Good Medicine

Article by Jim Ewing entitled Shamanic Drumming: A Form of Prayer
Native Americans and most of the indigenous peoples of the Earth have known for thousands of years that drumming is a powerful spiritual tool. Only in recent years, though, has the scientific basis come to light. Michael Harner, an anthropologist and founder of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, did pioneering work in studying the effects of drumming in the 1960s and '70s, outlined in his book, "The Way of The Shaman" (Harper; San Francisco; 1990).

According to Harner, the beat of the drum, as used to transport native peoples into shamanic states of consciousness, closely approximates the base resonant frequency of the Earth, which can be measured scientifically. In recent years, Gregg Braden, a geophysicist and author of such works as "Walking Between the Worlds: The Science of Compassion" (Radio Bookstore Press; Bellevue, Wash.; 1997), has continuously measured this frequency, which has led to his hypothesis that the Earth is going through great changes, with profound implications for its inhabitants.

This measurement, he concludes, coincides with the ancient prophecies of the Egyptians, the Hopis, the Aztecs, the Mayan, and others around the world, including the Christian Bible, saying that the Earth will go through a time of awakening, transformation and renewal during these "end times" - beginning to occur now - as a result of these changes. The physiological effects of sound, particularly regarding altered states, have also been well documented, shown to produce alpha, beta, and theta (psychic) states in the brain. (See: Mitchell L. Gaynor, M.D., "Sounds of Healing: A Physician Reveals the Therapeutic Power of Sound, Voice and Music," Broadway Books; New York; 1999).

Of course, the ability of sound to induce meditative states was well known thousands of years ago to ancient Hindu and Buddhist cultures, which used rhythmic chanting, singing bowls, finger chimes and other methods to transcend ordinary consciousness, as well. Drumming, by combining the vibrational tones of meditation and the 180-cycles-per-second beat approximating the base resonant frequency of the Earth itself, thus, becomes not only a powerful meditation tool, but a way to tap into our psychic inner ability to travel over vast distances, effect cures, and know - and affect - the future. Drunvalo Melchizedek in this books, "The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life," Vols. 1 & 2 (Light Technology; Flagstaff, Ariz.; 2000), explains the effects of being in contact with "all-time-no-time" in time and space through defining the human energy field as a "permanent merkaba" in the shape of a star tetrahedron. That energy field or the human aura, he says, extends 27 feet in each direction in its most dense form, but it also extends through space and time and other dimensions.

Through shamanic journeying, using the drum, we can travel along our energy field lines through those dimensions - in "ordinary," 3-D reality, or the non- ordinary "middle world, in shamanic terms, or elsewhere, anywhere on Earth or in other universes. Remember in the movie "The Best And The Brightest" when an Australian aborigine, told that the space program's goal was to reach the Moon, was unimpressed? He said, "I've been there."

In Dreamtime, you can go anywhere. We all have psychic ability. This is shown by Dean Radin, Ph.D., writing in Psychology Today (July/August 2000). She tells of an editor of a well-known magazine who came to her clinic asking if there really is a sixth sense, or ESP, abilities that transcend the usual boundaries of space and time. She had the woman sit before a blank computer screen, hooked up to monitors measuring skin resistance and blood flow and showed her sequences of randomly selected images. Afterward, they compared the readings.

"This bump shows that your body responded to emotional pictures before the computer selected them. And this flat line," she said, pointing to the other line, "shows that your body did not respond before calm pictures were shown. You see? Your body was responding to your future emotion before the computer randomly selected an emotional or calm picture."

She added: "We can now demonstrate in the laboratory what at some level we've known all along: Many people literally get a gut feeling before something bad happens. Our viscera warn us of danger even if our conscious mind doesn't always get the message." Although in most of us, psychic ability is fleeting and often haphazard, it can be induced and sustained through such techniques as drumming. The therapeutic effects of drumming are becoming more widely documented, as well (see: the journal, Alternative Therapies - Jan. 2001, for article: Composite Effects of Group Drumming Music Therapy on Modulation of Neuroendocrine-Immune Parameters in Normal Subjects); but shamanic or Native American style drumming is most powerful as a prayerful device, as a way to touch your sacred circles of loved ones, family and friends in a unique and powerful way. A shamanic journey, using the drum, is just "visualized prayer." And it is a powerful ancient technology only now being rediscovered by many in the 21st century.

TOBACCO
Tobacco is one of the four sacred plants, representing the Eastern Direction. Our Lodge smokes a form of tobacco known as kinikinik, or a red willow mix, although some members prefer to use home grown or store-bought tobacco. Tobacco is used in the offering of prayer to the Creator, acting as a medium for communication. It is either offered to the fire, so the smoke can lift the prayers to the Creator, or it is set on the ground in a nice, clean place. This is done on a daily basis as each new day is greeted with prayers of thankfulness. The Elders say to hold it in your prayers of thankfulness. They also add that you are to hold it in your left hand as this is the hand closer to your heart. It is always good to offer Tobacco when seeking knowledge or advice from an Elder or when a Pipe is present.

