Earth medicine, p.25
Earth Medicine, page 25
This ‘in-between’ nature of the north-north-east is indicated in those people born during the Blustery Winds Time by their sensitivity to mystical matters, their psychic potentials, and their refined intuitive sense.
Purification and renewal can be coupled together and understood in the sense of a drawing in of the energy and lessons of past experiences so they can be refined within, before there is a bursting forth once more into new life and new directions in the insatiable drive for knowledge and wisdom.
The totem of the North is the buffalo, an animal revered by the American Indians because it gave totally of itself so that man might survive, providing not only meat for food, but material for clothing and the tipi home, and even for utensils and implements. The buffalo symbolized the great sustaining power of the North, and the revived spirit renewed after refreshment and nourishment to explore and experience again without limitation. (See also 10.4).
12.5 INFLUENCING ELEMENTS: Water with Air
Air, as was discussed under the two previous winter seasons, is the element of the mind. Purification, which is stressed so strongly as an essential activity of the North, is thus the activity of clearing the mind. For what reason? So that the will may be focused for creative activity. The purification stressed has nothing to do with sin or any religious sense of morality. It has to do with clearing the mind of the clutter of tensions and anxieties, removing the debris of everyday concerns and frustrations, shifting the weight of tiredness that comes from all the effort of living. It is simply an act of preparing the way for creative mental activity.
Knowledge, too, is emphasized in the North, so what is being stressed here is the discovery of the knowledge of using man’s most valuable tool, which is the mind. But in the north-north-east, Air is blended with elemental Water. Water, as was discussed under the three Times of the summer season, has to do with the feelings and emotions, with sentiment and compassion. Just as physical water must contain gaseous air in order to remain fresh, and clouds need to be conveyed to a height where the air is cooled and condensed to fall as rain and nourish the Earth, so elemental Air and elemental Water balance one another in the human experience. In the human experience the intellect (Air) requires the sensitivity of the feelings (Water) so that the thoughts and deeds are tempered with right understanding.
Part of the purpose of life for those born in the Blustery Winds Time is learning to balance these two vital forces so that one is not just drifting along in a cloud of dreams and aspiration, nor being tossed about and sucked into a whirlpool of emotions.
12.6 ELEMENTAL CLAN: Frog (Water) Clan
People whose birthdays fall between 19 February and 20 March are born into the Frog Clan and their association with the Water element imparts to them deep feelings and strong emotions. Indeed, they have the capacity to come into tune with things at all levels because of the intensity of their feelings. However, they need to attain maturity and wisdom to understand and cope with the emotions that surge through them.
Frog Clan people have a great empathy for others and are usually the ones others confide in when they are experiencing difficulties in their emotional lives. Instinctively they feel that somehow Frog Clan people understand them.
Frog Clan people are more sensitive than most of the phases of the Moon. They are still, like calm water, when the Moon is dark, and rippling with emotional energy when the Moon is full.
12.7 BIRTH AND ANIMAL TOTEM: Wolf
The wolf is an ancestor of the domestic dog and a powerful and muscular animal with a broad chest, pointed ears, and a thick, bushy tail. Wolves vary in colour from white in Arctic regions, to grey and through shades of brown to almost black. They are now almost extinct in most of Europe, and even in North America are a threatened species.
Wolves live in mountainous and forest regions and in the Arctic tundra and hunt alone or in pairs or packs. They have an enduring relationship with their mate, and pairs stay together for life.
The wolf was a highly regarded animal among the ancient tribes of northern Europe. It was a totem animal among the ancient Celts and the period just before the arrival of spring was regarded as the Wolf-month in some traditions.
The American Indians associated the wolf with mountains and high places and as a teacher and guide to sacred things. A close relative of the wolf is the coyote – the North American equivalent of the jackal and which was looked upon as the sacred trickster because it used clowning and cunning as part of its strategy. It seemed to offer a justification for tribal shamans to use what we might call showmanship and surprise as part of their ‘equipment’ and ways of presenting spiritual truths and the extraordinary wrapped up in the substance of the ordinary and the everyday.
Wolf people, like their totem animal, are sensitive and intuitive and have a head for heights of both mind and spirit. They share the wolf’s need to have its own clearly defined territory whether it is a home, job, or a relationship, and they are upset when intruded upon without invitation. Their intuitiveness is such that they are able to discern quickly the attitudes and intentions of others, however well-hidden these are on the surface.
Wolf people find it difficult to handle their emotions and feel vulnerable if they allow their emotions to flow too freely, though they suffer depression when they are repressed. Because of this dilemma they sometimes have difficulty in reaching decisions over personal relationships. Learning balanced control of the emotions is very much a part of the purpose of life experienced by Wolves.
Like their totem animal, Wolf people look for a permanent relationship. Changing partners can have a devastating effect on the Wolf temperament.
