Skip to main content

Moon Power


There are a few stories which occurred in the last few weeks that I’ve felt called to share but have been having trouble putting into words. One of them refers to a topic that I’ve been exploring for a little over a decade and that concerns the Moons of the Medicine Wheel. Like many of you know the Moons of the Sacred Circle Tradition specifically speak about our ego development. Our first moon cycle for example refers to our first 13 years of childhood and then, the Wheel continues to spins through what we call “human seasons”: Adolescence, adulthood and then into the elder phase. Every cycle repeats exactly the same thirteen moons but we explore them differently with each season. For example the Moon of Welcome which is about our birth process during the first moon cycle is suddenly very different when we turn 14 years old. In adolescence this moon is about high school and how we are received by our peers. Whether it refers to our very first moon into this world or our first moon into adolescence (14)or our first moon into adulthood (27) or our first moon into the elder (40) – it’s always about how we receive the world around us or how the world receives us. What is incredible about the journey into the first 3 moons of the Wheel is that they are always explore in a fashion that is beyond language because between birth and three years – we haven’t yet learnt how to speak.

I once met an elderly woman who quickly felt insecure when she didn’t have her favorite shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Winter, spring, fall or summer the shawl was always near by. Without it she often became withdrawn, insecure and even incredibly anxious. Psychologically speaking there were all kinds of diagnostics and theories attached to this woman’s behaviour yet, all I saw was someone who was “stuck” (so to speak) on her first moon of her personal Medicine Wheel. Once I started questioning the woman about her life story I was told that at birth she and her twin had been wrapped in her mother’s shawl for over 6 hours before someone discovered that her sister had passed away. At 14 she was married and had her first child who was wrapped in her shawl like she was wrapped in her mother’s shawl. At 27, her husband left for war and she worried every night, wrapped tightly in her shall, rocking in his chair by the window, praying for him to come back home. That year he went missing in action. At the age of 40 she was diagnosed with her first breast cancer and when they removed the breast she hide behind her shall in shame. Not only was there a MOON reason behind her manic behaviour at the age of 89 in relationship to the shawl but her whole life seemed to be in reverence to this moon.

For those who have no knowledge of the Sacred Circle Tradition this story is rubbish but for those who walk a shamanic path and who live their lives according to the dream time or the Medicine Wheel – this story opens up a world of mystery and inspires us to question life…

We are so used as Westerners to believe in what we see that we forget that much of our World remains within the realm of the unknown. No matter how much we believe in science, we are still at the primitive stage of our scientific development when it comes to understanding to World around us whether it be our natural or cosmological environment. Science as far as I’m concern is the human discovery of the omnipresence and omnipotence of something greater than us in all things around us as well as within us. It is an exploration in progress and one that has been in movement since the beginning of time. Whether it’s the lab technician that is looking through his or her microscope; or the Shaman that is witnessing, collecting and experiencing the plant kingdom; or the Witch doctor that is speaking with the spirit of the river – each of these individuals through time have touched a dimension of life that an teach us more about our World. Not one is more believable than the other especially if we look at how long they were important to the people of their times. To be honest scientists have been around for a lot less time than both the Shaman and the Witch doctors of our Planet.

About a month ago my hairdresser, an acquaintance who has slowly become a friend asked if I had a remedy for stomach upset. Her and her son had the gastro virus that was going around and although they were back to eating well and regular activities she said “they were still feeling bloated and tired.” It was actually CL’s son who is a little bit over 2 years old who mentioned that he wanted to “wash out his stomach, turn it inside out, and then, put it back in.” The boy’s mom thought the image was quite powerful and adorable so she shared it with everyone. As soon as I heard it I knew right away which medicinal plant would give him the desirable effect that he was looking for and suggested it to his mom. She administered the recommended tincture to the boy and soon he was feeling better.

Her question was: “How did you know?” She seemed very impressed with me!

Personally, I was very impressed with the fact that the child could accurately communicate with limited vocabulary and a two-year-Earth-experience what most adults can’t even express with access to more than one language and a full life of experience. It’s just mind boggling that our MOONS can give us access to a wealth of knowledge that can keep us healthy physiologically, emotionally, and spiritually. Where a child does it intuitively or naturally because he hasn’t been socially programmed yet, an adult needs to ironically find a way to disassociate himself or herself from the fullness of programs he or she has acquired through his or her life. Yet dreams and visions are the picturesque language of the Moons that keep us constantly informed of what is going on inside and out. I’ve had people share dreams with me that basically informed them of bladder infections or death in the family. Like children they are able to work with the wisdom of imagery and its ability to be a language of its own.

