4th MOON OF VALUE

On the Medicine Wheel, there are 13 Moons. Today, the Full Moon, September 5, 2009, brings us to the 4th Moon of Value.

The Moons speak of our Inner Children, the first 13 years of life when we are developing our emotional bodies or what the Westerners call the ego.

To us, the Ego is not something to get rid of, it is something to bring into balance and maturity, so we can be functional adults. We need our ego or Moons, our Inner Children, to be healthy and happy and wise.

In today's world, as adults we all have what we call broken moons, which can stem from neglect or abuse in childhood. We may find ourselves acting out our broken moons, being out of control of our emotions and letting them dictate our words and actions. It is our job to become the parents to these inner children when they take control of us. It is a scary thing to have adults acting out their moons. This causes misunderstandings and conflicts that can erupt and do severe damage to ourselves and others.

For example, when you are triggered by something someone says or does, and react emotionally, it can stem from a broken moon. The Medicine Wheel teaches us to become conscious of where we are coming from, which stone we are standing on, and to work to bring it into balance.

With the Moon of Value, the universe will bring us lessons to test us on what or who we value in our lives. What do we give our time and energy to? Do we spend most of our day complaining or being grateful? Do we focus on problems or solutions? Why do we spend our time doing what we do? If our Moon of Value, (also known as the Moon of Protection) is broken, we won't defend ourselves against attack. We will let others take what is rightfully ours. Or we will try to take what is not ours. It can go both ways and usually does. When you intend to do harm to others, to inflict pain, you are coming from a broken 4th Moon.

The ultimate question for this Moon is - what are we willing to give our life to?
Note that I said life, not death, or to die for, but sometimes that is the case, as in Christ for example, who died for speaking Truth.

If we give time and energy to negative thoughts and experiences, we are giving them value. Let us give ourselves to CREATION, healthy thoughts and actions, and healthy relationships.

If we go through our day haphazardly, skimming through on remote, and not being present to each moment, then we are probably not valuing the lives we are living. Maybe we need to change our lives or change our attitudes.

To value something or someone is to protect them. Our western world has made money the ultimate sign of success. If we protected our children and elders or ourselves as much as we protect money, it would be a much better world.


I value the path I am on, my teachers and community. I value the people in my life that support and encourage me to be who I am and walk this path with humility and authenticity. I value the abundance and wisdom left to me by my parents, the values of hard work and humility that they modeled for me.

I am committed to the Medicine Wheel because I value the wisdom and guidance it has shown me and continues to show me. I value and protect the teachings because they have given my something I looked for all my life. They made sense to me when nothing else could. It is my calling to teach and learn the Medicine Wheel and to protect these teachings. I do that by honoring them, living by them to the best of my ability every day.


What do you value on a daily basis? What do you dedicate your life to? What do you cherish and protect above all else? We have this month to look at this theme and bring consciousness to it.



P.S.

The small boy is a four year old that came to me while I was in the Dominican Republic last spring. He spoke to me even though we talked different languages, as if I should understand anyways. And on some level, I did. We shared food and an exchange that touched me deeply. I could see that he was fully present and wanted to connect. I valued that moment, that beautiful innocent shild and I cherish the memory of that experience.

Wheelkeeper