The Medicine wheel

Old Native American wisdom. We need to gather as one people to save earth and all people.

 
 

Wisdom of the Medicine wheel
 

I have been  lucky.  Many kind Native Americans took me under their wing and taught me how to find peace.
 
At the Mall I went to the so-call Native American store. A Middle Eastern man tried to sell me a Chinese made items.  I touched a Medicine Wheel.
 
I told him:  "A proper Medicine Wheel has the power of the four winds."

I touched a  Dream Catcher." A real one would protect your spirit and keep bad dreams away."
 
He grinned at me. He didn't understand a word that I have spoken. He told me. "It does the same things." I left the store with nothing.
 
I sat with my Apache Friend and his family outside the gate of Fort Hood, Texas. I sat and listened to him.  His skin hardened by the Texas sun. I came and sat with him every Saturday for many months.

He had a story for every item he sold. I brought him food and water.  His stories were passed on to him by family and elders.
 
He gave me a Medicine Wheel. He rose up and made a circle with his hands. He told me.  "All people are part of the circle of life.  We all have a purpose, he had sadness in his voice. We Apache and Native Americans were responsible to protect Nature. We did a poor job."
 
"The white people were responsible for the fire. They shared their gift and now fire is held in every corner of the planet. His eyes looked at the ground, then he raised his eyes and looked to the sky. The fire was taught Atomic and nuclear power too well."
 
"The black people held the strength, wisdom and honour. The wisdom of the black people lost direction. We need their strength before we kill off all that is good."
 
"The yellow people have courage, leadership and clarity. The gentle and calm souls will be necessary for this world to seek peace."
 
"The medicine wheel is a compass to all life. We must know all four directions."
 
At a Pow Wow in Texas a few Native Americans danced and invited all of us to join the dance of friendship. A old Apache man moved around the circle. Burned sage and blessed everyone who came.
 
He welcomed us. He began to speak.

"We were the last Americans allowed to dance our Native dances.
We were the last allowed to speak our language in public.
We have not forgotten. 
We go on and hope for better days."
 
He blessed all of us and his kind eyes show respect for all.
He raise his hands and spoke to the sky.
"Teach us the four winds. 
Give us wisdom. 
Teach us humility. 
Show us clarity. 
Allow us to trust our brothers."
 
I'm proud of my Ojibwa heritage.  I'm proud of my Mexican/white heritage. The Medicine wheel showed us we are one. We need to work together. Red, black, white and yellow were given gifts.
 
Old Apache raised his hands to the sky. Then created a full circle. He moved slowly around  the inner circle and looked in all our eyes.
 
 
"We are one.
Let's pray for peace."
 
East wind - Yellow people - Path of light - Spiritual - courage.
West wind - Red people - Path of vision - physical -prayer
North wind - White people - Path of quiet - Mental - wisdom
South wind - Black people - Path of peace - natural - trust

 
This is a view of many years of learning. Every teacher tells the story differently. I believe we are one people. Peace will come when we learn to work together.

Black, White, Red and Yellow are the four corners of the Medicine Wheel. All with important gifts to bring to achieve peace with each other and the planet.


                                     Coyote

 
 

Author's Note

If mistakes. Please tell me. Never too old to learn.

Reviews

[Neville]

What a truly inspirational and important poem we have here. Until now, I did not appreciate the true significance of the 'Medicine Wheel'
I have learn't many things this evening and am subsequently both humbled and very grateful to you my dear friend Coyote.................All Good Things, Neville

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Neville. The Medicine. A symbol of peace. One people and one earth.

[Neville]

Amen to that..........

[Anthony Phillips Schepi..]

Thank you for sharing this poem. I'm a better man having read it. Inspiring and genuine, honest. The actual formula for peace. We must never give up hope and learn from one another. I appreciated this poem.-Anthony

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Anthony. I hope we learn soon. The world is smaller than we believe.

[Ufi Auttorri ~ Amy C. T..]

