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SPIRIT
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VARIANCES BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE
MEDICINE
© CinnamonMoon
We hear a lot about the positive - masculine - aggressive -
projective forces of energy, as well as
the negative - feminine - passive - receptive ones. When we
consider this a part of all energy
patterns it is not difficult to see them existing within us
as well. Every individual has both the
masculine and feminine elements within them, and as a rule,
gender will typify the traits that
dominate. In the Medicine Teachings this is recognized and compensated
for as the men and
women train differently from one and other while coming to understand
their own mysteries and
arrive at the same conclusions.
When I began my studies upon the shamanic pathway I found the
majority of teachings were
from the male perspective. It did not occur to me that there
might even be a difference. It was
rare to get a female view from anyone other than a Medicine
Woman herself and traditionally
these teachings did not leave the tribe. I was fortunate enough
to have three Native American
women who taught me their ways through the oral traditions of
their people. Two were Delaware
and the other Sioux. They did not stress to me at the time that
the teachings were Women's
Medicine, only that it was the way things were done.
In those days the women held their secrets and it was the men
who shared through the written
word or external tribal teachings. It is only recently that
this has become public knowledge. My
background in witchcraft, folklore, and mythology had served
to create a foundational study of
the feminine mysteries that were clearly defined as such. As
I studied shamanism I came to see
the masculine mysteries and struggled with understanding them.
The pattern of teaching did not
fully emerge for me until I was well onto my shamanic path.
Spirit seems to have seen fit to
school me in both techniques to understand these variants. I
am not exactly sure why other than it
brought to my own Medicine a deeper sense of balance. Because
this is my personal experience I
share it as a way of understanding these forces, at least in
theory.
The comprehension of the two schools of thought was quite an
eye opener for me since I had
struggled with why certain things had to be discovered by methods
that seemed very awkward. I
came to see that there was a lot of extra effort put forth for
what should be a relatively easy task.
Often I would reach my results only to find myself saying "is
that what all this was about?"
which left me amused at the complexity men go through to reach
their conclusions because
intuitively I already understood it. (I hope to demonstrate
here that it would be much the same
for a man who were to try to study shamanism from a woman's
perspective.) As the patterns
emerged I realized that both methods taught predominantly the
same wisdom but in very
different extremes and it was simply a matter of how one came
to the same identical conclusion.
Women are born with an innate trust of their intuition and they
learn early on to rely on it. Men
seek to understand it and have to be taught to trust what their
senses are telling them. Today it
seems to reflect the old battle of the sexes in that men and
women do not share the same
mysteries and are, therefore, a mystery to the other.
I am going to step into Anatomy 101 and try to draw a verbal
image I would like you to hold for
a moment. We have a man to the right and a woman to the left
standing face to face. Their
energy flows in a clockwise manner leaving the woman from the
area of her heart and
penetrating the man in the area of his. The man's energy flows
from his genitalia penetrating the
woman's. This is the natural creative cycle that forms when
they unite. The projection and
reception of these energies are both internal and external but
in direct opposition in order to
create a state of balance to complete the flow cycle. This same
pattern is found throughout all of
nature. So it stands to reason that their teachings would be
in direct opposition to one and other
as well.
Women tend to internalize their rationale and operate from an
innate intuitive perspective, while
men run on instinctual pursuit and externalize theirs. Both
genders sacrifice, suffer, and summon
courage but in direct opposite patterns. It is said that all
things are born of woman for woman
carries the seed of life manifested in birth. That which is
born of man is an external creation
seeded by conceptual ideas and manifests as a functional object.
I know this is not new to any of
you, but it needs to be said so that there is an understanding
of their views. The teachings of the
Medicine Woman take place orally and internally first and are
projected outward in a process of
assimilation. The teachings of the Medicine Man take place orally
and externally first and are
received in a process of internalized assimilation.
Women menstruate, become impregnated, and allow their wombs
to host the unborn spirit within
them for nine months. They suffer through the moon cycles, pregnancy,
labor, and birthing
process. This is followed with the nurturing of the child and
dedication to family. The teachings I
have received all say that this physical suffrage is enough
to receive the gifts of Spirit, and that
no more physical discomfort is asked of them than this-but,
if they wish to sacrifice more they may.
On the other hand, men fertilize women and their task is done
until it comes time to provide for
the security and sustenance of the family; their process is
relatively painless and the teachings
say they must suffer physically in order to receive the gifts
of Spirit they seek. I realize that
today these standards are changing in many ways and it is perhaps
because of these changes that
both methods of teaching are gradually being made known. That
is something I have suspected
for a long time now. My theory is that in order for humanity
to achieve a higher state of
consciousness, on the whole it would naturally require a sense
of balanced understanding. So it
may be that the two methods are becoming united for some very
beneficial reasons.
The exemplification of the vision quest best demonstrates the
variances between the two
methods of teaching. While both men and women utilize the fast
and sweat lodge, the quest
process varies from that point onward. Women have been shunned
from the tribal setting during
their moon cycle and said to be unclean. This is the male term
for their ability at this time to
disrupt the flow of magick or Medicine the men may be performing.
However, in the women's
teachings this is a very powerful time for honoring their femininity
and questing. The woman is
releasing life-source blood from her womb and giving to Mother
Earth. While blood is
considered very powerful Medicine menstrual blood is even more
potent. Thus, she is not only
grounded in union with the force of Mother Earth, but has the
ability with her increased energies
to take away the power of men or perform powerful magicks of
her own. (Ever heard of PMS?
That's a woman who does not channel her energies properly at
these times and can create chaos
magick with relative ease.)
During the moon cycle the woman leaves the social setting to
isolate herself for a number of
days (generally three) not because she is un-clean, but because
it is a time of sacred Medicine for
her. She enters the Moon Lodge and does not exit it until her
time of commitment has past. The
fast she undergoes is light. It is a time when her body is flushing
and needs nourishment so she
takes in natural foods, raw and uncooked vegetables, nuts and
berries, breads made from corn,
and drinks only water. Her meals are sparse but they sustain
her. She does no chores or craft
working, but focuses on her questing through dreams, journeys,
and meditation. It is a time of
spiritual growth without strain. She is relaxed and comfortable
as all her needs are attended by
other women. Those needs include those of her family she has
had to leave behind for the
moment. Because of this method she will quest 13 times during
the course of a year.
