliott’s extraordinary life of service and learning with the Navajo people of the American Southwest. We are fortunate for the chance to accompany her on her remarkable journey.”
–Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax, Abbot of Upaya Zen Center and author of
Standing at the Edge
Photo Journal
Bringing Medicine to the People
Two-minute video about a mountain lion encounter
Peyote Healing Ceremony
Dr. Erica tells a fascinating tale of how, in the midst of a ceremony for a dying baby, she suddenly spoke and sang in Navajo, despite not understanding the language at all! Did the peyote give her access to the quantum field of consciousness?
Interviews with Erica
Interview about “Medicine and Miracles” with a large gathering of people from the UK, belonging to the “Scientific and Medical Network.”
Dr. Erica Elliott discusses on NPR her book “Medicine & Miracles in the High Desert: My Life among the Navajo People.”
