Institute of Shamanic Wisdom, Inc.

07/23/2025

New Moon in Leo

The new moon in Leo is on Thursday, July 24, 2025 in the northern hemisphere and it peaks at 3:11 p.m. ET. New Moons are portals to new beginnings. They can also remind us of what our soul came here to achieve. This new moon is your chance to reconnect with the part of you that knows how to shine because it just feels good to let your heart lead. After all the hard work you’ve done this year (and especially this month), you deserve to pause and remember the joy of it all. This moon is like a warm summer spotlight inviting you to play, to dream, and to show up in your business and life with a little more sparkle and a lot more heart.

Leo energy wants you to be bold and real. It wants you to speak your desires out loud and not hold back your affection or creativity. It’s the kind of energy that says, “If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it in a way that feels good and lights me up.” And when you move from that place and when you let yourself love what you’re creating and let others see your joy, that’s when magic happens.

When you’re working with Leo energy, ask yourself:
* Where am I holding back my light?
* Where am I hiding when I could be sharing?
* What would feel joyful and bold and creatively true for me right now?

Here’s the beauty of Leo season and the new moon in Leo: this energy doesn’t demand performance, it invites play. It doesn’t expect you to be instantly confident, it just wants you to try something small that reminds you of your light. A color you love. A sentence you’re proud of. A story from your heart. A reel you make for fun. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about warming back up to the part of you that wants to be seen.

This new moon is a gentle opening to plant a seed for visibility, joy, and self-love but in a way that feels doable for your nervous system.

07/21/2025

07/10/2025

Happy Thunder Full Moon in Capricorn. Also known as the Full Buck Moon.

The full moon is such a good time to clear, release, and reset. And when that full moon is in Capricorn, the clearing often has to do with the pressure we put on ourselves such as, the inner critic, the pushing, the high expectations, the weight we carry from trying to do it all or hold it all together.

If you're feeling any of that or tightness in your chest, tension in your shoulders, or just that constant low-grade feeling of not doing enough, spend a few moments this evening creating sacred space and pulling your energy back into yourself.

Use this full Moon to amplify your inner power by gathering all of your creative energy around you.

Explore the idea that you might put your creative energy into others if you have a desire for them to be different or change.

Or...

You might put your creative energy into the future if you find yourself saying..."I will do it tomorrow."

Or

You might hold your creative current in the past if you...
Spend a lot of time regretting past decisions or experiences.

This full Moon in particular has an energy that can help you gather your creative energy within and around you to propel you in your desired direction.

The How...
As you move in the day and sleep tonight, invite and imagine some part of you in a higher realm gathering your creative fabric around you like a cloak that can protect, inspire, and guide you. I will be wrapping myself up with a beautiful shawl, lighting some candles, and allowing Grandmother Moon to guide me. I'm sure to create a crystal grid too!!

Here is are some journal prompts for you: Write as a river...
* How are you a river?
* How do you flow?
* What are your embankments?
* What do you carry along the moving river of your life?
* Who lives within you?

The Capricorn full moon is a beautiful time to lay down the burdens you were never meant to carry. You’re allowed to feel ease. You’re allowed to feel supported. Let the moon hold you while you let go and call in your creativity groove! This Full Moon can help you find your groove, motivation, inner confidence, and power.

06/21/2025

Long ago, before the names of months were written down, the people watched the sky to tell time. They didn’t need calendars—just the language of the stars, the shape of the moon, and the way the sun moved across the sky.

One morning, an old man named Mînamêw woke before the birds. The air was thick with dew, and the silence was so deep, it felt like even the trees were holding their breath.

He stepped out of his lodge and looked east. The sky was already painted with that golden hush—the one that comes only once a year.

He called out to his grandchildren, “Come now. Hurry. The sun is going to stand still today.”

The little ones laughed. “Nôhkom said the sun always moves!”

But Mînamêw only smiled. “Today, it slows down. Not to rest, but to remind us.”

So they walked—Mînamêw with his cane carved from lightning-struck birch, the children with bare feet skipping over cool moss and wet stone.

They climbed a hill the old man had climbed many times before. But this time, when they reached the top, he didn’t speak. He just waited.

