Living the Living Wheel*
The First Level of Engagement
An instruction to myself
The South - Dependence
The Place of the Healer
First
place this luminous cartogram
loosely on the landscape of your days and nights
spanning the three worlds
and with reverence for Serpent who dances here
bless the new green of the new green grass,
stripping, as you are stripped,
not so much of defenses
as of defensiveness
yes
this is the spring of newborn buds
and the layered dogwood's keen contrast
a time of near-perfection
(not for you a useful model, as it predicts only failure)
open and strong you strongly open to the
numbing tone of this elemental level:
deprivation grief and rage
a depth of sadness born of lack
and the incisive memory of more violent intrusions
this is the pain of early life:
a first lesson in the truth of imperfection
leave this direction only when you see plainly that
this pain does not define you
it simply defines the work of your life
The West - Rebellion
The Place of the Warrior
Electrostatic desert sand
here the atmosphere is sharp
delineated and dry
it demands attention
alertness
strengthened by your encounter with Serpent
and the forces of new growth
standing as Jaguar stands
in single-pointed focus
intentional and fierce
illuminating for you the meaning of
courage, calculation before action
and impeccability
the Awakened Warrior
stands as Protector of the Pachamama
and all her creatures
there is no last enemy until
Earth is free of Injustice:
Inequality, prejudice and racism
sexism, homophobia, and trans*phobia
until she is free of hunger and starvation physical and emotional violence
and war
until reverence for the Pachamama is fully restored
and we cease poisoning
her soil, her waters, and her air
Your challenge here is
to gaze directly into the eyes of Death
with equanimity
The North—Individuation
The Place of the Sage
Trans-temporal mountain air
an air of elevation
an invitation to untethered freedom—
the contrast is apparent—
South and West demand disciplined
engagement
confrontation even
here an attitude of receptivity is vital
you stand, not at attention, but attentive
standing as the self-contained Mountain Iris
bends to the mountain breeze
Hummingbird enters from a low-hanging cloud
shepherding the Ancestors
who walked here before us
the keepers of the wisdom traditions
the Ancestors sit in patient expectation
awaiting your manifesto
abashed, you realize that
this is the moment of separation
the moment of grief and fear
fear of letting go of
deference
and dependence on your teachers
not a renouncing of your teachers
but a relinquishing of the role of 'student'
claiming the authority of your new status
you may leave this direction when the
Ancestors approve of your manifesto and
when you are free
to stand shoulder to shoulder
and eye to eye with your teachers
The East-Constancy
The Place of the Visionary
Silence
a lone Condor sweeps a dark swath
across the winter whiteness
Condor's vision remains
open
yet
focused
you stand
fearlessly facing the future
grounded
yet ready for flight
if you are fortunate you will fly with Condor
if you are even more fortunate
you will become Condo
and see as condor see
in this way, you are empowered
to vision your destiny
you may leave this direction only when,
eschewing all hierarchical models
you stand in right relationship to Power
Joan Woodbridge, August 2015
*Based on the medicine wheel teachings of the Q'ero people of Peru
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem