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Compass of the Heart

Embodying Medicine Wheel Teachings

Published by Destiny Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Arranged in the form of a medicine wheel, Compass of the Heart uses the teachings of the six directions-East, South, West, North, Sky, and Earth-as it explores what it means to be consciously engaged in the life that swirls around us each and every moment. Cruden discusses daily spiritual practices-meditation, work with chakras, even teaching children or gardening-as ways of maintaining a connectedness to truth through the ups and downs of experience. These practices deepen one's relationship with the Earth so that spiritual awareness occurs not just in rare moments of inspiration but as an integral and ongoing part of life itself. More than a guide, this is the perfect companion to those following the compass of their hearts toward a union of body, earth, and spirit.
For those who feel a desire for a natural spirituality in their lives, Compass of the Heart offers insights and suggestions based on Loren Cruden's lifetime of work with Native American and other Earth-oriented traditions.

Further develops the ideas and practices set forth in the author's previous work, The Spirit of Place.

About The Author

Loren Cruden (1952–2022), midwife and herbal healer, lived on a mountain in Washington State in a house that she and her son built. Following spiritual studies in Europe, Asia, and Africa, her six years of work with Lewis Sawaquat, a Potawatomie pipe carrier, deepened her engagement with the spirituality that is native to the land. Respectful of the integrity of Native American ways, she drew carefully on those and other Earth-oriented traditions to create an eclectic yet authentic spiritual practice that relied on a direct experience of the interrelatedness of all life. She is the author of Love Is Green: An Herbal for Parents, The Living Earth Tarot Deck, The Spirit of Place, Compass of the Heart, and Medicine Grove.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Destiny Books (May 1, 1996)
  • Length: 224 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780892816002

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Raves and Reviews

"The medicine wheel is a simply a way of orienting oneself spiritually. Each chapter includes her observations about all the spiritual aspects of that direction, as well as suggestions for rituals and exercises. She also includes information on using medicine wheels in conjunction with chakras."

– The Midwest Book Review

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