“We have the opportunity to build a Rainbow bridge into the Golden Age. But to do this, we must do it together with all the colors of the Rainbow, with all the peoples, all the beings of the world. We who are alive on Earth today are the Rainbow Warriors who face the challenge of building this bridge,"
~Brooke Medicine Eagle, Daughter of the Rainbow, Crow and Lakota ~
(510) 761-4448; Email: kmtribe@aol.com
Waboose * NORTH
Waboose, the Spirit Keeper of the North position on the Native American Medicine Wheel, is represented by the element of earth. Its mineral is alabaster. Its plant is the sweet grass. Its animal is the white buffalo. The color associated with Waboose is white. The season is winter. The time of day is midnight. The time of life is both the time when we are elders with the snow upon our heads and the time of life when we are newborns coming back into the world. Waboose directly influences all the moons in the northern quadrant: the Earth Renewal Moon (December 22 to January 19; Snow Goose), the Rest and Cleansing Moon (January 20 to February 18; Otter), and the Big Winds Moon (February 19 to March 20; Cougar).
The North is the most paradoxical time of the Medicine Wheel. It is the time when things seem to be sleeping. Yet within this apparent dormancy some of the deepest growth is occurring. It is in the winter when seeds lie frozen within the earth that they take into themselves all of the earth's energy that allows them to grow in the seasons that follow. It is in the north that our bodies cannot move as easily as they have in the past or will in the future, that we seem forced to take into ourselves the wisdom of the Spirit we will use as we continue our journey around the wheel.
The time of Waboose is a time of slowing down, of apparent restriction, when outward activity definitely diminishes. It is a time of darkness, quiet, and dreams. It is a time when humans are fragile, when their skin is wrinkled and resembles the soil and the face of the Earth Mother herself. It is a time when people tend to reminisce and from their reminiscences share the wisdom they have gained. It is a time of assessing accomplishments and aims and of preparing for the major giveaway of death and of birth. It is a time when many people come to an understanding of their own life, and acceptance of what they have or have not achieved. It can be a time of peace, and a time of power, a time of forgiveness and compassion for all around you. It is a time to give up old pattern, to surrender to the small changes of body and mind in preparation for the major changes that will come.
Waboose is a time of both ending and beginning, of life and death, of new life cloaked in apparent death. In the winter the earth appears dead, but there is much happening within. The same is true in human life. Even when we shed our human envelopes, our spirit, our energy goes to a place that prepares us for the new beginning that will come.
The major lesson of Waboose is that of the giveaway. When we are elders, it is our responsibility to give away to the people all of the knowledge that we have gained. It is our responsibility to impart to our relations what we have learned as we have journeyed around the Medicine Wheel of life. It is our responsibility, ultimately, to give away our body to the Earth Mother who has fed us during all the time we have walked on her. When we are infants we readily give away all of the love we have gained in the world between, knowing then that the more we give the more we have available.
One of the gifts of Waboose is an intuitive understanding of this giveaway. Coming with this understanding are increased psychic abilities and a great acumen in attuning to dreams or visions, both your own and those of other people.
The white buffalo, the animal associated with Waboose, is an animal who gave up everything for the people: meat, hide, bones, and spirit. It is the White Buffalo Woman who gave the pipe to the people.
Then you are experiencing a moon influenced by Waboose; it is a good time to contemplate your life, to contemplate the paradoxes of life. It is a good time to think about questions of life and death and to examine your attitudes toward both. It is a time to learn patience. It is a time when your psychic and mystical abilities will be far above average. It is a time to see how you feel about giving away all the many gifts that life has given to you. It is a time to practice the small giveaways that prepare you for the larger ones.
During times of Waboose, you will need to make a point of grounding yourself, of remembering that you are a being of the earth as well as the sky. One of the paradoxes of Waboose is that while this is a time of intuition and mystical abilities, Waboose is also the direction that governs the physical level of life, both how we relate to our bodies and how we relate to the world around us. While your mind wanders through the skies, you must also learn that you need to take care of your body here on earth.
Waboose is the place of physical healing, the place we come to give thanks for healing that has occurred and to ask for healing that is needed both for ourselves and for others. This can be healing of the body or healing of the way in which we relate to the world around us. The power of Waboose is the power of spirituality grounded on earth; the power of patience that allows all things to grow in their proper way. The power of Waboose is acceptance of life, acceptance of death, and acceptance of the necessity of sharing all that has been given you.