CEDAR
Cedar represents the Southern direction. The leaves are cleaned from the stems and separated into small pieces, which are used in many way. When burned, Cedar acts as a purifier, cleansing the area in which it is burned and emitting a pleasant scent. Elders say to put some in your shoes and only goodness will come your way.

SAGE
Sage is used in much the same ways as Cedar. It is burned as a purifier, but when compared to the "piney" scent of cedar, sage has a spice air. Sage represents the Western direction.

SWEETGRASS
The Sweetgrass is known for its beautifully sweet, aromatic scent, which is enhanced by the rain or when it is burned. This, too, is a purifier. Many things are made with Sweetgrass such as coiled baskets. It is often braided and thus signified the hair of Our Mother the Earth. Each of the three sections that go into the braid have a specific meaning - mind, body and spirit. Native peoples live life in a very sacred manner. When taking something from the Earth, they always explain to the spirit of the plant why it is being done and offer some tobacco in return for the generosity and help of the plant which shared itself so freely.

If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear. What one fears one destroys.

ELK
Because the male elk will fight to his death to protect his mate, Plains Indians naturally chose it as a symbol of love and power. An Elk Dreamer was one who saw elk in his vision and thereby obtained the power of elk medicine. If a young man had trouble finding a mate, if spouses were quarreling, the Elk Dreamer was sought because he had the power to help. He had influence over affairs of the heart, particularly courting men and women, Of course, the nature of that power varied depending upon the individual's personal vision. Some Elk dreamers were able to cure certain diseases, foresee events, find lost articles or make war medicine.

One of the most prominent features of Native American life is the use of animals in storytelling, art, etc. Of all the animals, the Eagle is by far one of the most honored creatures. The eagle is a symbol of love, friendship, honor, bravery and mystical power. You can find the symbol of the eagle (or variations) from the North Pole to the most southern part of Argentina. Although each individual tribe has its own storeis about this raptor, collectively the stories coincide with many similarities of strength.

The eagle is also used for traditional dance. The Cherokee for example, have a dance called the Eagle Dance that represents strength and power. This dance is often performed at the tribe’s Pow-Wows. You can also find many native headdresses at a summer time Pow-Wow. These magnificent headdresses are made of eagle feathers. Each feather on the headdress represents an honor or incident of bravery. The more feathers a brave has, the more honored he is. Also, the eagle feather can also be compared to the modern tradition of wedding bands. It is tradition for a man to give his bride a feather as a symbol of their life-long union. You see, feathers are like fingerprints; no two feathers are identical except for the “twin feathers” found on the wings of the eagle. Because of this, it is tradition for the feathers to be exchanged between future couples also. In the past a brave was often seen riding to war or to the hunt with a single feather tied to his horse, and his girl slept with the matching single feather tied to her bed.

For some traditional Cherokee natives, the eagle feather is used for ceremonial, healing, and purification purposes to this day. The practice used for these purposes is called Eagle Medicine (the goal is to achieve a certain mind set through diligence, understanding, awareness, and personal visions). The reason the feathers are used is because the eagle represents duality in it own life and ours. The color of the tail feather is divided into two parts, light and dark. The two colors come from the same feather yet they represent darkness and lightness, male and female, substance and shadow, summer and winter, peace and war, and life and death. It is said that the dualism is needed along with the symbol of the eagle to keep balance in the circle of life.

Eagle Medicine is the power of the Great Spirit,
the connection to the Divine.
It is the ability to live in the realm of Spirit,
and yet remain connected and balanced
within the realm of Earth.
Eagle soars, and is quick to observe expansiveness
within the overall pattern of life.
From the heights of the clouds,
Eagle is close to the heavens
where the Great Spirit dwells.

Jamie Sams - Seneca/Choctaw & David Carson, Choctaw

WOLF

As both a medicine path teacher, and a school teacher, it is necessary to be able to focus, be selfless, loving and trustworthy. All these qualities can be learned from Waya (Wolf). The white wolf represents purity, cunning and strength. Among the Cherokee, is a belief that to kill a wolf is to invite retribution from other wolves. This way of thinking parallels the laws of the tribe, where to kill an Indian meant to expect revenge from his family members. The Wolf is a Great Teacher. Like the Wild Wolf, she is the pathfinder of new ideas and ways of thinking. The Wolf is a night creature, a creature of the subconscious. The Moon offers the Wolf knowledge and wisdom of the inner hidden self. Wolf Medicine offers those who possess it and those around them introspection of the mind and the intuitive knowledge to take the right path.

