Native American Medicine Wheel
Deer
~ | ~ Snow Goose
~ | ~ Otter
~ | ~ Cougar
~ | ~ Hawk
~ | ~ Beaver
~ | ~ Deer ~ | ~
~ | ~ Flicker
~ | ~ Sturgeon
~ | ~ Bear
~ | ~ Raven
~ | ~ Snake
~ | ~ Elk
~ | ~ Blue ~ | ~
4.6 Deer - Cornplanting Moon
4.6.1 Medicine Wheel (Wilson MW 120-122)
- Corn Planting Moon, Gemini, May 21 - June 20
- East; animal is Deer; plant, Yarrow; mineral, Moss Agate; colors, White and Green
Vision: Roy Wilson
~ | ~ Sun Bear ~ | ~ Grey Wolf
4.6.1.5 Cornplanting Moon: Deer (Sun Bear MWEA 61-69)
- May 21 - June 20
- Moss Agate is mineral kingdom totem
- Yarrow is plant kingdom totem
- Colors are white and green
- Butterfly elemental clan
- 4.6.1.5.1 Mineral Kingdom: Moss Agate
- A fibrous form of chalcedony, or cryptocrystalline quartz
- In all agates, colors distributed haphazardly or in curved banks
- In moss agate, bands distributed to appear as containing preserved moss
- Until 20th century, patterns believe to be moss
- Scientific analysis showed "moss" to be manganese oxide
- Most common form is translucent white quartz with green moss within
- Or whitish or bluish quartz with black moss
- Found in most parts of the US and in other places throughout world
- Most commonly in beds of streams or rivers
- A healing stone; considered beneficial to the eyes
- Also used, pendulum-style, to heal other parts of the body
- Some carry the stone in their pocket, on person to experience healing properties
- Appears to contain delicate vegetation
- Considered a link between mineral and plant kingdoms
- Thought to enable owner to have better understanding of both
- Ancient peoples believed keeping pebbles of it in mouth would allay thirst
- Also believed to have particular powers for helping rain when plants in need
- Used in certain ceremonies to invite rain
- 4.6.1.5.2 Plant Kingdom: Yarrow
- A beautiful, useful, versatile plant; very prolific
- Can be found in almost any exposed area, city or country
- Has a strong scent and sharp, astringent taste
- Leaves finely divided making it look almost like a fuzzy fern on a stem
- Up to 3' tall by summer; its white flowers bloom most of the summer
- Flowers on top of stalk in small, numerous heads in flat-topped arrangement
- Flowers can measure up to a foot across
- Achillea millefolium, named in European tradition
- After Achilles, of Greek history, credited with discovery of medicinal values
- Thought that it is likely that Native Americans knew values of plant earlier
- Wabeno-wusk to the Ojibwa, herb of the dawn or herb of the East Wind
- Whole plant can be used medicinally
- Native peoples used as tonic for those run-down or had digestive problems
- Yarrow will keep up one's strength while cleansing blood
- Opening pores to allow elimination of toxins through skin
- Soothes mucous membranes
- Qualities useful for treating colds, flu and related diseases
- Taken at first sign of a cold, can sometimes rid one of it within 24 hours
- Will also work as a diuretic, if needed; no effect, if not
- Achilles said juice put in the eye will relieve redness
- Orient peoples use stalks of yarrow when they cast their I Ching
- 4.6.1.5.3 Animal Kingdom: Deer
- Sensitive, graceful, and alert creature who brings beauty and joy to all who see
- Three main species in US: mule deer, white-tailed deer, and black-tailed deer
- Each tends to inhabit a separate area
- Mule deer in all western states and Canada
- White-tailed deer mainly in East; some transplants in California, Northwest
- Blacktail live in Cascades and Sierra Nevada, prefer forested areas
- Differences in sizes, habitats; tend all to range 2-4' tall, 50-400 pounds
- White-tail usually smallest, mule deer usually largest
- White-tail named for its tail with white on underside
- blacktail has a black tail; mule deer has large ears resembling those of a mule
- Deer have a bleating voice, sometimes resembling that of a sheep
- Snort when excited, squeal under attack or in pain
- Sometimes a special bleat to call fawns
- Black-tailed and white-tailed deer move in a series of graceful bounds
- Mule deer has a kind of stiff-legged jump
- Basic body color
- White-tailed and mule deer is reddish brown in summer; becomes gray in winter
- Black-tailed are dark brown or dark gray, with white underparts
- Fawns of all are spotted when born, as camouflage for first 6-8 weeks
- Fawns born without a scent, affords further protection
- Bucks have antlers, lose every year and regrow
- Said that they lose them to keep them weak while fawns still young
- Lose antlers in January or February; regrow full set by mating season, late fall
- While antlers regrow, are in soft, velvet stage
- Bucks must be careful; soft antlers full of blood, very delicate
