Journey to the West

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'The Earth Star' Picture Val Randle

The picture is called The Earth Star and the West in the Native American Medicine Wheel is indeed the home of Mother Earth and the holder of all the wonders of the world. The womb of life, the birther of all living things. Here we rest our bodies, the home of our soul, take good care of the body, it supports us physically and should be nurtured, a temple for our dreams.

The West is the place of introspection, the going within, a place of quietness as we gather to ourselves our lifeÆs experiences. A time of contemplation is important to all of us, and out of this contemplation, come our dreams, our hopes, our fears. We can get lost in daydreaming, so consider that the West is also the place of manifestation of those dreams. One of the animals of the West is the Bear, ah! the bear knows how to be introspective as he goes into his cave to dream away the long winter but he also celebrates the spring and a renewal of energy.

Other animals are the crawlers, and the creatures that live in and close to the earth burrowing into her comforting darkness. We must each do what we can to protect the soil, avoid pollution, remember it is home for all these creatures who must feel as we do when our homes are dirty and uncared for.

Listen here to your intuition, that sixth sense, which is often neglected in our rush and hurry world. Stop sometimes, hear with your understanding. What is your body telling you? Does it need to dance, to run, be joyful, playful or does it need to be still and quiet? Take a moment to ask and feel.

The minerals and stones have their home in the West. Herma - which means prop or support - brings us to the sacred standing stones, bringing stillness to chaos. Strange that Hermes/Mercurias started life as a stone. Stones are the children of Mother Earth.They are our pathway to stargazing, they provide the still point around which the stars move. Permanence and change are the two sides of the coin.

From this place on the wheel we reach out to the planets, go beyond our small world, as we reach beyond our ego into our dreams, here indeed is magic, from this holding place of Mother Earth we extend our boundaries, within and without.

The warm wild earth is my cradle, life upon earth is a gift, there is nothing more beautiful than meeting the Sun and the Moon, animals, people, the stars in the pulsing heart of Mother Earth. Such pain, yet such exquisite joy and beauty.

Journey to the South