Moon of Inter-Relations.

I recently promised I would write about the Moon of Inter-Relations; which happens to be the Moon we are experiencing right now until the Full Moon of March (2016). I specify the year / or date because according to a Moon calendar based on the Blue Moon cycle -- the Moon of Inter-relations doesn't always fall at the same time during the year.  The Moon of Inter-Relations is the 7th Moon, found in the South of the Medicine Wheel.  She is definitely influenced by the elements of growth, trust and love. 

It makes sense doesn’t it?  No inter-relationship can survive without these three elements.

When I was a child I loved dolls.  Each doll had a name and a story.  It was only after having children that I noticed they too adopted the same kind of behaviour.  They didn’t need anyone to teach them how to connect to the World around them; they related to their toys in the same way that I had once did.  I believe that children are born knowing about  “their fragments.”  They are somewhat aware that they’ve existed before and that they carry within themselves countless pieces of the past, present and future. I remember when CT (my son) was 7 years old.  He woke up one morning explaining to me that "he spent the night running after a part of himself who was always 24 hours faster than him."  

Such comments from our children do make us giggle but when they are common enough to occur all the time and with every child -- they are science. It’s our job as adults to confirm and validate our children's experiences even if it may be unlike anything we've experienced or seen before.  I also believe that our physical body is designed to archive, trigger, and give us access to these inner characters and their personal stories.  They hold keys to a bright or difficult future.  No doubt they are the roots to learning and healing.  The whole point perhaps is to bring resolution and closure to a cluster of legends.

All 7 year olds learn the same basic lessons; but they all come about these lessons differently.   When working with Moons I often ask my students to remember and share one story for each Moon.  These stories often reveal very unique and sometimes eccentric characters who have particular habits, struggles, and even abilities / skills.  It’s through remembering our inner children and their realities as well as how they dealt with them that we can best get to know ourselves.  I often suggest some distance when exploring fragments so that we can truly hear them speak and share from their perspective rather than our expectations and ideals. 

The idea of soul retrieval isn’t to control our personal story and rewrite it.  It’s to develop the ability to listen and to truly hear what different members of our inner community are sharing.  They have numerous functions for which the ultimate one is to bring us to wholeness and what we call “Oneness.”

It’s only once we can “inter-relate” that we can truly “relate” to the World around us.

At a recent Grandmother Lodge gathering, I explained to our Circle that the Moon of Territory was teaching us about how “we take space, have roots, and are fundamentally connected to the land we are born on…” I have several ladies in my group who are from France, Ireland and other Canadian Provinces outside of Quebec.  Each of these women has strong ties to what they call “home.” Do they still call their native land home because their parents still remain on the territory or is it because a part of themselves hears  “a call” from the land and its ancestry? 

( I leave it to these ladies to answer the question in the comment section of the blog. Some stories should always be shared first hand.)

Since all Moons are connected within a cycle and influence each other, you need to explore the Moon of Inter-Relation by considering the Moon of Territory.   Imagine yourself holding two skipping ropes with the help of a partner.   The rope, its movement and rhythm represent the Moon of Territory.   We as the actors of our Wheel are the “jumpers;” we incarnate a story for a lapse of time.  The people holding the ropes represent the Moon of Inter-Relation (a fragment):  They hold space (so to speak). 

In most instances we have no idea who is at the end of “our rope.” Every day, we create movement, and rhythm in our lives.  We are the creators or instigators of experiences and stories; which inevitably brings us to learning, healing, and growth.  As a traditional Dreamer I approach life as if it was a constant series of dreams.  I pay attention to the synchronicities (what some call “omens) and inherently interpret the details / hear the messages hidden in my every-day-story.  I’ve come to see “life” as Mystery and phenomenon. 

Today at the age of 50 years old there’s no doubt in my mind that what holds the other end of my rope loves me and works along with me.  God, Spirit, Creator, or Guidance – these are a few names I’ve given my partner on the other side of “my rope.”

Yet, there were days during the last 50 years where all I could see or say was: “I’m at the end of my rope.”  I didn’t always give one end of my rope to God, Spirit or Guidance.  There were times when “my rope fell in the hands of people” who didn’t have ME in their best interest. 

