With every day that passes it gets harder to find traditional medicine men and women [sometimes nowadays called 'shamans']. The swift and sometimes unbalanced growth in the fields of all the sciences and the Western way of thinking itself is causing their rapid demise. As the civilized world grows, it spreads into sacred places and holy grounds, and it becomes harder for medicine people to find the sacred space and the pure herbs needed for them to heal the world around them and the people in that world. Traditional medicine comes from all our relations in the Universe, for traditional medicine people understand that all things are in all things, there is no separation. Every being in creation has its own medicine; these are the powers used for healing and in ceremony to help keep the world in balance. Medicine people have knowledge from far memory, deep in the past, and they see with far seeing the visions of the future, and they use this to help others heal and survive the Earth changes.

In traditional ways, medicine men and women are highly respected. Their Earthwalk was considered sacred, and they filled a need that very few people had the strength or stamina to fill. They officiated as priests, healers, sages. All their work was spiritual in nature, for it was understood that the spirit and the body were a whole, and that the individual was also part of the whole, the Universe. Medicine men and women cared for their people, and their people in turn cared for them. It was understood by the communities that a medicine person could take on the pain, the problems, the illnesses and the injuries of their people, even dying for them if it became necessary.

The role of a medicine person today is much different. It is much more difficult for a person born with the gifts of becoming a medicine person to find their way, and it will become increasingly difficult in the coming years. It takes a special kind of person to be willing to carry on the traditions.

Natural Medicine

Medicine people were and still are the practitioners of 'natural' medicine. They use natural knowledge, taught to them by the natural world, and they use natural methods and even Nature herself when healing. Their training is very different to a Western doctor. Often the healing will start with the medicine person dreaming something, followed by a revelation or life changing event of some sort. Many medicine people have actually faced death. Traditional medicine people do not learn from books, they do not attend institutions for learning, and they most certainly do not get their knowledge through experimentation on other humans or animals. Their journey is very private and intimate, full of sacrifice, 'for the people'. In order to heal others, a medicine person must fully understand how to heal himself.

There is nothing presumptuous in traditional natural medicine. It is not a 'snake oil' type sham, nor is it a 'dungeons and dragons' magic. Healers use spiritual power in their work, and they get this power from their deity, from within themselves, and from the forces of Nature. Totems and fetishes are often used to represent and honor the power animals with which the healer works. Energy can be drawn from sacred spaces too, such as waterfalls or mountains, sacred trees or rocks. Further energy can be drawn from the phases of the moon, and natural phenomenon such as the northern lights or a thunderstorm.

Medicine Protocol

Many people today simply do not understand what they are asking if they are lucky enough to find a medicine person they can approach for healing. This is not a quick fix. A medicine person will walk between the worlds for their patient, often taking days of preparation before the healing, and even longer to do the actual healing. A medicine person heals the entire patient, not just the symptom. Working with all the tools at their disposal, they will move heaven and earth in order to facilitate the healing. I cannot stress enough this is not something to be taken lightly!

Medicine pouches, medicine bundles, and other medicine tools such as rattles and shields are often sold today as trinkets or decorative items. If you ask a medicine person to make you an item, know that the proper medicine will go into that item through every step of its creation. I have known of medicine tools taking two years to be constructed, waiting for when times and omens were 'just so'. The construction of these items cannot be rushed, and medicine people work to their own time. They don't want to make the item 'now', they want to make the item 'right'.

If you are fortunate enough to know of a medicine person on whom you can call for assistance, there is some ettiquette that should be followed. For one, although a medicine person usually does not charge for his or her intervention, the recipient should be prepared to give them something. A medicine person cannot live on hands of tobacco or prayer ties in this day and age. Although these are very good places to start, monetary compensation should also be gifted to the person doing the medicine. Often they will have had to travel great distances to acquire the herbs and other items needed for making the medicine, and sometimes they will have to travel in order to be with the person that needs healing. Their needs have to be met. Many medicine people trust the Universe to fill those needs, knowing that what goes around will come around, and depending on those whom they are helping to ensure that they are fed and have enough to pay their bills. It is very disrespectful to ask a medicine person to intervene and then not see that they are well compensated for their work. It is also very ill-mannered to ask a medicine person for advice and then not heed it. Should you fall into this category, don't expect the medicine person to be overtly forthcoming with further assistance. It is best not to ask anything of that medicine person again. Medicine people are gifted, and generous with their gifts, but they do not suffer fools lightly.

Continuing the Journey

Good medicine people will go far beyond what is necessary to treat their patients. It requires patience, comassion, understanding, sympathy, and a love for all of Creation that is rarely seen. Their traditions cry out to be heard, and traditional medicine people will work with sincerity and respect. They do not want to be revered. They do not want their work to be romanticised or commercialized. "They simply want to be respected for the work that they do, work that becomes increasingly invaluable."