Yup she has a hold on Meeeeeeeee…. that would be Grandmother Moon showing in today’s spread sharing with us the energy that is around all of us needs to be balanced! We have all been feeling and a bit reeling from the effects of Grandmother Moon lately, but instead of running form it and hiding…we need to embrace and harness it as the gift it is meant to be!
Honor Grandmother, Respect Grandmother, but more than that begin to understand her and the energy that she is about. She shares it is time to be aware of night creatures, work with stones and crystals that love to bathe in her glow and utilize it all. Listen to what they all teach. We often ask how can we move forward in positives…how do we protect form the negatives of the world… Well Grandmother says sit your ass down and listen, hear what is shared and implement it in your own lives! Yup we should be all about it…
Grandmother Moon setting high in Father Sky’s grasp gazing at us with loving eyes as he light shimmers blessings down upon us. With the energy that has been in the air recently and the seemingly thinning of the great Veil between worlds at the moment, how fitting that she comes to shed some insight with us this day!
Grandmother Moon shares with us a reminder that we should appreciate and protect our knowledge, and to understand that the answers we may seek are not always meant to be easily revealed to us. We must at times show more patience to circumstance, to look in to the shadows in order to understand and attain balance.
Grandmother Moon also tells us to respect our Great Mother and all that dwells on her surface, not only the Human factors but allthe Creatures, the Rock and Crystal People, the Plants and Elementals that live among us and to look closer at things we do not understand, for as light moves over us/it all …circumstance and things look differently. Remember to see with clear eyes all sides of the issues and life in order to attain a fuller understanding of what it is we need to move forward in positives.
Feel the blessings and energy that Grandmother Moon sends to us and embrace it instead of fighting it. Learn to move like the tides adjusting and adapting to her Grace and Power…
I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…
Blessings to you All,
bear Medicinewalker
Music provided by Chris Ferree and available at http://www.chrisferree.com as part of the Wolf and the bear Network @2018
I learned of these teaching through the Anishinaabe’ people here where I live… it is a teaching that reaches within to my very core… and I would like to now share it with you…
Many Anishinaabe’ view the Seven Grandfather Teachings as traditional knowledge that represents what is needed for everyday life and survival, or simply put to walk the Red Road… a Good way of life. The origin of the teachings is unknown but my elders have shared that they are important and have long been a part of the language and handed down through generations of the People.
These teachings have become known as the “Seven Grandfathers” once the Anishinaabe slowly began to control their own education during and after the American Indian Movement. As Our Elders began to retell stories they had heard as children it was realized once again that it was a connection from the present to a past when these values were a way of life.
The Ojibwas story of the seven grandfathers’ teachings was passed down from parent to child for many generations. The story goes…
The Creator gave the seven grandfathers, who are very wise, the responsibility to watch over the people. The grandfathers saw that the people were living a hard life. There was all kinds of illnesses and bad things around. The Messenger was told, “Go down there, look around and find out what is happening. Bring back someone who we can tell about what life should be, with the Peoples.”
He left immediately and went to all places in the North, South, West and East. He could not find anyone. On his seventh try, while he was looking, he saw a baby. The grandfathers were happy with the choice made by the helper.
So the messenger brought the baby back to where the Grandfathers were sitting in a circle. He was still very tiny and wrapped inside His cradleboard. One of the grandfathers looked at the baby very carefully. “This is the one. Messenger, pick up the baby. Take him all over; teach him carefully the way the People should lead their lives.” The Messenger picked him up and they travelled around the earth.
Seven years later they returned to the Grandfathers. By then He was a young man. The Grandfathers noticed that this boy was very honest. He understood everything that was taught. One of the grandfathers took a drum and started singing. Each of the grandfathers instilled within the boy a teaching telling him “These are the ones you will take with you, and share with the Peoples.”
The boy, because of all the time he had spent with the Grandfathers, was now an old man. So he returned to the Earth and gathered all the people around and shared his story of the journey to the seven grandfather’s lodge. He explained how to use the gifts and that it was now up to the people to try to follow the path of a good and healthy life using the seven grandfather’s teachings.
He shared each of these teachings and explaining that they must be used with the rest, and that you cannot have wisdom without love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility and truth. You cannot be honest if you only use one or two of these, or if you leave out one. And to leave out one is to embrace the opposite of what that teaching is.
