Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider
Linda Star Wolf and Anna Cariad-Barrett
Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider
2013. Bear & Company, Rochester, VT
Medicine wheels access the powerful, vast consciousness of the universe. Through their physical structures, circular shapes and attention to cosmological directional alignments we have evidence, in wheels such as Stonehenge, the Mayan calendar and the Indian mandala, of our primordial deep-rooted understanding of the connectivity between nature and the heavenly bodies. Native cultures continue to use the profound and mysterious medicine wheel wisdom of their ancestors. As above (Great Star Nation and connection to Creator), so below (Mother Earth). Newly evolving medicine wheels continue to serve as portals into other realms, harmonious places where we honor, reach, and are guided by spirit. As we work with modern medicine wheels we continue to feel the power and magic of beckoning the cosmos, the animals, and the earth energies for guidance. Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider introduces the Instar Medicine Wheel, a unique medicine wheel that responds to the need for gentle earth-based assistance as we collectively experience the growing pains of being birthed into a new reality.
Using our insect brothers and sisters as guides, the Instar Wheel connects us with the carriers of some of the most ancient wisdom on the planet, continuing to hold the tradition of a medicine wheel as living temple. The scientific word instar refers to the development stages and life-cycle journey of insects and related animals, correlating directly to the soulful developmental stages we humans are currently being called forth to navigate.
To the East we find Earthworm, who teaches us to stay grounded and close to the earth. Through Earthworm we learn that we each have a sacred purpose, that the "lowly" contribute in essential ways and deserve our respect, and that darkness is not to be feared. Working with littered leftovers, Earthworm honors the remnants of the past. She co-creates a new reality from what no longer serves. Earthworm is the humble recycler. To the South is Honey Bee. Tending to the cellular hive, the portal through which new life emerges, Honey Bee is the caring midwife, tending to the newly emerging life and working for the collective good of the hive. As she responds to the plight of colony collapse so that the next generation will survive, Honey Bee consciousness provides us with the powerful adaptation skills that are currently so needed on our planet. It is important to remember in these challenging times that Honey Bee communicates through dance. In the West, as egg transforms to Butterfly, we see the power of transformation. Caterpillar must know when what she feeds on no longer sustains her and her current form has reached its potential. It is only then that Butterfly can emerge. In the North, Spider, the creative dream weaver, uses her incredible body wisdom to weave her life-sustaining web to manifest all that she requires. Sensing vibrations she is alerted to the presence of nourishment in her web. In fact, Spider's whole world is based on using her DNA-bred instinct for creation, receptivity and vibration. At any given moment each person on Earth is within one meter of a spider.
The Earth's smallest creatures are ever present in our midst. Turn to them, notice them, and join with them in kinship for the greatest good of the planet.
Gail Lord is a freelance writer living in Massachusetts. Please send book review copies to 51 North Street, Grafton, MA 01519 or email socbookreviewer@gmail.com.