Each moon cycle is a separate focus relative to the lore of
Grandmother Moon in the current
aspect. Included in this will be found the understanding of
each of the thirteen Moons and their
influence upon us. It is an astrological as well as moral teaching
the women receive and with is
comes deeper understanding of many of the stones that are placed
within the Medicine Wheel.
Here her guides and teachers will appear to share enlightenment
and gifts of the Spirit.
The lore of the Medicine Woman is the lore of the Moon while
that of the Medicine Man is the
lore of the Sun. If the teachings of the Sun and Moon are learned
by us all we achieve an even
greater state of balance and understanding. We learn to honor
the feminine and masculine sides
of our natures, to at least comprehend the ways of our opposite
genders, and in this to find the
harmony we seek with one and other. While the women and men
are not going to go through the
same ceremonies and rituals at all times, they will at least
understand the meanings behind them.
It is not possible for the intimacy of the opposite gender to
be known in all ways, but it is
possible to appreciate what their sacrifices and wisdom have
earned them. Much of what will
follow here is going to briefly define the teachings of the
Moon and feminine perspectives as
well as the Sun and masculine perspectives. It is intended that
these will help you, the student, to
better honor the signification of these lessons.
Please note that there are many names for the Moons of the year
that can be found in the wide
variety of indigenous cultures throughout the world. For this
reason they will not be named
specifically, but numbered for your convenience in understanding.
At the end of the lesson there
will be an appendix of Moon names from which you may choose
to select one or more
appropriate to your pathwork.
The First Moon
It occurs from December 22 to January 19 and is the first of
the year. It begins at the Winter
Solstice. The honored stone for placement on the Medicine Wheel
sits in the northern quarter and
is in the one o'clock position. All other moons will follow
in succession in sets of three between
the roads or lines of division for the quadrants. Her gift is
that of life and vision and she is akin to
Mother Nature. Here the lessons pertain to the flow of cycles
within the seasons. The languages
of nature are under these teachings, learning to speak with
the plants, the Tree People, the Stone
People and the Animals. The focus is on understanding that there
is need to respect All Our Relations.
The honoring of the turning in the Wheel of the Year and marking
the change of seasons is an
important part of this Moon. It is here that the first lesson
in oneness with Spirit or Great
Mystery is entered into, where the truths of the dimensions
within the Seven Sacred Directions
are taught. This Moon teaches us to be receptive, to surrender
to life. It is wild and seductive to
the active forces. The visions granted here are those of rebirth.
Here the cycles of life are
explored. Under its teachings you can examine dreams, vision,
intuitive skills, psychic abilities,
sexuality, and sensuality. It is here the shadow side of your
nature is confronted. While the Moon
under which you are born determines your starting place on the
Medicine Wheel of Life, you
will undergo experiences with all thirteen Moons.
It is here that you learn to both receive and send the universal
energy and tap the ancient
knowledge for the first time. It is here respect for tradition
and ritual is gained as you learn to
flow with the cycles, to act with integrity, intent, and impeccability.
The Second Moon
It begins on January 20 through February 18; again it is the
second stone of the northern
quadrant. It is here we come to feel the light spirit of love
and the respect for All Our Relations.
Communication, intellectual growth, and love (including romantic
love) fall under this Moon.
Psychic ability is focused on and honed, as well as the courage
that is required to be outgoing in
your efforts to serve humanity. It is where the gentle side
of your own nature is examined and
enhanced. Through this gentle and respectable love there is
the protection of the traditions now
known to the Medicine Woman.
This Moon is the keeper of history and memory. Here the lessons
are about friendship, unity,
understanding, and self-development that go beyond simple comprehension
to making the
courageous moves that are required to bring this wisdom forth
and apply it to the reality of one's
life. It is here access is attained to the wisdom of the Ancient
Ones and the secrets of All Our
Relations can be tapped to understand the perspectives we need
to be aware of so we can step
beyond the stage of our dreams and manifest them. It is here
that truths are honored.
The Third Moon
This is the final moon of the northern quadrant beginning February
19 through March 20. Here
the understanding of why things are protected, the value of
the traditions, and the healing ability
found in this understanding are comprehended. There is mystery
in this as the dimensions are
explored and their boundaries made known. Here the Medicine
Woman explores her own
personal Medicine, how it pertains to the psychic ability she
possesses, the need to understand
her own spirituality, and confront her truths. Feelings and
grounding are examined so that
balance can be achieved in daily living. This includes the sudden
moods that come over us,
moments of depression, and using the forces of the Moon to balance
our levels of sensitivity to
others and issues. It is where reality is examined closely.
Under this Moon we explore our responses to others, to issues,
to life. We learn that the positive
and negative energies that exist are part of All Our Relations,
they are part of Spirit, and part of
us. We examine them and learn that it is the intent behind our
actions and responses that
determines how that energy is to be used and we balance those
forces within ourselves. Here it is
Divine Law that states all that exists is composed of polarity.
To act justly and honorably our
integrity needs to demand of us the impeccable balance between
these forces, and the wisdom to
know for what reasons one is to be wielded above another. We
are made accountable for these
wieldings be they in thought, word or deed. Integrity and ethical
standards are taking form here.
We learn to apply them in healing and positive manners as we
accept the responsibility of our
own actions and truths. Through this Moon deception is presented
clearly and we become
capable of determining what is right or wrong upon our spiritual
paths and our earthwalk.
The Fourth Moon
This is the first in the eastern quarter, beginning March 21
through April 19 and falls around the
Spring Equinox. The Medicine Woman learns that there is a need
for emotional tempering of the
fiery energy that flows in this season. We learn that there
is need to keep our feet planted in firm
ground as well as allowing our minds to soar with the inspirations
we are experiencing at this
time. Understanding that there is wonder and excitement in the
freedom this season exudes, also
means that we need to take a good view through clear eyes as
we explore our plans and actions.
Here energy is intensely felt and change sweeps us up in its
exuberance. There is a tendency to
throw caution to the wind that must be tempered and brought
under control so that we can
maintain our sense of balance amid our optimistic desires. We
discover what it is to take the lead
because our own desires drive us forward and barriers seem less
threatening. We feel our inner
spirit swell and sense its desire to take control as it forces
us to see the truths before us in one
way or another.
