Medicine Wheel: Earth Astrology (Paperback)

by Sun Bear (Author), Wabun Wind (Author) "The moon, or month, during which you were born determines your starting place on the Medicine Wheel and your beginning totem in the mineral, plant..." (more)
Key Phrases: elemental clan, mineral totem, plant totem, Medicine Wheel, Great Spirit, Earth Mother (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Medicine Story Out of a secure traditional wisdom that once maintained the harmony of Creation in this land, Sun Bear and Wabun bring a needed message to the children of a confused and disintegrating civilization. It is a message of balance, of self-reliance, of attunement with the spirits of the natural world -- skills well nigh lost to our overspecialized, pre-packaged, left-brained education. This is more than just another system of personality classification and analysis, it is a compendium of fascinating information about various animals, minerals and plants, including their characteristics, their healing and spiritual qualities, as well as the uses made of them by the native people of this continent. This is a new vision, a vision for our times. -- Review

Review
"Sun Bear is a proud example for the generations to come....I am proud that I have lived at the same time as this great, warm, loving and caring person."

-- Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross, M.D., author of On Death and Dying

"His medicine power is authentic and hard-won; his caring wisdom is real. Sun Bear is one of the quiet heroes of our time."

-- John White, author of Pole Shift

"[A] compendium of fascinating information about various animals, minerals and plants, including their characteristics, their healing and spiritual qualities....This is a new vision [for] our times."

-- Medicine Story, author of Return to Creation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Fireside; 1st Fireside Ed edition (April 22, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671764209
• ISBN-13: 978-0671764203
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,928 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #58 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Native American
  #70 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Shamanism
  #82 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Astrology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything that comes around goes around., June 15, 2004

By A Customer

I have only read one book by Sun Bear and was facinated by the fact that anyone, Native or not, could find peace by just doing something spiritual like this. I am a member of two Ojibway tribes, and yes, I did grow up on three different reservations in my life so I feel I can speak with confidence on this matter. I do not care if people agree or disagree with the Native religions because they are all different and it is not up to me,or anyone else, to tell you what is native or non-native so if you believe you can find happiness from reading "astrological" points of view from Sun Bear then buy the book because it is better to love and practice something than to practice nothing at all. I would also recommend traveling to a nearby "Rez" for an introduction to religion, and they don't have to be Chippewa like myself or Sun Bear, because I know the best spiritual advise cannot be found in books. To correct a few reviews and from an Anthropological view, the Chippewa, or Ojibway, were not buffalo chasers like the plains natives, but fisherman and farmers from Canada with a HEAVY influence from the French (hows that for a European astrology connection) so please correct your review Apacheman because we, the Chippewa, are woodland indians so how could you know if we kept a calender or not (especially the Apaches being a Mexico indian). Native religions do not hate like others do so please do not give us a bad name because I read your profile and it seems all your reviews were negative. And as far as two bears is concerned I would like to know who named you or what naming ceramony you attended because we all have two lives, the one everybody see's and the one we hide(naming yourself does not constitute an indian name).

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not traditional but interesting nonetheless., April 25, 2006

By	Jay Mottern - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book years ago (before Amazon.com even existed). I've met Sun Bear, Wabun and the whole Bear Tribe in person, when they were located near Spokane, WA. (I even met Medicine Story, one of the reviewers up there. Hi again!)

Several of the reviews take issue with the idea of an astrological-type system because there was no such thing among the native peoples of this continent. Well, Sun Bear himself said the same thing. The ideas in this book weren't meant to represent traditional Chippewa or Native American beliefs. They're a completely new idea, given to Sun Bear in a vision that he had.

Other reviewers mention that you are not locked in to particular personality traits due to the time of your birth, but that anyone can change. Sun Bear covered that as well. First, this system is just symbolism to try to give people some insight into how they are. It's not a hard-and-fast type of thing. It's more like Rosarch ink blots- just a tool to help you learn about yourself. Second, he says in the book that people often move around on the medicine wheel as they go through life, sharing traits with and seeing from the perspective of the various different totems.

As a self-analysis or self-help book I recommend Medicine Wheel. It's well worth a read.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different approach to astrology, May 23, 2001

By	A reader (Litchfield Co., CT) - See all my reviews

I first read this book in 1988 and got it out again today as I recommended it to someone. Am glad to see that it is still in print.

Astrology based on moon at time of birth is a different idea, but in my case being a brown bear really is on target. I liked all of the information on minerals and plants, too.

I've read several of Sun Bear's books and find them thought provoking.