There’s no doubt that the Full Moon has a strong impact on our lives. I think that most of us have no idea how powerful cosmology influences our daily thinking and plays a role on intuition and emotion. Most of us get impressed if we lucidly dream during a month or accurately predict a situation or emotionally loose control. If it’s out of the ordinary we question it or we simply recognize it and share it with others as if it’s “interesting party-talk,” but what if we gave it more importance and we began to look into the ability and learnt to master it? There were societies on Earth at different times during our evolution that lived according to the Moon Cycle and developed abilities beyond our own today…

Sometimes it’s just a matter of staying open to the possibilities and of looking up at the sky every now and again not just to admire its beauty but also to stand in awe under its power.

Tahau!

Comments

Michelle said…
I have been in awe for a while now its almost overwhelming to know the power or the influence of this Moon and all our moons for that matter....I am amazed at how my children are teaching me to trust intuition and they bring me back to the moons to the simple response's and it is about paying attention and not letting that westernized programming to interfere with somthing that is so profound an whole...People are searching for everything now aday's and this is all around us....its wonderful!!!!
Bootie said…
I'd like to learn how to live according to the Moon Cycles like the ancestors did.
Lisa F. Tardiff said…
What do you mean K? Are you looking for something particular? A certain tradition perhaps that you would like to have in your life that the ancestors used to have....

LISA
Michelle said…
Hunts were planned by seasons and dreaming right? I know my husband likes to or has to hunt at the beginning of October no matter what he has this need to go on the annaversary of his moosom's passing and he gets his moose within that week. I have heard many things realted to the moon in regards to our mental health families, babies being born on full moon's what are some other traditions that the ancestors did during the lunar cycles?
Tom Bailey said…
I know it is Jan 3rd and you have not posted since dec. 21st but I felt you were going to be back soon... I am really into possibility thinking recently and and I love what you have shared here. Shawman things are very interesting to me.

Kindest regards and thanks for your sharing here.

Tom Bailey
Lisa F. Tardiff said…
Tom.

Thank your for your comment.
I plan to write more in the New Year.

LISA

Popular posts from this blog

Drums and Rattles.

Lately I’ve received a few e-mails and letters from people asking questions about drums and rattles. I don’t think I’ve written a blog on this topic yet. JB wrote in his e-mail: “I often read that Drums are connected to Shamanism and often the tool of choice for Shamans. How do Shamans use drums differently than anyone else who’s in Shamanism?” I thought it was a great question. For starters, one of the reasons why a drum is an interesting tool in Shamanism is because it can mimic a heartbeat and induce a state of trance. A rapid heartbeat can trigger nervousness, excitement and even aggression. A very slow heartbeat can help in relaxation, sleep and dreaming. Every rhythm can inspire an emotion and can bring about the memory of a past experience or a parallel reality. In Shamanic circles the drum can be instrumental in healing, teaching, ceremony or ritual, expansion of consciousness as well as dreaming and journeying. Almost a decade ago I participated in a Mohawk namin

Authentic Shamanism

I brought up the topic of “authentic Shamanism” at one of my classes / circles this week. I’ve noticed especially in the last three to four years that when people speak to me about Shamanism, they often make a distinction between what they are doing and what “is out there.”  These days if you are not into Ayahuasca you are not authentically into Shamanism.  So what is “Shamanism” if it changes its appearance every decade?  Is it about altered states of consciousness through hallucinogens? Is it about ceremonies and rituals; or about soul retrieval, dreaming and healing?  Since Shamanism isn’t a Religion and doesn’t have set doctrines, then how can you anyone be clear on what makes it “authentic?” When I brought up the question this week, I received a few interesting comments.   Many of the individuals in our circles have struggled with addictions and it’s because of the Medicine Wheel teachings that their lives are full and healthy again.   The idea of defining Shamanism as a j

The Seven Clans

Wow! I can’t believe that in the last three years, I haven’t written a single blog on the topic of “the seven clans” of the Medicine Wheel. For the last two months our Montreal circle has been exploring the subject. I think it’s the first time in fifteen years that I ask my students to go out into the World and experience the clans first hand. “Look at people and see which clan they can belong to; or look at behaviors and attitudes and try to connect them to one of the Clans.” We often speak of the clans as the seven faces of Creator. In Christianity or Judaism God can be angry, impatient, judgmental and destructive; but he can also be merciful, compassionate, forgiving and loving. The Medicine Wheel may not personalize Creator in the same way many Religions do, yet in many ways it accomplishes the same end result where we can see ourselves as children of divinity. Often in non-traditional circles the seven clans are understood as archetypes. Each clan holds particular att