Book Review

Eagle medicine is the power of the Great Spirit, the connection to the Divine.

It is the ability to live in the realm of spirit, and yet remain connected and balanced

Summer is finally here. I am ready to kick my shoes off and feel the grass between my toes, lay in the hammock under the old shade tree, and let the day go by on the breeze. All I need is the right book to feed my summer solstice soul. For nearly twenty years one of my favorite choices for these rarified summer days is my well worn copy of Medicine Cards.

The visions we have been given of this system are that it is a fun bridge which will aid in the understanding of what it means to walk in balance on the Mother Earth.

Jamie Sams and David Carson

Medicine Cards is a book dedicated to the Native American interpretation of medicine. In the opening paragraph of the book the authors describe their definition of medicine: "The medicine referred to in this book is anything that improves one's connection to the Great Mystery and to all life. This would include the healing of body, mind, and of spirit. This medicine is also anything which brings personal power, strength, and understanding."

The book comes with a deck of 44 animal medicine cards. Each card is beautifully illustrated by Angela Werneke. Her drawings capture the essence of each animal and are inspiring in and of themselves. I still use my original deck of cards, which are now well loved and well worn, but just as eye catching as the first day I used them.

The book is divided into 44 short chapters, one chapter for each card with a brief introduction to guide you on how best to use the cards. Both authors, Jamie Sams and David Carson, are respected, well educated, world traveled Native American shamans and healers. The book and the animal medicine cards are meant as an introduction to a "system of divination" for people not trained in Native American Medicine. Together, the cards and book are an easy and fun way to reconnect with ourselves, our precious planet, and the animals that live here with us.

If the learning is over so is the magic and the life.

Jamie Sams and David Carson

I thoroughly enjoyed and relished my Medicine Cards for many years before I became chemically injured. After my injury they came to hold new meaning for me. Suddenly, "medicine" consumed my life. Endless medical appointments that usually led to more appointments inside toxic - boxy exam rooms without any real answers or hope of getting well again. During this challenging time in my life, I discovered that Jamie Sams struggled with debilitating chronic illness herself; that she had written her books from the confines of her bed. Something I could certainly relate to. So after my injury I took a fresh look at the Medicine Cards and gained a deeper appreciation for them and their authors. I cultivated a fresh interpretation for the concept of the Medicine Cards and how they could assist me in healing. I understood, that like Jamie Sams, the Medicine Cards would not make me well, but they might help me in centering my own heart and soul as I wrangled with chemical injury and the illnesses that followed.

The precious gifts of true medicine are free.

Jamie Sams and David Carson

After nearly twenty years of enjoying my Medicine Cards, more than ten of them chemically injured and ill, I have come to appreciate the Native American definition of medicine. It didn't take me long to learn that beyond diagnostics western medicine was not going to be of much value to me. I knew I would need to redefine what medicine was for me, and enter the realm of alternative medicines, with an open mind and heart to find a way to heal. I didn't have to look far to realize that one of my favorite books was already guiding me on this perplexing journey.

So as the sizzle of summer is upon us and you are looking for some easy solstice reading think of the Medicine Cards for a fun way to relax, restore, and reconnect yourself, and your friends to the world around you.

Hummingbird is connected to the Black Sun and Fifth World. Great Spirit created

Hummingbird to be slightly different from other feathered creatures. It is said that Hummingbird

conjures love as know other medicine does, and that Hummingbird feathers open the heart.

A note to the reader. There are currently two editions of Medicine Cards available. The edition described in this review is the original edition published in 1988, which is out of print, but still available used online for less than $10.00. The Millennium edition published in 1999 contains 52 animal medicine cards, 8 animal medicine cards were added to the Millennium Edition: Blue Heron (Self-Reflection), Raccoon (Generous Protector), Prairie Dog (Retreat), Wild Boar (Confrontation), Salmon (Wisdom/Inner Knowing), Alligator (Integration), Jaguar (Integrity/Impeccability), Black Panther (Embracing the Unknown). The 1999 edition is still in print and available online for approximately $20.00.

Lucinda Hodges is an advocate for chemically injured people.
She maintains the Pariah website, ACCERT, and the Toxic Trains website.

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