SWEET GRASS
The Spirit Keeper of the North, Waboose, is represented by sweet grass, To show respect for the great mother from whom all plants grow, sweet grass is usually braided before it is picked. For this reason, sweet grass is also known as the "hair of the Mother."
Carrying the deep wisdom of the earth, sweet grass draws positive energies toward the person burning it or toward the place where it is burned. Its sweet smoke calls to the good spirits of a place and invites them to come join in whatever ceremony is occurring there.
The North is the place of the giveaway. The white buffalo gave all of itself so the people could live, grow, and learn about the spirit deep within them. In a similar manner all parts of sweet grass are used In ceremony, except for the coots. These are left deep within the earth so that like all things associated with Waboose they can soak up the deepest earth energy and prepare themselves, at a later point, to give away their most special of gifts to all of their relations.
Wabun * EAST
The element associated with Wabun, the Spirit Keeper of the East position on the Native American Medicine Wheel, is air. The mineral associated with Wabun is catlinite, or pipestone. The plant of Wabun is tobacco, the animal is the golden eagle, the colors are gold and red, the season is the spring, the time of day is dawn, and the time of human life is that of infancy and early childhood. Wabun directly influences all the moons in the eastern quadrant; the Budding Trees Moon (March 21 to April 19; Red Tailed Hawk), the Frogs Return Moon (April 20 to May 20; Beaver), and the Corn Planting Moon (May 21 to June 20; Deer).
The power of Wabun is a very straightforward power: It is that of new beginnings. Wabun brings the time of new growth to all of earth's children. The time of Wabun is the time of freshness, newness, enthusiasm, and creativity. It is the time of bursting through, of the light that comes after each darkness, of the brightness that you see after you have come out of the void. The East is truly a time of rebirth, a time when all things are possible. It is a time of innocence and a time of awakening.
Wabun brings the eternal promise of spring, the eternal promise of dawn. Wabun helps us to know that each moment can be a new beginning. The gifts of Wabun are the gifts of spontaneity, playfulness, wonder, inquisitiveness, and truth saying. Wabun brings the abilities to explore, to feel high energy, to be full of curiosity, to question everything, and to have the determination to see what is around the corner.
People under the influence of Wabun feel that they are the messengers of truth and, in reality, they do have the ability to see farther and more clearly than people who are under the influence of other Spirit Keepers. In part, this comes about because of their connection with the golden eagle, the animal associated with Wabun. Like all eagles, the golden eagle has the ability to fly high, to soar to the Creator. From this height, the eagle can see what is happening on earth. Like the eagle, people who are experiencing Wabun also have this ability to soar and to see from a broad perspective.
When the earth enters the time of Wabun, all of life seems to be bursting forth with new energy. The seeds that were frozen in the breast of the Earth Mother poke their tiny heads up through her soil and begin to greet and dance with the energy of Father Sun. In the time of Wabun many of the animal people bear their young and begin to teach them the lessons that they need to prosper on the earth.
When humans are in the time of Wabun, they are like the rest of nature. They're bursting with enthusiasm, energy, and the willingness to try as many new things as they can. The time of Wabun is a magical time both for the earth and for all of her children. It is a time when everything seems to be possible, when each breath, each moment is a new beginning, when incredible energy is available for growth on all levels.
When you are experiencing a position influenced by Wabun, it is a good time to explore life on all levels of your being. It is a good tome to contemplate doing those things you only dreamed about when you were in other positions on the Medicine Wheel. It is a good time to soar and to see and to learn how to say the truth you have been shown.
During such times it is important that you do not volunteer truth to people who have not asked to have your help in seeing the world. It is very easy for people who are under this influence to lose whatever sense of discrimination they have and to lose their knowledge of limits, and boundaries. When you are under the influence of Wabun, you also need to learn to control your energy. Otherwise, it can be difficult for you to work with others or to sustain either a project or yourself.
Some of the important lessons you can learn in the East are how to turn the knowledge of the Spirit outward and how to find a way to take this knowledge into the world. Wabun provides a good time to take advantage of your clear-sightedness, your ability to work with things of the earth while still remembering the lessons you have learned from other realms.
