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SPIRIT
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Medicine
Wheel
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The 24 pages in this Medicine Wheel section are linked below
Stones of the Medicine Wheel
By CinnamonMoon
Cinnamon:
Who can name the 36 stones of the Medicine Wheel?
SkyeKatt:
I can't,
but this is something that's been on my mind lately (the building
of a Medicine Wheel, and the meaning(s) behind one)...I've been
hoping someone would share this information *grins*
So...instead
I've been mulling over it this weekend, deliberately not trying
to find information on it as I wanted to try and feel it out,
and have come up with some ideas, but not 36 of them.
This
is guess work on my part, so please feel free to correct me,
here goes: the center represents the Divine Creator. There would
have to be 4 major markers representing the directions, East,
South, West and North. Between those markers would be 3 markers
representing the 12 months? Or maybe Animals associated with
the directions? To equal 12 additional stones.
Additional stones to represent split directions i.e. NW, NE,
SW, SE? Three more to represent Above, Below and Between? (Or
the Star people, the Ancestors, and Self) Something to represent
the Moon, the Sun and the Mother? Something to represent the
cycles i.e. birth, life, death and rebirth? Like I said, I know
nothing about the Wheel, but really do want to learn about it...this
is just what I came up with.
Question: what are the inner and outer circle(s)? I just had
an image of circles upon circles. That just popped into my mind...so
many questions! *grins* As always, the patience, understanding
and teaching of all of you here is greatly valued. *Smile* Blessings
and love, Katt
Cinnamon:
Very good guesses! Hello Katt! You've done well. I'm going to
wait a couple days and see what others come up with. You are
quite close though and the reply you posted was impressive.
I will list them, explain the circles etc., and then more as
we go, but wanted to see what the community knows.
I know we have some people here
that do work with the Medicine Wheel, and they have some valuable
input too. So let's see what the question gets us over the next
couple of days and then I'll post the answer. Hope you don't
mind a brief wait.
Silver Eagle Dream Dancer:
Very good guesses! I didn't know there were ones that were supposed
to go in a wheel. I learned a different system of wheels and
keys that were more categorical. You were to go on nature journeys
to find the items that belonged or were gifted to you, in your
medicine wheel.
North - Rocks East - Crystals South
- Sands West - Gemstones Center - Mixed Ores
When my parents built theirs in a
circle of trees on their property, I gave them a geode to represent
the womb of creation. They asked that if my brother and I had
stones that wanted to go, that we donate them as representations
of us in their lives.
Each of the four directions also
has corresponding colors, people, critters and nature element
on the wheel system I learned. I'm interested to hear about
others take on this.
Cinnamon Moon:
Interesting!...and the answer to my initial question... I like
this version SEDD, and there are many different Medicine Wheel
*patterns* out there.
You can approach it with four or
five stones to represent the four directions and the Creator
and work from there with what I term a ‘simple wheel’.
It's highly effective.
It is very much a part of the construction
to have a nature walk and find stones that want to be a part
of your Wheel. This is actually traditional construction you
describe. When I addressed the 36 stones I was talking about
a ceremonial wheel and the most complete one I know of being
used today. There haven't been that many replies to this so
I guess it's time to share the placements and let questions
arise from there. I'm going to probably have a long post here
but will try to be as basic as possible.
The layout of the Medicine Wheel
has one center stone/Creator.
The inner hub has 7 stones for: Mother
Earth, Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Moon, and the four elemental
clans of: Turtle/Earth, Frog/Water, Thunderbird/Fire, and Butterfly/Air.
There are four ‘pathway’
sections along the outer rim representing the Spirit Keepers
of each element. Eagle/East, Mouse/South, Bear/West, and Buffalo/North.
Within them and completing the outer
rim will be 12 stones (3 to each of 4 quadrants) representing
the *Moons* of the year and their Animal Teachers: Snowgoose,
Otter, Cougar, Red Hawk, Beaver, Deer, Flicker, Sturgeon, Brown
Bear, Raven, Snake, and Elk.
From the pathway stones to the center
are the four paths we take to find our way to the Creator through
3 stones/perspectives that open us to understanding and growth.
Thus, from the East we have: Clarity
into Wisdom into Illumination.
The Southern path is: Growth into Trust into Love.
The Western path is Experience into Introspection into Strength.
The Northern path is: Cleansing into Renewal into Purity.
The Eastern and Southern paths are
considered Masculine/aggressive energy.
