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by Jami Sams and David Carson
I have walked the shaman's path for what seems the greater part of my life, in one way or another. Jami Sams and David Carson have gifted the world with a marvelous tool for understanding the medicine of All Of Our Relations, so that each person may connect with the energy that he/she needs at any specific point in their lives. I cannot speak highly enough about this book/deck set. If you walk the path of self discovery/self knowledge, if you seek balance in your life, if you want to become one with All Of Our Relations - then this is the tool for you!
"Medicine Cards" draws on the wisdom of Native American tribal lore to teach us on our earth walk. The wisdom is diverse - it comes from many tribes. It comes from our ancestors at a time when human kind needs guidance. The guidance contained within these cards, and the accompanying book, are as valid today as when they were written. Through this work we may all walk a balanced life - we may all walk in beauty.
Medicine here is defined as anything that deepens our connection with Great Mystery and with all of life. Each of life's "lessons" has been assigned to the animal that best represents that quality. The power, or medicine, all all animals may be called on at any time to help us with our daily existence, to help us be better people, to walk with dignity the road of Spirit.
As with any tool, when working with this book and with these cards, it is best to be humble, to show reverence for the knowledge that All Of Our Relations shares with us. Each of us is born with nine totem animals - one representing the East, for spiritual challanges; one representing the South for the innocence of childhood; one representing the West and intuition (inner answers); one representing the North to give wise counsel; one representing Above and our connection to the Star people and dreamtime; one representing Below and the grounding of inner earth; one representing within, teaching us to be faithful to ourselves; one representing the right side that is our father/protector and the warrior spirit within; one representing the left side, relationships, nurturing and mothering.
Inherent to this work is a basic understanding of the Medicine Wheel and the Medicine Shield. The Medicine Wheel is a physical expression of the tenet that all space is sacred - all space here on earth is sacred. In this manner, the Medicine Wheel is a symbol of the wheel of life. It represents each direction, and the powers inherent in that direction. As we walk our physical path, we must stand on each spoke of the wheel in turn. All lessons are equal, all talents and abilities are necessary and equal.
The Medicine Shield expresses the gifts and abilities of the person that it represents. They are a way to reflect inner truths and create harmony. I like the idea of shields, and of each person creating their own. The making of a shield is an act of ritual and ceremony that lets us be humble, while at the same time honoring who we are as individuals.
Several spreads are given in this book - they answer life's questions, they allow us to see our opportunities in greater depth and make better choices. I have chosen to use the Butterfly spread. The purpose of this spread is to look at the various phases of a project as it is accomplished. The positions are defined as:
1. The East Card: The Egg Card or Egg Position
This is the inner core, or seed of your project. The thing to look at here is whether the energy of the card drawn reacts well with the energy of the project. This tells us whether the project is worthwhile, or necessary.
2. The South Card: The Larva Card or Larva Position
This is your project in the beginning stages - the "What needs to be done and who needs to do it?" card.
3. The West Card: The Cocoon Card or Cocoon Position
This is the Higher purpose for this project. This answers the "Why am I here?" question.
4. The North Card: This is the Butterfly Card, or Butterfly Posiiton
This tells you if you have walked with Great Spirit on this project - and what your rewards will be. This card is the place of manifestation.
I drew the following cards*:
East: Moose
The energy of the Moose reflects the seed of the project - the purpose, it's reason for being. Moose energy speaks of self esteem - of knowing when to trod gently and when to show aggression. The Moose is also a sign of feeling good about your prior accomplishments.
Porcupine energy reflects the energy of the project in it's beginning stages. This is the energy of innocence. This is the ability to have faith and to trust in the process.
The Cocoon card is the card reflecting the purpose of the project. In drawing the Blank Card, we are being told to look within to find the connection between the project and ourselves.
The Butterfly card here is the medicine of the Ant. Ant medicine speaks of patience and trusting in Universe to provide. Clearly here Great Spirit has walked the path of this project with us.
*note: There are 44 defined Animal Medicine Cards and 9 Blank cards. The Blank cards can be defined by each individual as an animal spirit or quality, or they may be treated as knowledge that is already within one and needs to be brought to consciousness.
I hope that you have enjoyed this walk with the Medicine Cards. I make use of them on a daily basis - perhaps they have a place in your life also.
Bonnie Cehovet
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