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Earth Astrology
All things are in all things. From the song the wolf sings to the moon to the patterns the wind leaves on our fingertips, we are touched by the same breath. From the beads on the shield to the music of the drum, from the feathers on the dreamcatcher to the stones on the medicine pouch, all are connected. The winged-ones and the finned ones, the finned ones, the four-leggeds and the creeping-crawlies, the standing ones, and even the stones themselves all breathe the air of our Mother the Earth and are inseparably united, for all things are in all things...
As Cherokees we celebrate the Solar New Year on the first New Moon after the setting of the Plieades Star Cluster, usually around the first of November. It was the responsibility of the Daykeeper to synthesize the calendars of Venus, the Sun, and the Moon, and to use this information to select the appropriate days for festivals and other events. The 20 days of the Cherokee Calendar more counter-clockwise around the Wheel, the same way the Earth orbits the Sun and the same way we dance. Everyone of us who takes birth into an incarnation has a place on this wheel, and their own personal set of Totems who join us in the Dance around the Wheel to guide us through our Earthwalk. |
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| Moon Phases & the Beloved Women... Cherokee Creation stories tell of how the Turtle gave her back to create the land we call 'Turtle Island'. There are 13 segments on the back of the Turtle's shell, one for each lunar month of the year. The 13 Beloved Women who are the guardians of the Dreamtime who guide and teach us through our Earthwalk are also represented here, one for each Moon. We look to our own natal lunar phase to ascertain with which Beloved Woman we journey through our Earthwalk. This varies with the ever-changing phases of the Moon. Studying Grandmother Moon and working with her energies can help us to understand more about our own journey and the path of those who Dance the Wheel with us, for all things are in all things... | |
"Dancing the Bear Dream" by Susan Seddon Boulet 1941 - 1997 The bear is a powerful totem in many cultures. The way I was taught is that Yona the Bear resides in the West of the Medicine Wheel and is the guardian of the season of Autumn. |
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| Working with Totems & Familiars... There are many ways of working with Totems, and many Totems [sometimes called familiars] with which to work. Images of the Totem or sometimes even items from the Totem itself can be worn for protection and empowerment, or they can be studied in in order to learn the lessons they have come to teach. In order to work with a Totem, first we have to determine what that Totem is. We may already have a hunch as to what our Totem is and have representative collections in statues, ornaments or jewelry. We can also visit someone who has Totem Sight, or we can meditate and go on what some people call a 'Vision Quest'. Probably the most easily accessible way of ascertaining our Totems is to look at the position of the Totems on the Wheel for our date of birth. Just like the planets in the heavens are at a particular position at any given time, so also are Totems. Among those Totems on the day of our birth we can find our Directional and Elemental Guardian, the Totem of the Moon under which we were born, and the Totem of the Day under which we were born. By studying and learning about our Totems we can learn much about our character and how to bring ourselves into balance as we Dance the Wheel. | |
"Shaman" by Susan Seddon Boulet 1941 - 1997 'Shaman' is an Eastern word for a mystic or sometimes a priest. Some anthropologists and religion scholars define a shaman as an intermediary between the natural and spiritual world, who travels between worlds in a trance state. Once in the spirit world, the shaman would commune with the spirits for assistance in healing, hunting or weather management. |
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