A healthy woman is much like a wolf: Both social creatures, longing for pack mates, intelligent, communicative, wild, gentle, playful, capable of great strength, fiercely loyal, territorial, and beautiful.

BEAR

Bear is a beautiful example of the Great Spirit`s creative force. She is a creature at the top of the "food chain" in North America, with tremendous strength and boundless courage, yet her heart is tender and loving as she looks after her cubs, protecting them from all harm while simultaneously teaching them the independence necessary to survive in the ever changing landscape in which they live.

One with Power Totem Grizzly Bear Medicine is an individual whose Role along the Red Road of physical life, is to awaken the voice within, and thus, much of her or his Life will be dedicated to stirring to consciousness the Voice of the Soul. Yet this is only the first step, as the Grizzly Soul is here to teach others to listen to the gentle stirring of the Inner Voice, to awaken to the Music of the Intuition.

One who walks with Bear is an individual whose heart is limitless in its capacity to feel and give love. These are devoted parents, children, siblings and friends who sincerely believe that we are here to Love One Another. Because of their ability to love so completely and with sincere devotion, these individuals may face many lessons with discerning healthy boundaries so that others will not endlessly drink from their beautiful waters without then continuing to send the love and energy on. This may be a challenge as they feel the desire to nurture and protect all they come to know, and yet some souls will simply use the energy to sustain their own life, rather than make the most of it to gain their footing and continue forward along their own path. This is where these Bear people must come to recognize the "psychic vampires" for what they are, and learn when they are actually impeding the progress of another by allowing the "feed" to continue.

People who live in bear country, study, or just watch bears, generally come to admire them. Alberta's Andy Russell grew up in the cattle country of the southwest with the Rocky Mountain foothills and its bears in his backyard. After a lifetime around grizzlies, he described his admiration for them in this way:

"The animal that impresses me the most, the one I find myself liking more and more is the grizzly. No sight encountered in the wilds is quite so stirring as those massive, clawed tracks pressed into mud or snow. No sight is quite so impressive as that of the great bear stalking across some mountain slope with the fur of his silvery robe rippling over his mighty muscles. He is a dignity and power matched by no other in the North American wilderness. To share a mountain with him for a while is a privilege and an adventure like no other."

FROG

Frog is the 2nd of the four elemental clans (element of Water). From him we learn about evolution, mystery, transformation, humor and communication. The Frog's singing brings rain and with it, the cleansing of the land. Similarly, tears cleanse the soul. All rights of water belong to the Frog. Water cleanses the body for Sacred ceremony. Frog Medicine cleanses the spirit for the ordeal ahead. Frog's waters wash away the mud in the mind and replenish the parched soul.

OTTER

From Otter people learn to be playful, nurturing, prophetic, noble, curious and humanitarian in nature.

OWL

Some tribal nations consider owl the bringer of the dream and death, but also the bringer of wisdom. The owl is the night-time hunter par excellance. It has a mythical placein the tales of many cultures. Although a skilful hunter, the owl is not a considered a true bird of prey: it evolved quite separately to the hawks and eagles, and is not closely related to them. All owls eat meat, their diet being mice and other small animals. Although generally nocturnal, they will hunt during the day time, when they need to. If you have ever held an owl's wing or feather, you will be immediately drawn to its softness. This is a particular characteristic of owls. The feathers are much softer than those of most other birds, especially bird of prey; which gives the owl its ability to fly almost silently. This silent flight is of course important at night, when much of the owl's prey is relying on their own acute hearing to save them from being the owl's dinner. Because of its silent flight, sharp claws and strong beak - owls seldom miss their prey. This silent flight however, is also seen by some people as a symbol of the silence of deceit. When someone is stalking you with stealthy persistence and strikes when the time is right, they can be said to be using an aspect of owl medicine. We speak of the owl as a wisdom keeper ('the wise old owl'), although its cry is also said to signify a death ('the owl called my name'). An owl hooting at a birth is said to signify that the child will have bad luck in its life.

In many Native American traditions the owl is regarded as the bringer of the dream, but also the bringer and herald of death and as a symbol of black magic. As the bringer of death it is known to many tribal cultures - never give an owl feather gift to a Diné (Navajo): out of all the tribes, thet perhapes hold the strongest views on this matter. If you have a bunch of owl feathers in your car, often no amount of persuasion will make your native friend travel with you until the offending articles are removed. They say that ghosts often appear in the shape of owls; but this rather negative association does not mean that the owl is not considered a powerful, and also at times a benevolent bird. The owl is associated with some healing traditions, its soft feathers and night flight helping the healer to cure unseen illness and the causes of the illness itself. The owl moves at night when men are asleep. The medicine man gets his power through dreams at night and believes that his dream is clear, like the owl's own sight... so he promises that he will never harm an owl. If he did so, his power would leave him. For this reason some medicine-men wear owl feathers. The medicine-man also regards the owl as having very soft, gentle ways, and when he begins to treat the sick person he is supposed to treat them very gently.

