Earth Medicine Readings
Most of my life, winter was … well … blah. And cold. And tiring. Spring and fall are my seasons; I feel much more energetic when it’s not so-damn-cold or so-damn-hot.
When my spiritual practice began to revolve around the seasons, though, everything changed; I found deep reverence and significance for each gorgeous turn of the wheel, and winter has completely captured my heart.
Earth Medicine
For me, winter is the time of earth medicine. One of my favorite things to do is gather stones, roots and bones, along with other meaningful trinkets and treasures, to make a unique divination set. These personal and intimate tools help me connect more clearly to my subconscious, allowing me to discover solutions to challenges that are significant to me. And I am going to show you how to make your own lovely set.
First, go outside (okay, stop right here… if you can’t go outside, no problem. The tools of your heart will be in your home. Okay, carry on) and look for anything that speaks to your heart. These pieces should be fairly small so you can handle them along with other small tools. Find as many as speak to you. This can be rocks, stones that are significant for you, cypress balls, pieces of amber, bones, small pieces of wood, feathers and lightweight cones (for decorating your space), etc.
Next, rummage around for a piece of cloth, a scarf, an altar cloth, etc., that can be used to house your medicine. *You may want some ribbon or thread or yarn to tie your bundle together after you have used it; this cloth will double as a foundation for your tools when you “throw” them for your reading.* It can be as simple or as ornate as you like.
When you have all of your goodies assembled, sit with each item and allow thoughts and impressions to come to you. Write them down. These will become your correspondences. You may have more than one correspondence for each item.
Here is an example of my correspondences:
Baltic amber: immunity, protection
Cypress ball: strength, shelter, potential,
Antler tip: awareness, stealth, nourishment
Yellow dock root: minerals, wellness, deep roots, detox, rooted
Smoky quartz: joint/tendon issues, pain relief
River rock: building blocks, softening edges, approachability
Seashell: tides, tears, Cayla (my dolphin friend), fluidity
Teeth: Speak up, bite into it, communication
Dragon’s blood: Power, protection, keeping under wraps
Clear quartz: energizing, movement, clearing, clarity, conduction
Notice that each of these correspondences could be something I feel I need in this moment. You may find that yours speak to you the same way.
The final piece of preparing for your readings is to set your scene.
The directions can hold specific significance. You can use the directions as a formula or you can create your own personal significance (or both). For example, East can represent intelligence, vision, knowledge, renewal, communication and/or flexibility. South can represent passion, power, creativity, intensity, destruction and/or integrity. West can represent emotions, surrender, release, grief, cleansing, relief and/or support. North can represent depth, strength, wisdom, stability, ruts (as in “stuck in a rut”), solid, decay and/or endings. Center can represent spirit, subconscious, the unseen and/or the nonphysical.
If your earth tools land off the cloth, that can hold significance for you.
I begin each reading by spreading out my cloth, setting my earth tools to the side and smudging my space; this brings me comfort. The heady aroma of the smudge, whether it is white sage, cedar, mugwort, rosemary or sweetgrass, puts my mind in “the space.” You know which space I mean. The “We’re getting ready to do some good soul work” space.
Then I take my earth tools in my hands, I ask my question *or if I don’t have a question, I allow my primary emotion to arise fully into my awareness*, I close my eyes and then I toss the pieces gently onto the cloth.
Here are some tips on getting impressions from your spread.
- Gently open your eyes, soften your gaze and notice any initial impressions. Does the scene look like anything in particular to you?
- Notice any significant patterns and/or shapes in the spread
- Interpret based on your directional representations
- Interpret based on your correspondences
Feel free to interpret your spread however you choose. Allow your intuition to guide you. Consider recording your impressions either via voice record or a journal; sometimes when I get in the zone, I don’t always have perfect recall after a reading. Okay, okay. I can’t remember chit.
You can get all formal with ceremony… begin by facing a specific direction…feel free to incorporate your own spiritual ceremony into this work and make it your own. I tend to face East out of habit more than anything, but I have been known to be a bit rebellious and face a different direction.
Supplement with a tarot deck or oracle of your choice if you want a more in-depth reading.
I am always thrilled to hear of your experiences. Leave me a message at the bottom of this blog post and your name will go into a drawing to win one of two awesome gifts: a free sampler package from Sacred Hoop Herbals and a beautiful silver and lapis lazuli bracelet from The Wummin House.
I love reading guides like this as I’m trying to find myself, thank you so much Dana! <3
I also have learned to base my spirit on the seasons and it is a wonderful thing. Enjoyed reading this and am going to go back and read it again this eve when all is quiet here. Thank you so much!