The time of Wabun is the time of healing of the mind. This is the place we seek if we seek if we need to find the truth of life and get rid of any lies that might be binding us to old places that keep us from new beginnings.
Wabun is the place to come if you wish to have healing on the mental level. The Wabun position can help if you wish to make a new beginning in any aspect of your life or in any of your relationships. It bestows abundant energy, intensity, and persistence. It is the place to come if you want to look at the world with new eyes, if you wish to open untapped sources of creativity, if you want to become more optimistic, observant, passionate, or determined. Wabun can help you know what truth really means to you and how you can communicate that to others. This is the stone to seek to understand that although the mind is very important to life, it is not the only part of you that has importance.
The powers of Wabun are those of truth, of openness, of illumination. Exploring Wabun will help you to know how to let the sacred energy that is the Creator flow freely and vitally throughout your whole being.
TOBACCO
The Spirit Keeper of the East, Wabun, is represented by tobacco. Many Native peoples tell a story of a sacred woman who became pregnant with twin boys. Even inside the womb these boys fought. One represented all that was good in humans while the other represented the opposite. When it was time for them to be born the good son was born in the normal way. The other son was so anxious to get out of the womb that he kicked his way through the side of the woman thus mortality injuring her.
The good son remained with his mother, and with his extraordinary powers, buried her as she instructed. She told him that even with her death good things would come to the people. He remained by her grave for some days as she requested. Before he left he saw that from her body grew the three sister plants-corn, beans, and squash-which would from that time on give sustenance to all the people. From her forehead came the sacred tobacco plant.
Because it came from this part of the sacred woman, tobacco is considered to be an herb whose smoke can bring clarity. Clarity is a two-edged gift that can draw you both to good and bad: freedom or prison. So it is with tobacco. Used properly it can bring clarity, draw in energies, absorb negativity, and transform it into positive energies. Used incorrectly, it can poison you. It is a plant that must be used with respect.
Tobacco is considered one of the most sacred plants by Native Americans. When smoked in a sacred pipe it carries prayers to Spirit, It is frequently used for making offerings to the Spirit Keepers and Spirit Guides. To smoke tobacco is to call to the Spirit plane for help, If someone smokes for recreation than they are continually calling Spirit to them with a false alarm similar to the one given by "the boy who cried wolf." The tobacco leaf is six to twelve inches long, large, broad, and pointed. The leaf is the part that is used for smoking.
Shawnodese * SOUTH
The element associated with Shawnodese position on the Native American Medicine Wheel, the Spirit Keeper of the South, is water . The mineral is serpentine. The plant is the sagebrush. The animal is the coyote, the colors are yellow and green, the season is summer, the time of day is midday. The time of life is that of our older childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Shawnodese directly influences all the moons in the southern quadrant: the Strong Sun Moon (June 21 to July 22; Flicker), the Ripe Berries Moon (July 23 to august 22; Sturgeon), and the Harvest Moon (August 23 to September 22; Brown Bear).
Like the power of Waboose, the power of Shawnodese is a paradoxical one. Shawnodese brings the time of rapid growth, a time when every being has to reach out for fulfillment so quickly it does not have time to question the path laid down for it by the Creator.
The plant that poked its head through the soil and began to grow during the time of Wabun now needs to leaf out fully, flower, fruit, bear its seed, and prepare for the time of harvest. So it is with all life influenced by this quadrant.
Humans are no exception. In the time of Wabun, we explore everything with little discrimination trying to find what makes us feel good, what seems to fit with us. In the time of Shawnodese, we begin a more directed form of exploration. The South is the place where many people seek their visions and ask the Creator to point them in the direction they should go. Often after the Creator has made this direction known, people have to follow it so rapidly that they must learn to trust the Creator and not question their p Th. To aid in following the new path, Shawnodese gives the gifts of energy, adaptability, maturity, playfulness, and humor.
For many humans the time of Shawnodese is more of self-assurance, of acceptance. It is a time when everything in our world truly seems possible, when the search for love is definitely one of our guiding forces and when we are particularly capable of giving and receiving love in many meanings of the word. The time of Shawnodese is a time of learning about relationships.
The paradox of Shawnodese is that while all this open, outward, energetic activity is taking place, while we are learning to trust life and follow our own life path, the old trickster, the coyote, is prepared to do whatever he needs to in order to make us grow inwardly as well.
