Mineral Year ~ 2014

I've been reading numerous astrological blogs that share the stories of the sky and how planets are interacting, affecting our lives here on Earth. Numerology provides another layer of understanding to the picture being revealed and Chinese astrology invites us into the year of the Wood Horse. All of these perspectives offer layers of comprehension about how to live in balance here on Earth.

The cosmology of the Dagara people of Burkino Faso explains life through the five elements of Fire, Water, Earth, Mineral, and Nature. Depending on which year you were born, people carry the gifts of one of these elements. However it takes all of the elements to bring balance within and without.

This year, 2014, is a Mineral year according to the Dagara tradition. Mineral refers to communication and to the memories existing in our bones and the "bones" of Mother Earth. Mineral people are referred to as storytellers and communicators. In a traditional culture where the stories are memorized and shared orally, mineral people are equipped with the gifts of memory and communication and are skilled at working with crystals and energy healing. They carry all the stories; not just mythological stories but also genealogical stories and stories of creation. The druids and bards of Celtic tradition were required to spend years memorizing the history and poetry of their lineage. Elder shamans from the Native American, Hawaiian, and African indigenous cultures still hold the secret stories and memories of their ancient oral traditions. 

At a personal level, when we suppress painful stories from our life, they can result in illness and create imbalance within our physical bodies. The ability to remember a suppressed story, and the emotions connected to it, provides the opportunity to release it and allow transformation and healing. Mineral people can often help us in this process as we are guided gently through our memories to release them through energy healing and/or ritual. 

If your birth year ends in a 4 or a 9, you are a Mineral person in the Dagara tradition. According to Malidoma Some,

"The formation of any village, at least that we know of, is always based on some kind of cosmology, cosmologies that help people find out where they came from and where they're going. This is all based on the quest for people's identity, because without it it's very hard to live a life that is focused and motivated. What you have here is a Dagara model of building identity, or building community and creating a viable relationship with the spirit world. 

That's why people in the tribes or in villages are divided into these five different categories, which are based on the understanding that the universe is made of five essential elements. Those elements are intertwined in such a way that it makes it possible for people like us to live in it. Our daily challenges are based on how we dance with these elements. Pain is the result of ignoring one or several of them, and the feeling of groundedness and focus is more connected to a balancing or a proximity to balancing these elements all together. But the most important thing in it is the possibilities or the availabilities in this so-called Wheel of giving us some very substantial knowledge about ourselves. When you know who you are you know how to dance, and then everything else perhaps becomes not as threatening as it looks."

What old stories are you ready to release this year? What new stories are you ready to create? Don't get stuck in an old story that holds you in victim consciousness. In this Mineral year we are being invited to release the old stories and beliefs held in our bones, the ones that no longer serve the highest good. When we are courageous enough to do this, transformation is possible and new stories are waiting to manifest!

Blessings of peace, love and light ~ Gretchen

May you find a harmony between your soul and your life ~ John O'Donohue