My first and most dear form of divining has been tarot, but the process of making my own personal tools for throwing has been really freeing. It kinda feels like I have a secret divination code that only I know 😉
Congratulations, Zola! You won some yummy goodness from Sacred Hoop Herbals!!!
This has inspired me to walk in the local woods. I never really thought about venturing out into them due to I live in an apartment. But I don’t think anyone would mind me nosing around in the vacant lots nearby. Thank you for sparking my get-up-go! Blessings, Dianne
Dana, until you said it, I had not realized how much my feelings about winter had changed due to my working around the wheel of season with my Spiral Spread. Now that I do not dread the season, I will look into creating a ritual to honor this new found “friendship”. Thank you for sharing–and the gentle nudge I needed to bring this awareness forward!
Congratulations, Kali!
You won a gorgeous silver and lapis bracelet from the Wummin House!
So excited for you! Such great stuff!
Loved this article!
Dana this is beautiful and I have all the items to do this. I am going to try it! Thanks for sharing it!
I’m so happy this got published on this site! *hugs* Winter is such a deep, transitional time for me to do a lot of ceremonial work, to surround myself with my crystal and gemstone friends, and all of my plant friends; it allows me to go deep into my roots and find out what needs to be nourished so it can grow and bloom for spring. Thank you for sharing this Dana!
Dana this was an awesome read. I have so many of these items already because I love just picking up trinkets from outside when the ground isn’t covered in snow and I can see it. As soon as I’m done unpacking I’m putting together a set. Awesome idea.
What a great idea! Very inspiring!
Such a simple and lovely way to connect with the Earth and my Self. I can feel my Soul trembling with excitement–down to my bones– at the thought of playing with my own Earth tools. <3
Thank you so much for sharing this post! I’ve never thought of doing a reading this way, but it really resonates with me, especially since I collect all kinds of stones, driftwood, gemstones, etc. This is a great way to put them to good use (instead of just looking at them and holding them once in a while.
I’m so glad this is being shared. Have my goodies. Just need to let them speak to me about their associations. <3
Thank you Dana for this wonderful offering and sharing your wise-wummin ways with us. Even in the tropics we feel a “type” of winter here, and I too am drawn deep into earth medicine. This blog post has given me some great ideas 🙂
Thank you so much for this sharing, I have been hoping for an article like this for quite awhile
This is so interesting….I’m always gathering to add to my alters.
Thank you for sharing….I will try this out!
I just had a dream last night in which I was told that I was to do Earth Medicine and I didn’t understand what that meant. And now I am reading your beautiful article on Earth Medicine. Okay Universe… I hear you!! Thank you, Dana, for this wonderful example!
I am in love with winter…cold, cozy, bare, dark. It really forces me to go within and I always have natures treasures on my altar. This article has helped me to take it all to a new level though! Blessings and thank you!
This is all so new to me… it’s hard to wrap my head around it all, but I look forward to learning more!
This is beautiful, sweet Dana! I’ve also never really “been” a winter person-but I’m learning that it is necessary for renewal…there is no creation without destruction, is there?
Thank you for gifting us with your insight-we are here to experience and experiment!
This is beautiful and inspiring to me during this cold, dark winter. Thank you for sharing, Dana. 🙂
Hello & Thank you for sharing this approach! I’ve never done anything. Like this & just I recently signed up for the sistersincelebration & found the link to this blog post…
I am excited to try this in each season – currently things are FROZEN, which could present very different findings than in the Spring! This was so detailed & again… Many thanks!
thanks for sharing this dana**loved recieving shared wisdom*..lovehugs gaila
Dana, I always thoroughly enjoy reading your uplifting and enchanting writings. Thank you for warming my day. I need more ceremony, and I am going to try this!
I agree with Zola. This technique has customized my expertise and I have to trust my intuitive impressions. With tarot I was second guessing myself a lot….
I love this way off divination. I have to trust my intuition. With tarot, I was always second guessing myself and referring to someone else’s interpretation.
I really enjoyed your blog .I think ceremony enhances our connection to all things snd find myself really learning the significance of the directions and seasons in my own life
Than k you for sharing
You had my interest from the first paragraph! This is definitely something I am going to read again, when I can focus a little better!
Wow this is right up my alley….I can so connect with this..need it a lot….thanks for posting 🙂
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this
excellent blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
I look forward to new updates and will share this website with
my Facebook group. Talk soon!