Earth medicine, p.28
Earth Medicine, page 28
The Wheel or Web was not regarded as a ring or band which contained these categories in a restrictive way. Form and formlessness, matter and spirit, birth and death, mortality and immortality, time and eternity – all were within this Circle which was itself spiralling out in all directions and in all dimensions. In was in a state of constant motion, but not like a piece of machinery which goes round and round in a repetitive movement. It was a slice of a spiral. One revolution of the spiral brought us back facing the same direction in which we started, but not to the same place because we had moved on and upwards.
In Nature, the Wheel of the Year ‘turns’ as it is affected by the Sun, which governs the seasons and the days, and by the Moon by which the months and the weeks were once marked. In other words, the Sun and Moon are vital components in the technology of time, which is the dimension we’re now in.
The Sun and Moon were also regarded among ancient peoples as representative of the duality of the masculine and feminine principles inherent in Nature, and of the active and passive, conceptual and receptive forces that permeate it.
The Moon, in its feminine aspect, was often represented as presenting the four faces of a woman. The Waxing Moon was represented as the face of a young maiden, the Full Moon that of a mother, the Waning Moon that of a grandmother, and the Dark unseen Moon that of an old woman. Each indicated the way energies were being reflected in the world of form on Earth. The Dark ‘face’ of the Moon was seen as the potential that was hidden and waiting to come into expression, the Waxing Moon as that which was developing and coming into maturity, the Full Moon as the fully developed and mature, the Waning Moon as the giving out and sharing of that which had been nurtured and developed, and back again to the Dark Moon and a period of resting and renewal and absorption before the cycle begins again.
As light from the Moon was seen as being reflected in this cyclical way, so similarly the characteristics of each personality ‘mask’ were observed to find expression and to develop in four ways, though each was not separate but merged or flowed into the others.
Although the Moon’s energies acted on the Earth and on ourselves, the Earth Influences were characterized by the Sun and Earth as well as the Moon. It was not the Moon that was said to govern these influences and responses. The Moon was an indicator of the manner of their movement and of their unfolding. The Moon indicated the way these Earth influences were operating.
For instance, the Waxing Moon was seen as a beautiful maiden absorbed in her own attractiveness and drawing things towards her and so was indicative of the developing personality.
The Full Moon was seen as the young mother devoted to her offspring and product of her involvement, and therefore symbolic of the developed and mature personality.
The Waning Moon was represented as the grandmother concerned with the well-being of an entire family community and recognizing the responsibility of giving and sharing what has been learned from the experience of development. It symbolized the extrovert personality.
The Dark face of the Moon, as an old woman, is the least understood and often ignored or even excluded from some Western esoteric teachings. It was both at the ‘end’ and at the ‘beginning’ of a cycle and indicated a turning inward, an absorption of what had gone before, and a nurturing of the potential of what was yet to become. In indicated the introverted personality. It was symbolic of a concentration of essentials and the banishing of worldly cares.
Broadly speaking, the qualities and characteristics of each personality category and each Earth influence unfold like the petals of a flower. The developing personality is like a bud which grips the qualities tightly to itself and is concerned with how everything is affecting it personally, but which is gradually learning to open up. The developed personality is one that has brought the qualities to full expression. The extroverted personality is one that has developed a more holistic attitude and has learned not only to balance individual needs with those of others, but is outgoing in the desire to share. The introverted personality is one that is expressing characteristics with a more spiritual emphasis and with regard to the well-being of the greater whole.
As a general guide, here is a brief summary of the four aspects of each birth totem:
Falcons 21 MARCH – 19 ARIL
The developing Falcon will be full of grandiose schemes, but may lack the staying power to see them through.
The developed Falcon will be generous and good-natured and influence others by example.
The extroverted Falcon is likely to be involved in actions that are mutually beneficial but has a tendency to squander opportunities.
Introverted Falcons will be self-centred and emphasize the need for self-gratification. They are likely to put their own needs first and foremost.
Beavers 20 APRIL – 20 MAY
Developing Beavers are constructive, but cautious and conventional. They work hard at preparing things for completion.
Developed Beavers are practical and productive, and generous and understanding towards those who share their affections. They have a strong sense of loyalty, and a courage and composure that makes them good companions to have around, especially in times of crisis or danger.
Extroverted Beavers are warm and hospitable, but mentally conservative. They want to rest on their laurels and may resist change. They can be rather apathetic and lethargic.
Introverted Beavers can be obstinate and inflexible. They are mercenary in all things, and seek material reward for everything they do.
Deer 21 MAY – 20 JUNE
Developing Deer are adaptable and enjoy variety and plenty of activity. Their sense of curiosity urges them to explore ideas, situations and relationships, but they will generally flee from those which may threaten to tie them down.
Developed Deer are cheerful, intelligent, versatile and clear-thinking.
