Bear's Blog

Even more fun than visiting a medicine wheel, is building one! Chris Snell helped me build my first one in 2003. He had built many as large as 40’ wide on his family’s ranch (the Lazy EL) in Roscoe, Montana - but Chris has built medicine wheels in many environments, even a city backyard.

The McKay Method energy healing community has built three wheels over the years on a hill just east of Bozeman, Montana. They are smaller (approximately 10’ in diameter) but have a powerful energetic effect on the whole Gallatin Valley. Flagstone forms the base structure – an outer circle, four spirit paths and the inner circle. More active and vibrant crystals and semi-precious stones lay on top of the base stones to give each wheel its special intention, action and character.

The Peace, Love and Healing Wheel is comprised of pink and green stones, the color/vibration of the heart. Its site is quite spectacular, on a hillside with a wide view of the Gallatin Valley. The more time you spend in ceremony with a Wheel, the more you activate the intention. The centerpoint crystal, a huge smoky quartz generator, glows along with the ring of green chrysoprase surrounding it.
This first Wheel has been the site of many full moon gatherings and other group and personal meditations. That area is thick with Native American guides; many tribes camped together in peace while they traded with nearby Fort Ellis in the early 1900’s. Ann Sexton Bryan spent much time meditating with the Wheel in the process of putting together her School graduate project - a group trip to perform healing ceremonies in Africa.

We built two other Wheels nearby in 2009. The three wheels are in relationship on the hillside; following a path, one wheel leads to the next, but they are not in direct view of each other because of the contours of the land.

There is the Ancestor Wheel, made up of dinosaur bones and petrified wood; a good place to get in touch with relatives and beings long gone. It is encircled by a nest of branches -inspired by Nick Brady’s dream of being carried and lifted into a giant eagle’s nest! The “Mother Tree” of the hillside stands watch over this wheel, and this spot is shady and intimate.
 
The next wheel is the Jasper Wheel, made with all kinds of red and gold jasper, including a special granular jasper called wonder-stone or picture-stone that has rings of color. This Wheel is very grounding and deeply nourishing – I like to go up there and just lay in the middle of it, soaking up the earthy energy.
 
Wheels are a powerful manifestation of thought-forms that affect everything on a subtle energetic level, magnifying and broadcasting intention. I have even had a personal wheel with very specific stones laid out on a platter in my bedroom. So large or small, personal or shared, medicine wheels are a great way to work with stones to bring some good juju into your world!

Bear

One of many personal wheels I’ve made for myself -  
 
A McKay Method School of Energy Healing class at a wheel Sandee Mills (a Graduate) built in nearby Bear Canyon.