And as the sun crested the horizon, something strange happened.

It didn’t rush up like usual. It rose slowly—stretching its arms across the sky, lighting every tree, every insect wing, every drop of river mist with a glow that felt ancient.

The children grew quiet. Even the wind sat down beside them.

After a while, one of them whispered, “Is the sun really standing still?”

Mînamêw nodded. “Just for a moment. Long enough for the earth to catch her breath. Long enough for us to remember.”

“Remember what?”

He looked at them with eyes full of sunrise. “That we belong to something much older than worry. Much bigger than fear. That even light must pause to listen.”

And in that stillness, they heard it.

The flutter of wings.
The far-off echo of a loon.
The heartbeat of the land, steady and true.

That night, they returned home different. Not because the sun had changed—but because they had.

Ever since then, when the summer solstice returns, the people say the sun is watching.

Watching who still remembers.
Watching who still listens.
Watching who still carries the fire.

—Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network

06/20/2025

Summer Solstice Musings

As we arrive at the longest day of the year, I want to offer more than just another seasonal reflection. This is a spiritual checkpoint, a solar portal, and a call to elevate.

The shift from spring into summer is more than wardrobe changes and travel plans. It’s cosmic. It’s archetypal. At this turning point, the light peaks, and with it comes a flood of awareness, sensitivity, and exposure.

What does this shift means astrologically, psychologically, and spiritually? The Solstice opens a three-month window: Cancer → Leo → Virgo: each season offering unique lessons and challenges. These aren't just zodiac signs; they’re spiritual archetypes encoded with questions, tasks, and initiations. Understanding how to navigate them helps us maximize the season instead of being swept away by it.

Despite what we often hear, summer is not the easiest season—it’s actually one of the most challenging. With so much light, we begin to see things we usually overlook. There's an emotional and spiritual sunburn that happens if we’re not grounded, if we’re not aware.

If you’re someone who wants to use the energy of the season to grow, expand, and move closer to your spiritual goals, then read on.

It’s not about perfection, it’s about presence, and knowing that how you show up today is shaping your tomorrow.

On this Summer Solstice day (or evening), I invite you to work with your own potent energy, envisioning it at its peak. It is often the case, as Marianne Williamson says…

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.

What power is within you that is so strong, so full of possibilities, so filled with the ability to change that it frightens you to imagine wielding that power or manifesting in your life?
* What is that power, talent, ability, vision, inclination, dream?
* How would you be different if you leaned into that power and acted on it?
* What would radically change in your life, relationships, innerworld?
* What would need to end, change, or be released if you stepped into your power?

I always do an oracle spread at the quarters and cross quarters of the year. This spread is an invitation to stand in your own light. Inspired by The Sun card in the RiderWaite-Smith tarot, it’s a gentle yet powerful layout to explore clarity, joy, confidence, and the parts of us that are ready to be seen. It’s especially resonant at the solstices, when the sun’s journey is at a peak or a turning point— and during the Leo season, when solar energy asks us to show up fully, courageously, and with warmth.

Whether the light feels expansive or confronting, this spread helps you meet it with intention. It’s a way to check in with your inner child, your creative fire, and your personal truth—and to ask: Where am I ready to shine?

Use it when you feel out of alignment with your joy, when you’re seeking clarity, or when you’re simply ready to honor the solar life-force moving through you.

1. The Current situation. Draw a card to represent the current situation pr problem that you want some sunlight to shine upon.
2. The Child - the Inner Cause. Who is the inner cause of this current situation? Usually this is something hidden in the dark/unconscious.
3. The Banner - the Outer Cause. What is the outer cause of this current situation? Usually this is something that you are consciously trying to do/achieve, or something that you already know about the issue.
4. The Steed - Moving Forward. What is carrying you forward in this situation? Be mindful of whether this something that you want to be propelling you.
5. The Sun - Spiritual Guidance. Let the light of the Sun show you a way in which the problem can be resolved.

06/17/2025

“The Firewing Spirit”

Long ago, when the skies still listened and the rivers still sang, the Great Eagle soared above the world, his wings painted with the symbols of the Sky Ancestors. His name was Tahu-Waná, meaning Flame of the Wind.

