The Q'ero Medicine Wheel
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Medicine wheels have been found throughout the world. It is a spiritual circle made up of various colors, geometrical shapes and animal totems, all relative to geographical location, spiritual path, spiritual leaders, and a host of other factors. All medicine wheels use the four cardinal directions to represent specific teachings. When you embark on these teachings, you explore the nature of time, space, energy, your inner self and spiritual experiences that are beyond words. It's a personal journey with many teachers both seen and unseen in the physical world. One of the main teachings of all medicine wheels is a peaceful relationship and interaction with all of creation - including Mother Earth (Pachamama). You go within to discover a better way to interact based on truth and compassion. Each cardinal point (direction) on the medicine wheel has special and specific teachings and lessons. We will look at the medicine wheel of the Q'ero Shaman of Peru. The Q'ero people are known worldwide for the beautiful woven textiles rich in color and design. They have a history that led them to take refuge in the high mountains of the Andes. They remained there for many years practicing and protecting their sacred teachings of the medicine wheel. Due to an old prophecy, they began to share these teachings with the rest of the world around 1970. The Q'ero medicine wheel begins in the south. This is the place of the serpent (Sachamama, Amaru) who teaches us to shed our past just as the serpent sheds its skin - completely. The south is related to the element earth, the physical body, and the archetype of the Healer. This is where you learn to walk softly upon the earth, in ayni (receprocity) with all of creation. You face your past and your shadow side, bringing everything into the light. You walk in freedom, beauty, integrity and compassion. West is the direction of the Jaguar (Ottorango), the Divine Feminine, fearlessness, and knowing death and rebirth personally. You travel beyond death knowing that it is simply a part of life. This is where you face your fears with the confidence of Jaguar. You connect with your ancestors and free yourself of generational and past life karma. Here you will identify and release any wounds or karma carried from generation to generation and from past lives and transform it into something positive.You learn the path of peaceful warrior and non-judgment and which creates peace in your life. North is the direction of the Hummingbird (Siwarkente), and the lineage of shaman past, present and future. You learn to connect to the lineage of shaman who came before you. The wisdom of these shaman is available to you simply by connecting with them This is where you learn to master time and the ability to hold a secret. You will travel outside of time and space and fly wingtip to wingtip with Spirit. This is where you let go of your ego and become your authentic self. It's all about bravery and creating your own personal destiny. East is the direction of Condor and Eagle, the archetype of the seer, transcendence, participation in creation, and seeing the bigger picture and all possibilities. Here you release all thoughts and projections that bind and limit you, and move into spirit consciousness. You overcome death because you know you are already dead...dead to all those things that bound you and kept you locked in the past. You are alive and limitless! You will discover, as you work through the lessons and directions of the medicine wheel, that it really isn't a circle. This wheel is actually a never ending spiral. There is always more to learn, more to discover, more ways to love, more ways to develop your relationship with Spirit, guides, with nature, and other worlds and dimensions. It truly is a never ending story. Back to Shamanism |