Number two comes from the FAITH series. It is a travel experience that Walt had while visiting a sacred Lakota site.
Medicine Wheel
STEP ONE: BREATHE
Take a deep, cleansing breath. Allow the air to fill your lungs and expand your body. Exhale and empty yourself into the room. Repeat three times - once for the one who Created you, once for the Incarnate One who walks beside you, and once for the Spirit whose life fills your being.
STEP TWO: DWELL IN WORD
“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
— Isaiah 25:6-9
High in the Bighorn mountain range in northeastern Wyoming, there is a sacred place known as Medicine Wheel. Across generations, native tribes of the Great Plains have made pilgrimages to the site. To this day, they hold time-honored ceremonies on this lofty ridge surrounded by jagged and tree-less peaks. Having gone there myself, I can attest to it being a unique, off-the-beaten-path, spot of sacramental encounter. It is a holy dwelling for communion with God.
You don't just go to Medicine Wheel. It is a quest, and it takes an effort to get there. The road you travel from the little town of Sheridan, Wyoming, is a two-lane that rapidly switch-backs into the sky. Once in the Bighorn range, the highway continues to curve back and forth. Those prone to motion sickness ought to consider medication. Highway 14 and then 12 are so remote and high that they see closures in winter. Respecting nature's seasons and timing is not an option when trekking to Medicine Wheel. To hear the voice that dwells in the mountains requires humility and patience. You have to slow down and approach with reverence.
Today, Medicine Wheel is a National Historic Landmark and managed by the National Park Service. An information kiosk stands adjacent to a small parking lot. Next to this tiny building is a trailhead. Unless you make special arrangments ahead of time for handicap accessibility, the only way that you can get to Medicine Wheel is by foot. Nothing about this journey is particularly easy. You must be patient, intentional, and willing to expend
The narrow trail hugs a ridge as it curves and winds along. After about a mile, the path opens up to a large flat surface. At this point, you can see a scattering of rocks, encircled by wooden poles linked by rope. When you get closer, you will notice bright bands of cloth tied onto the loose barrier. Red. White. Black. Yellow. Blue. Green. The colors each hold significance to the tribes. They are prayer strips and bundles of tobacco, sage, and offer fragrant offerings. It is a sacred place.
Native peoples are allowed to leave these gifts as markers of gratitude and continuing presence. I had it explained to me by a Park Ranger that it is a tribal belief that when you leave these small tokens behind, your prayer continues in your absence. It is part of the ritual that a pilgrimage to this holy place entails - a sacramental exchange of sorts. Pilgrims offer something tangible in a location where the intangible spiritual realm is near.
When you get closer, you start to see order emerge. Someone arranged the stones in a giant wheel, complete with spokes. The rock circle is about 80 feet in diameter. In the center of the 28 spokes lies another circle. Five smaller circles line the perimeter with a sixth circle just outside. Although archeologists are not sure exactly who created the wheel or how long ago, it is ancient. It has been in existence for thousands of years (maybe as many as seven thousand) and predates any Western building, sanctuary, or monument in North America.
When I approached Medicine Wheel for the first time, a sense of awe filled me. It was like I had stepped inside a magnificent Gothic cathedral. There was no denying that I was in what Celtic spirituality calls a "thin space." Here the separation between heaven and earth is reduced to a very narrow gap. God seems closer than elsewhere. In thin space, you experience a deepened connection. When someone goes on a spiritual pilgrimage, they head to one of these sacred destinations with the intent of communing with the divine.
Slowly I walked around the ancient circle of rocks in the direction that the sun travels. From east to west, I went with my camera in hand. My purpose in taking pictures was not to collect photographic souvenirs. I sought the clarity of the camera's lens to help me focus on what I was seeing. Although I was traveling with my family, I did this alone. They were off chasing marmots (I kid you not.) Each step I took was deliberate, and I stopped often.
In my silence, I offered prayer without words. I crept along, step by step. Then I'd stop and breathe in deeply. I allowed the experience of being at a mountain top shrine to dictate my movement. Time disappeared as a concern. I became aware of the wind as it blew across the site. Indeed, this was holy ground, and I was privileged to be in the presence of God.
In Trinitarian fashion, I walked around the circle three times. I did this not to claim the space for Christ as the Conquistadors did in days past. There was no need to plant or etch the shape of a cross. Instead, I received the sacred experience as a gift that
enhanced my faith in God, who I've come to know as Trinity. Whenever I encounter what is holy to others, I find that it enhances and expands my Christian faith.
My prayerful walking allowed me to commune with Creator, Christ, and Spirit in a way that was unique and unlike my usual experiences in designated sanctuaries. My scriptural imagination was active and in high gear. Images of Isaiah's vision of God gathering all peoples on a holy mountain to a feast (see Isaiah 25:6-9) swirled with stories of Jesus's transfiguration and ascension.
Near the clouds, as the wind varied its intensity in my face, I knew in a moment why religions and cultures around the globe have designated mountain tops as sacred sites. If I were to build a temple or a shrine, I would do it on the 'thin space' real estate of a mountain top.
As I reflect on my visit to Medicine Wheel, it was a sacramental encounter. Even though it did not contain bread, wine, or water - there was something undeniably spiritual and tangible. In a way that I have difficulty describing, I felt my faith in the mystery of the Trinity enhanced as I walked in that mysterious place. There was a presence that I couldn't easily shoehorn into a concise creed or doctrine. Raw and unfettered by constructions, the Spirit blew without restrictions upon that ridge.
I wanted to tie my bandana to the rope fence alongside the prayer bands already there to leave a part of me in that holy place. Respecting the request of the tribes that use Medicine Wheel for sacred ceremonies, I did not. Imposing my need to leave a token was not sensitive to the fact that this was the sanctuary of another.
I walked away from Medicine Wheel with more than just my bandana in hand. A place opened in my heart for the majestic of a timeless mystery that resists explanation.
STEP THREE: RESPOND IN PRAYER
Gracious God, your Spirit blows free and reaches each corner of this earth. I thank you for the places and experiences where you come close and touch my life. Through communion with you, I find blessing and benediction for life. Praise to you! Through Christ, amen.
Permission granted to share with friends and family. Copyrighted 2019. Walt Lichtenberger