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..........

[Marianne Rose]

I really appreciate your sharing this knowledge with us. I am 1/16 Shawnee, not much in my genes, but I feel it when I walk in the woods, stand with nature, and listen to my husband play his hand carved flutes. He has an equivalent amount of Cherokee blood, not much, but enough to feel the responsibility to care for all creatures, express gratitude for their gifts. I believe in the lesson of your medicine wheel story- that we are all needed, all have gifts, we must unite to care for our planet and each other. We must return to the perspective that this land is a sacred trust that we have done a poor job of protecting. Thank you for your beautiful story and lesson.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Marianne. I pray we learn to get along. The world is getting smaller and we must work together for peace and calm. If half the energy for war was for peace. The world would be a better place. Thank you for reading and the comement..

[cloud]

Your story has such profound wisdom and truth. You learned well and it shows. Thank you for sharing all that you've learned with us.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you for reading. Ancient wisdom is needed today.

[Elmarie]

Hi Coyote

Beautiful story. It rely taught me something and I am inspired. I have copied your writing and will message you edit suggestions.

Blessings

El

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you. I appreciate the help.

[Elmarie]

Hi John just saw the first line is missing the word man. :)

[LastMonth]

Okay.

A few things that bother me.

1. This is really minor, but the Photo isn't properly set, and it shoves a portion of the writing to the side awkwardly, I think it'd fit better if it was just ontop of the writing, instead of oddly pushing it against the edge of the page.

2. The ( ) * are necessery, in the way this is currently written. But I'd love it if you avoided them and instead explained those things. The line about the fire being overly taught, with the Atomic and nuclear energy remark is amazingly powerful. I feel that it could have even -more- potency if it wasn't added in the form of ( ) * as a side remark or exaplanation.

Things I liked;

1. The peace of mind. The POV is someone willing to learn. There's a fine difference between trying to appreciate other cultures and allowing them to brainwish you. The POV here seem to be capable of both admiring what others has to say, and teach, without letting it overwhelm his own, unique and original view of life. Which is an important thing.

2. The story. It's actually interesting. The start with the random person trying to swindle the POV into buying something, and the hero, rather then dismiss him in a rude fashion actually tries to enlighten him on the subject. It's an interesting interaction and a good jab at the culture of selling spirituallity. Good luck Charms being made in the tens of thousands in factories, to be sold to the masses.

3. Your writing. Your writing is interesting and fluid enough to keep the reader interested. Not much to add other then that. The Vocabulary was more then sufficent and words didn't repeat enough to make it stagant.

Keep up the good work.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you for the advice and help. I do appreciate the honest opinion. I believe the key to life. Respect each other.

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

A sheer telling of the wisdom, mostly lost to modern man and the modern day, however flecks filter through in the words of poets, just like you, well done, great read.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Thomas. I hope we learn ASAP. War isn't the way to peace.

[PoeticSorcery]

a very bold poem to be sure, not many would be brave enough to share such strong feelings, or at least ones involving race and heritage, even if they aren't negative. I bow to your willpower.

[Coyote Poetry]

Not a negative poem. All four corners of this world need to work together. Hunger, war, lack of water and sickness killed all races, religions and places without regret. Thank you for reading and the comment. I pray for peace for all people.

[PoeticSorcery]

I can understand that, good work, and nice sentiments

[m.s.early]

On the surface this is of peace and balance and wisdom.

I was just at the pow-wow for the Upper Mattopni in King William, VA.

But deeper it is an intimate setting rife with the mouth-to-ear teaching and the importance of it, a window into character shaping, and clearly, snapshots of definitive moments in the narrators experience.

Personally, it breaks my heart. My grandmother was Cherokee, but ashamed and never taught us anything of the ways. This was thanks to a man named Plecker

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/how-a-long-dead-white-supremacist-still-threatens-the-future-of-virginias-indian-tribes/2015/06/30/81be95f8-0fa4-11e5-adec-e82f8395c032_story.html

Still on a personal note, it touched my heart and made me a little envious. Great write

[Coyote Poetry]

Never too late to learn. Cherokee had one of the three victories over the U.S. Army. They held their mountain in North Carolina and they still own the land. They had their language and they were great warriors. Thank you my friend for reading and the comment.

[Brandon Shae]

Good to see you brother, you write with a sacred heart, wado

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you. I'm glad you stopped by.