Many years ago there was a great winter that settled across our peaceful land known as Turtle Island. The winter claimed many lives and lasted for a very long time. Many generations were torn from their homes and ended up attending the now infamous residential schools. These schools were like prisons where children were separated from their families and upon leaving the schools they were treated as outcasts by the rest of society. They became second class citizens in their own land. Many of them died from alcoholism, drug addictions, violence, and despair. They left this world in misery and isolation. Today their children are stuck in a revolving door leading to prisons, gangs, and ghetto jungles called the "hood".

The Medicine Wheel Program was designed to deal with these dysfunctional behaviours while introducing balance and harmony to participants who want to learn about the tradtional teachings of Turtle Island. The program is divided into a number of levels or modules that are synonymous with going back to school. The introductory level starts off in a classroom environment where students learn about the basic teachings of the Medicine Wheel from an instructor. They are introduced to the smudging ceremony which is an integral part of our program and by the end of the week they are ready to facilitate their own Medicine Wheel presentations; this is a very fun filled and informative module.

The second level is a five day session where participants learn about traditional life skills and age grade teachings. They are conditioned to sit on the ground or the floor in a ceremony and are taught about protocols inside the sacred circle. There are up to eighty years of teachings at this level. The students learn about the four stages of life and the rites of passage associated with each stage.

The third level is another five day training session spent in ceremonial teachings. Graduates from the two previous levels learn more about traditional teachings that help prepare them for their "vision quest" or fasting ceremony. They learn about male and female roles, taking on a partner, parenting skills and knowing how and when to access ceremony. In this module participants learn how to put out offerings and pick medicines in preparation for the fourth level. By now the participants have learned how to move forward while living a life of balance and harmony.

This program has sparked a lot of interest in the Aboriginal communities. We have been delivering Medicine Wheel presentations since 1998 and have completed sessions in several major cities, as well as remote fly-in communites across Canada. We have also visited places like Whitehorse in the Yukon, Towaoc, Colorado, and Shiprock, New Mexico. We can tailor a training session to suit your needs, so if you are interested in hosting one of our sessions we would like to hear from you.