The Medicine Wheel.
I”ve pondered this image for quite some time and recently it has come into my awareness 3 times in one day. I feel like it is wanting to shed some light on the importance of the wheel itself and how dreams play a huge part in the shamanic world and our every day life. If we pay attention to our dreams, we can dream our life and healing into reality.
What I have realized is that all aspects of the wheel have come in my dreams and the wheel itself is represented slightly differently in different Native American Indian tribes, Indigenous cultures and elsewhere. It also represents the cardinal sign in astrology, the cardinal cross. East, South, West and North. Please keep in mind that I tend not to read a lot about something that comes into my awareness until I’m downloaded with information and then I go and start researching. I’m a bit naive, but from my perception, if we can stay in the curiosity for a bit of time, we are apt to get more accurate information. I feel if we allow it to come in without having any knowledge base, we are better equipped not to have any preconceived perceptions or judgments of what it’s about. Our minds tend to go to that place of “Oh! I know that” when in the unseen world we really don’t, given it is so layered and the perceptions are vast.
If we look to the South of the wheel where the snake lies and we can relate this to the south node in our astrological chart, it’s allowing us to see the past and shed the layers of the shadow that are now longer serving us. There is a sense of integrations when letting go of old wounds, especially when we have identified with them for so long. Having a grieving period for this is normal and necessary. The other element of the South is “RA” the sun, FIRE. Fire allows all to be distinguished and then replenished. To grow anew.
In the West we find the cat or Jaguar. I remember my first dream with this elusive cat and the first one I saw in Samburu in Africa. They are silent, but yet hold a power that is sleek and unseen. The West is also associated with the element of water. The depths where the Great Whale resides, the one who holds Ancient Wisdom. This represents the act of breaking through bearers like the whale breaches, we shift in consciousness when we allow ourselves to become more aware and a part of us dies away. A never-ending process that we experience as we evolve. And water relates to the emotional body as well as being a conductor to the spirit realms.
The North is represented by the hummingbird, but I also see the Bear and the Trees with the North.. It’s the act of flight and nourishment as the hummingbird drinks from the flowers, the bear hibernates to replenish his reserves and the tree is the never ending communication of what is below us thriving to keep all of the ecosystem in harmony. I feel it’s connected to our north node in our astrological chart. The place we are moving towards to gather more insights about our soul and our quest in this lifetime. Again there are layers to this in that astrology is so layered as is our soul.
The East is the great eagle, falcon and hawk. The flight home to the self and the spiritual quest of who we are in waking life in relation to the great spirit who soars, “The EAGLE”. How we bridge the gap of our dreamscape into reality and become what our soul is wanting to experience. The East is associated with the element of air and each breath we take starts a new moment in life. When we realize that each breath is precious and how fortunate we are to be living in harmony with the earth and natural world, we wake up to a bigger spectrum of who we are. Our Divine Matrix ,Our Diamond Body, Our Divine Blueprint. We are each uniquely different, but yet hold a connection beyond what any of us can really imagine through space…Thoughts to ponder when the natural world/animal kingdom come into your awareness. Each animal holds an energy that we work with in order to bring healing to the surface.
A client recently expressed in a session that she had a reoccurring dream of a horse. (She has given permission of her dream to be written about). Keep in mind reoccurring dreams and/or nightmares are unfinished dreams. There is more to be explored, but for whatever reason we are resisting what is wanting to be seen. It’s part of our growth. At times we need a bit of guidance to break through the bearer so to speak.
She went on to explain the dream of being her in kitchen standing looking outside at the barn and she realizes that she has forgotten to feed her horse. She’s a bit frantic and runs out to find the horse but can’t find him. This may seem simple, but there are so many layers here to explore.
When she was in session I asked her if she had ever experienced Journeying with the drum, and she hadn’t. She decided she wanted to explore this, so we went on a journey. I approach journeying with the drum a bit different in that I believe we go where we called to go. I feel when it’s new for someone , they need to just listen and see what comes to them. Possibly they see, feel, or hear something. I didn’t suggest anything to her except to do just that. I wanted her to stay open to whatever came to her. When she came out of the journey, she said “I saw a horse and he came to me.” From my perspective this is a big step in healing and the start of a relationship with her Animal. In the dreamworld horses are considered psychopomps and they take us to alternate worlds and are a mode of transportation. He’s been trying to get her attention for quite some time in the dream and now a doorway has opened for her. So Beautiful!
She left and came back the next month, but this time she was with the coaching/mentoring group. I asked the group what is something they are wanting to let go of and shift? (I feel this is important given all of the astrological planetary shifts that are happening right now. It’s a powerful time). She expressed that she is afraid of losing people around her. Keep in mind this is a powerful statement given what her journey would be about that day and the insights she would gather. We did another journey and this time I asked her if she felt like she wanted re-enter the dream, given she said she can have it her waking life. (This is actually a normal occurrence of dreaming a dream in the waking life when there is something that our soul is wanting us to see and experience and heal from.) She decides to re-enter the dream in her journey, she starts to cry. I’m loving this, because now I know she’s really gone somewhere and is releasing and allowing herself to go deep. After the journey she shares that she went to the barn and the horse was there and allowed her to get on him and he took her to a tribe. This is an ancestral tribe and she was experiencing grief around losing her husband. This healing on so many levels.
She than shares a bit of her history of this lifetime and what is being revealed is that she is healing a karmic past of loss through many layers. What she has experienced in her journey is profound and she later emailed me and asked what books to read and then stopped by so I could lend her a bunch. She’s now exploring different ways of the metaphysical and shamanic world to help her on her journey of healing.
I can’t express enough how joyful it is to see someone break or breach like the whale does, come out of the depths and allow something to be revealed so they can move forward in their healing and on their journey. Thanks and appreciation to her for sharing her dream and beautiful experience.
Sending Love,
Elise
Here’s links to upcoming workshops/events
The pic is from the Vision Quest deck. I love this deck!
