On the Medicine Wheel there are 13 moons. On our Western calendar there are 12 months. In ancient times, our ancestors used to name the Moons with the help of environmental signatures, and they would vary according to regions and landscapes. For example, in the Montégégie of Montreal, Quebec, the Moon of June could be named the Moon of Ripe Strawberries where in the Niagara region of Ontario the Moon of July could be called the Moon of Red Cherries. Images and impressions tied to the Moons and shared through storytelling allowed people to identify the clans and their ancestral land. It also conveyed the understanding that men along with nature are influenced by cosmology. Today, we don’t call the moons --- moons anymore but we call them months . The Moon of Changing Leaves for example would be the month of September. I believe that by calling the moons --- months and by distancing ourselves from a language that is based on experience, im...
Stories about shamanic experiences.