The Western and Northern paths are considered Feminine/passive
energy.
Thus the paths directly across the Wheel from one another create
a state of balance between the two energies.
We need to balance our inspiration and insights from the East
with our introspection and strengths of the West.
We need to balance our passions and growth in the South with
the wisdom and understanding of the North.
Together, in this way, we achieve harmony with life and our
awareness of walking between the worlds aware of the many voices
that will speak with us.
I hope this helps some of you see
how you can Dance the Wheel by working with each stone, and
why certain stones will feel ‘right’ to place in a
specific position of the wheel you are constructing.
If anyone has call for a good source
for reference, I suggest Sunbear's book: Dancing With The Wheel...the
workbook version.
There are Seven Sacred Directions,
Seven Sacred perspectives that allow us to explore any given
issue or situation.
These are East/Mental, South/Physical/Passion, West/Emotion,
North/Heart, Above World/Higher Self and Guides...the Future,
Below World/Ancestors and Elders...the Past, and Middle World/Self
and the Now of the moment where all is brought together. In
this way, the Dance of the Wheel allows us to take separate
views, filter them, and bring them together in the Middle World
where we take our Earthwalk. Doing things in this way allows
us to be attuned to life and see our way.
I hope this has helped some of you.
If you have questions I'll be happy to answer them as best I
can.
Silver Eagle Dreamer:
I just love SunBear!
I have a picture of him hanging in my living room that my mother
framed for me. It's a copy of one in her home that used to talk
to me when I'd stay with them. It's disappointing what happened
with the Bear Tribe after his death. He'd wondered why the tribe
seemed to get larger, only to shrink over the course of a few
years and then once again get larger and stronger. That's when
it hit him, bears hibernate. Maybe this hibernation is just
longer than the others. I'm going to try to make a gif of the
wheel I've worked with to share so I can post it here.
Northernwolf:
I could,
I've got the book Dancing With the Wheel by Sunbear and they're
all written in there. That's why Cinn knows them ;)
Cinnamon Moon:
Actually... I came upon that book long after I began working
with the Medicine Wheel. I first learned them from a Sioux Medicine
Woman. Surprised? *Smiles*
Bucky2sr:
The Medicine Wheel
Medicine
wheels are places for energy and healing, teaching and understanding.
They are used for times of reflecting on life and for joyous
celebrations. There were about 20,000 medicine wheels in North
America before the Europeans came. Each stone is a "tool"
to help us understand ourselves in relation to the universe
and teaches us to respect ourselves and our relation to other
life forms, mother earth, and the universe, in keeping with
the Law of Right Relations. Face the wind - tatohiyetakiya The
medicine wheel represents all of creation. All races of people,
animals, birds, fish, insects, trees, and stones, the sun, moon
and earth are in the circle of the medicine wheel. Each stone
tells part of the story. The circle is all of the cycles of
nature, day and night, seasons, moons, life cycles, and orbits
of the moon and planets. What is the Law of Right Relations?
Respect for ourselves and other life forms; Non-hurting/non-violence
towards other life forms; Seeing mother earth and the universe
as living.
The medicine
wheel traditionally has 36 stones. (there are many different
ancient versions shown further down at the end of this page.***)
The medicine
wheel begins with placement of the center universal stone.
Creator
Stone 1: symbolizes the creator which is the center of all
life, therefore, it is in the center of the medicine wheel.
Spirit Keepers or Anchor Stones are the 4 end stones that point
north (white), south (red), east (yellow), west (black)***
They honor
and represent the Spirit Keepers:
Stone 2 placed is east: teacher - yellow
Stone 3 placed is south: healer - red
Stone 4 placed is west: visionary - black
Stone 5 placed is north: warrior; place of the elders; wisdom
- white
Next
placed are (7 stones) for the Foundation of All Life.
The inner circle surrounding the creator represents the Foundation
of All Life, teaching us the basic building blocks of our natural
world.
Stone 6: Father Sky
Stone 7: Earth Mother
Stone 8: Grandmother Moon
Stone 9: Grandfather Sun
Stone 10: Star Nation
Stone 11: Other worlds (planets)
Stone 12: Wolf Road (Milky Way)
Moon
Stones (12 stones): the outer circle; represent the moons
that divide the year, from which we can learn about the seasons,
time of day, time of life, other beings, plants, animals, minerals,
etc.
The moon
stones represent our animal totems. (There is also an invisible
13th moon, which, if discovered, will shift our world view).