Here the Medicine Woman learns to open herself to these energies
and then to direct them in a
proper and impeccable manner. She seeks to find her method of
that control over her emotions as
well as understanding how they flow in others. It is here that
methods of divination are studied
and honed. It is where other dimensions are penetrated and potentials
are applied. The eastern
quadrant is the element of Air and through it vision is clear
for the element itself is clear. The
higher psychic abilities come into focus now as the interpretations
for signs, omens, dreams,
visions, and prophecy are explored. We learn to trust and go
with our intuitive nature as well as
our instinctive feelings. We learn about the portals or doors
to other realms and how to cross
over into them. We also learn how to take the wisdom we have
gained there and use it in the
service of All Our Relations.
As we come to understand the spiritual boundaries of the dimensions,
we also learn to face the
challenges they present us and use our psychic abilities for
self-defense when necessary, as well
as to respect the sacred space of others. It is here that we
heal ourselves and learn to honor that
healing through sharing our gifts with others so that they too
may become whole. It is here we
learn to see not only our needs, but the needs of All Our Relations.
The Fifth Moon
It falls between April 20 and May 20 and is the second Moon
in the eastern quarter. Here the
Medicine Woman learns to center herself as the center of the
shamanic tree in respect to linking
the branches to the sky and the roots to the earth through the
inner spirit's core. In this way there
is a gaining of strength and sustenance that flows in both directions.
This is then able to be taught
to others and the gift continues to flow outward in a spiral
direction as we touch other lives. We
learn to fill our sacred space with positive energy as well
as our lives. It is something that
requires focused effort and determination at first, but soon
becomes second nature once the
initial hard work is done. We learn about the rewards for our
hard effort that come from Spirit in
the form of what many would consider to be strokes of good luck.
In this we find our own
capabilities in creating the realities in which we dwell and
manifesting them with beauty as well
as order.
It is this Moon that teaches us to keep going, to be patient,
keep our feet planted firmly in the
ground as we pursue our lofty goals, and the practical applications
of doing this to achieve
success. It is also where we learn to slip into the Silence,
to achieve our own inner knowledge
gained through the introspective views of what we are striving
to achieve. We learn to be
focused and examine all the details that pertain to the perspective
views surrounding our
endeavors. It is here we find counsel from our Guides and teachers
and learn to listen to their
wisdom. We learn to listen to the voice within us and follow
its guidance as well, discovering in
the process that the more we listen the stronger it becomes.
It is here we can tap the Ancient
Ones and learn to hear their voices as well.
Through the teachings of this Moon we learn to read the faces,
eyes, actions, and perspectives of
others and in some cases perceive their thoughts be they unspoken
or not. We learn the value of
listening through the heart and with that the compassion it
brings. The Medicine Woman is no
longer fooled by the intentions of others or herself. She listens
well and in that silent space
within learns the value of a silent tongue and how to apply
the wisdom it brings her.
The Sixth Moon
This is the third stone in the eastern quarter running from
May 21 through June 20 where the
realms of the plant and minerals are explored. The Medicine
Woman learns to use them for
purification and healing, for making her own Medicines stronger.
She discovers the beauty
within and the joy of letting it shine forth to give-away to
others through her love of Spirit and
self. She sees this same beauty in All Our Relations and throughout
life. She comes to
understand the need for balance in all areas of her life to
maintain her energy levels and teaches
this to those she heals. In this way she finds her ability to
remain consistent in her efforts and
express herself honorably.
There are many ways to heal, and not all are focused on the
physical body. Some Medicine
Women find they have the ability to heal the mind, or the spirit.
Some heal all three aspects. It is
here we learn that true healing begins in the realm of Spirit
only to later manifest in the mundane
world. That the spirit is wound or illness that must be tended
while the physical body manifests
the symptoms that are treated with the plants and minerals that
are available to us through the
grace of Spirit. It is here that laughter is used to cure as
well as lighten the burden of suffering,
where the humor in life's redundancies is exposed, and through
it the individual is eased into a
more relaxed state of mind.
Guides and teachers come forth in these teachings to express
cures, treatments, and aid the
Medicine Woman in her work. She learns through them the teachings
that can be shared as
stories that will heal broken paths, spirits, and minds. She
learns to understand the messages of
Spirit and her Guides and utilize that wisdom by offering to
share her counsel and advice. She
knows the essence of the inner spirit and its wisdom to guide
her and shares this willingly with
those who come before her. Her ability to listen well allows
her to become the hollow bone that
is a necessary part of channeling these healing energies and
wisdom. Her telling of these tales
brings forth the lessons that need to be learned and she gathers
them from all areas of her life
seeing clearly where they can best be applied. She knows how
to interject humor into the sacred
act of healing with her words or her many applications in creative
and intentional ways. She does
not judge others knowing that is not her place. She simply aids
them in understanding their
situations and allows them to be the judge of what they will
accept or not accept in their lives.
She is in this way both a teacher and a student, for each person
she heals gifts her with another
story to share later, another lesson in method application,
or greater wisdom in some other form.
The Seventh Moon
This is the first stone of the southern quarter falling at the
time of the Summer Solstice from June
21 through July 22. This is the Moon of the heart, where we
learn the meaning of loving all as
Spirit loves us. It is also where we learn that everything that
gives us pleasure pleases Spirit,
including our sexuality, our knowledge of it, and our dignity.
All aspects of love be they
platonic, parental, or passionate are integrated in the lessons
of this Moon. Here we focus on the
needs of the family, the lover, friends, acquaintances, and
the self as well as All Our Relations
learning to trust the intimacy of these relationships.
The Medicine Woman learns to be loving, nurturing, sensual,
and trustworthy of all her
interrelationships at all levels they contain. She learns to
honor herself and others, forgiving
errors that either she or they may make. In this process acceptance
becomes positive and
negative criticism is set aside for a more optimistic approach
where the self and others are
embraced for all aspects they contain, not just the good ones.
We learn to accept the good with
the bad, the positive with the negative, the whole of who we
are.
It is this Moon that teaches the linking of hearts and the ability
of love to heal and create
incentive in others as well as the healer. We learn to express
the feelings we hold and share them
joyfully. In understanding that the emotions are important triggers
that bring our attention to
issues and those we need to focus on, we learn that we can transform
those triggers into methods
of mending wounds with loving compassion. Intuitively skills
become honed and there are wild
swings in the pendulum of energies this Moon brings out in us.
