How a Shamanic Medicine Wheel Maps Life Transitions

2025 brought to me a very intense late-life reintegration and spiritual upleveling as I entered my mid-60s. Sometimes it has felt pretty harrowing with...

.....the arising of intense emotions and both positive and difficult memories from the past

....reexperiencing layers of grief from what has not yet been accomplished or reached (life partnership), past trauma, losses of loved ones and opportunities unexplored

...reevaluating shedding of an old trauma-based personal, professional and spiritual identity to make room for a new more empowered one. 

Indeed, it has been a truly radical shift that is still ongoing.

The reason why I share this is to demonstrate that even without entering into an intentional spiritual and transformational initiation such as ayahuasca ceremony or my Awakened Heart Shamanism program, we are hardwired biologically, psychologically and spiritually to change. The Wheel of Mother Life is not static; it is always in motion, just as the seasons move, our bodies age, and we pass through developmental stages in our psycho-spiritual growth. And over time, if we have had deep trauma and loss in the past, any unhealed layers will come to the surface for reconciliation and integration.

These transitional periods are actually good news because it means we have enough internal resources and strength to tolerate discomfort and take things to another level. 

Now, sometimes when we enter these passages, it feels disorienting, chaotic and difficult. Our old anchors and structures are shifting, and we don’t yet know where we will land. In shamanic practice, we can partner with these natural pathways of transformation so we can ride the wave with more confidence, courage and empowerment.

This is the heart of initiation into spiritual maturity. I use the map of the Great Medicine Wheel of the New Earth as a psycho-spiritual map. The South and West Lodges teach us that we cannot avoid loss, betrayal, illness and death. In the South, we are defined by the stories of our past—how the template was set from early childhood to experience separation from our inborn sense of connection to source. We tell the story as a way to begin to understand an unpack it.  In the West, these personal traumas are revealed to be an inheritance of ancestral wounds not healed. There are elements of self that are shadowed and are ready to be transformed into peace.

We then naturally move through ceremony to harness the soul’s greater purpose, wisdom and meaning in our particular wounding. Having integrated this and shifted our identity, we then move to freedom and release in the East. There, we align with Source, Spirit, God, by whatever name. Thus, we stand in sovereignty and authenticity, no longer unconsciously buffeted by the original loss and betrayal, but instead stand in radiant courage, fearlessness and compassion.

As we  this way, you are no longer simply subject to fate, but are harnessing destiny. God (East) and our Higher Self (North) are all about the destiny at the center of the soul’s reason for incarnation. When we recognize the interconnection on the Medicine Wheel between body/the physical, the psyche/ego consciousness, soul and spirit, we become collaborators in our life journey—no longer victims.

This is the central reason why we incarnated!

When you choose to step into conscious initiation, what naturally happens is that there is a reorganization of your inner and outer world. You may be experiencing intense emotions or the unraveling of the structures of your life--home, spirituality, relationships, work, vocation, and finances. This is intentional. It does not mean you have gone backwards. It does not mean you have failed. It means you are moving forward and up! 

You are becoming more abundant (South), empowered (West), integrated (North), and sovereign in Spirit/God (East). 

And, as the wise ones say, when living in this earth bound, linear space-time reality, things have to move through time as our bodies, our psyches adjust and recalibrate and adjust to the change, and the outer world in which we are ever and always interconnected with others on their own journeys align with the new self that emerges. 

This is all good, although at times, it may not feel so. Yes, change is often hard. But by stepping consciously on the Medicine Wheel working with the Lineages of Light, the Apus, Animal Allies, your Soul, and God/Spirit/Creator, you will ultimately harvest the fruits of the

abundant seeds you have planted. You can now also dance with freedom and trust on the Wheel of Mother Life. 

As I offer this to you, I hope it helps you be patient, kind and compassionate towards yourselves as you ride the roller coaster of initiation and integration into sovereignty and freedom. Be proud of your radiant life!  I am proud of you for your courage, commitment and heart! 

Click here to learn about Dr. Mann's Awakened Heart Shamanism Initiation Program.

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