We have invited the addition of the stone placement by others
as long as the stone fits into the directional meaning. This
is why our wheel will always have more than 36 stones in the
outer ring.
DIRECTIONAL
END STONES
EAST
- Ay-ee, this is where all life begins; this is where Grandfather
Sun begins his leisurely walk across the breast of Mother Earth's
mate, Father Sky; this is where the trees point to the heavens
and honesty is born; this is where wisdom and strength of the
mind lives. Where the stories of Indigenous people are spoken
and come out of the dreamtime of the wise ones.
Elders
sit in the east.
Spirit
Paths (12 stones): 4 groups of 3 stones each which connect
the outer circle to the inner circle. These stones represent
qualities that take us from our daily life into the sacred space
of the creator.
The 4 connecting
stones to the universal stone are East from center air illumination
wisdom clarity
Southeast
- these stones represent the 4 legged creatures. There is much
to learn from our 4 legged relatives who share the planet with
us.
SOUTH
- The Great Mystery planted a sacred tree - which represented
the animals, plants and trees and their sharing/caring ways.
They give themselves to humans as food, shelter and clothing.
Children sit in the south. The spirit soars on the breath of
warm winds. The 4 (spoke) connecting stones to the Universal
stone in the Southern position represent Earth, Spirit, Trust,
Love/Growth
Southwest
- these stones represent the ancients and rainbow spirits.
WEST
- Sacred rocks.
"I
will stand here for humankind. I carry the history, music and
words of the everlasting great circle of life; In my sweatlodge
I will pour life-giving, life-sustaining water onto the grandfathers
and spiritual, emotional, mental and physical life will regenerate
through the mist of endless time."
Balanced emotions will be sought through the braiding and sent
of the sweet grass.
Women sit
in the West.
The 4 (spoke)
connecting stones to the Universal stone in the West position
represent Fire, Emotions, Dreams, Experience/introspection.
Northwest-
representing water beings.
NORTH
- Kindness. Humans will remember The Great Mystery. Physical
life will be sustained through the aroma and smoke of the great
Cedar trees. Wisdom of the ages will prevail, rebirth of new
ways of being will emerge from the song of the white bear.
Men sit
in the North.
The 4 (spoke) connecting stones to the Universal stone in the
North position represent Water, Body, Physical Cleansing, Purity/Renewal.
North- flying beings.
Northeast- rooted beings.
***Please
understand that differing tribal cultures may have differing
colors for directional stones and inner stones. See this
link for the many varieties of Medicine Wheels discovered
in Alberta and British Columbia which are about 50 miles North
of us as the Raven flies. Here are pictures of types of wheels
found: I hope that individuality in creation is honored for
the spirit in which it is created. Check out this link for more
archaeologic information on these sites!
Medicine
Wheel June 21, 2006 © bitterroot 2004
We must seek the assistance of the Spirit World Ashkibewig [Spirit
Helpers] in this time of great turmoil on Our Earth Mother.
The Ghost Dancers are calling to us; Are you listening?
Wopila
(Thank-you ceremony) June 21st, 2005 Black Hills- USA For four
years, beginning in 1996, Chief Looking Horse honored June 21st
by offering ceremony in the Four Directions. He traveled to
Gray Horn Butte in Wyoming (aka Devils Tower), the Cree Nation
in Canada, Pipestone Quarry in Minnesota and to Costa Rica.
People of all the Nations of the globe were invited to offer
ceremony at Sacred Sites. Thousands around the world have responded
and began honoring their local Sites.
Following
the Wopila (Thank-you ceremony) in the "Heart of Everything
That Is," the Sacred Black Hills in 2000, it was decided
that Chief Looking Horse must once again offer ceremony to the
Four Directions of the globe. He began in Ireland in 2001, South
Africa 2002, Australia 2003, and Japan in 2004. In 2005 the
ceremony will return to the Black Hills to offer another Wopila
on Turtle Island (North America) to complete his commitment
to bring about awareness.
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Libraries
are on this row
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INDEX
Page 3
(Main Section, Medicine Wheel, Native Languages &
Nations, Symbology)
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INDEX
Page 5
(Sacred Feminine & Masculine, Stones & Minerals)
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©
Copyright: Cinnamon Moon & River WildFire Moon (Founders.)
2000-date
All rights reserved.
Site
constructed by Dragonfly
Dezignz 1998-date
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