We learn to balance and
harmonize with them so that we can build a secure foundation
and stability.
The Eighth Moon
As the second stone of the southern quarter it spans the days
between July 23 through August 22
teaching the Medicine Woman about strength, the intuitive healing,
the need for a strong song
for those who drop their robes. It is here the teachings of
the mystery found in death are revealed.
Roots and herbs for healing are studied to further serve Spirit
by tending All Our Relations. We
learn to honor the cycle of life and rebirth through spiritual
understanding of the process. The
energies here are those of instinct and reflect themselves in
the ritual passage rites we must
undergo to grow upon our earthwalk and in our spiritual pathwork.
It is here we experience the
blessings and awe contained in Spirit's gifts as we see grace
and beneficence in action behind our
own spent efforts. It is here that Spirit steps in and we become
the hollow bones through which
cosmic energies reach out to those in our care and manifest
in ways we would not otherwise be
capable of exuding. The miracles of life dwell here. This is
where we come to know that service
to others is service to Spirit and in that our efforts become
blessed.
Our strength comes from our inner spirit and its interconnectedness
to Great Mystery. We learn
to tap the cosmic forces or the source of all creative energy.
We come to understand the
bittersweet relationships of the cycles in life and to accept
that we must all pass through them.
We see what we are projecting and what we are receiving in the
cycle of passing energies from
one to another as we learn to pass on this wisdom.
It is this Moon that shows us how to teach from the heart, to
follow our intuitive nature and give
what is needed, not what we think should be given. In learning
to perceive the needs of others we
serve through fulfilling them with love and compassion. We are
challenged by our fears, doubts
and shadows as we learn to trust in the guidance of our inner
spirit to face those challenges. Here
it is a matter of digging deep to find the courage and strength
we need, not seeking them outside,
but deep within ourselves as we strive to be all that we can.
In this way we demonstrate to others
who watch us and we teach the ways to lead them through our
own actions, not our words. We
must balance our inner self with the exterior ego, maintaining
a sense of harmony so that we do
not surrender to the mundane glory. It is more important to
give that glory in honor to Spirit
knowing that is the source of all things.
The Ninth Moon
As the final stone in the southern quadrant it represents the
time between August 23 through
September 22 as the Moon of judgment and justice. It is here
we learn to preserve our knowledge
and wisdom without wasting it on preoccupation. It is here that
dreams and goals are weighed
against the right and wrong of our actions to achieve them.
Here the Medicine Woman learns to
properly use these energies along with her willpower and honor
the gifts of life, nature, and
Spirit in the process. She learns that focus, proper planning,
and determined effort will bring
success. She comes to understand the importance of needs, to
be consistent and reliable, and to
empathize with All Our Relations in their needs as well. This
brings about the respect, honor,
dignity, and pride that abides within the boundaries of her
integrity and her impeccability
guiding her intent as she follows her pathwork. It is where
she learns to walk her talk.
In learning to walk her talk she comes to understand the importance
of tolerance for all paths, for
the justice that comes in life through spiritual empathy, and
gains the ability to exercise her own
judgment of her own acts, accepting that others must do the
same. This allows her to be free of
prejudging perceptions and balanced in her perspectives of why
there are so many paths to be
walked and lessons to be learned. She understands that each
path is just as viable as the next and
designed for its own purposes, not hers. She learns to delve
through the heart into the inner spirit
and see for herself the why of things. In learning to do this
she satisfies her curiosity, and learns
to resolve issues through the guidance of Spirit. In this way
there is the expression of
discriminatory wisdom, ethical perception, proper sense of logic,
and confidence in herself to
properly see the inner view that leads to motives of actions
to be taken or that have been taken.
It is this Moon that exudes energies of balance, fairness, truth,
reality, and their practical
applications. Here the need to take action finds its footing
in sound reason, it brings
understanding and the impetus to take that action with a sense
of service to Spirit, as well as
one's pathwork and those who create the community in which this
service is applied. There is no
place here for negative judgments or self-serving declarations
of place. There is only balance and
harmony with consideration of all perspectives that can be applied.
It is here that things come to
rest and are weighed on their own merit and rewards are gained
or consequences suffered.
The Tenth Moon
This Moon arrives at the time of the Autumn Equinox, from September
23 through October 23
and is the first stone in the western quarter. This is the Moon
of creativity in the feminine sense,
of artistic expression in song, writing, painting, and dreaming.
It is here the Medicine Woman
learns to manifest her visions. Through Spirit she brings forth
from her womb the dreams she
holds. Using her instincts and understanding of the light and
dark faces of the Moon she uses her
creations to bring about form. She learns to tap into the Source
Energy of Spirit creating,
changing, or manifesting as she feels called. Her desires are
interwoven in the tapestry of her life
here and she knows the secrets of weaving them into action.
She uses the positive aspects to
these energies in the creative functions and the negative aspects
to tear down and banish the
limiting factors of her workings. She learns to wield her wisdom.
It is this Moon that will teach the Medicine Woman to utilize
the energy of the earth and the sun
pulling it into herself up, then into her heart through her
inner spirit, and then give-away that
energy as she creates her dreams. She sees the positive and
negative forces for what they are,
how they can both soothe and cause friction and she understands
their use with others in her
environmental society that encompasses All Our Relations. Here
the balance that is gained
comes from the highs and lows of emotions and desires, the influx
of rapid reception in ideas,
mood swings, and the sway of the pendulum that contains the
extremes.
Through the heart the Medicine Woman comes to show her physical
emotions and love, she is
comfortable in both the Above World of the Sky People and the
Below World of the Ancestors
and Ancient Ones. She learns to seek out the center and balance
herself so that she avoids
confusion and replaces it with clarity, as she sees the energies
of the Web of Life and learns to
channel them in her own weavings.
The Eleventh Moon
This is the second stone in the western quadrant and falls between
October 24 through November
21. Here the Medicine Woman learns the value of leadership in
walking her own path and setting
others on theirs as well. She knows that each path holds value
and sees that each of us must walk
one appropriate to their spiritual pathwork. This means that
no path is better than another, all are
valid, and each has its own merit. Through her she demonstrates
the forging of new pathways to
achieve growth while seeing beauty all around her. This Moon
teaches that through the grace of
Spirit we are all images that reflect it. It is up to us to
maintain our own wellness of mind, body,
and spirit as we make our earthwalk. Through this Moon she is
taught to let her heart lead the
way in all that she does, knowing that it is guided by her inner
spirit and taking her along the
path of enlightenment she needs to follow. It also teaches her
that in being true to herself she is
demonstrating that same truth to others as a role of leadership
in its own right.