Extroverted Deer are candid and friendly and enjoy exchanging opinions. They are, however, likely to dissipate their energies in directions that are unlikely to be productive and beneficial.
Introverted Deer are inconsiderate and often lazy. They are easily bored and fickle, susceptible to every influence that comes their way. They tend to lack real purpose.
Woodpeckers 21 JUNE – 21 JULY
The developing Woodpecker, though protective and defensive, is usually affable and kindly, and has a ready sympathy towards the needs of others.
The developed Woodpecker is full of good intentions and the tendency is to want to keep things together. Developed Woodpeckers are persistent and resourceful.
Extroverted Woodpeckers tend to swing between the extremes of being kindly and considerate on the one hand, and harsh and even bitter on the other.
Introverted Woodpeckers are self-protecting and hypersensitive. They can be unyielding and unforgiving, and affected by fears and anxieties, most of which are imaginary.
Salmon 22 JULY – 21 AUGUST
Developing Salmon are virile and versatile and full of go-getting drive, but they need constant praise and encouragement in order to achieve.
The developed Salmon exudes and inspires confidence. Their cheerfulness and warm-hearted generosity make them good to have around.
Extroverted Salmon are extravagant and egotistical and easily depressed when things don’t go as they want.
Introverted Salmon can be erratic and impulsive and work themselves into a fury which can be quite destructive.
Brown Bears 22 AUGUST – 21 SEPTEMBER
Developing Brown Bears are helpful but unassuming, and compassionate without sentimentality.
Developed Brown Bears are compassionate and understanding with an ability to see things from all angles.
Extroverted Brown Bears are unselfish and reliable and give strength to others.
Introverted Brown Bears are fussy and critical and see only the flaws of a situation.
Crows 22 SEPTEMBER – 22 OCTOBER
Developing Crows are more self-assertive and have a capacity for leadership. They have a gregarious manner.
Developed Crows are psychologically well-balanced and have few inhibitions. They have a strong sense of impartiality and inspire confidence in those they are with.
Extroverted Crows will so almost anything to please. Socially, they are good mixers and great conversationalists, and will fall in with the mood of whatever company they’re in.
Introverted Crows are often superficial, indolent and dependent on others.
Snakes 23 OCTOBER – 22 NOVEMBER
Developing Snakes are enterprising and energetic, but impatient. They are not content with half measures, and although intense are prone to make sudden and unexpected changes.
Developed Snakes are benevolent, deeply philosophical, and absorbed with the mysteries of life. They are passionate about their beliefs and put themselves wholeheartedly into their actions.
Extroverted Snakes will go out of their way to help others. In their relationships and associations they often bring out the abilities of others.
Introverted Snakes are secretive and aloof. They can be scheming and manipulative. They have an argumentative disposition.
Owls 23 NOVEMBER – 21 DECEMBER
Developing Owls are adventurous and constantly on the look-out for opportunities to improve the quality of their lives, but they do have a tendency to be easily side-tracked.
Developed Owls have a strong sense of justice and an urge to champion individual freedom of expression and action. They have a capacity to balance their idealism with practicality.
Extroverted Owls can be rather Utopian and extreme in their ideals and rather dogmatic about their beliefs and aspirations. They are prone to be carried away into fanaticism.
Introverted Owls might be described as essentially moralistic humanists. They tend to set themselves very high standards.
Goose 22 DECEMBER – 19 JANUARY
Developing Goose people are self-sacrificing in their determination to achieve their ambitions, and possess and degree of endurance that enables them to accept hardship willingly to attain their goal.
Developed Goose has the capacity to lead others, and is usually well-organized, clear-sighted, and very determined.
Extroverted Goose is pragmatic and has an ability to accept seemingly adverse situations and to turn them into advantages for themselves and others with whom they are associated.
Introverted Goose people tend to be pessimistic and rather severe in their approach. They are likely to be narrow-minded in their outlook and difficult to live with.
Otters 20 JANUARY – 18 FEBUARY
Developing Otters, though gregarious and sociable, are not so readily carried away by their enthusiasms. They have a greater capacity for understanding.
Developed Otters strive after humanitarian ideals and social justice. They have a strong sense of fairness.
Extroverted Otters have deep-rooted convictions and a reforming zeal that is directed to the service of others. They have a selfless devotion to what they believe in.
Introverted Otters are likely to be resentful of any form of restriction or limitation, and rebellious of authority of any kind. They have a strong concept of freedom, but are likely to be very self-centred.
Wolves 19 FEBUARY – 20 MARCH
Developing Wolves are idealistic and philanthropic with strong spiritual aspirations.
Developed Wolves are gentle, kindly, and compassionate. They have a capacity to demonstrate love by their very actions and lifestyle. They are creative and innovative.
Extroverted Wolves are emotionally sensitive and impressionable. They are self-sacrificing and likely to absorb the suffering of others into themselves, and this makes them vulnerable.
