Sacred Medicine Wheel Invocation and Blessing Upon Kashi Ashram
March 4, 2010 on 3:00 pm
Kashi Ashram in Sebastian, Florida had a wonderful event this Saturday, the installation of a Sacred Medicine Wheel on their grounds. This tremendous honor was spearheaded by Agni Jaya Starfire of Tampa, Florida. I had a chance to talk with Agni Jaya Starfire who gave me the lowdown on the spiritual meaning and tradition of the Sacred Medicine Wheel. Agni Jaya Starfire studied with Sun Bear, a powerful visionary of Chippewa descent, who was unique in his willingness to teach non-native people about how to live in harmony with the earth, particularly in such mundane ways as recycling, growing your own food, preserving the land, etc. In 1989 and 1990 Agni Jaya Starfire did an apprenticeship program with Sun Bear and thereafter brought him to Florida where he was instrumental in constructing many Sacred Medicine Wheels. “I received my Pipe from him,” she said, referring to the tradition of the Peace Pipe shared by Native Americans indicating harmony between cultures and traditions. One of the reasons I chose Kashi Ashram to place a Sacred Medicine Wheel is because their mission of universality and harmony amongst different traditions is similar to that of Sun Bear’s.”
She continued, “The Sacred Medicine Wheel is a symbolic representation of all of life, indicating that we are all one and part of that same web of life and that all beings are part of the wholeness of life. The Sacred Medicine Wheel, in the shape of a circle, represents the never-ending circle of life.”
She pointed out to me that many of the stones that go into the creation of the Sacred Medicine Wheel were from many places: the “Creator” stone in the center came from a river in the Taos Pueblo, home of the original peoples of that region we now know as New Mexico. Stones to create the Sacred Medicine Wheel were not only from other places such as Maine and Tennessee but offered by others from faraway diverse locales.
The Sacred Medicine Wheel ceremony began with blessing the various stones, starting with the “Creator” stone, progressing to the Mother Earth stone, Father Sun stone, Grandmother Moon stone, and then to the various clan stones representing Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These clan stones within the Sacred Medicine Wheel represent the elements of the earth and form the inner circle around the “Creator” stone.
What was interesting to see was how every stone of the Sacred Medicine Wheel placed upon the earth was blessed in the form of pinches of cornmeal accompanied by chants and prayers by all participants in the Sacred Medicine Wheel ceremony, including Kashi Ashram residents and all those who had participated in this inclusive and harmonious construction of the Sacred Medicine Wheel. Agni Jaya Starfire told me that these blessings invoked the spirits of each stone and awakened their power so that they would help anyone who came looking for blessings.
I asked Agni Jaya Starfire which stones within the Sacred Medicine Wheel might be appropriate for what blessing. She gave an example of the pathway stones that led to the “Creator” stone. If one were to start out on a new direction in life, they would hopefully direct their attention to the pathway stones of the east, representing the direction of new beginnings. The south pathway stones connect the south to the center of the wheel and may support young adulthood and the blossoming of life. The outer stone anchoring the energies of the south is connected to summer and the burgeoning of life and is also the stone that one addresses with questions of love. The west pathway stones connect to the fall and represent a time of introspection and gratitude for fulfillment. The winter pathway stones, in the direction of north, represent a time of incubation or seeds under the earth and indicate a time of endings and the promise of rebirth. All of these pathways are integral to the Sacred Medicine Wheel.
Two interesting books on the Sacred Medicine Wheel by Sun Bear and Wabun who co-authored books with Sun Bear and worked closely with him for many years include: Medicine Wheel: Earth Astrology with the lunar cycles of a person’s birth date, and Dancing With the Wheel, a detailed workbook on how to create or work with a Sacred Medicine Wheel for your own personal and planetary healing.
It was a time of harmonious connection to the earth and to ourselves, and Kashi Ashram who has waited for a long time for our own Sacred Medicine Wheel is grateful to our Agni Jaya Starfire for bringing this extraordinary Sacred Medicine Wheel to our land. We are very fortunate to be blessed in this way. Thank you.
Om Namah Shivayah, Ki Jai. Victory to all who nurture the land and the people who strive to live in harmony with Nature and Spirits through the blessing of the Sacred Medicine Wheel!!