MARCH UPDATE: The Medicine Wheel Captures Me

We give books at Xmas and one given to my step-brother was a new book about Black Elk, the Lakota visionary and healer. I couldn’t read Black Elk Speaks when it was revived in the 1970’s because everyone else was. It developed a cult following at that time and I am fad averse! But now I have been swept away by both books and am following Black Elk’s visionary descriptions to build my Medicine Wheel. It’s strangely satisfying to slowly bring just the right rocks and objects to the wheel within the framework of his description of Lakota cosmology and relation to nature.

His personal experience of living through the upheaval of his people’s balanced existence in the natural world based on the great buffalo herds to fighting a war they knew they had no way of winning, is a humbling read that sheds light on another era of human insanity. Having previously read a new account of Chief Joseph’s flight with the Nez Perce, these people have crept into my heart. As victims of human brutality and prejudice, they will be remembered in my memorial wall as well.

The wall has been put aside during this native american sojourn I’ve been on. I had to let go of the plan to create ceramic medallions with names inscribed on them because I don’t have the time or inclination to put that much work out. I’d rather move rocks! But each full moon has found me still filling bottles to be bathed in moonlight. A friend reminded me that we are mostly made of water and so the bottles filled with water is feeling very right. At this point the plan is to lay down an audio track whispering the people’s names that will play on an outdoor, motion-detecting sound system. Like those xmas decorations that sing xmas songs when get near them!

So the project continues. It has become my own private workout activity. I’m only building it in ways that I can handle which limits things a bit but I like it that way. There are some big rocks I’d like to incorporate but if I can’t move them by myself, they are off limits! Also it remains true to the limitation to be made of materials on the property. It’s growing where it is planted and a source of healing an meditation for me.