Thunderbird, the seventh Stone in the Centre of the Medicine Wheel, and is the Spirit Keeper for the element Fire. If we think of Fire, we may call to mind different colors, but for our discussion, Red is the color we will use for this stone position. The plant spirit chosen to represent Thunderbird is Fireweed. The stone we use to hold this position is Lava Rock.

Fireweed, also known as willow-herb, may be found in every Canadian province and territory, as well as the northern United States. It is usually one of the first plants to grow and bloom on land devastated by a forest fire – or even by a volcanic eruption. Which may be one of the reasons Sun Bear chose to put Lava stone and Fireweed together, to further the lessons of Thunderbird. Fireweed was a very common plant for me to see in and around the farm I grew up on. It has an extensive root system, which helps the earth to heal after the devastation of fire. It is a perennial plant, [Read more…]