Now to the Teachings… The Beaver teaches us WISDOM Nbwaakaawin pronounced Nbwaa kaa win
The ability to make decisions based on personal experience and knowledge and to cherish that knowledge is to know WISDOM.
We can acquire more knowledge by being open to others and applying these teachings to our own lives, and in turn it is also about the ability to value your own knowledge and share it with others.
The building a strong foundation in our lives is about the teachings shared with us by the creator and how we in turn use and share these gifts in our lives. The Beaver’s example of using his sharp teeth for cutting trees and branches to build his dams and lodges expresses this teaching. If he did not use his teeth, the teeth would continue to grow until they became useless, ultimately making it impossible for him to sustain himself. The same can be said for human beings. One’s spirit will grow weak if it is not fulfilling its use. When used properly however, wisdoms shared help bring about a peaceful and healthy life.
The Eagle teaches us LOVE. Zaagidwin pronounced zaa gid win
Love must be unconditional. To feel true love is to know the Creator. Therefore, it is expected that one’s first love is to the Creator, the Great Spirit. Creator is considered the parent to all children, and the giver of human life. Love given to the Great Spirit is expressed through love of oneself, and it is understood that if one cannot love oneself, it is impossible to love anyone else.
To know LOVE is to know true peace. To be able to get along with others, sharing and being kind, willing to show that you care for others/self through sharing, being helpful and understanding the feelings of others; doing something that makes the day better for someone. To be accepting of each others’ differences.
The Buffalo teaches us RESPECT. Mnaadendimowin pronounced Mnaa dendi mowin
Respect is the condition of being honored. The Buffalo, through giving its life and sharing every part of its being, showed the deep respect it had for the people. No animal was more important to the existence of People than this animal, and its gift provided shelter, clothing and utensils for daily living. Native people believed themselves to be true caretakers of the great herds, and developed a sustainable relationship with the Buffalo resulting in a relationship that was a true expression of respect.
To honor all of the Creations is to have RESPECT. Respect for yourself. To treat others how you would want to be treated. Making sure your interactions with others are positive by showing positive manners, speaking kindly and honoring a person’s human right to be who they are. Accepting feedback as helpful and considering different outlooks on things.
The Bear teaches us COURAGE. Mangide’ Pronounced Mang ge dee
Courage is the ability to face danger, fear, or changes with confidence and bravery.
The Bear provides many lessons in the way it lives, but courage is the most important teaching it offers. Though gentle by nature, the ferociousness of a mother Bear when one of her cubs is approached is the true definition of courage. To have the mental and moral strength to overcome fears that prevent us from living our true spirit as human beings is a great challenge that must be met with the same tenacity and intensity as a mother Bear protecting her cub. Living of the heart and living of the spirit is difficult, but the Bear’s example shows us how to face any danger to achieve these goals.
We learn to deal with challenges positively without worry about the outcome. To work through and give all aspects of your life your best effort. Being able to accept responsibility for your behavior. Be willing to be a role model by standing up for your values/beliefs. Accepting challenges (conflicts) and learn from them.
The Sabe teaches us HONESTY. Gwekwaadiziwin pronounced Gwek waadi ziwin
Honesty is speaking and acting truthfully, and thereby remained morally upright.
Long ago, there was a giant called Kitch-Sabe who walked among the people to remind them to be honest to the laws of the creator and honest to each other. The highest honor that could be bestowed upon an individual was the saying “There walks an honest man. He can be trusted.” To be truly honest was to keep the promises one made to the Creator, to others and to oneself.
The Elders would say, “Never try to be someone else; live true to your spirit, be honest to yourself and accept who you are the way the Creator made you.” HONESTY in facing a situation is to be true to self. It is not backing down when the situation seems too hard and you know that it needs to be dealt with to make your life better. By looking at what you do and realizing how it affects you and others either positively or negatively. To approach life situations and challenges with an open mind and heart.
The Wolf teaches us HUMILITY. Dbaadendiziwin pronounced Dbaa dendi ziwin
Humility is being humble and not arrogant Recognizing and acknowledging that there is a higher power than man and it is known as the Creator is to be deemed truly humble. To express deference or submission to the Creator through the acceptance that all beings are equal is to capture the spirit of humility. The expression of this humility is manifested through the consideration of others before ourselves. In this way, the Wolf became the teacher of this lesson. He bows his head in the presence of others out of deference, and once hunted, will not take of the food until it can be shared with the pack. His lack of arrogance and respect for his community is a hard lesson, but integral in the Aboriginal way.