By being the best she can be and following her path with impeccable
intentions guided with the
integrity of her inner spirit she also demonstrates her vulnerabilities
and the acceptance of them.
She demonstrates that awareness of her weaknesses allows her
to counter them with her strengths
to create a balance and point of center from which to function.
This requires an adaptable mind,
one that can move with the flows of energy that course our lives,
reading them to bring forth
understanding and enlightenment. Her leadership is one set by
example as she exudes her inner
strength to utilize the positive and negative energies within
the universe and herself to attract or
dispel as needed. She does this with respect, honor, dignity,
pride, and grace.
This Moon teaches her how to focus, to attune her senses to
all energies using them in versatile
ways to heal and achieve the manifestation of her desires. The
Medicine Woman learns through
this cycle that she has the adaptability to serve through the
channeling of these energies, that she
can enter the Silence and journey to other dimensions as she
gathers even more wisdom and
knowledge in those experiences. She will stand to her courage
and face things others would
perhaps run from, and in the process she becomes not only a
leader by example, but a keeper of
these gleaned wisdom and teachings so that she might share them
with those who come before
her. She learns her own limits, how to break their barriers,
to change things, to satisfy her
curiosity, and the reasons for her needing to know the truth.
Her vision is sharp and well-honed
and she knows how to walk between the worlds.
The Twelfth Moon
Here we have the last stone placed in the western quarter. It
falls between November 22 and
December 21 teaches the Medicine Woman about her ability to
perceive and reflect the ways of
others. She learns to praise and give thanks through her heart,
in the proper way. She learns what
it is to cry her prayers and to have them be received by Spirit.
She sees the abundance and
blessings of her life and holds the wisdom of experience. It
is the Moon of Medicine, of magick
and the ways of wielding the energies and gifts of Spirit we
all receive. It encourages the
celebration of the Web of Life and of living, demonstrating
the qualities of both reception and
giving that comes from the heart.
When we give from the heart there is no thought to reward or
return of those efforts. There is no
focus on the self, just the joy of sharing with others and blessing
them in some way by being a
hollow bone for the energy of the Creator to flow through us.
This is the love of Spirit in its
manifested form of tangible rewards.
This Moon teaches us that we must give thanks for all that we
are about to receive so that we
make room for it to enter into our lives. It teaches that through
the give-away we make room for
new and positive changes to take place. The Medicine Woman learns
that in celebrating life with
great enthusiasm that we will share in our own as well as that
of others. This Moon teaches us
that with the right attitude we can create mystical and marvelous
transformations in our lives. We
can bring about the success and abundance that forms the foundations
of the structural form we
wish to create. It also teaches us that without thanksgiving
and both the give-away and ability to
remain open to receive, we cannot understand the value of gratitude,
nor the truth behind the
gifts of Spirit that come our way.
As we give and receive, we reflect not only our thoughts and
feelings but those of others as well.
It allows us to demonstrate our vulnerability and our strengths
in a balance of harmonious
energies that complement our pathwork and earthwalk. We see
the beauty in all that surrounds
us, and we value the cooperative effort in the exchange of energies
we pass among All Our
Relations as we explore the Web of Life. Here the desire for
what is right and the ability to
espouse the duality of the natural energies manifests as our
strength and our emotional stability.
We understand the value of interrelationships, sharing and teaching
what we have learned and
becoming both student and teacher in the process. It is here
we learn to communicate our insights
and stand on our independence. We shed our fears for we know
that as we reflect them we also
project them and that is the opposite of what Spirit wants us
to do. We grow determined in this
knowledge and open our hearts to the true channels of Spirit
that they are. We lose the need to
argue or quarrel in intimate relationships replacing it with
a calm sense of being and rightness to
all we do, which is reflected by our ability to understand the
truth from all perspectives available
to us, not simply one of tunnel vision.
The Thirteenth Moon
This final Moon fits itself into the year as it will. It is
the center circle stone of the Medicine
Wheel that represents Grandmother Moon in all her complexity.
It teaches the Medicine Woman
that she is the sum total of all her parts, all her faces and
phases. It is here she learns the wisdom
of transmutation and transformation with the greatest of overviews.
It is where she finally allows
Spirit to pass through her total being encompassing her mind,
body, spirit. She lives life as that
hollow bone manifesting Spirit in the physical sense as well
as the spiritual. She holds the
wisdom of herself, of her life, and all it has encompassed so
far. She is the dreamer that becomes
the dream. She is the myth come to life. She is the lore at
its creative source and manifestation.
This Moon teaches the Medicine Woman to be all that she can
be, to bring her dreams and
visions into material reality through the many teachings she
has received. Here she is able to see
that she is the cycle of life and through her there is rebirth
of that cycle, for all things are born of
Woman and in that she is whole unto herself. She realizes she
has the ability to release her
negative energies and habits to make way for the new self to
emerge in an ever flowing cycle of
change. She learns to wear the many faces of Grandmother Moon
and to wield them all with
dignity and honor. The Medicine Woman understands the cycles
of change and marks them with
her rites of passage as she celebrates Spirit and life in union.
She is the vision of the dream she
has become and she walks it with intent, integrity, and impeccability.
She walks her talk and
lives her truths.
It is here the cycle repeats itself as the next year begins.
It is an ever changing process by which
the Medicine Woman journeys through her quest for spiritual
growth and development. Each
year she begins this quest with the knowledge gleaned from the
previous year in a process of
spiritual evolution that is uniquely her own. In this there
is honor, there is dignity, and there is
pride in the pathwork and earthwalk she is making and she dwells
between the worlds knowing
them well. She passes through the dimensions of time and space
entering into the oneness with
Great Mystery to manifest these truths through her own example,
and confident she is doing
what is right for herself and for All Our Relations. Her path
is one of inner reflection and
understanding that blossoms into knowledge and the ability to
wield the energies that flow
through her with grace and honor. It is a path that is intuitive
and instinctual in its nature and is
innate to the feminine aspects of the Medicine Woman's path.
This is Woman's Medicine.
