Spirit Animals and the Wheel of Life: Earth-Centered Practices for Daily Living

Many people have lost touch with what brings peace and harmony to their lives. They are also concerned with what's being done to individuals, animals, and the Earth itself in the name of technology. They're looking for help with spiritual development and finding their own centers. Hal Zina Bennett offers practical help in Spirit Animals and the Wheel of Life, his twenty-third book. In it he continues to explore how we can incorporate universal love in our daily lives. He has chosen the wheel because it has no beginning or end and thus "teaches us how to work with the limits of human knowing and how to find peace with our apparent human differences." Bennett believes that people are searching for ways to become closer to Earth, and finding the solutions in ancient practices, such as shamanism. He describes "nature-based spiritual practices" that emphasize the connection between Earth and all its inhabitants. Some of these practices involve looking at characteristics of certain animals and using them as models for our own behavior. He says, however, that animals are not just symbols. They are living creatures. We learn from observing them in their natural environments. Since not everyone can do this, Bennett describes the powers of the seven primary animals with the most to teach us. These are correlated with the seven chakras, for those who find it easier to think in those terms. He provides complete instructions for setting up and using an "ecospiritual wheel," which helps to establish rituals for learning from animals. Bennett says that he "offers Spirit Animals and the Wheel of Life as a way to begin reclaiming your own ecospiritual connection with our planet--not just as a philosophy but as a practical spirituality and a way of mapping your own path back to the center." Readers will find that he has provided the knowledge and guidance they need to make their own sacred connections.

I have read numerous books on the Native American Medicine Wheel, seeking to understand this Old Way of relating to the Earth and all upon it.This book gives excellent information as well as clear instruction on that subject.