The Sacred Medicine Wheel Drum
The story of the eight-pointed star, and the eight sacred energies you can connect with each time you play.
A lacing that came in a vision
The eight-pointed star lacing at the center of the Sacred Medicine Wheel Drum came to me in a vision, and I knew right away that Spirit was giving me a meaningful way for you to connect.
Eight is a sacred number in my tradition. The center of the Sacred Medicine Wheel of Life, and the first eight stones that come into the sacred sweat lodge, are blessed and honored for the eight energies below.
How to connect through your drum
The connection comes from the intention you hold in your heart when you pick up your drum. When you place your hands on the center handhold, you can create a connection from your own center – your heart – to the center of each of these qualities.
Because energy never dies, when you play your drum while focusing on any of these energies, you blend them with the sound of the drum, and your family, friends, animal friends, community and the world feel and share in your connection. I am so honored to share the journey of the drum with you. Enjoy!
What the star holds
Creator
or Great Spirit
Creator is the beginning of life and its ending, the great mystery within and around all things, the universal energy that many people call God. In many Native languages the word for Creator was not a noun but a verb – describing the movement, the motion, the pulsing of this sacred, never-ending force. Creator teaches us about our own ability to create, about faith, about our own sacredness, and about growing into our fullest selves. Creator teaches us to be deeply grateful for all that is provided for us to live our highest path on this Earth. Creator is the stunning, pulsing center of all there is.
Earth Mother
the Sacred Feminine
Earth Mother nurtures us, grounds us and loves us unconditionally. She provides all that we eat and drink and all that our eyes feast upon – the air we breathe, the wind in our hair, and the creatures we share her green altar with. She is an amazing healing energy. She takes all that we pour onto her face and does her best to transform the toxins and chemicals. She grows flowers and food for us in the spring. Connect with her in love and gratitude, with your heart open to hear what she needs from us – to heal, and to live.
Father Sun
the Sacred Masculine
Father Sun awakens all the children of the Earth to greet the new day and its fresh promise. He gives us the energy and passion for rapid growth – even when we resist. He teaches us discernment, and how to make choices in our lives. With his energy and heat, our food thrives and nourishes our bodies. As we walk in the light of day, the Sacred Masculine teaches us where to place our feet on this Earth walk.
Grandmother Moon
our intuitive world
Grandmother Moon teaches us about our psychic and intuitive world. When we go to her in the dream time, she teaches us without our knowing, and lets insights bubble to the surface when we open our eyes in the morning. She teaches us about our deepest spiritual world. Grandmother Moon pulls on our center and our deepest knowing, much as she pulls on the oceans of the Earth, creating life-giving flow.
The East
spring · new beginnings
The eastern gateway, where the sun rises, teaches us about new beginnings. The morning sun reminds us of the innocence of a new birth, and the sun rising over the horizon teaches us about the unfolding of our own potential. Dawn is the time to take the knowledge Spirit gave us in sleep and turn it outward to guide our steps through the day. The season of the East is spring, when the Earth awakens and new life bursts forth from her womb. It is the power of enlightenment that comes when we know our place in the universe, our unity with all of our relations, and the love that has powered Creation from the beginning.
The South
summer · growth and trust
The southern gateway, where the sun is at its highest, teaches us about rapid growth – reaching outward, growing in the things of the world, and testing our wisdom by bringing it into physical form. Here our emotions teach us about love and trust. The season of the South is summer, when the promises of spring are fulfilled: buds come into full blossom and bear fruit, and all things grow in body and mind, taking in the wisdom of the living, breathing Earth.
The West
autumn · strength and introspection
The western gateway, where the sun sets, teaches us about strength and introspection. As the sun goes down, we stop our outward activity and consider what we have gained and learned. It is the strength that comes only from knowing ourselves. In the half-light of dusk, our thoughts turn from the world toward Spirit and Heart. The season of the West is autumn, when the growth of summer stops and all of nature gathers in what it has learned, preparing for the season of renewal. We look within to see what is strong enough to carry us through.
The North
winter · renewal and purity
The northern gateway, the place of the darkest night, teaches us about renewal and purity. At night, resting from the thoughts of the material world, we come closer to Spirit than at any waking hour, and many of us learn in sleep what we cannot or will not learn when awake. The season of the North is winter, when the Earth lies dormant – but only on the outside. It is new life cloaked in death, rapid growth cloaked in rest. The seeds lie resting in the Earth, being purified and gathering the energy that will let them burst forth in spring.
My wish is that you walk with your drum in peace and balance on the face of our mother, the Earth.
Cyndy “Snake Dancer” Paige
Find or birth your drum
Choose a handmade Medicine Wheel drum, or come and birth your own in ceremony.