People with owl medicine are also said to be good with their energy efficiency (remember, the owl hardly ever misses its prey - it uses it energy well and does not waste it). They may have a predeliction for being more active at night (a 'night owl'), rather than in the day time. They may well feel that they are drawn to the more magical traditions, and may see many things that other people cannot so easily see - especially in the darker places.....or they may simply be a 'hoot' at parties! (sorry). At the last sweat in which I particiated (June 8, 2002) Owl came to me in a very strong vision - impossible to mistake. Then at very next the Wolf's Heart Lodge drumming (June 11, 2002), I mentioned to Turquoise Cloud that if Owl came to Ceremony that evening that it would be a sign for me... near the end of our gathering, as I was finishing the Pipe, a Screech Owl screamed at the tree nearest my back, so loud and long that we all jumped and laughed and couldn't continue until she had finished her message. I will, therefore, be working with Owl Medicine in my own life until Creator moves me in a different path, honoring Owl's ability to see into dark places in order to protect the Lodge from bad medicine. I appreciate your prayers that this will be accomplished for all our good, and that I will be a humble and apt student. Wado. - Anisoquli (Many Ponies)

DOLPHIN

The Dolphin is a creature of water yet she needs air to survive. The Dolphin learns the control of breath that allows her to travel to the spirit world. Like the eastern religions, breath control brings closeness to the eternal and unlocks Manna, life force. Dolphin Medicine brings oneness with the eternal life force. She helps meditation and teaches us a new rhythm, enabling us to enter Dreamtime.

COUGAR

Those with a Cougar totem must learn to wield and balance their own power. A symbol of self - leadership, Cougar treads the rocky ledges of experience, following the scent of her own vision. Swift and powerful as a hunter, Cougar can respond to any challenge, bringing us to remember our respons-ability (ability to respond) to others, ourselves and personal truth. At the time Cougar comes into their lives, Cougar people are often shy loners. Though working Cougar will transform them outwardly, they always tend to be people who are "alone in a crowd."

When seeking a goal, Cougar people are wary and secretive as they access the situation, and wait for the moment to strike, but when there is a choice to be made, they need to learn to take that leap, to assert themselves. Decisiveness is another Cougar lesson. Cougar tends to tire quickly when chasing prey, this is a message to conserve strength and not overdo, but instead rest and return to the hunt later.

Despite Cougar's solitary nature in the wild, Cougars often become leaders of others. This tends to happen, not through seeking positions of power, but because others see them striding confidently upon our paths and follow. Cougar medicine will tend to attract lessons dealing with balance of power. There will be those who envy their growing strengths or wish to maintain the status quo.

Cougar people should also be aware of their own tendency to be overly forceful at times, and their impatience with others whom they do not see as being proactive enough or not carrying their own weight. When Cougar people have a cause in mind, they leap forward with swiftness and power, and expect other to do so as well. At it's best expression, (much like the Hermit card in Tarot) Cougar energy says, "I am going there, follow me if you will, but do not follow in my footsteps, for your path must be your own. Seek instead your high goal and I will aid you on the way if I am able."

MOOSE

Moose medicine teaches us the value of self-esteem, and of rewarding ourselves and others for a job well done. Moose walks with a measured and regal gait with his head held high for he knows he has value and dignity. Moose people do not hesitate to encourage others to learn and grow for they are not threatened with the thought that someone might get to be better at a thing; the student surpassing the teacher as it were. Moose will not only encourage others to learn, he will jump in and help teach, and will show by example. Moose people will never ask others to do what they will not do themselves.

Moose knows how damaging unkind criticism and nitpicking is to the spirit of someone trying to learn and do their best. Moose will look for any excuse to tell the world about something that has been done well, and he sings it forth for all to hear. People work hard to please moose because the rewards of his pleasure are great. Moose does not suffer from false shyness or inhibitions or the tendency to make light of his own accomplishments. He is not coy about his successes. Moose says, "I worked hard to do this, and I did it well. I'm proud of myself". When you acknowledge that your own acceptance of a thing well done, and satisfying your own standards, really is important to you, you are on the road to building a bedrock of solid self-esteem. Remember that "self" esteem comes from the inside out — not from outside sources.

If you do it well, admit it and enjoy it. Praise from others is good, but praise for yourself is more important. If someone else does something well, praise them. Be as generous with your praise as you are your criticisms. Bring joy into the world — and shout about it.