I’ve been teaching the Medicine Wheel and Indigenous Dreaming for close to 30 years.  We (G and I) mostly work with young people between the age of 19 and 30 years old.  Recently, we’ve noticed that we’ve actually gone through a few generations of young people in the last three decades.  The youth of 2016 has suddenly hit us with new challenges and surprised us with new and sometimes even foreign perspectives.  The World has changed and although “young people will always be young people” they are rapidly showing us that stories have shifted; stories have been resolved; and we are now looking at a completely new series of tales with new and improved characters!

One question will always remain because no matter how many times "life changes or evolves" -- the teachings remain the same:  “Who is holding the end of our rope?”

Did you trust and rely on one of your wounded fragments or did you depend on the wounded fragment of a parent, a sibling, a spouse, or friend?

When exploring the Moon of Inter-Relation you need to follow a few steps:

1  Do a bit of self-discovery.  Acknowledge your fragments and get to know them.

2  Give space to your fragments (territory).  Explore your origins and bring consciousness, learning, healing and growth to your story.

3   Trust the end of your rope to caregivers, teachers and guides who want your best interest.  Don’t let others or yourself disempower your Wheel.

4  And finally don’t be afraid of transformation.  Accept a new perspective of “death” – see your fragments as pieces of a bigger puzzle and find a way to accept that “returning to wholeness and oneness” doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your uniqueness and power!  (A topic for another blog…)

If you are struggling with relationships you may want to take a moment to look inside towards your inner community and its conflicts.  Call in what you need and you may be surprised by the results. 

A young man recently asked me: “Lisa do you pray?” 

“Yes, every day” I replied, “I learnt to pray as a child and never stopped.  It makes me feel safe, serene, and grounded.” 

What it also does is “give the end of my rope” to a higher presence.  It allows me to explore “the names and stories” of these divine entities who truly want the very best for me.  It gives me access to my “library of fragments” and helps me develop the skill to be conscious of the alleged “invisible.”

There’s a domino affect between the Moons and we can’t forget that despite the notion of “fragmentation” on our Wheel, there’s also a pull towards the collective.  This means that “inter-relation” may apply in dominance to the 7th Moon but it has been created through small dosages of “inter-relation” all through the first 7 moons.  Take a moment to remember “inter-relation” all through:

1  The Moon of Welcome (0 to 12 months)

2  The Moon of Affirmation (12 – 24 months)

3  The Moon of Drama (3 years old)

4  The Moon of Self-Value (4 years old)

5  The Moon of Omnipotence (5 years old)

6  The Moon of Territory (6 years old)

It’s important while working with the concept or philosophy of the Medicine Wheel that you acknowledge both the fragment and the collective; the individual and the communal; and the ME or personal with the idea of wholeness and oneness.  Each anchor on your Wheel must be set in order for you to feel safe, sound, and whole.

•   East is about incarnation, self-discovery and exploration:  A beginning.

•   South is about attitude, behaviour, skill / ability, work:  MEDICINE / power.

•   West is about duality, death, letting go and preparing for transformation and renewal:  Endings, closure, integration and resolution.

•   North is about path and purpose, destiny, acceptance, forgiveness, and wisdom.  Here we see our whole wheel: All makes sense.

Where there are 36+ fragments on every Wheel – there’s also 36+ fragments attempting to work together and create ONE WHEEL.   The Moon of Inter-Relation brings us the understanding and wisdom of such a concept.  Imagine it’s the 7 year old inside of us who opened up the possibility that “we are all and all is us.”  It’s not coincidental that some cultures call the 7th year: The AGE of WISDOM. 

Traditionally Medicine Wheels are built by kneeling in the South.  This way we can keep our eye on our wisdom in the North.  It’s wonderful to acknowledge that every stone / fragment / piece of my Wheel resembles the Cosmos and is sprinkled with stars.  Wisdom, inter-relation, growth, experience, and / or clarity --- all of the details on my Wheel hold a little bit of everything and each other within them….

**************

Photos: I added a few photos taken from workshops we've given; but with years between them....  Perhaps, some of you will be able to add some insights on the lessons and experiences relating to "inter-relations?"