Like the animal, Wolf people are hunters, too, but their ‘prey’ is in the realm of philosophy and religion, for they seek out and stalk that which may appear to give meaning and purpose to their life.
They, too, have a natural aptitude for presenting unpalatable information in an acceptable form. This ability often makes them good handlers of children, and their manner is such that they can soften the blow of bad news.
12.8 PLANT TOTEM: Plantain
There are many varieties of plantain (Plantago lanceolate) which grows in wasteland and fields and on roadsides. Its most common variety has hairy, cylindrical, grooved stems which curve upwards and bear a single head of white flowers around a dense, brownish spike. It has broad, dark-green leaves.
Plantain was renowned among Amerindians for the variety of its healing properties. It was used to dispel mucous congestion, especially catarrh, and for digestive disorders like gastritis and enteritis. Its fresh leaves were used to soothe insect stings and bites, and also for cuts and sores. The oil from the leaves was used as a balm for skin disorders, and the plantain root was used to relieve toothache.
Wolf people, like their plant totem, are versatile, too, in the field of healing. They have a comforting manner and an ability to soothe and to harmonize at both external and internal levels. And like their plant totem, they need to be well-rooted in Earth in order to thrive.
12.9 MINERAL TOTEM: Jade
Jade is a waxy stone composed of sodium aluminium silicate and its colour is usually a soothing green. It is one of the toughest of stones and able to withstand great pressure and this is an indication of one of its outstanding qualities. It was greatly valued by Indians and by ancient peoples and associated with qualities of clarity, wisdom, justice and loyalty.
Jade is associated with peace and tranquillity and with cleansing. It is said to act on the glands affected by the chakras, causing them to dispel impurities. It is also soothing to the nerves. Held in the hand, jade exudes a feeling of warmth and tenderness.
Some Indians used jade in healing by placing the stone on the area of the body affected. They associated it with longevity.
Jade is said to emit soothing vibrations and to dispel negativity. It is, therefore, an important stone to have in one’s possession and to have in one’s home.
12.10 POLARITY TOTEM: Brown Bear
The flow of spiritual energy with Wolf people inclines them towards philosophical, mystical and religious interests. They are strongly intuitive and have inherent psychic abilities.
It is essential for them to attain and maintain balance by keeping themselves well grounded in practical realities. Brown Bear shows that there need be no conflict between spiritual aspirations and physical attainments. With proper balance it is possible for Wolves to be comfortable in both these realms, and indeed that is part of their life-purpose.
12.11 PERSONALITY EXPRESSION
Adult
Compassionate, benevolent, generous, artistic Wolf. Wolves are warm sympathetic and understanding, and are generally the ones people turn to in times of stress and difficulty because they so readily understand any situation that is brought to their attention. The trouble is that they have a tendency to be affected by the emotional state of the ones they have been talking to or helping, with the result that they often feel drained afterwards. This is because Wolves are like psychic sponges. They need, therefore, to be discriminating because there will be those who will endeavour to draw strength and vitality from them. This may be difficult because Wolves arrive at decisions by feeling rather than by logic or instinct.
Wolf people need to recognize that they need time on their own periodically to cleanse themselves of the negativity they have absorbed from others and from the environment that they have been in, then they are fresh again to face the demands that are constantly made upon them.
Wolves must have this freedom as well as freedom of movement, of thought and of self-expression. They need to be free to make their own choices rather than have them imposed, otherwise they become inhibited, confused, frustrated and sour. But while they have this urge for freedom themselves, they are often drawn into helping those who are confined or restricted in some way or are victims of ill treatment.
Wolves are regarded as pretty gullible, but this is the result of their desire to want to believe people. They are frequently confronted with the harsher side of life and their trust and genuine concern for others is not always rewarded, especially by the less-evolved souls who can scarcely rise high enough to say ‘thank you’. It is therefore essential for the well-being of Wolves that they have opportunities to recuperate and to regain their inner strength, then they will continue to maintain their fluidity and adaptability that is matched by few others.
Over-sensitive to criticism, Wolves find it difficult to stand apart from any work they have done, especially if it is creative endeavour. Any adverse comment or remark, even if it is intended constructively, is often taken as a personal criticism and an attack on Wolf’s self-esteem.
Wolf people have a love of beauty whether in Nature or in a work of art, in music, literature, poetry and craftwork – whatever is pleasing to the eye, the ear or the intellect.
Wolf’s philosophical attitude to life is expressed in their basic adaptability to any situation or environment in which they find themselves: they simply make the best of it.
Positive traits: Compassionate. Sympathetic. Sensitive. Adaptable. Intuitive. Impressionable. Artistic. Musical.
Negative traits: Indecisive. Vague. Impractical. Timid. Easily confused.
