The Second Direction: The South

“Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.” ~ Theodore Roethke

Image credit: favim.com

In the Anishinabe tradition in which I have been instructed, the movement is clockwise, from the East around the Medicine Wheel to the South.  When we come to the South we stand at the place that holds our roots, that most complex and interwoven grounding of who we are, at the very deepest level.  It is also the seat of our Souls and home to our purest Hearts – from whence flows the blood of our parents and ancestors. It is truly the root of me.

Qualities, Aspects and Traditions

Deep down, at the bottom of the bottom of ourselves, we come to the South.  It is dark there and its COLOR is Black.  It is here, down at the Root of the Root of the Self, that we find the place of change and the most vigorous growth, for if we truly desire to transform ourselves, it must come from deep within.  Cosmetic, surface changes simply will not do.  Here too, we find the place of searching and learning, the eternal pursuits of youth.

The Animal Totems for the South are the Mouse and Prairie Dog, the Deer and Coyote.  The Mouse and Prairie Dog are in the South because they are so small yet, because of their diminutive size, they are low to the ground and see the world in the smallest of terms, reminding us that, indeed, “God is in the Details.”  The Deer is here in the South because of its well known gentleness.  Deer medicine teaches us to use the power of gentleness to touch the hearts and minds of any wounded beings, including ourselves, in our lives.  It is here, in the South, that we are most vulnerable, and where we are most open to the blessed lessons of Grace and the Wisdom of Silence.

The Element associated with the South is Water, and Color is Green.  It is home to the “Still Waters That Run Deep,” upon which the blessed Quan Yin stands, pouring out her abundant waters of Loving Kindness and Compassion.

Spirit Guides – the Corn Maiden and the trickster, Kokopelli, who helps us to learn, even when we don’t want to.

The TIME OF LIFE related to the South is of the Young Adult, the Summer and the growth, from seed the budding flower.

Mineral – Rose Quartz

Lessons – Abundance, Trust, Love, and Self Love

Astrologically, the south is the Fourth House. It speaks of our human family and sense of security, our home, family matrix, our sense of security, early years and our old age. It is the beginning and ending of things.

So these are some of the attributes of the South, and as you know that YOU are the Wheel, so too do you know that they are elements within YOU.  Embrace them in your heart also, feel them within, and say:

I AM, WE ARE – THE SOUTH – NOW!

Then, step aside and allow the sheer force of you own Spiritual Gravity to bring it to you,
from without and within.

Aho!

Next: The West
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