Spring Time
The East of the Medicine Wheel

By Laureen Rama
-Published in Soul Healing Email Update April 2000

Many people have asked me to share the words and intentions I use to call in the spirits of the directions when I am creating sacred space. In this article I'll share what the East direction represents for me. Last update I wrote about the North. Future articles will cover the other directions.

I learned to call in the directions to create sacred space primarily from my shamanic teacher Armand Huet DeGrenier. He based the qualities he called in for each direction on the wheel of the day and the wheel of the seasons and I've followed suit. I learned more about the directions from William Sturner, a creativity and management consultant. Although many traditions also use similar qualities when calling in the spirits, what follows is what has come to me personally.

Each time I call in the spirits, some new or different quality may be called in as appropriate to the situation. This is important as whenever I call in the spirits, I am asking for their help with a specific purpose (eg. to aid in healing someone, to aid the group's learning, to guide me in certain decisions).

I usually perform the ritual of calling in the directions by standing and facing each direction. Although I begin with clear intentions in my mind, I am silent but for my rattle, which I shake vigorously. It feels like energies are then pouring through my body into the room. As I am a highly physical person, this works best for me. Others may talk or sing or dance as they do this. The rattle is used because it wakes up energies and calls us to pay attention. When the energy stops flowing through me, I know the appropriate energies of that direction are with us and I turn to face the next direction I'll call in.

I begin by facing the East and rattling sharply four times to signify a beginning. I then visualize a blue shield of light around the building or space I'm in that acts as a filter, allowing only helpful energies or spirits in. I also call on my spirit power animal to circle the building and keep anyone away who would intrude on the space.

I then call on the qualities, energies, and spirits of the East, as I feel them, to be with us to aid us for the purpose of this sacred work, which I name in my mind. I put the yearning of my heart and soul into this intention, truly calling for help.

I call on the energies of rising sun, of springtime, and the excitement of new beginnings to be with us. For me, the East as springtime represents the time of planting new seeds, the coming up of new shoots. We need to prepare the soil well and plant the seeds carefully for them to grow well or at all. Right timing ensures the shoots aren't killed by frost or aren't too late to come to harvest. We need to protect and tenderly care for these shoots so that they will grow into sturdy plants. And we may need to thin them out so there are not too many shoots competing for limited space and nutrients. Without thinning and weeding early on, these shoots will not grow strong and healthy.

The seeding metaphor reminds me that we won't renew and stay lively if we don't have areas of spring and seeding in our lives, but without care and attention and focus, we are simply scattering our life energy purposelessly - these seeds won't some to fruition.

From the East, I also call on air energies, the ability to rise above and see from a broader perspective, to easily shift perspective, the eagle's view. This ability to be objective and see the bigger picture and the higher story can keep us focused as we develop our seedling projects to fruition and harvest.

I call on the ability to have clear vision and purpose to carry us and our projects through the complete cycle of the directions, to not forget our intentions. This is the kind of clear vision we can have at the beginning before the chaos of implementation of projects. It is the ability to remember the end, the intention, and keep that as a touchstone through all the decisions and actions that must be taken to bring a project through a complete cycle.

The East brings us the clarity we can have at dawn of the possibilities for the day unfolding. East reminds me to take the time at the beginning of every day and at every new beginning to clarify my intentions and experientially imagine my vision for that day or project (eg. visualize it) so that I will focus my attention towards that vision. This will allow me to keep tending the seedling aspects of my life.

Enjoy the season and tending to whatever is springing anew in your life!

Laureen Rama is available to lead retreats and workshops for private groups. She also teaches advanced shamanic healing techniques and offers shamanic healings in person or by distance.

Laureen can be reached at info@soulrestore.com or 1-403-851-1198.