Introverted Wolves have a tendency to want to retreat from the situation they are in after a time and in this way rebuild their strength. They have a strong ability to understand others but are themselves often not understood.
Determining which phase you are in and observing which stage of unfoldment others are at, provides you with a clearer insight into the human condition and a deeper understanding of personality and behaviour.
3.4
The Personality Modes
ACCORDING TO THE ELEMENTAL TECHNOLOGY OF THE ANCIENTS, yang, the masculine principle which is evident throughout all Nature, operates through Fire and Air, as the activator and mover of energy, while yin, the feminine principle, works through elemental Water and Earth, as the shaper and solidifier of energy.
The gender of the birth totem – that is, whether it is principally yin or yang – is an indication of the way energies are being expressed through the personality.
Bear in mind that ‘masculine’ yang is in no way superior to ‘feminine’ yin, or vice versa. Yang does not dominate yin, nor does yin control yang. Both have equality of being. Creation cannot exist without one or the other. They are opposites but they are not ‘opposed’ to one another in the sense of being in conflict. They balance one another. Each complements and completes the other. It is through their fusion that new life comes into existence.
Gender alternates through the birth ‘months’ in order that balance and harmony may be maintained and expressed. The intention of each individual expression through the twelve categories of personality can, perhaps, be summarized in a word, which I shall call the keyword of the birth totem in order to emphasize the intention of the yin or yang expression. (See following table.)
According to ancient elemental technology, the yang and yin principles operate through the elemental clans to provide another indication of how the Earth influences function through the human personality. These Earth influences act in a way similar to the tides of the Moon; it is not that they are the tides of the Moon, but rather that the study of the operation of the tides of the Moon enables us to comprehend more easily the action and nature of the Earth influences in their operation.
If we regard the four phases of the Moon as modes, or methods of working, and keep in mind what we have already learned from the four ‘faces’ of the Moon, we should readily comprehend this deeper aspect of how the qualities and characteristics of the energies ‘work’.
Let us, then, consider the Moon in its four modes:
THE WAXING MODE
The Waxing Moon is where the energies are fast-flowing. This mode is connected with making things work, with effort and enterprise. Its stress is on facing facts and with overcoming obstacles and difficulties through endeavour.
THE FULL MOON MODE
The Full Moon mode has to do with culmination, with the climaxing of ideas and efforts, of bringing things to fruition.
THE WANING MODE
The Waning Moon mode is an outgoing of energies. It is a letting go of what is no longer required. It is connected with the service of others and with the resolution of situations.
THE DARK MOON MODE
The Dark Moon mode is the withdrawal of energy. It is the mode of contemplation of what has been performed and consideration of potentialities. It is connected with exploring possibilities.
We can now look at the elemental clans and the birth totems (personality categories) that comprise them, and through our understanding of the Elements of the yang and yin concept, arrive at the principal function of each clan grouping. We can then go on to see the part each personality category has to play within that grouping. (See table here).
Within this structure, functions will be expressed in one of four modes similar to the four ‘faces’ or phases of the Moon. The Waxing Moon (the Maiden) is indicative of the ones within a clan who are the initiators and creators, the Full Moon (the Mother) is indicative of the ones who are the consolidators and secure and complete things, the Waning Moon (the Grandmother) is indicative of the ones who are the changers and who modify and make perfect. The Dark Moon (Old Woman) is indicative of people of each clan who reflect and express the energies negatively, and whom we might call the Negators. Individuals will express their many qualities in all of the above ways at the same time. No one, for instance, is all negative.
This is a cyclic or circular pattern. It can be approached at the Dark Moon aspect first indicating a negative clearing away to prepare for the work of practical construction and of modification with the purpose of making perfect.
Let me emphasize once again that the Moon is not itself the source of these characteristics, only an indicator of the ebb and flow of their energies. Similarly, the twelve birth totems and personality groupings and Earth influences, together with their modes and phases, are linked to solar dates, but this is not to imply that the Sun is their source. The Sun is a powerful influence on them and they relate to it as the main energy source although the solar energy is modified and conditioned by the Earth and the totems.
The relationship between the Moon’s phases, the elemental clans and the birth totems is shown in the table overleaf.
But just as each section is affected by the tides of the Moon however they occur in it, and Nature works with these tides, so we too, as personalities, can learn to work with the tides that are ‘conditioning’ us.
The duration of these tides in Nature varies, however. The Dark of the Moon is only four days, the Waxing Moon covers a period of eleven days, the Full Moon is for only three days, and the Waning Moon lasts eleven days.
You can tune yourself in to the actual Moon phases and discover how they are affecting you personally by observing what is happening both around you and within you during each phase.
Keep a record. Most page-a-day diaries give the dates of the New Moon and Full Moon for the year ahead, and some give the dates, too, of each phase of the Moon. Such a diary can be used as a spiritual notebook. But even an exercise book will do for recording situations which arise at the time of the New Moon and Full Moon in particular, and your reactions to them.
