Free Wheeling

         

I don’t know how long I’ve been coming to this beautiful spot on the Cedar River to meditate and do ceremony, but it was from before the pandemic. In that time I’ve felt called to build stone Medicine Wheels in this sacred space. Before the recent floods I’d had one that was here for a longtime, before the river covered it over with sand. It’s still gratifying to me to think of this subterranean Medicine Wheel here, holding sacred space and blessing anyone who passes by this spot. 

Then, not long ago, I felt prompted to build another, so I gathered stones from the immediate area, arranged them appropriately, then blessed the circle with a sacred pipe ceremony and sprinkled tobacco around the circumference and then an extra pinch on the center, Spirit, stone. (First 3 photos)

When I returned a couple days later I was aghast to see the wheel gone - Not just disassembled. The original stones were no where to be seen. I was pissed - At the ignorance of people who don’t recognize the sacredness of certain things whether they fall within the confines of their beliefs or not, and at the compulsion some people have to tear down anything that was created by someone else. 

I calmed myself, forgave whoever did this for whatever reasons they had, and chose to view it as a Sand Mandala, like the ones Buddhist monks create, whose purpose is not the length of time it exists, but the beauty it brings into the world for however long it does exist. 

Of course I set about building a new one. A bigger one. A better one. “We can rebuild it! We have the technology!” I walked the edge of the river in the immediately vicinity, finding the rocks that called out to be part of this magick. I assembled them in place, aligned to the compass points. Then I did sacred pipe ceremony again, blowing a smoke blessing to every stone in turn, starting in the East where the sun rises, thanking it for being a part of the wheel, and ending on the center Spirit Stone upon which I rested the bowl of my pipe while I said a prayer to the spirits of this place, offering gratitude for allowing me to do my sacred work here. I finished by again sprinkling tobacco around the edge of the circle and placing a pinch on top of the Spirit Stone. 

 

As I looked up from the wheel I grinned, though mine paled in comparison to the grin of the 'Cheshire Moon' beaming in the sky.  With the appearance of Diana's Bow, I knew Artemis, my matron goddess, was smiling down on me and my wheel. 

I returned a couple days later, a little nervous at what I might find, but there was the Medicine Wheel fully intact. When I approached the wheel, I felt gratified to see that not only had my efforts been blessed by the goddess, but that my tobacco had been replaced by bird poop (probably Jack my little sparrow friend) and thus had been blessed and approved by the Nature Spirits as well.