Children who display a strong instinctual nature often experience significant suffering in early life. They are spotted early on as babies and are domesticated and told they are improper and wrong. If these qualities are left to develop as they were meant to, they would constitute the basis of their own creative nature, the soul food for their instinctual nature. Quite often early exile happens to children through no fault of their own, and is consolidated by misunderstanding, cruelty, and ignorance.

In many cultures there is an expectation that when the child is born that they will be a certain type of person, acting in a certain way that they will adapt to the parent’s set of values. These expectations are defined very narrowly when both parents have a desire for a ‘perfect, conforming child’. The parents hold a fantasy that whatever child they have it will be perfect and will reflect their own ways and beliefs. If the child is spirited, wildish, or rocks the boat, the parents will attempt some psychic surgery, trying to re-make and remodel the child and will try to change the way they think and who they are. The child’s soul may wish to speak, but they are pressured into silence. Pressure to be ‘adequate’ can drive the child away and cause it’s consciousness to go underground into the subconscious cellular memory, only to be expressed later in a negative and destructive way.

When a culture narrowly defines success or desirable perfection in anything; whether it be in looks, height, strength, economics, manliness, womanliness, or just good behaviour, the problems of the exiled are compounded into both inner or personal issues, and outer or cultural issues. The most well known mythological tale that is centred on the exiled one is ‘The Ugly Duckling’. The duckling of the story takes on board the beliefs of others, the negative images that are being reflected on to it, as the truth, therefore the duckling believes it is weak ugly and unacceptable and it is then banished from the duckling’s society.

Even when one is placed into circumstances of little nurture, one however strives to continue no matter what, for the instinctual endurance of the soul is one of our greatest strengths. In these circumstances one may survive, but will not thrive as Great Spirit intends. This strength has led you to this page, and will hopefully lead you to reclaim your instinctual spiritual self here at Medicine Wheel Lodge.

If you recognise yourself as one of the exiled, then this workshop of life called: ‘Living Your Bliss – Coming out of Exile’ could be just what your soul is seeking.

The realisation of your BLISS (Your True Being) comes only when you can live any passing moment of your life without being influenced by any FEARS, DESIRES, or SOCIAL DUTIES to live any particular way!
By: Sitting Owl
As adapted from a quote by: Joseph Campbell

At Medicine Wheel Lodge we run a workshop of life to heal these wounds. In the workshop of life called: ‘Living Your Bliss – Coming out of Exile’ we aim to assist the individual to reclaim their instinctual and spiritual identity using ceremony and ritual to affect the deep unconscious as well the conscious mind.

A reprogramming is achieved by working with the individual’s own inner mother and nurturer, and through deep connection to our Mother Earth and Father Sky. The maternal and paternal energies are brought in and these energies, which have always been there, are utilised. The individual finds that they can then release their physical parents with forgiveness and compassion. In connecting to nature, the participant’s inner most nature then reveals itself and the illusion is seen as just that, an illusion. Reality is altered and destructive messages are cleared to make way for their new reality to begin as they step into their innate power and begin living their bliss.

After this workshop of life you will hopefully have lifted the first veil on your discovery of who you really are and can then see with renewed clarity how the beliefs in the old lies had created your own reality. Life should then be filled with vitality and an oneness that you had never felt before, feeling blessed with this learning of compassion for yourself and all others.

This could be a real hero’s adventure. The journey could be arduous for some, but a new consciousness born. This workshop of life could be a journey of profound significance.

For further details go to Coming Events


Elder's Meditation

"We all form self-images and much of our behaviour is pretty well determined by how we feel about ourselves."
--Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Ph.D., PENOBSCOT

There is a cycle of building beliefs called the self talk cycle. Our self talk builds our self image and our self image determines our behaviour, our actions, and our self worth - how we feel about ourselves. If we want to change the way we feel about ourselves we need to change our self talk. We need to build ourselves up. We need to talk to ourselves in a kind, positive, uplifting, good way. We need to talk to ourselves about the good things that are happening and know that we are worthy and expect abundance.

Oh Great Spirit, today help me to know myself. Help me to see the joy, kindness, strength and beauty that I am.

Sitting Owl would like to add that: This meditation is a very important one for many people, and especially many women, to take to heart. It is indeed the self talk that creates our beliefs and ‘Reality is what we think it is’ (Hawaiian Shamanic Principle – IKE). But we must also see that all that beauty is Great Spirit and that we are just the humble messengers. Also those that think they are the greatest and come from some ego self image need to recognise their weaknesses and humble themselves, again knowing that any greatness is only coming from Great Spirit. It is all the unfoldment of the Great Mystery.

Living Your Bliss – Coming out of Exile is a workshop of life that we here at Medicine Wheel Lodge feel is necessary for those of us that were not fortunate enough to have had any Rites if Passage ceremonies to assist us with the natural transitions that all humans must grow through.

Recognition and non-acceptance of the toxic psychological conditioning and the detrimental effects that continue to impact throughout our daily lives as a result, are the only pre-requisites needed to undertake this workshop of life. A doorway is now created in which we can be transformed and enter another consciousness.

This workshop of life is for all those that are still holding hurts from childhood; those that have had a lack of nurturing from either of their parents; those who have a deep seated anger and feelings of inadequacy; and those with fear of failure. This workshop of life is for all those that have suffered great criticism, which has grossly affected their sense of self and want to move past it; those that have established co-dependency in relationships; those who are trying to fill the gaps from their empty childhood and are still suffering the trauma of separation over and over as a result; those that feel lost and have no sense of direction; and those that have lost their way and don’t know why they are here.

This workshop of life is for a mixture of men and women, and is open to all ages. It is designed to offer rites of passage transition and more. It not only incorporates the three stages of Separation, Transition and the Return, but it also uses Shamanic wisdom. We use Native American Indian philosophies, the Medicine Wheel, Rituals, and Meditations. We cover subjects such as uncovering personal values and visions, wounded inner child issues, honouring others for their roles, and forgiveness. This is all done in a safe environment with a loving family of brothers and sisters. We finish the workshop of life with a cleansing and purifying Inipi Ceremony, also known as a Sweat Lodge. In this ceremony we enter the womb of our Mother Earth, connect with Father Sky, the animal and the plant kingdom, and commune with Great Spirit.
Living your Bliss – Coming out of Exile is run in a natural bush setting and is designed to get you back into step with your natural, spiritual, and instinctive nature; to reconnect to Mother Earth and be nourished and sustained by Her.
The connection made will assist with the ability to release and forgive our physical parents or anyone that has caused us pain; and with compassion, acceptance, and gratitude you can move forward knowing all that is needed will be supplied. This workshop of life allows the individual to step into their new role feeling connected on all levels of existence; no longer carrying the burdens of the past, but instead living a renewed and radiant consciousness, which is in accord with their newly found synergetic participation with the Great Mystery.