Medicine Wheel
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A medicine wheel is an ancient way of creating a sacred space. In a medicine wheel each direction has an animal that lives there and stands for one type of energy. For example in our medicine wheel the East has the owl and stands for change, the South has the lion and stands for passion, the West has the bear and stands for healing power and the North has the turtle and stands for grounding. Each person calls in their own animals that hold or represent for them each energy and each direction. The medicine wheel can be populated by many of the animals that live on the earth.
The medicine wheel is built by placing a small object that stands for the animal or energy in each direction around a circle. The circle can be as small as a hand or as large as the earth. The object can be a animal fetish, a feather, a sea shell or a special stone. It is always something deeply meaningful to you, something you have found or been given as a gift. In the process a centre is also created and another special object can be put there. Through this process you create a sacred space that becomes a mini vortex of power. It is used to create intention.. Balance is created by the equal presence of all four energies acting at once.
By creating the medicine wheel, you makes a physical manifestation of earth's energies. It is a sacred alter which evokes the powers of the earth. Like an alter it brings your prayers in harmony with the energies of the earth. By actually making something real in physical space you act and create. The energy and prayer to heal is embodied and seen and can be touched.
A medicine wheel is simply a way of making sacred space more real and more visible. Ancient peoples believed that the medicine wheel in itself had great power and helped create change and healing. Medicine wheel are circles that were made all over the world. They come from the most ancient cultures and persist to the present. They were found throughout history in every culture.
Medicine wheels were always in sacred sites. The sites were often at the intersection of rivers, on mountain tops, in the centre of plains between mountain and rivers. People could get there via the rivers. The water ways lead you to them. They were often on the high places, a point to look at the distant landscape. In any case, the places were deeply sacred. You can feel the energy. They are in places that are the intersections of ley lines, energy lines, places where churches, and later sacred sites were built intuitively by more modern peoples.
Any stone, or object of deep significance. There is no one animal that always represents the Creator. The Creator dances in all animals. The same holds true for minerals and plants. The Creator is part of everything and everything is part of the Creator.
Tortoise. Clay. Forest Green.
Lizard. Geode, Sky Blue.
Loon. Moonstone. Silver/White
Turtle. Petrified Wood. Green/Brown.
Frog. River Rock. Blue/Green.
Thunderbird. Lava rock. Red.
Butterfly. Azurite. Translucent with a hint of Blue.
White Buffalo. North. Alabaster. White.
Golden Eagle. East. Pipestone. Gold and Red.
Coyote. South. Serpentine. Yellow and Green
Grizzly Bear. West. Soapstone. Blue and Black.
Snow Goose. ( Dec. 22nd to Jan 19th) Quartz. White.
Otter. (Jan 20th to Feb. 18th) Silver.
Cougar. (Feb. 19th to Mar. 20th) Turquoise. Turquoise.
Red Hawk. (Mar. 21st to Apr. 19th) Fire Opal. Yellow.
Beaver. (Apr. 20th to May 20th) Blue Camas. Blue.
Deer. (May 21st to Jun. 20th) Moss agate. White and Green
Flicker. (Jun. 21st to Jul. 22nd) Carnelian agate. Pink.
Sturgeon. (Jul. 23rd to Aug. 22nd) Garnet and Iron. Red.
Brown Bear. (Aug. 23rd to Sept. 22nd) Amethyst. Purple.
Raven. (Sept. 23rd to Oct. 23) Jasper. Brown.
Snake. (Oct. 24th to Nov. 21st) Copper and Malachite. Orange.
Elk. (Nov. 22nd to Dec. 21st) Obsidian. Black
Raccoon. Solitude. Pale Green
Earth Worm. Peridot. Dark Green
Dolphin. Herkimer diamond. White
Hummingbird. Mica. Clear.
Owl. Jade. Jade Green.
Firefly. Calcite. Fluorescent
Rabbit. Fluorite. Violet.
Salmon. Lapidate. Lavender.
Wolf. Rose Quartz. Rose.
Whale. Hematite. Steel Grey
Mouse. Lapis Lazuli. Royal Blue
Ant. Amber. Golden Yellow
Close your eyes and slow your breathing.
You are walking across and open plain. The prairie grass is waist high,
swishing softly as you walk through. It is a bright summer day; you can smell
the grass parching. The sky is clear. You can hear prairie birds.
As you walk, you come to a circle of cottonwood trees. Step into the circle.
Turn toward the north. There is an old Indian man standing there. He is older
than old, dressed in buckskin with obsidian beads around his neck and black
feathers in his hair. Two long plaits of silver hair fall across his chest.
"I am He Who Watches in the North," he says. "I come to bring stability and
knowledge." Look into his eyes for a moment. Turn to the east.
There is a young Indian woman there. She is dressed in white buckskin, with
Turquoise beads on her dress and around her neck, blue feathers in her hair.
Her hair falls down her back in one long braid.
"I am She Who Watches in the East," she says. "I come to bring insight and
inspiration." Look into her eyes for a moment. Turn to the South.
There is a warrior standing there. His chest is bare, streaked with red and
Yellow paint. A string of red jasper beads hangs around his neck. There are
red feathers in his hair, which falls on his chest in two black braids.
"I am He Who Watches in the South," he says. "I come to bring strength and
courage." Look into his eyes for a moment. Turn to the West.
There is an old woman standing there, in buckskin dyed violet. Seashells
hang about her neck. There are purple flowers in her hair which hangs down
her back in one long braid.
"I am She Who Watches in the West," she says. "I come to bringhealing." Look
into her eyes. Look around the circle.
Go the direction that you feel you are most drawn to, that can give you what
you need in your life at the time. Spend time there, listen to what the
Watcher says. Stay as long as you need, learn what you can. Then return to
the center of the circle.
"We are the Medicine Wheel, Those Who Watch. Go forth with your new
knowledge, and return to us in times of need," the Watchers say together.
Turn to the North. The Watcher turns into an immense black wolf, and
disappears across the prairie.
Turn to the East. The Watcher turns into an eagle, and disappears into the
sky.
Turn to the South. The Watcher turns into a golden mountain lion, and
disappears across the prairie.
Turn to the West. The Watcher turns into a gull, and disappears into the
sky.
It is done.
2. Earth Mother
3. Father Sun
4. Grandmother Moon
5. Turtle Clan
6. Frog Clan
7. Thunderbird Clan
8. Butterfly Clan
9. WABOOSE
10. WABUN
11. SHAWNODESE
12. MUDJEKEEWIS
13. Earth Renewal Moon
14. Rest and Cleansing Moon
15. Big Winds Moon
16. Budding Trees Moon
17. Frogs Return Moon
18. Corn Planting Moon
19. Strong Sun Moon
20. Ripe Berries Moon
21. Harvest Moon
22. Ducks Fly Moon
23. Freeze Up Moon
24. Long Snows Moon
25. Cleansing
26. Renewal
27. Purity
28. Clarity
29. Wisdom
30. Illumination
31. Growth
32. Trust
33. Love
34. Experience
35. Introspection
36. Strength
Sit/lie comfortably. Drumming or flutes are helpful.