HUMILITY is to know yourself as a sacred part of Creation. To be able to know that we are equal regardless of age, race or sex. Being able to be assertive, positively making your needs known, without becoming angry or withdrawn. Being able to listen to others with an open and non-judgmental mind.
The Turtle teaches us TRUTH. Debwewin pronounced Deb we win
Truth is to know and understand all the seven teachings have been given to us by the Creator and we are to remain faithful to them. To know truth is to know and understand all of the original laws as they were shared with us. It is said that in the beginning, when the Creator made man and gave him the seven sacred laws, the Grandmother Turtle was present to ensure that the laws would never be lost or forgotten. On the back of a Turtle are the 13 moon, each representing the truth of one cycle of the Earth’s rotations around the sun. The 28 markings on her back represent the cycle of the moon an of a woman’s body. The shell of the Turtle represents the body real events as created by the Higher Power, and serves as a reminder of the Creator’s will and teachings.
TRUTH is to know all of these things. Be true to yourself and your fellow man. Be able to speak the truth. This is considered the final and last teaching because to live this teaching, one must achieve and understand the first six teachings. By being honest with those around you with your feelings and behaviors; by loving yourself and others; by respecting others with what they say and do; by being humble – knowing that everyone around you deserves your respect as you theirs; by being brave when facing new challenges and by accepting your own and others wisdom.
These are the seven Sacred Teachings as were taught to me…and now I have shared them with you….it is not so much that you all don’t know these teachings from what ever background or culture you walk in. but I hope it has served all as a reminder of how we all need to walk as Humans.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing culture and our stories with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…” Blessings, ~bear Medicinewalker
Otter shows itself today and says that it is time to be playful and shelve our insecurities today! Too much seriousness lately and we all need to remember the child within and honor it. Playfulness will help us to ease our stress and perhaps even give us a fresh perspective on issues that have been plaguing us and even driving us a little crazy. often times it is just what we need to do in order to rejuvenate our souls!
Otter rests in the Butterfly Clan on the Medicine Wheel. It teaches and shares with us about the elements of Earth and Water since it is able to live on the land yet still needs to be close to the water. Teaching the importance of strong family ties, being able to adapt to what life throws at us, it reminds us of parental instincts, playfulness, and about being able to stop and take time to play and enjoy what life is offering.
The fact that Otter is popping up today signifies it is time to take that break to refuel, renew, re-energize ourselves. The new page has been placed in front of us, and we will need to work to accomplish the goals we have set, but in doing so we must keep the balance of our Sacred Hoops. Play/Work = Balance…. Feeding our spiritual in the process. Otter also speaks to balancing the light with the dark, for it is difficult to walk only one side of the road without understanding the other.
Ottersare also telling us to adapt if we need to, we will be stronger for it and in doing so we will be able to transition through things seamlessly.
Let us join spiritual hands to offer prayer.
I call to the sacred winds…to carry my words To the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of the North, the south, the east, the west, Above …below and within…
I call to the sacred winds to carry my words to the Winged ones…the Four Leggeds…the Plant People…the Crystal Keepers, the Thunder Beings, the Angelic Realm…Mother Mary and Magdalene…my Brother Christ and all the nations that love us.
I thank you for all the many blessings that you have shared with us today and beyond and I ask that you hear our prayers whether spoken our held silently within our hearts.
Today I ask that you hear our prayers as we stand humbly before you, small and human. Help us to remember we are all but a tiny part of a great universe, that we are all connected as one…
Bring us the strength we need to walk our paths without ego or judgment… Allow our hearts to hear what our ears are missing Teach us how to allow forgiveness for others and ourselves Fill our being with the unconditional love that you so freely offer all. I call that we be reminded we are all no better than or less than one another.
Guide us through our days, to help us with our humanness…that we learn to reconnect with others in a gentle and positive way. Offering smiles when they are needed without thought, shoulders or ears to help ease another…and words that will uplift or soothe.
Keep our children safe and strong in this troubled world… I ask that on this day and days to come…guidance is shared with our children to help them as they walk their paths. Help open their eyes so they can learn and see the right way of things, teach them to respect all life no matter how small, open their ears and minds so that they may understand things that are being taught to them in a good and gentle manner…open their hearts so that when the harshness of the world falls at their feet, they can cope and handle it with compassion and understanding.