We like this, a lot. There is truth and power in the words, or so it seems for one that knows so little about such things. I will be reading more of you, soon.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear Ufi and I wish the people of the world. Learn, we are more the same than different.

[Remanence]

It is good that you share the symbolism of the wheel before it too is relegated to be forgotten. I enjoy the Apache take on the world's cultures/races. By their language, they are considered to be an ethnically
seperate group, so their view is truly their own! As a people of fierce devotion to family, tribe and homeland, you chose well and speak well of them.

[Coyote Poetry]

The Apache Nation are more friendly than my Ojibwa tribe. They want to teach. Thank you my friend for reading and the comment.

[Audrey M.]

Loved this, I wish I knew more people with hearts, minds and souls alike. I could learn so much. We all could if we laid out egos aside and learn to listen with everything in us. 💖

[Coyote Poetry]

I do agree my friend. If we led with concern, kindness and we listen to each other. Our world would be a better place. Thank you for reading and the comment. I do appreciate.

[Helen]

I grew up and was socialised into an environment that looked down on ancient wisdom and spirituality. As I see it, the word enlightenment had been stolen in the 17th / 18th centuries so that only logic and reason were seen as valid by the time I arrived on the earth in 1966. It does rather seem to me that I have been cut off from my spiritual heritage by history, by the greed of kings and capitalists and the burning of my female ancestors as witches.

Native peoples around the world provide a tenuous link to our true nature - despite the attempts to steal it from them and suppress it - and I find this both desperately sad and hopeful at the same time. I love the four winds symbolism that you describe - and the language you use to do so is beautiful, but it does seem to me that North wind needs to be tempered by compassion and clemency for there to even be a chance of the unity needed to bring peace to the world and healing to the planet. The enlightened need some Enlightenment!

Your line about the Mall sums up my pessimism on this topic, for the Mall is one of the white man's mighty contribution to the world, with all its hollow and empty promises:

"At the Mall I went to the so-call Native American store. A Middle Eastern man tried to sell me a Chinese made items".

Thank you for a stimulating, thoughtful and beautifully written piece and for bringing me closer to a culture that I only know about from films. There is much wisdom in what you have written, but are we civilised enough to hear it?

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear Helen. I agree. The Native American belief, similar to many parts of world. Silence till lately. We need the ancient ways to survive.

[John the Baptist]

A fascinating tale here. I have read that current anthropological theory is that homo sapiens originated in east Africa and over the centuries migrated to the middle east, where one group migrated to the north and west and another to the east. It was this latter group that eventually crossed the land bridge that connected Asia with North America and then went on to populate both of the Americas. I think this may be compatible with the tale of the Medicine Wheel.

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree. If we learn. We are more the same than different. Thank you for reading and the comment my friend.

[Audie G. Couch]

Bravo! I mean, just Wow.
I felt deeply connected to this poem, in many ways for many reasons. Thank you for sharing such knowledge with us, a piece of your culture/heritage that was passed down to you from the others, who learned about it from their elders.
A true lesson, and gift. Respect to you, and your people...I feel honored to have read this.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Audie. We need the old ways again. The world need calm and family again.

[Audie G. Couch]

Very True. It is up to people like us to keep the old ways of tradition, and knowledge going. The right ways. The world will be calm again, and family will endure.

[Susan 🦋]

So many things we can learn here...if we keep our hearts open to accept and be humble. I truly enjoyed reading your story! Absolutely we are one...pray for peace. :-)))

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear Susan and I pray we learn. We are one people and one earth.

[Arundass TP]

Narrated very well; touring the whole world; Your writing The Medicinal Wheel" touches humanity to think; think; think...about cultural significance.

[Coyote Poetry]

We must learn. Every life had value. Women must be safe from violence and every child need safe place to live and opportunity. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Vari]

Oneness above all prejudices is supreme. Loved the authenticity and may be this is first time I am reading something unique poem with long prose. Thanks for sharing with us Coyote. Pleasure to read such a lovely antique piece.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Vari. I appreciate the visit.