Rattling the Bones

In our tradition, the 9 th Moon (starting count at the Blue Moon) of every year is called: Breaking the Masks .   When we first encounter this Moon we are 9 years old.   On the Wheel, the 9 th Moon is found in the West and it’s when most children learn that there’s a difference between the fairy tales they were told or the television movies they adore, and reality.   Despite all the books that have been written on childhood development I have never come across anything that is as beautiful and as thorough as indigenous wisdom.   My first encounter with the Sacred Circle traditions left me feeling full… There’s a long list of fascinating facts about the Moons of the Medicine Wheel.   One of them is that the word “moon” can refer to “time.”   The cycle of the Moon is present through our daily living.   We often use the word “moon” to speak of a month or a particular moment during a month (menstruation).    A moon can also mean “a year”.   Every birthday speaks of “a moon” we ar