Tahu-Waná was unlike any other bird of the air. His feathers carried the fire of the sun and the whispers of the stars. Wherever he flew, the clouds parted, and the winds followed. The red markings on his wings told the sacred story of balance—between earth and sky, between spirit and flesh.

The people of the high plains revered him as the Messenger of the Divine. When storms threatened, they watched the skies. If Tahu-Waná circled above the mountains, they knew the winds would turn in their favor. If he vanished, they would prepare for hardship.

One season, darkness grew—an unnatural silence that crept through the forests. Crops withered. Water vanished. And the dreams of the elders were filled with smoke and shadow.

It was then that Tahu-Waná returned, his wings blazing with light. He flew across the villages, leaving trails of wind and glowing embers. The people gathered and followed him, believing he would lead them to an answer.

He guided them to a forgotten place—the Circle of Flames—where the First Fire was once given to humankind. There, he descended in a burst of wind and light, his wings spreading like a sunrise.

With his beak, he struck the earth, and fire rose—not to burn, but to warm. It danced in the air like a living spirit. The elders called it “The Rekindling.” The balance was returning.

Tahu-Waná rose again, higher than ever before, his cry echoing through every mountain and river. From that day forward, whenever fire was lit for ceremony or healing, the people looked to the sky—not just for light, but for guidance.

And to this day, when an eagle flies across a red sun, the people whisper, “The Firewing Spirit watches still.”
Please message me with the image you’re referring to, and I’ll gladly send you the poster link!

06/11/2025

“Wíyaŋȟpayá Aŋpétu – The Strawberry Moon Rises”

Tonight, Grandmother Moon rises full, and we know her this month as the Strawberry Moon – a time of sweetness, renewal, and offering.

In many Indigenous traditions, this moon marks the season when the wild strawberries ripen – one of the first fruits to return to us after a long winter. Among our Lakota people, this time is a reminder of relationship: strawberries are heart medicine, shaped like the heart itself, and they teach us to live and speak from that sacred place within.

This is a moon of forgiveness, of reconnecting, of remembering the sweetness of life even in seasons of sorrow. The strawberry is a symbol of healing – a gift we were never meant to keep for ourselves but to share with others. The first harvest was traditionally offered back to the earth or shared with elders, children, and those in mourning.

Hanwí, our Grandmother Moon, watches over these teachings and stirs something ancient in us. She reflects the fullness of what we carry and asks: what are you ready to release, and what are you ready to receive?

Tonight, we gather in her light, we give thanks for the fruits of the earth, and we remember that healing doesn’t always come loud or fast – sometimes it comes sweet and quiet, like a berry in your palm.

Mitákuye Owás’iŋ – For all our relatives.

🌕🍓🌿

-Megan L Bull Bear

06/03/2025

The Guardian of the Sacred Lands

In the heart of the ancient forests and wide-open plains lived a mighty elephant named Masi, known among the tribes as the Guardian of the Sacred Lands. Masi was no ordinary elephant — his skin was marked with sacred symbols, and his presence radiated the wisdom of the ancestors and the power of the earth itself.

Legend tells that Masi carried the spirit of the earth within him. His steps healed the soil and made the rivers flow with life. The vibrant patterns that adorned his body represented the balance of the natural world — the cycles of seasons, the harmony of creatures, and the eternal dance between the sun and the moon.

The tribes believed that whenever Masi appeared, it was a sign that the land was in need of protection and respect. They would gather to honor the elephant, seeking his guidance in times of trouble and his strength when faced with challenges.

One year, the land was threatened by storms and wildfires that disrupted the harmony of nature. The people turned to Masi for help. As he moved through the forests, his calm and powerful presence brought peace. The rivers replenished, and the animals returned to their homes. Masi’s spirit reminded everyone that true strength comes from unity — between people, nature, and the spirits of the land.

To this day, the image of Masi inspires the tribes to live in balance with the earth, honoring the sacred cycle of life and protecting the land for future generations.
Please message me with the image you’re referring to, and I’ll gladly send you the poster link!

04/21/2025

Reiki Healing Circle this Friday evening.... open to everyone wishing for some gentle, sweet healing energy.