I had to walk a long time on the Medicine Wheel before I was ready to merge with West. Water is the Element of West. The Spirit Keeper of West is Mudjekeewis, who manifests so beautifully as the Great Bear.
On the wheel, the time of the Mudjekeewis is the Evening till Midnight, autumn, our adult years to elder time. This is the time of slowing down & taking stock of experiences, of going within, like the Grizzly in autumn, of going within spiritually, gaining strength from the knowledge earned; prepare for the time of “winter” or later times.
Like East it touches all three worlds. The depth of the Lower World, the mystical and magical middle world, the ancestral sky wisdom.
As with South, West widened my spiritual vision. We begin in the water, we gestate in water. Dreams and visions gestate in the darkness and the moisture of our fertile imagination and creativity. When I view a sunset, or look on the line, between land and water, I am reminded of my Ancestors stories of…. the betwixt and the between. The land is known, but still very mysterious. We seek to rest at the end of the day and chase our dreams, which is why dreams, lie in the West.
Different states of water
Ice – has the ability to crush, crash, and create the most beautiful expressions of movement, to me I see Ice crystals on my windshield, especially on the coldest and driest of nights, as the cold chasing the last breaths of warmth the day had to give. Capturing chaos, this one human concludes, is instantly beautiful.
Dew – collects and has the ability to effortlessly evaporate
Fog – the ability of water to hide, blur
the weighted saturation of water and air as mist
Rain – water in separation, separated unity of self, soul, and consciousness
Snow – the freezing of consciousness- to the minute detail of every single snow a perfect creation, likely to never be repeated. Although humans are far from a perfect creation, we are never wholly repeated. Even in reincarnation, we are never wholly repeated. In some of my North Prayers and winter prayers, “Gaia sleep your deep slumber, the mountains be your pillows and snow, your blanket.
Lessons from the wheel
Experience – Spirit Kin – Whale
Introspection – Mouse
Strength – Ant
We walk through Experience, engaging awake awareness introspection – which in turn gives strength to the endeavour 0f meeting fate and finality in the North,
Keeping in mind the stones lead to the centre of the wheel – chaos, and creation.
The Whale is a Spirit I have worked with in West. It has been a gracious teacher, wayfinder, pathfinder, and healer for me. Whale has been with me through many different experiences. There are reasons why whales have been the bringers of creation, the deepest divers, some of the longest distance swimmers. Deep listening. Acute Hearing. The willingness to listen to the deep stillness of water. The willingness to swim above the storms and willingness to stay deep beneath the storms, requiring patience, courage, and strong instincts. Family and relationship. Love and Communication. Emotional.
Mouse is a very special creature. One tenacious little motherfucker. There are over 1100 species of mice and rats. Everywhere – except Antarctica. Every continent has its own unique expression of this Spirit Kin to Introspection. When I first read this in Sun Bear’s teachings I was, well all like WHAT?? But mice are tenacious, teasing me to look deeper. Living on the prairie they dig and tunnel everywhere. Rarely deterred. Finding solutions instead, forward-moving, and navigating with creativity and pertinacious defiance, through/around/under any obstacle.
Ant for Strength – on the surface is an obvious oh yeah of course. But to look deeper not only into the strength of the solitary ant but the strength of the colony of ants. I have been in jungle places and watched ants completely devour something and leave the are spotless in minutes. Ants live in almost all three worlds. They dig their tunnels deep into whatever form earth presents herself – the underworld in all its mystery and winding paths one does not see. In the Middle world moving along the ground, with similar pertinacious defiance as the mouse. The Middle/almost upper world of the trees and the foliage. It takes strength to traverse the three worlds. It takes strength to enter into the centre of the wheel to witness and be a part of creation and chaos.
Other resources you may enjoy:
- For more on the Medicine Wheel.
- Free shamanic music and drumming.
- Or if you’re new to journey work and wish to develop your own relationship with spirit, get started with journey work here.
- Our Meditations home page.
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