Vocational possibilities: Arts. Astronomy. Astrology. Dancing. Design. Military. Literary work. Law. Social work. Music.
Child
Wolf babies seem to get what they want, not by yelling but by their sweet smiles and winning ways. They seldom throw tantrums and just charm you into capitulation.
The Wolf child needs plenty of attention and at school needs encouragement and assurances about abilities. It needs gentle discipline, otherwise the Wolf child may grow up thinking it can always get what it wants.
Parent
Wolves make fine parents because they understand the needs of individual children and are happy to devote time to them. Above all they respect the dignity of childhood, possibly because they themselves are still children at heart.
The Wolf father enjoys his children as babies and when they are teenagers and have their own point of view, but sometimes finds the school years difficult and prefers to put the main responsibility on to the wife.
Wolf mother can perhaps be over-anxious about the welfare of her offspring and is always aware when they are having some problem or difficulty. She demonstrates her affection for them in many different ways.
12.12 ROMANCE AND SEX
Wolves are romantics and need love and affection more than they need food. When Wolves give their hearts it is for keeps. They are gentle and caring lovers and need a responsive partner for they thrive on the closeness and the sharing that love-making brings.
The female Wolf likes to look pretty. She is soft, sentimental and sensitive and doesn’t necessarily always want full-bloodied, raw and passionate sex. She responds to soft words, tender kisses and warm embraces.
The male Wolf will idolize his lover, sometimes to the point that the poor girl finds it difficult to live up to his image of her.
In marriage Wolves will expend more energy on their partner’s behalf than on their own and if badly matched can find themselves becoming doormats.
Spiritual sexuality: The spiritual polarity of Wolf is feminine (−).
Compatibilities: Wolves are compatible with Woodpeckers (those born between 21 June and 21 July), Brown Bear (22 August to 21 September) and Snakes (23 October to 22 November).
12.13 HEALTH
Wolf people enjoy their food and have a tendency to become overweight and this can result in circulatory problems, varicose veins and high blood-pressure. They have an above-average interest in natural remedies and alternative medicine, possibly because many have an allergy to certain allopathic drugs or have suffered side-effects from them.
12.14 AFFINITY COLOUR: Blue/green
The influencing colour of Wolf people is a combination of blue and green – the colour of the imaginative and discriminating with a deep desire to help others whilst remaining aloof.
Blue is the colour of the sky, which represents the spiritual aspects of life, while green is the colour of Nature and represents the temporal. Blue is the link with the endless cycles of life and with the uplifting spiritual forces, while green is the colour of harmony on the material plane. Blue is the striving for freedom and the love of truth and beauty, while green is the stability of solid foundation. Blue seeks the evolution of the self within the infinity of space, while green seeks growth and development within the limitations of form.
Green is mid-way between the red and violet ends of the spectrum and signifies balance – serenity amid continual change – the balancing of yellow (mind) and blue (spirit). Green wants to nourish and develop, while blue wants to elevate and make infinite. Yellow is the ‘hidden’ colour in green, and yellow is the intellect and the ability to understand.
So blue-green is the endeavour to nourish and develop that which through life-experiences the individual comes to recognize is of true value and which cannot be transmuted through the Law of Change because it is of infinite and permanent worth. The blue-green ray thus makes the Wolf person discriminating and discerning.
12.15 ADVANTAGEOUS TIMES
Best months of the year for Wolf people are from 19 February to 20 March,
21 June to 21 July, 23 October to 22 November, and 23 November to
21 December.
Best day of the week is Thursday.
Best times of the day are from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
12.16 OUTWARD (CONSCIOUS) AIM AND INNER (SUBCONSCIOUS) DESIRE
Wolf’s outer (conscious) aim is to break free from entanglements and restrictions and to become detached from limitations imposed in the past.
The inner (subconscious) desire is to reach the source and essence of being in order to obtain cosmic consciousness, which is total freedom.
12.17 SPIRITUAL ALCHEMY
As we have seen, the combination of Air and Water is a necessary balance in order for the primary function of each element to be fulfilled. The abundant activity of Air and the elevation of the aspirations must be balanced with the waters of emotion and by the depth of character. The key is balance.
The directional influence is from cold to cool (− +) and the elemental pull is Air (+) and Water (−). The spiritual sexuality is feminine (−) so the emphasis is on the receptive and nurturing polarity.
The combination is thus (− +, + − and − ).
12.18 LIFE-CHALLENGES
Wolves are likely to spend some part of their lives finding and exploring answers to questions of life’s meaning and purpose, and are likely to be interested in the possible existence and nature of an afterlife.
The repetitive nature of certain life-experiences, due to the soul’s wish to clear away past attachments and confront those lessons still to be learned, should be seen as a challenge to find the point of balance from which true progress can be made.
Must cultivate: Intuition. Creativity. Understanding.