- Growth process saps some of their physical vitality
- Live in herds or small groups with others of same sex, except during mating season
- During this time bucks very single-minded in activities
- Unlike other members of deer family, don't try to attract a harem
- Bound from doe to doe, depending on interest of the females
- Bucks, once great friends at early part of year, now meet in combat
- Combat usually not fatal unless horns get locked and bucks starve
- After mating, elder doe leads herd; births in spring
- One fawn, twins, or even triplets; multiple births often cause overpopulation
- In lean winters, leaves, shoots, buds, roots and grass are scare
- Many deer die of starvation
- Predators: cougar, coyote, dog, bear, bobcat, forest fire, human, automobile
- Estimated that over 400,000 deer killed annual on highways and other roads
- Deer people are sensitive, graceful, fast-moving, alert
- By nature intuitive
- Able to listen, even with only one ear, and still understand conversation
- Usually so graceful as to bring own feelings into conversation
- Without giving a feeling of interruption
- Will sense when interrupting too much, will stop and listen
- Attempt to give feeling that you haven't been given their best attention
- Need beauty around them; like to be surrounded by beautiful scenery, homes
- And by people that they sense are beautiful on some if not all levels
- Doesn't mean only physically beautiful
- Intuition, sensitivity to know inner beauty as well as outer
- Often bring joy to those who know them; they want to do this for others
- Realize that joy is necessary in order to appreciate beauty of world
- Clever, resourceful and creative; make beautiful things from simple materials
- Both on physical and emotional levels
- Often artists in some medium, or musicians
- Brings real sense of fulfillment to their souls
- Sometimes manifested uniquely: culinary works of art
- Perfect herbal tinctures, magnificently conceived theories
- Rather than oil paintings or watercolors
- Medium doesn't matter as long as they can create, result is beauty
- Emotionally able to draw beauty out of those around them
- By true concern, sensitivity and cleverness
- Really see beauty in others, always try to find ways to reflect this back
- Make wide range of sounds, usually voice themselves in enthusiastic way
- This enthusiasm is contagious:
- When a Deer person starts laughing, everyone else is in stitches
- Because like so many people so much, often find difficulty to settle with one
- So many people they find truly attractive, almost impossible to chose one
- True of both men and women, more pronounced in male
- Enjoy being with those of their own gender, share special qualities in common
- 4.6.1.5.4 Colors: White and Green
- White is the translucent white of formlessness, of space where anything is possible
- It is the white of a child coming into the world in perfect purity & innocence
- As this white contains within itself all of the other colors
- Deer people tend to contain myriad possibilities in themselves
- Green is the green of nature, of healing and restoring
- However, it can turn into a color of self-righteousness
- Of a person who wants his own opinions always to prevail
- 4.6.1.5.5 Moon: Cornplanting Moon
- The last moon of spring when things have settled into their patterns of growth
- Brings stability; imparts some of the wisdom of Wabun, Spirit Keeper of the East
- At this time, seeds are in the ground, have germinated
- Begun to take on proper shape or form
- Wabun's gift of illumination comes to Deer people most easily when
- They have learned what their proper shape and form are
- 4.6.2.5.6 Elemental Clan: Butterfly Clan
- Clan membership increases tendency to jump quickly from one thing to another
- All Butterfly people tend to spend a lot of time fluttering through the air
- Examine one thing after another, never really quite ready to settle into any
- Most Deer people find it easy to get along with most people
- Particularly compatible with Raven and Otter people, Butterfly clan relations
- Also with Red Hawk and Sturgeon people, of the Thunderbird clan
- Complement is the other of the Thunderbird clan, Elk people
Vision: Roy Wilson ~ | ~
Sun Bear ~ | ~ Grey Wolf
Introduction: Page One
~ | ~ Page Two ~ | ~ Page Three
~ | ~ Page Four ~ | ~ Page Five ~ | ~
~ | ~ Sacred Altar
~ | ~ East ~ | ~ South
~ | ~ West ~ | ~ North ~ | ~
Inner Circle:
Owl ~ | ~ Cougar
~ | ~ Hawk ~ | ~ Coyote
~ | ~ Wolf ~ | ~ Bear
~ | ~ Raven ~ | ~
Outer Circle:
Snow Goose ~ | ~ Otter
~ | ~ Cougar ~ | ~ Hawk
~ | ~ Beaver ~ | ~ Deer ~ | ~
~ | ~ Flicker ~ | ~ Sturgeon
~ | ~ Bear ~ | ~ Raven
~ | ~ Snake ~ | ~ Elk
~ | ~ Blue ~ | ~
