Spirit Wheel: Meditations from an Indigenous Elder

I stand in the midst of creation's wheel And watch in wonder the quiet majesty of its turning. We are in the care of a love without limit or definition Under the protection of a love that never looks away.When the Spirit speaks to him in his daily prayers, Choctaw elder and spiritual explorer Steven Charleston takes a pen and writes down the messages. He then shares these thoughts with thousands on social media. In these musings, Charleston taps into the universal questions that draw us to prayer, no matter our spiritual background: Why am I here? Where do I belong? Where am I going?This stunning collection of more than two hundred meditations introduces us to the Spirit Wheel and the four directions that ground Native spirituality: tradition, kinship, vision, and balance. The life we inhabit together has been called many things by Indigenous people: the Spirit Wheel, the hoop of the nations, the great circle of existence, the medicine wheel. We are all on that ever-turning wheel, Charleston says--all of creation, people and animals, rocks and trees, the whole universe. Together we can turn toward the wisdom of our ancestors, kinship with all of Mother Earth's creatures, the vision of the Spirit, and mindful balance of life. We are all searching for belonging and a vision of the world that makes sense. We can meet those longings as we ponder the blessings of Spirit Wheel, in the breathtaking moments when insight becomes an invitation to wonder.
From Choctaw elder Steven Charleston comes this new collection of more than two hundred prayerful meditations on the Spirit Wheel, the mystery that dwells behind and within creation. Charleston guides readers through the four hallmarks of Native spirituality - tradition, kinship, vision, and balance - to find the Spirit who loves without exception.
"From Choctaw elder Steven Charleston, author of the beloved Ladder to the Light, comes this stunning collection of short meditations on the four directions. Charleston's reflections on the four hallmarks of Native spirituality--tradition, kinship, vision, and balance--radiate the profound and poetic wisdom that readers have come to love. When the Spirit speaks to him in his daily prayers, Charleston takes a pen and writes down the messages. Now, in the pages of Spirit Wheel, find more than two hundred poem-like blessings that turn our attention to beauty, mystery, common sense, and how to live with compassion and hope and justice in hard times. The Spirit Wheel is the life we inhabit together. Charleston's Choctaw ancestors called it the medicine wheel,the hoop of the nations, the great circle of existence. We are all on that ever-turning wheel, he says--all of creation, people and animals, rocks and trees, the whole universe. Together we can turn toward the wisdom of our ancestors, kinship with all ofMother Earth's creatures, the vision of the Spirit, and mindful balance of life. This compilation can be used for daily meditation or as a gift. Find in these pages a wisdom as ancient as creation and as young as tomorrow. Find the wheel of history and help to hold it steady. Find the Spirit who loves without exception, is the source of all good medicine, and watches over every soul beneath the stars we share"--