including Moon phases, seasohnal insights with totems and more.
The season is winter, time of twilight on the Medicine Wheel. The spirit keeper here is Waboose, the White Buffalo and his good friend, White Wolf. Wolf teaches us about community, family, and loyalty while Buffalo remind us that Creator has given us all that we need for our well being and survival. S/He offers us food, tools from bones, shelter and clothes from it's hide and Buffalo is nourished by the land. Buffalo teaches us of abundance, that all things are offered and given if we live in balance.
It is said that Creator, Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery, Divine Spirit dwells in the North time, the in-between time, time after the Harvest and before Spring's awakening and renewal. In this time of twilight is the opportunity to envision, imagine and dream of what we would desire to bring forth in our lives, to our families and to the earth. There is indeed nothing on this planet that was not first created in imagination or thought. The silence of winter allows us time to reflect, to seek clarity to clear, let go and find peace within.
Here we are reminded of the story of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who brought the sacred healing medicine “pipe” to the indigenous peoples of this continent which they called “Turtle island.”
Have you felt a bit dormant or under the weather? Are needing more sleep or feeling sluggish and wishing to withdraw? These are the symptoms of the North energies. Here, nature withdraws and sleeps. Trees and vegetation look lifeless and yet still within all, quietly at work and regenerating, grows the seed idea of future potential.
FIRST MOON of the NORTH
MOON OF EARTH RENEWAL
In Cherokee this is called the Moon of the Icicle. It is also called Cold Moon, Turtle Clan Moon, White Road Moon, Birch Moon, Snow Goose People Moon, Frost Inside Lodge Moon and more.
The animal totem here is the beautiful Snow Goose, bird from “beyond the North Winds,” who fly south each fall in V formations. When the lead goose tires, another goose takes over and so on supporting one another until they reach their southern home before the time of the big cold. They teach us about working together with one another as a team and holding and maintaining focus of intention.
The color of this moon is White, for purification, intuition, vision, clarity, and transformation. It is also the color of snow, ice, transparency and spirit.
The mineral totem is the empowering Quartz Crystal, strong receiver and transmitter of universal and psychic energies; prisms of all the colors of the rainbow; reflectors of visions and one of the highest frequency minerals on the planet.
The plant totem, the ancient Birch Tree, was used by Amerindians for everything from paper, to ornaments, to baskets to birch bark canoes. Ingested it makes a good tea, a cleansing medicine, or Birch Beer. Birch can be offered to the rocks during a Sweat Lodge ceremony to enhance psychic abilities.
Totems vary geographically from tribe to tribe. They are symbols which offer us the opportunity to understand the subtle communication of spirit through nature. Hopefully these will draw to you deeper understanding to experience of the "magic," of the Mitakuye Oyasin, (all is related; all is relative; all is in relativity.)
Praise be to all.
Thank you Creator for your many blessings. May we all walk in peace together. Rev. Zan, Butterfly Deerwoman
