Eight Great Powers

[Nynke Etk Fokma]

At times throughout history the magical mystery schools were forced to take their teachings and knowledge "underground" for safekeeping because they were being misused by others for personal power and domination or perverted by religious hierarchies.

It is only through ignorance that we surrender our freedom. These teachings, therefore, are dedicated to the preservation of individual autonomous freedom for all peoples to live and maintain life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, harmony, humor, health and hope.

Nynke: Life is a beautiful dream, isn't it? To unlock the secrets behind this wheel, walk in the 8 different Power shoes, or do something like the Seven Stepping Stones dance, or a Parts Party, or ...

It's all about healthy individuation!

[Nynke Etk Fokma]

Nordic wheels

Never in my life did I encounter a better description of the Nordic realms, The World Ash Tree, such that the Poetic Edda can be recognized/understood by everybody for what they are: choreographies of energy in stanza's to "spell" in/evocations during storytelling (both by rythm and symbolism used). The Poetic Edda is one of many, many such "spells" the "seidh" (knowledge-able men and women) created and used. Most "spells" apparently didn't make it into "spell books".

I can eeeaaaasily imagine ;-) creating such encodings for passing on that which is to be remembered down the generations, an art/craft that seems to get lost each time we learn to write.

Being able to read such spells properly does not mean one can pass it on. Learning proper use of voice and intonations and hand gestures while telling are important parts of the woven spells. Reading is not as effective as passing on (oral tradition).

I admire how the writer effectively sets context in the beginning of the page:

"When the ice of the last ice age began to melt, it revealed a barren and rugged land with flowing rivers, forests, and plains. New animal life, reindeer, hare, aurochs, wolves, bears, and foxes, migrated to the north. Those who hunted them on the tundra were able to retreat to their tribal homes in the lush valleys below. However, they could not retreat from the Frost Giants, the bitter storms that came down from the high mountains. Nor were they able to avoid the wild beasts that lurked in the forests or the strange sea monsters that wrecked their ships ..."

Wow! Great, great page. Not as good as my first time learning the realms from my grandmother (Eriksz, Eriksson), but hey, nobody can beat her!

[Nynke Etk Fokma]

Cherokee medicine wheel

The Medicine Wheel is representative of American Indian Spirituality. The Medicine Wheel symbolizes the individual journey we each must take to find our own path. Within the Medicine Wheel are The Four Cardinal Directions and the Four Sacred Colors. The Circle represents the Circle of Life and the Center of the Circle, the Eternal Fire. The Eagle, flying toward the East, is a symbol of strength, endurance and vision. East signifies the renewal of life and the rebirth of Cherokee unity.

The medicine wheel is sacred, the native people believe, because the Great Spirit caused everything in nature to be round. The Sun, Sky, Earth and Moon are round. Thus, man should look upon the Medicine Wheel (circle of life) as sacred. It is the symbol of the circle that marks the edge of the world and therefore, the Four Winds that travel there. It is also the symbol of the year. The Sky, the Night, and the Moon go in a circle above the Sky, therefore, the Circle is a symbol of these divisions of time. It is the symbol of all times throughout creation.

This page contains a Sacred Earth Medicine Wheel with Above and Below.

[Nynke Etk Fokma]

Buddhist Wheel of Life

This Wheel of Life (flash movie) illustrates in a popular way the essence of the Buddhist teachings, the Four Truths.

[Nynke Etk Fokma]

Dagara wheel

The Dagara tribe of West Central Africa successfully categorize their people into five different categories: fire, water, mineral, earth and nature. These are shown above on the African Wheel with the colors the Dagara normally associate with each type. Each of the five types of people play a very specific role. Every person born into this world comes from one of these categories in order to help fulfill the kind of function that that category of people is supposed to fulfill in order to keep the community together. More ...