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The Story of Medicine Circle
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The land that is Medicine Circle was inspired by a wilderness course.
In 1999 David Kirchhof took a wilderness skills healing course with wilderness expert and mentor Tom Brown. The healing methods and philosophy that Tom taught were handed down to him by a Native American elder known as “Grandfather”.
During the course, David asked the spirit of Grandfather what to do with the healing information that Tom was teaching, whether there was a way to bring in more of Grandfather’s medicine and be able to share it with others. David was inspired to create a place where Grandfather's medicine and spirit could be shared, which would be called Medicine Circle.
A year later David arrived in a place of beautiful mountains and pristine lakes in northern Idaho, and found the five acres of land near Priest Lake that is now Medicine Circle. David placed the property in a Land Trust, and moved onto it in the fall of 2001.
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Since that time it has been a place for individuals to retreat and be close to nature, and a place for gatherings centered around the vision of being connected to the land and relearning and preserving the old ways. Events have included weddings, a regular sweat lodge, participation in the Kamana home study naturalist program, and camps sponsored by Twin Eagles Wilderness School.
The work of Medicine Circle has been a cooperative effort on the part of a number of people. As a land trust it has trustees who have been integrally involved in the life of the place, and many others have come through and added their energies and work to create a space with gardens, tipis, an outdoor kitchen and a firepit gathering space.
While Medicine Circle will remain a place for personal retreat and a center for those who want to study nature and re-connect with their own natures, the future vision also includes becoming a demonstration site for permaculture design, natural building and sustainable living. New buildings will include yurts as well as the original tipis. And new alliances are being formed with sustainability and building organizations and with spiritual groups who may choose to use Medicine Circle for their gatherings and workshops.
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The “Medicine” part of the name refers to the unique qualities that we all have (people, plants and animals) that nourish others. When people come to learn about their own medicine, it’s an opportunity to explore their unique talents and gifts as well as the healing gifts of nature.
The “Circle” part of the name is about bringing life back into balance. It’s about reconnecting with the whole, about experiencing cooperation and not just competition, about our connection to the cycles and seasons and to all of life. The circle brings us back to the simplicity of life in all its wholeness.
Medicine Circle is a place to celebrate life, a place to listen, and a place for learning. It is a place where people can learn from the landscape, from nature, and from each other.
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