The Medicine Man has an exterior approach, one of the Sun and
aggressive action that requires
he explore the world outwardly before he internalizes his wisdom.
It is a world of firsthand
experience. Father Sun teaches the Medicine path of the shaman.
Here he learns about the
discriminatory illuminations that arise, when to speak his mind
and set his limits for himself or
with others. He learns to strengthen his energy, to find his
warmth by taking in that energy of the
sun and expanding it. It is the Medicine Man who walks the paths
of the Medicine Wheel to
experience their teachings and explore the aspects of Spirit
that reside upon them. These are the
paths that define the quadrants and define the character of
those who walk them through their
ability to meet and confront the challenges each presents.
The Road of the North:
This is one that begins its trek to Spirit through purification
and the emulsification of that
process. This is a process of ridding the body of impurities
found in mind, body and spirit.
Outworn ideas, inappropriate ways of thinking, and habits that
are no longer suited to the right
way of action being taken are given over to Spirit in a process
of transformation. Emotions are
cleared and blockages are torn down quickly. Misconceptions
are realized and horizons are
allowed to broaden themselves. It is this process that allows
the Medicine Man to rid himself of
emotional baggage, to find his sacred center, and surrender
himself to Spirit to be washed clean.
This is followed by a process of renewal and dedication of purpose.
Spiritually he is reborn
through the shamanic death that allows him to claim his growth
and commitment to serving
Spirit. He takes in the nourishment of life through the energies
he opens to at this point and
explores them from all perspectives, beginning on the exterior
and working toward the goals of
his inner spirit. This is done in a right and proper manner
so that he becomes strong, healed, and
restored to wholeness. His attitude becomes healthy and his
view of the world around him begins
to transform itself. He walks this path knowing his place in
his world and begins to open from
the inside to receive new perceptions. It is here he learns
forgiveness and love for himself as well
as for others. He learns to care for his needs and be gentle
with his self-criticism. His feelings
become understood and he learns what self-love really is. He
sets aside ego, conceit, and
arrogance for respect, dignity, and pride as he honors the path
he walks.
Along this path of renewal he comes to set down his foundations
of spiritual beliefs and accept
his experiences as his truths. He receives his ceremonies and
rituals that he will honor in the
process of fulfilling his pathwork and maintaining his focus.
The end process of this path is that
of total purification. This is where the Medicine Man finds
himself standing closest to Spirit. He
is free of the contaminating influences of the outer world and
stands at the center of his spiritual
essence in oneness with Great Mystery. There are no inferiority
complexes here, no egos to
contend with, just the oneness of Spirit and self. It is the
result of becoming whole and seeing the
path ahead as one of service, growth, and evolution.
It is here the child-like wonder of life manifests once again
and there is an innocence of heart
that allows total trust in Spirit. The preconceptions of what
Spirit is and the service one is to give
are gone, all that remains is the understanding of the oneness
and what is right. There is no
cynical view that can stand here. Lies, falsehoods, misconceptions,
they all vanish in the light of
Spirit when the inner spirit is washed clean. Doubts, fears,
and inabilities are gone. These are
replaced with integrity, a strong sense of right and wrong,
the ability to be honest with the self
and others, an eagerness to take all this within and digest
it comes over him and he internalizes
the assimilation in a receptive flow from his heart to the seat
of balance where he is then able to
give it away to others in the exemplification of his own self-actualization.
Once again, he is
prepared to aggressively pursue his knowledge but with the wisdom
his purification path has
brought him to hold.
The Road of the East:
As road that leads to Spirit, it does so through the process
of healing the mind. It allows the
Medicine Man to see his truths and release the lies he has been
taught through his social
upbringing or those he has simple been brought to through osmosis
of family life. Here he
qualifies and quantifies all that he sees. If he walks with
Spirit he opens his world to vast new
horizons and experiences, if he walks alone he creates tunnel
vision and confines himself to a
narrow view. This is the struggle and the pitfall of this roadway
the shaman must explore. Each
experience must be explored in its entirety before the picture
can become clear enough to
assimilate internally. The process eliminates the complications
of life, reducing things to their
simplest components, and the individual discovers that truths
are inevitably simple often bearing
masks that allow them to stand before us unnoticed until the
eyes are trained to see them. It is
this awareness that allows the Medicine Man to communicate with
more direct precision as he
reaches out to Spirit and comes to acknowledge the inner spirit
as a part of that process. It is also
along this path that the shaman becomes aware that they do not
know everything, they are
fallible, and that to counter this they must internalize it
with the feelings that guide them from
their heart and inner spirit. This allows the individual to
open to the free flowing energies of the
universe and experience the direct rhythms they present. In
this way there is an efficiency of
sending and receiving them that are attained as the connection
to Spirit grows stronger.
This road is part of the earthwalk of the shaman bringing wisdom
in understanding limitations in
all aspects of the self and life. He learns what he can and
cannot physically accomplish, what he
can and cannot achieve, and in understanding what will benefit
or hinder that progress.
Discernment comes in stages, it grows together with the threads
of enlightenment, and produces
experiences that are productive to the evolution of the inner
spirit. These experiences become
internalized and assimilated and help to form the foundation
of many truths on which the
Medicine Man bases his worldview and judgments of his own actions.
He matures and finds
stable footing as he continues his way knowing with a sureness
what will best serve a given
situation for him as well as what he is willing to do about
that. It is the path of the mage and
wisdom of life lived.
Life's experiences bring illumination to the road the shaman
walks. The closer he walks with
Spirit the brighter that illumination becomes. His goal is to
walk with Spirit at all times, so he
draws closer to his center, internalizing more and more of what
he is experiencing and making it
a part of himself. The enlightenment of this path is to allow
the energy of Spirit to flow through
him as a hollow bone. To allow himself to become the channel
and tool which Spirit can then
wield in service to others. It is here thanks are given for
the receiving of this enlightenment both
before and after. The shaman knows being grateful for even the
smallest amount granted exudes
the truths of the life he leads and All Our Relations to which
he is exposed.
This road leads to the truths of life and paths that expand
on the glimpses that have been shown
so that deeper understanding of the self and cosmic consciousness
will lead to greater intuition. It
also allows one to sense and feel this knowledge through the
inner spirit's awareness and its
ability to reach out and touch us with physical sensation alerting
us to areas that need our
attention. It is here that the Medicine Man learns through experience
to allow his emotions to
flow freely in the effort to balance them with the love of Spirit
and express them through his
actions. This leads to a peaceful countenance filled with the
understanding of Spirit in one's life.
