Twin Spirit Tribe

THE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM - THE MESA

Earlier, I wrote about the Apprenticeship Program and some of our activities as we explored how indigenous cultures work with the four directions: South, West, North and East.

In this year-long program, the tool we use to explore the significance and meanings of each of the directions is called a Mesa. The concept of the Mesa is a practice that has been used for many years by indigenous cultures. The Twin Spirit Tribe uses the Peruvian method of Mesa-work. Mesa (translated from Spanish) means altar, or table. A piece of cloth is used as our altar, and objects are placed upon this cloth in various locations with specific intentions.



During the Apprenticeship Program (named as such because we are learning from our Teachers), we are taught how to incorporate the Mesa into our daily lives and to use it on a regular basis for direction, meditation, manifestation, healing, and more.

As we explained before, each direction has a symbolic meaning. During each weekend, we learn to use the Mesa by incorporating the art of ceremony into our lives. Personally, I have been working with the Mesa for over a year now. The first weekend is dedicated to the South, which symbolizes “the self” among other things. This is an important start when working with the Mesa because a further knowledge of self really is the best directional tool. Ask yourself, how can you know how to care for yourself unless you know what needs attention? It makes sense and it seems so simple in concept that it is easy to overlook the wisdom of this simple statement. Besides other activities mentioned in a previous blog posting, we placed items on the Mesa with intentions that symbolized what we learned about ourselves or to symbolize what we are manifesting into our lives or the lives of those we care about.

The Mesa and how one sets it up can be very personal which makes it as unique as a fingerprint. After everyone had assembled their Mesas on this first weekend I was in awe of all of the individuality and beauty that emanated from each participant’s Mesa. For those of you that are sensitive to energy and/or are energy workers the vibration that is felt from another’s Mesa can be quite strong. I felt this while looking at the Mesas belonging to my fellow participants. It inspired a variety of conversations about a particular item or other, what it meant to them, and why it was placed where it was. I in turn was able to share my impressions, and how their Mesa impacted me.

The second weekend of this 4-part program is in just a few days and it is regarding the West. This direction symbolizes water, the feminine side of our selves as well as our “shadow” side. I am excited and nervous at the same time because “shadow” means the dark side of ourselves which is typically that side of me that I know is there but I try not to look at very often even though I really need to. I understand the need for balance, and that we need to acknowledge both the light and the dark side of ourselves but that does not mean I have to enjoy looking at it. Ha ha ha. Well, I will be sure to share my experience with you after the weekend and even though I am nervous about it, I am very confident that it will be very healing.

- Tim C