The coyote means many things to Native people. To some he is trickster in the most powerful sense: a sacred clown who urges life to keep crating itself. To others he is a form of the Creator. Some consider coyote merely a clown, a fool, one who tricks himself more than others.
The animal itself also has many meanings to people. To some, coyote is a nuisance, a thief, and a scoundrel. To others he is a symbol of freedom and mystery. How fitting a totem he is for paradoxical Shawnodese.
The favorite trick of the coyote is one very appropriate to this point on the wheel: making you fall in love, most often with a person very different from you and from how you thought you wanted your mate to be. Attraction is the glue that draws people to these walking, talking, human lessons of life. Love is the cement that binds them together as long as they are willing to learn from each other.
The power of Shawnodese is a mysterious power, a changing power. It is the power that takes that which we yearn for, gives it to us. and then craftily observes what happens. The little sprout of the spring yearns to be the flower of the summer. When it is, the plant must learn the lessons of being fully open and fully vulnerable to the earth, the sky, and all its relations.
When you are under the influence of Shawnodese, it is a good time to explore love, explore relationship, and explore the world around you; to learn who you are and how that compares with who you feel you should be; and to take the first strong steps toward your own maturity.
When you are under the influence of Shawnodese you must be careful not to burn yourself out trying to do everything. You must be careful to use some common sense in your relationships. You must learn how to protect yourself, for this is one of the lessons necessary to grow into a mature human being. You must learn that there is a both a time to be open and a time to contain your energy and your feelings within yourself.
Shawnodese is the place of the heart, the place of the emotions. It is here that we come when we need healing of the heart, when we need to learn how to love, when we need to learn to let go of all that is not love; hate, fear, envy, jealousy, rage and anger.
The Shawnodese stone is the place to come if you are having problems with a relationship or if you are looking for a relationship. The Shawnodese stone, the stone of the trickster, will help you to understand why it is that you are drawn to a person and what you can do to help the relationship grow. This is the position in which you will learn about charm, nurturance, trust, gullibility, humor, and manipulation.
The Shawnodese stone will teach you about sexuality and sensuality and how they differ and how they are the same. this is the stone to seek to ask for healing of the emotions and healing of the heart. It is to Shawnodese that we come when it seems like it is too painful to open once again. It is Shawnodese is the power of love; the power of the open heart working in conjunction with the discriminating mind. The power of Shawnodese is the power of growth.
SAGEBRUSH
The Spirit Keeper of the South, Shawnodese, is represented by the sagebrush, most often referred to simply as sage. Despite its name, this prolific plant is a member of the Arlemisia genus and is not a true sage. Artemisias are ruled by the moon. Sagebrush grows in many forms around the world. Its name some- times causes it to be confused with culinary sage, which is a member of the mint family. How typical of the Shawnodese energy is that confusion! However sage and sagebrush look, smell, and grow very differently.
Sagebrush is a shrub with two- to four-foot-long slender branches that hold many bushy leaves. The tuff-like flowers are most often purplish pink. Sage- brush grows wild in drier climates and in the desert areas such as California, Washington, (Utah, and many other states. It is an earth healing plant, which helps preserve both soil and moisture in these dry areas.
The most important use of this sage is as a smudge. Along with sweet grass, it is the most common herb used for smudging today. Whereas sweet grass is considered to draw in all the good energies, sage is considered to help transform any energies that are not working for the highest good of a person, place, or ceremony. When burning, sage emits a pungent, strong, thick smoke. The sage smoke, like the rapid growth of the summer, helps bring change to everything
Mudjekeewis * WEST
The element associated with Mudjekeewis, the Spirit Keeper of the West, is that of fire position on the Native American Medicine Wheel. Mudjekeewis, the Father of All the Winds, provides a home for the thunder beings. The mineral associated with Mudjekeewis is soapstone. The plant is cedar, the animal is the grizzly bear, the colors are blue and black, the season is the autumn, the time of day is the twilight, and the time of life is that when we reach adulthood and maturity. Mudjekeewis directly influences all the moons in the western quadrant: the Ducks fly Moon (September 23 to October 23; Raven), the Freeze Up Moon (October 24 to November 21; Snake), and the long Snows Moon (November 22 to December 21; Elk). The major lesson of Mudjekeewis is that of responsibility; responsibility for self, responsibility for the Earth, and responsibility for all of our relations on the Earth.