I ask that today and all days ahead, that we remember our child within and allow spontaneity and playfulness to enter our lives, giving our souls the little burst of joy and energy it needs to overcome obstacles in our lives. To honor family and what it is to laugh with each other, love each other and be with each other as a core to the very foundation of who we are as humans.
I thank all those who have walked with us and answer our calls…this day and in days to come…and honor you …
AHO
So my wish to you all today is for all of us to connect your inner child… and sing, dance, and allow yourself to simply be in the moment. I send you all blessings and love from my heart to yours… til’ next time…
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…”
Blessings to You All ~bear Medicinewalker
Music provided by Chris Ferree and available at http://www.chrisferree.com as part of the Wolf and the bear Network @2018
So Horse comes into play this day and with it brings lessons of stepping out to the Sunlight so to speak. People are standing too much in the dark side of things these days to be able to enjoy anything but. They are drawn to the negatives of the world because they allow it to be so. So I get it, we all have bad things happen… we all have times that do not make us happy. We all experience pain, that is part of life and we will not…no can not avoid it. But what we can avoid is standing in a pile of horse shit in the barn by taking one step at a time to walk or run away from it and set our lives to balance.
The Horseis all about wide open spaces when we need to kick the confines of everyday life away. But what we must understand is that it is our “CHOICE” to do so or not to. It is our “CHOICE” to help manifest positives in and around our lives. Do Not Say It can not be done, because all one has to do is look beyond our own pity parties to see positive examples of it. Often they are such profound examples that it will motivate our souls to get back on track with our life’s purpose.
So today the Horse challenges us all to stretch out and reach for the sunlight and bask in it’s warmth!
Horsebrings with it the joy of wide open spaces and the ability to move freely about. It shares that it is time to open the barn doors and venture out into the world to experience what the Universe is offering for all of us if we are willing to open to it in positive ways. They help to guide us swiftly and sure footed to the next part of the path we are to reach.
However in doing so Horse also shares that the herd is important. The ones that are within our Sacred Hoop…family…friends… that they are there to assist us as we move forward and not stay in the old ways, with things that need to be let loose. Mend fences and move forward with everything, but truly mend them do not just go through the motions, for if you don’t take the time needed you will loose the positives that are part of that same Sacred Hoop.
Horse tells us to awaken our souls and honor our true self, our true dreams and aspirations. Feel the wind, feel the earth beneath you, feel the sun share its warmth and energy, feel the water as it nourishes and cleanses. Allow your senses to be in a place of all that is Sacred.
I am bear Medicinewalker and I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…”
Sort of fitting the Medicine Bag card came up today as it is all about our Spiritual Balance and Protection, something that people have been asking me about a lot lately. Many cultures use talismans, items for protection and balance so the Medicine Bag can play an important role in doing all of the above. It is a source of personal power… it is a source of balance and protection of self … for self and from self. Today the Medicine Bag tells us to PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT WE ARE ADDING TO OUR LIVES!
Are we sure that it is adding what is needed at the time or are we mixing up wants and needs… Ego instead of Humility.. This message is ringing loudly today, for so many are forgetting what should be essentially important in our lives. We have been putting the proverbial cart in front of the horse. We are not taking care of the business at hand before extending out to other things, others wants and desires. We must first shore our own houses up so to speak. Be responsible for those core foundations, for if we are not…if we do not care for what is needed before stepping to others needs, we risk the chance of loosing and not being able to repair what is truly important to us.
So get your heads outta the clouds and begin to clear them so you can see the real situations that are occuring in our lives!
A Medicine Bag ( also called a Medicine Pouch) is traditionally a small pouch filled with talismans such as stones, herbs, found objects, personal memorabilia and its purpose is protection, to remind us of our human and All that is Sacred and to assist us in healing and keeping our Sacred Hoops in balance. Native Americans have carried these bags for centuries, but in recent years, they’ve also become popular in our modern day culture but most are unaware of the intent/purpose of them.
Traditionally a Medicine Bag or bundle contains something from the plant, animal and mineral kingdoms and from the life of a person. Meant to be kept close to your person so that the spiritual power surrounds you and becomes one with your energy. In a sense it becomes one with who you are. What goes onto the bag is your personal medicine, things you draw “power” from that will aid you as you walk your paths. If you receive one as a gift, the maker or person gifting it should add something of their own to help you on your journey.
Understand that a traditional Medicine Bag is Sacred. The bag should not be opened by anyone else. It is up to the individual whose bag it is if they choose to take items out in order to share with others the story behind them, or to use them for healing purposes. Each item is considered Sacred and is meant to assist its owner with power and spirituality while they walk the Human. Allowing others to access the bag and it’s contents, ‘steals’ the power and lessons its intent for the owner.
I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…
Blessings to you All,
bear Medicinewalker
Music provided by Chris Ferree and available at http://www.chrisferree.com as part of the Wolf and the bear Network @2018
Today the Dragonfly shows itself to remind us all to Dance our Dreams! Time to make those hints of little whispers that have been heard in our minds, dreamstate and day dreams into a working reality. We need to remind ourselves that those little pushes of intuition and tingles that we get are real and is our spidey senses way of telling us that something is right or wrong…
Dragonfly’sare constantly connecting the threads of the dimensions for us, bringing enlightenment from beyond the Veil and back. So it is time for us to pay closer attention for the answers we are seeking we need to be open to in order to hear. And when we listen the Universe responds in kind, helping us to achieve our goals and dreams of a more positive, balanced and fruitful life every day!
Dragonfly represents the link between All that is Sacred! So from this point forward… open your souls to feel, hear and understand the magical connections that we can have if we simply do not place limits on what is!
Dragonfly is all about transformation and adaptability. It is messenger of the in between, of here and there and everywhere at the same time. It is beyond time, before time. It is about darkness to light and back again.
Dragonfly tells us that everything is in a cycle, so remember and allow more joy to fill your soul. To help you understand that all things are as they should be, and that life itself is magical beyond belief. For our souls do not hold form, and our human self just helps them to experience our earth walks before continuing to the next part of our journeys.
Dragonflies begin their lives in water and then as they grow they move into the air learning to fly. It teaches us to balance the present time and accept it so we may once again move forward, listening as Spirit shares with us all the secrets of here and beyond.
“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing the Native culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…”
Blessings to You All ~bear Medicinewalker
Music provided to the Wolf and the bear Network by Jonny Lipford and is available at
So Owl shows itself this day and is reminding us to take a step back today and wait patiently as the answers we are seeking will manifest for us. But we must remain diligently patient. That at the moment things may not be simply as they appear at first glance. Something else is at work here and in order to be able to move forward with a positive outcome, we must watch…and wait.
We are living in a world where everything is NOW. We have actually become so accustomed to it that we expect it as our right to breathe. Well guess what… everything is not that simple…everything needs to be earned by working for it, through it, and towards it…no matter what it is. We must remember that although we would like things at our fingertips always, that is not how it is. So learn all about the patience that is needed in life, and learn most of all to Respect that.
Owl brings both Magical and Spiritual energies with it’s presence… always Sacred to me, and to be revered by all. The Owl speaks to us of knowledge and answers that as Human we often are looking for.
Owl suggests to us that what we do not realize is often the answers we are the seeking, is actually the journey itself. If we will but slow down and open or eyes so that our vision can see the slightest movement, our ears can hear even the quietest whisper and our minds process the life we are indeed walking, we would actually come to understand that the process of our walk, our Life, our very path is the answer. Once we can accept that, we can then begin to balance our Sacred Hoops so that they resonate in positives allowing healing, joy, acceptance, happiness over the fact that we ARE. That we CAN… and bring our dreams into reality.
The Owl shares with us the Great Mystery and all that is to be understood in life as we walk the human path. Teaching us to be open and see with wonderment the life that is around us, interacting with us, sharing with us, part of us, even in the smallest of ways. In return showing us how we can impact it all in return. To keep our eyes open in even in what we may perceive as dark times, for that glimmer of hope and light to shine through.
Remember to fly beyond and look at the larger picture so better to plan ahead how to approach situations, people or the journey itself. It teaches us to use our intuition and deep connections with wisdom that has been seeded deep within our souls.
If he has showed up in your life today… perhaps you need to look closer for the hidden truths.
Blessings to You All, ~ bear Medicinewalker
I am bear Medicinewalker and I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…”
Background music provided by Chris Ferree as part of the Wolf and the bear Network@2018 and is available on Itunes and at http://www.chrisferree.com