It allows the shaman to maintain a depth in his connection to
Great Mystery that is beyond the
normal mundane perception. It also allows him to express this
understanding to others.
The Road of the South:
This is one that promotes growth and its quality toward healing
the emotions and the heart. It is
the one where proper prayer comes from the heart and expresses
the need for loving relationships
or thankfulness for those already present. It is where the Medicine
Man learns the lessons of
change, expansion, and the process of maturity. It is here the
physical body experiences
challenges that allow it to grow stronger, and where the shaman
will expand his knowledge of
his physical surroundings. It brings about the evolution of
his mental and emotional growth as
well deepening his understanding of himself and the world around
him. It allows him to
physically reach for enlightenment in all areas of his life
and come to know his capabilities and
limitations in that regard. His feelings are explored and brought
to an understanding in the
logical mind as well as integrated within where he learns to
apply them outwardly with grace and
diplomacy. This is the path of the evolutionary development
that brings with it responsibility for
the self and all it experiences or acts upon.
It is here the Medicine Man learns to trust in life, gains the
confidence necessary to make wise
decisions, and accept life on its own terms. It is where the
shaman learns to surrender himself to
the higher power of Spirit gaining strength in his beliefs and
convictions. Here he learns to open
and receive the teachings of Spirit and the lessons are intense.
It is here through experience that
he begins to draw closer to Spirit and understand the meaning
of giving and receiving love into
his life and the ability to express it personally. It is here
that same trust reaches a level where the
individual can allow Spirit to take over and bring about change
or the events necessary to
instigate the proper growth and spiritual evolution necessary.
It is in this that the sense of
freedom is achieved to quicken the steps upon the path chosen,
opening to Spirit and recognizing
the truth of what is sacred.
As the path approaches the oneness with Spirit there is an awakening
to the meaning of love in
all its contexts. Physical pleasures, sexual urges and energies,
affection, sensations of the senses,
and understanding the flows they contain as they pass through
the body. It is the love that
produces the energies felt through music, dance, song, colors,
art, and other earthly pleasures. It
is the love of the mate, of the parent, of the friend. Beyond
this is the healing energy of the mind,
the ability to communicate, to offer encouragement to the self
and others as well as finding
validation in order to give it away. Here honesty, integrity,
honor, and treasuring the feelings and
emotions of the self and others is experienced. Through them
the Medicine Man understands the
meaning of loyalty, tenderness, compassion, joy, ecstasy, passion,
and the nurturing harmony
that comes from combining these wisdoms to create a balanced
flow of positive energies to and
from the self.
Here the deepest levels of sharing permit the true understanding
of transformative and
evolutionary growth on the path of unconditional love...love
without judgment, restraint, or
conformity. It is here the shaman sees the value of selfless
actions, of service to others, of
harmony in commitments all through the eyes of the inner spirit
and its own relationship to Great
Mystery as well as All Our Relations.
The Road of the West:
As a road this one is devoted to the healing of the spirit.
It is here that what is held sacred
becomes a part of you as well as Great Mystery. It is here we
come to understand the need to
honor the sacred through the rites of ceremony and religious
structure. Here experiences present
themselves as catharsis, transforming the life and pathwork
of the Medicine Man on all levels of
consciousness and physical activity. It is here he will find
his mystical moments and learn
firsthand through them. It is the School of Hard Knocks initially
but gradually progresses into
gentler forms of trial by error and learning the lessons well.
When we have to go back and start
from the beginning on things it often leaves a lasting impression
and this is the path that will
have the false starts and stops. It forces the shaman to become
involved in relationships with
others, the self, and with Spirit.
The individual learns through this roadway to experience selective
choice through the wisdom
gleaned, taking those lessons within to assimilate and make
good decisions before action is
taken. Here the inner spirit begins to experience its evolution
and melds with the surface logic of
the mind to create a relationship allowing a tempered personality
to emerge. This is the road of
introspection where one can find retreat, solace, and sacred
space. It is the place where we see
our own smoking mirror and reflect on the reflections that exist
there. The Medicine Man learns
to contemplate these reflections internally and then to act
upon the truths that emerge in an
outward show of their form. He learns to listen well, to think
before he acts, to use his words
wisely, and guide himself with wisdom. He comes to see that
his true feelings reflect upon his
emotional health and that in turn reflects upon his centeredness
in the world. As the
enlightenment surfaces through the assimilation process it again
emerges out into the world
through his decisiveness and actions.
Upon this road the shaman learns to evaluate his spiritual path
again and again, knowing that as
he evolves so does his spirituality and his concept of what
Spirit is. Here he masters centering
himself amid the Seven Sacred Directions. He becomes the shamanic
tree with his roots firmly
planted, his trunk standing securely yet flexibly in the winds
of life, and his branches reaching
ever upward toward the sun as he receives enlightenment and
draws ever closer to the oneness of
Spirit. He has experienced the cycles of life and knows they
flow in a continuous spiral up and
outward as well as in and down through him. In this way he learns
to enter the Silence and know
that oneness with Great Mystery, to allow the energy of Spirit
to flow through him and bring
with it illuminating information. The Medicine Man comes to
see that the universe is not only
"out there" but that it is "within" as well.
This is the roadway of strength, stamina, endurance, and testing.
It is understanding the flow of
energies and the power behind them. It is the focus of the shaman's
training and development of
his unwavering service to Spirit. Here his mind learns discipline,
he learns to summon his
courage when needed, finds his security and strength in his
faith, and gains powers of
concentration. He is more centered, self-aware, balanced, and
conscious of his pathwork.
Through the love of Spirit and attaining the oneness he becomes
self-assured as he walks
between the worlds and sees no lines of division. To the Medicine
Man the physical and spiritual
become one because he has experienced them both and sees their
interrelationships. His spiritual
disciplines become honed, second nature, and he masters his
gifts wielding them with precision,
impeccability, and integrity. In the oneness he finds his true
self.
Not unlike the Medicine Woman, the Medicine Man will walk these
paths again and again. Each
time they will glean more spiritual evolution as they base their
knowledge on the wisdoms
gained in the past with the insights of the present. It is a
cycle that flows in its own spiral dance
of illuminated enlightenments.
