Medicine Wheel Studies Preparation
Preparations for working with a Medicine Wheel Personal Practice Rituals
As Einstein said, we can not solve a problem by using the same kind of energy that created them. We must find a way to shift, at least into a willingness to receive new energy. When we sit down to learn something, it is very helpful to establish a ritual before and at the end of that endeavor. This makes a distinction in our minds between casual thinking vs true exploration for the purpose of real growth. These distinctions are the foundations of developing your own personal spiritual practice which, if cultivated, will be a profound companion in your life. Here are a few suggestions on how you might set up your own Medicine Wheel Studies Preparation.
How you set up the activities that define your intentions to make a shift into an earnest session of self-discovery is your creative adventure. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Before beginning to study a Medicine Stone post…
1. Change your clothes into a color that means something special to you. That could be white, purple, blue, gold… your choice. Designate a certain garment for your Medicine Wheel work (or any spiritual work of any modality you may study) I have two garments I like to wear when studying the Medicine Wheel. One is a multi-colored robe and one is a knitted hat. What is your ritual garment?
2. Gather together: A stone that pleases you, a bowl of water, a candle, a lighter, and a pleasing incense of cedar, sage, or whatever fragrance you like. Place these items in a clearing in your workspace. Light the candle and use it to burn the incense.
3. Sit in stillness for one minute just observing the fire flame, your breathing, and all the sounds occurring in the environment around you. If you are coming from a day of having sat for a long time, have this part of the beginning ritual be a walking meditation instead of a seated one. Walking around in a circle (large or small) can also clear the mind. You can walk a circle in your living room, back yard, or an outside open area. And again, place attention on the sounds of the environment.
4. From this meditative place say in your own words something like, “I call on the guardians of the watchtowers of the North, South, East, and West. Please come to me now and guide my perspective to higher ground. Then ring a bowl or make a harmonic sound to set the intention into place.
Now you have clarified your starting point for your Medicine Wheel studies choose a post and get comfortable as you read it. If it inspires you to give an exercise a try, follow that impulse. And when you feel you have reached a place of exhaustion, either blow out the candle or relight it and burn the cedar or sage or incense once more in order to designate the closing of the session. Into the smoke, say, “Thank you, this session is now closed.”
Closing a study session is important because our brains do exactly what we tell them to do. If we do not tell our brains to stop introspecting, it will go on and on with an infinite investigation even while we do dishes or watch a relaxing TV show. We can not maintain a constant state of self-discovery. Most of the time we just have to be that Self, roaming around and reacting as we will. Do not place expectations upon yourself to always be in a state of learning. Let learning time begin and end with clearly defined rituals.
Do these rituals with any endeavor you wish to study in an honored way. Bring a beginning and ending ritual to your jogging practice, your drawing practice, or even your bath time. And the most important quality to cultivate in developing a ritual practice is how to have it be enjoyable to you. There are no mistakes when conducting a ceremony. No stress, no pressure to perform correctly. Only a shift in observation and an opening to receive new information. Have fun and enjoy!
To learn more about rituals and how to work with them check out the Insights at the Edge interview between Sobonfu Somé and Tami Simon.
About the author
Hi, I’m Jess. I study and practice nature-based healing methods. I offer healing arts workshops and life guidance in Los Angeles, California. Learn more about Jess…