Golanv Circle
Wednesday Works

Intermediate Practicum
Four Sacred Plant Allies

While we know the Medicine Wheel and Sacred Circle symbolize life and a holistically balanced way of living and healing, we also recognize it as a powerful teaching tool consisting of many layers of Wisdom and Knowledge.

Given to many as small children, this Knowledge is symbolic of the circle of our life where there is no beginning and no end. EVER.  It is divided into four equal sections and most Practitioners walk in a clockwise direction following the path of the rising and setting of the sun. But there are plenty of others who do not. It can be they are called differently. It could be that the topographical area they live in dictates. Or any reason, any Practitioner sees fit for their personal practices.

When looking at the Wheel, we see an abundance of the number “4”. Four is indicative of a logical and rational number that brings a sense of security and consistency to its surroundings. It can be one’s life path, personality, soul, or karmic number.  Whever you find the number 4, it means there is something to learn about hard work, discipline, patience, order, and stability.  Sounds like “life”, huh?

Looking closer we see:
Four Directions: East, North, West, South

Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Four Corners of Our Land: Yellow, Black, Red, White. Or, Red, Blue, Black, White.

Four Elements: Fire, Air, Water, Earth

Four Plants: Tobacco, Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass

Four Stages of Life: Baby.Child, Teen, Adult, Elder, Or, Birth, Life, Death, Rest.

Four is there.  To find the inner peace derived from the Lessons of Life as represented by 4, we are wise to recognize the true balance and a deeper level of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self-awareness.  Peace will be there. Today, we will look at the Four Sacred Plants of North American Indigenous Medicine and Magick.

TOBACCO

EAST

Tobacco is considered a sacred medicine. The smoke is believed to be the pathway to the Spirit World. It is also used as an offering of thanks, or showing gratitude, when requesting something from nature, an Elder or Knowledge Keeper that you may be learning from. Sacred herbs are powerful. Tobacco can be healing or harmful depending on how it is used.

OTHER NAMES
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus Nicotiana of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of the plant.

USES

When used in a sacred way, it can promote good health and assist with spiritual guidance, gratitude and growth. Sacred tobacco is sometimes NOT the actual tobacco plant but a blend of plants such as kinnikinick and the bark of the red osier dogwood. (Holy Wood on some Paths.) Commercial tobacco is very harmful and is laced with thousands of harmful chemicals. Finding an organic source may be a better fit.  Many Indigenous Elders believe that any use of tobacco that occurs outside of ceremony with the plant in it’s natural form is an insult to Creator/Creatrix.

SWEET GRASS

NORTH

Because it represents the three – mind, body and Spirit, it can be called on for several directions. DO WHAT YOU ARE CALLED TO.

OTHER NAMES
Hierochloe odorata or Anthoxanthum nitens (commonly known as sweet grass)  Bison Grass, Holy Grass, Manna Grass, Mary’s Grass, Vanilla Grass. It is an aromatic herb native to northern Eurasia and North America.  Sweetgrass is also called the Hair of Mother Earth by many indigenous and it is considered a gift from Her. After the grass is harvested, it is carefully braided; the three sections representing mind, body, and spirit. 
USES
When smudging with sweetgrass, the smoke from that burning sweetgrass prepares us for prayer, or Sacred Space.  Some believe this is because the scent is found to be pleasing to the Creator/Creatrix.

CEDAR

WEST

Cedar is nature’s purifier and boasts a distinctly resinous fragrance, similar to myrrh, or frankincense . Leaves are cleaned from the stems and separated into small pieces to be used in a variety of ways (teas, bathing and ceremony). It represents grounding, maturity, purification and balance.


OTHER NAMES
Cedrus, with the common English name cedar, is a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae (subfamily Abietoideae).

USES
Some Indigenous Elders suggest walking with cedar in your shoes to walk in a good way down your path. When a person has experienced trauma, a cedar bath was given for comfort. Healing of the body by adding cedar from the branches is powerful. Cedar is also used as a tea by simmering branches, twigs, stems, and is used to treat fevers, chest colds, and flu. The cedar is known for its longevity and resistance to decay as well.

SAGE

SOUTH

Sage is found abundantly in dry areas of North America and has an herbal, spicy scent. It is used in ceremony for smudging as a means to CLEANSE all nonbeneficial energies, especially negativity, from ourselves and our spaces.

OTHER NAMES
Salvia officinalis has numerous common names. Some of the best-known are Sage, Common Sage.  Other names include:  Broadleaf Sage, Culinary Sage, Dalmatian Sage, Garden Sage, Golden Sage, Kitchen Sage, and True Sage just to name a few.
USES
Ancestors used different varieties of sage for both Magickal and Medicinal purposes. For example, a gargle with a strong tea made with fresh or dried sage can be used to soothe throat infections, dental abscesses or infected gums. Sage also helps balance estrogen production, making it a good tea for female who may be experiencing unwanted symptoms from peri-menopause and menopause.

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