The ways of the Medicine Man and Medicine Woman may vary in
their techniques, but
invariably they come to the same conclusions. In the end they
both have a greater understanding
of Spirit, life, and each other. Should the Medicine Woman feel
called to do the vision quest of
the shaman's teachings it is considered acceptable. She may
choose to do some skin cuttings that
will be placed in sacred tools as a sacrifice to Spirit to show
her dedication and lend her own
powers to the implements. In rare cases some women will choose
to pierce but this is not very
common. She would fast, undergo the purification of the Mother
Lodge (sweat), quest, and
assimilate. I have done both types of questing and they each
have something to offer that is
unique. It depends on the call that comes to me as well as the
time I have open as to how I will
choose to respond. Women who are past menopause still feel the
cycles of Grandmother Moon
and they do not lose the potency of their Medicine; thus, they
will continue to quest as they
always have.
The Medicine Man who quests must show his strength, courage,
and ability to endure. When he
quests there is usually some form of self-sacrifice required.
This can be in the form of skin
piercing through the breast where tethers are fastened to bones
and to a tree. In this case the
questor places his body at risk as fatigue sets in and the tethers
threaten to tear the muscle if he
yields or failing to maintain his pledged time. It is also during
this time that he may receive his
vision. Other cases of piercing involve the shoulder blade area
where tethers are attached to the
body with one or more skulls (usually buffalo skulls and up
to 3 of them) which are dragged
behind the man wherever he goes for the duration of the pledge.
Pledges can be made for 1-4
days or more of the sacrificial quest. While piercing is not
always required, it is a sign of
dedication and courage as well as a sacred sacrifice to Spirit.
Fasting, purification, questing, and
assimilation are divided equally and the quest itself can last
for 16 days or more. In some tribes
the men will eat sacred meats during the quest while others
deny this.
For the Medicine Woman questing is a lifelong process, met monthly,
and spirals out in ever
advancing stages of spiritual evolution and enlightenment. For
the Medicine Man (at least among
the Sioux and other Plains tribes) there are a series of sixteen
quests to be accomplished during
the course of a lifetime. These quests are divided into sets
of four to achieve different levels of
advancement significantly marked at the end of each set. Only
one quest is undertaken per year,
and there may be gaps between them of several years. For this
reason not every shaman will
achieve his full potential since at a minimum it would take
16 years to reach completion.
As you can see, the woman is taught to go within herself and
seek her center. A man centers
externally by creating the shamanic tree. This is usually a
lodge pole to which he connects
himself by climbing it or attaching a rope, string, or ladder
for his spirit to follow. Both will
accomplish the same spiritual projection from this point onward.
Different methods are applied
to the initiations and rites of passage; as well as other ceremonies
and teachings to achieve the
evolution of the inner spirit. This brings about a state of
harmony and balance within both
genders. While neither is superior to the other, much can be
gained in understanding as to why
these variances exist and how the individual benefits from them.
Women are born with an innate natural attunement to their bodies
and the energies that exist in
nature. Men must outwardly explore to find their seat of balance
and understand how to bring it
within themselves. Both have something to offer the other and
through that cyclic exchange
unity is formed. Externally this is the male and female uniting;
internally it is the male and
female sides to our natures in balance. Together they create
a state of harmony and a broader
horizon from which you can perceive the needs and workings of
the opposite gender's Medicine.
Annotated Bibliography/Suggested Reading:
Dancing With the Wheel: The Medicine Wheel Workbook by
Sun Bear, Wabun Wind, and
Crysalis Mulligan. This is an excellent source for understanding
the Native American approach
to Grandmother Moon and her cycles, the paths of the Medicine
Wheel to be walked, and much
more.
The 13 Original Clan Mothers by Jamie Sams. This is an
excellent source of women's Medicine
teachings according to Southwestern indigenous tribal teachings.
It gives an in-depth look at the
many faces of Grandmother Moon and brings understanding of how
she works through the
influences of her cycles.
The entire series of books by Carlos Castaneda is laced
with hints of women's ways while
depicting the aggressive nature of men's training.
The Circle is Sacred: A Medicine Book for Women by Scout
Cloud Lee. Ed. D.
Dragonfly:
Working on this page reminded me of the first time I experienced
the difference between male and femail energies,
it was back in 1990, when I was working on a gathering in Pipestone
Minnesota. One evening there was going to be a Sweat Lodge,
one for men, one for women. The same lodge was going to be used
for both, and the same person was going to pour water.
Back in those days I wasn't a Fire-keeper, that came a number
of years later in South Dakota. Anyway I digress, That day I
was on my moon time
and so couldn't go into the Lodge, so I drove the bus taking
the participants backwards and forwards to the Quarry grounds
where the lodge was located.
First I took the men down and they were all in a good mood,
it was a mixed sweat of Native (Dakota) and non-Native.
Mostly experienced sweat people. The water pourer was Dakota.
They said come back for us in an hour or so,
so I went back with the women about 90 minutes later only to
find the men dragging their heels, and some almost crawling
back to where the bus was. I thought wow that had to have been
one HOT sweat and I then worried for the
women who were going in next, as none of them had been in a
Lodge before.
I took the men back to the Little
Feather Center for food and a rest and I went back for the women
an hour later.
Two hours went by, and three, and
a cop car came round to see why I was there so I explained I
was waiting for people
who were in an Inipi, he knew what that was and so left. I waited
probably another half hour, getting worried because
it had been so long. When all of a sudden I heard my name being
called in a sing songie way. 'Gloreeeea! Gloreeea!' and then
I saw them
coming through the darkness, dancing and laughing, so happy
and unbelievably 'high'. I went to them and led them back to
the bus
and all the time they were signing and chattering. What a difference
to how the men were. I was told later that they didn't want
to
come out of the Lodge!
I took the women back to the Center for food, and by this time
the men were almost all asleep. They woke up when the women
came in laughing. You know it took a few hours before both men
and women were back to their regular energy levels.
I saw then that Spiritual energies can alter a person's energies
it was a good learning experience for us all that night. I have
seen
it at other times but that was the first time.
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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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Text:
© Copyright: Cinnamon Moon & River WildFire Moon
(Founders.) 2000-date
All rights reserved.
Site
constructed by Dragonfly
Dezignz 1998-date
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