Stepping into the Medicine Wheel - The South Gate

I just got our summer newsletter published and am finally getting the info into this blog as well... only 3 weeks into summer! I'm beginning to think that being behind is my normal state of affairs as I move through this mid portion of my life. One of these days I'll move into those elder years and being behind won't matter :-)

Here is Phoenix, we are entering the "belly of the monssons" as of weather guesser put it last night. So, we are fully in the throws of summer here. It's time for indoor activities or slow roasting outdoors. So, maybe I'm not so behind as I thought to discuss the south gate of the medicine wheel. (Hey, we can rationalize anything... right?)

In the winter we began our journey around the medicine wheel. You can read this information in the introduction to the medicine wheel in our spring newseltter. Although we usually enter the medicine wheel from the east gate you can enter anywhere that feels appropriate. So I invite you to begin your explorations here in the south gate.

The South Gate - Transformation and Passion

Summer is finally upon us as we move from the stirring of spring energy into the fiery flow of the south. It is in the south that what we planted in the spring is growing rapidly, reaching toward our goals so quickly that we are learning to trust the path that Spirit has laid out for us. South is a great place to learn to "Go with the flow."

South energy also teaches us about love and relationships. Through the heated passion of the south, we learn to bloom, like the plants, and be vulnerable. This is the place to come to when you want to heal your heart, or learn how to love, unconditionally. South teaches us about trust, vulnerability and to have an open heart with a discerning mind.

One of the spirit guardians of the south is Coyote. Coyote is the both the keeper of wisdom and the trickster, the sacred clown, who shows us how to see life from different perspectives, to find the possible in the seemingly impossible and to laugh at ourselves. Coyote teaches us the balance of wisdom and folly and how they go hand in hand.

We encourage you to "go with the flow" during summer, run through the sprinklers, laugh (AT yourself and WITH others) and spend plenty of time playing with Coyote.

Our Summer Give Away

An underlying value of the give away is to keep one's belongings to a minimum, sharing abundance with all those around. So, we would like to share with you.

Since summer is about fire and purification, this give away will be a smudging package, inlcuding a bowl, sacred white sage sticks we harvested and tied and a feather. You'll be all ready to smudge yourself, your space and others.

To enter this drawing, simply send us an email with the word "drawing" in the subject line or join our newsletter mailing list. On September 1, we'll pull a name from the basket to receive this give away!

Until next time, let your inner child out to enjoy the summer and have a popcicle for me too!


Mitakuye Oyasin ( A Lakota prayer as a reminder that we are all related),

Debbie

Welcome to Winter!

Welcome to winter and the North quadrant of the medicine wheel. Depending on our cultural practices, some of us have been in the winter of the wheel since the beginning of November. Other cultures see the upcoming winter solstice as the beginning of winter.

Do you feel yourself turning inward as winter approaches, wanting (needing) more sleep or just wanting to curl up with a good book by the fire? Do you sometimes feel like you want the world to go away and leave you alone or growly as a bear woken from hibernation? No, this isn’t the flu or the winter blahs. It’s a natural part of Circle of Life. That’s right, it’s just part of our natural rhythms. So, relax and enjoy it. Personally, my cycle begins November 1 when I tend to want to hibernate. I carry bear energy, so it's no suprise.

We each travel through the Medicine Wheel or Circle of Life many times. These wheels represent the natural cycles of life, the cycles of the earth, star and all that is. They are cycles of the dark-light, death-rebirth, masculine and feminine. We travel these cycles on many levels – for each life time, each year, each day and right down to each breath we take. Most often we are unaware of these cycles, but as we become more connected with All That Is, we feel the power of these cycles in our lives.

Winter or North in the Medicine Wheel is most often represented by the buffalo. It is associated with the element of earth and the color white. North is the place of endings and beginnings, the time of both the elder and newborns. It is a place is grounding, physical healing, patience and acceptance. North also represents the place of reminiscing, acknowledgment and abundance. North is also the time of the Mother (feminine) and the place of the quiet darkness.

North is a time of slowing down, a time when things seem to be sleeping. Yet, during this quiet time is when the deepest growth occurs. This is the time in the earth when the seeds take in the energy of Mother Earth that allows them to grow when spring approaches. It is the time when Mother Earth takes a rest for life-giving and nurturing. Covered by the blanket of snow, gifted to her by Father Sky, she uses this time to reconnect to the Great Mystery.

Just like for Mother Earth, winter is a time for us to slow down and go within. We have worked all year and the harvest of what was planted last spring has been completed. This is a time to dream. It is during this time that Spirit gifts each of us with a dream that brings promises of new beginnings for spring. Now is the time to nurture the dream like a child in our womb.

I invite you to join me in embracing the quiet of winter. Curl up in a blanket, envelope yourself like Mother Earth and welcome and nurture the dream that Spirit has brought for you this cycle.

Mitakuye Oyasin ( A Lakota prayer as a reminder that we are all related),
Debbie