It is during the time of Mudjekeewis that all of earth's children prepare to give their harvest back to the Earth Mother. It is during this time that the seeds from most plants fall back into the earth in preparation for the seasons that will come. It is during this time of life that people who have been given a vision know themselves well enough to be ready to share the lessons of their vision. Mudjekeewis brings the gifts of maturity, of experience, and of expertise. It is during the time of Mudjekeewis that people find out what their abilities and skills truly are and gain an unspeakable knowledge of what they can and cannot do in life. This is a time when people are not afraid to say that something is unknown to them or beyond their capabilities. It is a time when they have firmly established their habits and patterns, when they finally know themselves well enough to relax in life. The West is a time of strength in human life, a time of balance.
The animal associated with Mudjekeewis is the grizzly bear, one of the strongest of our bear brothers and sisters. Like all bears, the grizzly is very intelligent, cunning resourceful. The grizzly bear is a problem solver, one that can use hands and heart to find ways to do things that will benefit both himself and his brother sand sisters in the bear kingdom. The grizzly bear is an animal that sometimes inspires fear in humans in much the same way the truly mature individual can inspire fear in those who are hesitant about reaching their own maturity.
When people reach the time of Mudjekeewis, they have established themselves. They have a career, a profession, family, and a home. They are stable and responsible. They have reached a point where they are carrying on their backs not only the young ones-to whom they provide teaching, leadership, and healing-but also the older ones, those who are no longer capable of caring for themselves as they once did. While the time of Mudjekeewis appears to be a straightforward time, it does contain a paradox. Although you experience your highest point of strength, you suddenly become aware of the little deaths you see around you; although you feel you could conquer the world, you become aware of your own mortality and what that truly means.
When you are under the influence of Mudjekeewis, it is a good time to find out how you can manifest the powers of Spirit here on earth. It is also an appropriate time to look within yourself and gain the strength that comes from true self-knowledge. The time of Mudjekeewis is the time when you have the freedom and the knowledge to be selfless and idealistic. It is a time when you can understand and move between the different realism of creation, when you can share your strength with others.
When you are experiencing Mudjekeewis, it is important that you use all the abilities given to you for the good of the people. This is a direction in which people do have a lot of power and, as with all power, it can be used for good or for bad.
The Mudjekeewis position is the place to seek if you aspire to maturity. The Mudjekeewis position can teach you about strength, adaptability, responsibility, teaching, leadership, and power. The Mudjekeewis position is one that will help you be truly concerned for the welfare of others. It will aid you in tempering your passion and in assessing the knowledge you have gained from life. You should seek this stone to learn the balance between looking within and acting without. You should also come to this place when you know what your purpose in life truly is, but need help in fulfilling it.
Mudjekeewis brings healing to the spiritual level, healing to all that we consider to be sacred. It is during the time of Mudjekeewis that we can be most effective a s spiritual leaders and as ceremonialists. I t is when we have 4eneought experience of life to share that we can do the most true teaching. The power of Mudjekeewis is the power of serving: serving with strength, courage, grace, and great ability.
PLANT
The Spirit Keeper of the West, Mudjekeewis, is represented by the cedar tree, an evergreen that grows throughout the world. Cedar is a strong plant, one that houses, nurtures, guards, and protects many of earth's children. Both the boughs and inner bark of the cedar are used ceremonially.
Cedar is spiritual kin to sage and sweet grass. It is the third plant often used in the sacred smudge of Native American ceremony. Any of these three plants can be burned alone but are most effective when burned together. Burned as a single smudge (using the leaves or inner bark) cedar is a cleanser frequently used when there has been sickness.
Like sagebrush, cedar is a cleansing and purifying plant. Its smoke has a particularly pleasant pungent odor, Cedar is like people in western positions: strong healing agents. In old times cedar bark was also used for parts of houses, canoes, implements, clothing, and ceremonial items.
Whether cedar is tall and stately or short and scrubby, it is a tree that commands attention and respect. Its noble look bespeaks age and wisdom. Because people of the West carry so many of the burdens of living, cedar can be particularly helpful in keeping them refreshed, cleansed and healthy.