Ancestors: our predecessors and our own past lives and are present within us in our genes. The cells of our bodies contain �echoes� of our personal, family, national and racial past and have an influence on the way we presently perceive reality.
Archetype: A universal symbol of an energy pattern that indicates how certain forces or influences are operating. An Archetype is presented usually in human or animal form.
Aura: A cocoon-like fibrous energy field in which a life form is immersed.
Awareness: Being alert to what goes on outside of yourself. Awareness is not consciousness. You are conscious of yourself but aware of others. You can extend your awareness.
Balance: A state of steadiness and equilibrium. An equal and harmonious relationship.
Belief System: A religion or philosophy of not knowing, which rests upon faith in the word or authority of another.
Buffalo: A natural symbol of the universe to the North American Indian because the buffalo represented the totality of all that was manifested; it provided food and material for clothing, shelter, utensils, tools and weapons.
Centered: A state of calm receptivity and equilibrium in which the attention is no longer directed to meet the expectations other people have about you. It is a condition of being you.
Chakra: A Sanskrit word meaning �wheel� or �disk�. A Chakra is a wheel-like spiraling vortex or power center located within the human aural cocoon, which acts as a gateway between different levels or planes, and receives, assimilates and distribute subtle energies that are pulled into it.
Chaos: An unorganized state where random laws condition existence. A condition of untransformed power where energy moves freely and without direction in a disorderly way.
Earth Medicine: A system of personality profiling, of self discovery and personal empowerment based upon medicine wheel principles and determined by the time of the year of one�s birth.
Earthing: Acts as an off switch from non-ordinary reality and ensures that one is fully grounded.
Intuition: An inner seeing and hearing.
Karma: Life lessons revealed by one�s destiny. Law of action and change in which repetitive conditions and circumstances indicate areas of life that are not working harmoniously and which need to be put right in order for the individual to evolve spiritually.
Mana/Prana: A life energy that is taken in with the breath and is vital for the functioning of the subtle bodies of which the physical being is composed.
Mandala: A universal circular symbol which, as well as being an expression of the wholeness contained within the totality of life, is a symbol of the Self and the Source.
Medicine Way: An adaptation of medicine teachings and medicine wheel principles for modern-day use.
Medicine Man/Woman: A person empowered to bring knowledge and healing.
Medicine Wheel: A symbolic device for obtaining knowledge, especially about oneself, and of making connections at different levels of reality.
Shaman: A person who understands that there is life in everything, which has direct personal experience of realms of non-ordinary reality and is able to function within them. A shaman is primarily a �harmonizer�, one who �heals� at all levels � physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual � and in a particular way.
Shamanism: The practice of the principles and techniques of shamans which involve working with the powers of Nature that exist both inside and outside the individual self as both manifest forms and unmanifest potentials. Shamanism is a way of learning by direct personal experience. Its methods transcend the intellect since they form part of the ancient Science of the Spirit.
Sitting Place: Your birthplace on the Medicine Wheel or Earth Medicine Web. The direction from which you perceive reality in accordance with the time of year at your birth.
Smudging: The use of smoke to clear away negative vibrations and to attract beneficial energies to oneself and others.
Totem: A symbolic sensor that serves as a link between different levels of existence, serving as an aid to comprehending non-physical powers and formative forces. Sine a totem expresses the qualities of a living entity it is easier to relate to and is more effective as a learning aid than a geometric symbol.
Yang: The masculine, active, positive, conceptual principle in all that manifests. Represented in some ancient cultures as the God-power behind Nature.
Yin: The feminine, passive, receptive, nurturing principle in all that manifests. Represented in some ancient cultures as the Goddess-power behind Nature.
