MYSTERY TEACHINGS OF THE SACRED MOON LODGE
By Nancy Oakes
Women Hold Within Their Bodies The Secrets Of Creation
Initially the Cherokee lived all over the eastern coast including Tennessee. My grandmother and my mother were born in the Great Smokey Mountains. My grandmother told me that before colonization each village had a building that was specifically dedicated to the women during their moon cycle where the “Mystery Teachings” were taught. The women of the village also assisted each other during childbirth, performing soothing massages, combing each other’s hair, and singing as they delivered babies. The new mothers stayed in the moon lodge while being attended to by the other young and old women, while healing and regaining strength after the birth. Menstruating women came to the moon lodge each month to celebrate with the other women and to rest. The older wiser women in moon pause elevated to the position of elder and grandmother within the circle. The women in moon pause spent more time in the moon lodge instructing, and teaching, the old ways of the “Mystery Teachings.” The children of the village received nurturing and care from many mothers and grandmothers as all the women shared responsibilities of the young, therefore no child was left orphaned. Ceremonies were held for young girls who were beginning their menstrual cycles announcing their journey into womanhood. The men, the medicine people, and the “Two Spirits” (third gender’s recognized as a sacred being within the village) also took part in the ceremonies. It was not an embarrassment for the young girl but was seen as a great honor.
EarthKeeper Shares the Mystery Teachings
Brooke Medicine Eagle, a teacher and Native American EarthKeeper states that the time the women spent in the Moon Lodge provided an opportunity for prayers, visions, was uplifting and served a higher purpose, something that is missing in todays society. Further she says, women connecting to each other naturally in the time of the moon cycle, and birth of their children make happier, more vital, less stressed women…
Grandmother The Matriarch Of Our Family… read on