Day 560 Monday, September 27, 2021

Calling in the Seven Directions.

We ask the Great Spirit to gather all these energies and bless us with all of them.

A Reflection From Steve Lyman

Given at our Emmaus Celebration on September 26th, 2021.

About 12 years ago, out in the Funeral Mountains of Death Valley, while I was on my

3-day solo during Vision Quest, I had an experience of an endless community of ancestors surrounding me from my peripheral left all around behind me to my peripheral right. They had my back. There was real Native American quality to this experience. I ask you now to imagine your ancestors surrounding all of us as we call in the seven directions.

Calling in the Seven Directions:

1. Let’s turn facing the East:

If you cannot physically do this, then imagine facing each direction in your imagination.

The East is the direction of the rising sun. The color is gold. The time of the year is Springtime. The time of new life, Easter time. The time of the day is dawn, early morning. The time in the lifecycle is that of the infant. The archetype is the Lover. The animals of the east are the raptors, the Eagles the Hawks. Those that soar high in the sky, those with lofty Spirit. They have great vision and in a split second can focus on their target with pinpoint precision.

Let us call in the energies of the East to propel us through this day and into the upcoming week.

Oh Great Spirit of the East, I face you to understand birth and new beginnings. I look to you bringing forth a new day and am reminded that life is about birth – of babies, puppies, new seasons, new ways of doing things. Teach me the mysteries of

Beginnings.

2. Now let us turn to our right and face the South:

The direction of the South is the time of Summer when the sun is overhead, high noon. The color is red. This is the time of full production of fruits and vegetables. This is when strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes become plump and juicy. The time in the lifecycle is childhood, moving into adolescence. The archetype is the Warrior.

The animals of the south are the vulnerable field mouse and the coyote (the trickster). Let us call in the energies of the South to carry us through this day and into the upcoming week.

Oh, Great Spirit of the South, I look to you to understand abundance, fertility, warmth, and the extravagance and colors of creation. Come to my mind and feet and lead me into the adventures of the South.

3. Now turn a quarter turn to the West.

The time of the year is Autumn, the time we are in now. The time of day is sunset. The sun is going down below the horizon. The color is black. The time in the life-cycle is the young adult. The archetype is the magician, or the teacher.

The animals of the West include the owls, the bears, and the snakes, hibernating animals. Animals that live down in the earth or come out at night in the darkness. This is the direction in which we go down into the quiet darkness of our psyches and do our deep soul work. This is the direction opposite of the East. Balance along this unconscious axis gives us grounding so we don’t get too lofty with our soaring spirit of the East.

Let us call in the energies of the West to support us through this day and throughout our upcoming week.

Oh Spirit of the West, I turn to you to understand dying. As the sun goes down each day, I am reminded of many deaths: friends, generations, the seasons, and old ways of doing things. Let the sunset remind me that, like the sun, I too shall arise in a new life and color.

4. Now let us turn toward the North.

The time of year is Winter, when the snow blankets much of the Earth. The color is white. The time of day is nighttime, when darkness has taken hold over the light of day. The archetype is the King or Queen. The one integrating the other three archetypes on the wheel, Lover, Warrior, and Teacher. The animals of the North are the bison and the caribou, the large migratory animals of the plains.

This is the direction of the wise Elder, Grandfather and Grandmother energy. Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather energy. This is the home of the sage, the wise example and model for the whole community.

Let us call in the energies of the North to lead us through this day and into the upcoming week.

Oh Strong, Powerful North, I face you to remember that life sometimes comes to us in cold and harshness. Not only do the days grow cold, but others may turn cold toward us. Give me the strength of the Buffalo, that I may stand in blizzards with my face toward the North, without being blown down or overwhelmed.

5. Now let us look up to Father Sky.

the color is blue. Let us look to all the celestial bodies, the planets, stars, and galaxies, and other universes. Let us ask the energies of Father Sky to be with us throughout our day and into the coming week.

Oh Great Spirit of all that is Up, all that soars, all that floats or flies above us, all that comes to us from on high to enlighten us, I cherish this direction. Give me visions, and let my mind walk among the stars and moon, and in the daylight of the sun. Oh, sweet power of Up, lift me high to my Father, the Sky.

6. Now let us bend a knee and touch Mother Earth.

The color is green. This is our loyal and beautiful mother who gives us solid ground to stand. We ask that she bless us with all her energies so we may remain kind and compassionate and nurturing like her, today and during our coming week.

Oh Great Spirit of all that is Down, I thank you for my Mother, the Earth. I ask to be humble, to be simple, to never consider myself above all my relatives in creation. And may I walk with such respect upon the earth, that when it is time for me to go to her, she may receive me sweetly to her heart.

7. Now imagine we are standing in the Sacred Circle facing each other.

Imagine a ray of white light radiating from your heart chakra across the circle to the one opposite you. Now allow that beam to connect to the heart on your right and to the one on your left. Let the light connect everyone in the Circle. Now imagine the light traveling out behind you to the larger community. To the local community, to the nation, to the entire world community, uniting everyone on this beautiful planet with loving, white light.

Oh Wondrous Direction of In, I put my hand on my heart to remind me of the mysteries, the unknowns that lie within me. Teach me to guard the simpler beauties. To walk closely within the circle of my God in my heart. Let me share only with those who can be loyal to my secrets.

We ask the Great Spirit to gather all these energies and bless us with all of them.

Amen.