The book is certainly packed with information and insights and it is well written and clearly presented and reflects the author's many years of experience ~ Pilgrims Mind Body Spirit

The View through the Medicine Wheel is a book of maps of how life works. It connects the dots of multiple aspects of life to help the reader assemble the many fragments into a whole picture. It enables you to see past cultural conditioning and inculcated beliefs, so often held by habit and not subjected to process of thought, into knowledge and understanding. From knowledge comes forth wisdom and from wisdom comes a life of creativity, exploration and joy, a life worth living. This book takes you step by step from creation to the fundamental building blocks of the Universe; to maps of how the human world works; to ways to walk a path with heart through the labyrinth of life. Along the way you will learn many tools for living and for healing and developing your own self. A good map is most helpful to have with you when you embark on a journey, none more than the Great Journey of Life. I lived the early part of my life floundering with no map and no proper knowledge of what life is about and what my soul has brought me here to experience and learn. It was when I stumbled across the teachings of the medicine wheel in my mid-forties during a very productive mid-life crisis, that I began to get a handle on who I am, where I come from, why I am here, where I am endeavouring to go and what its all about. The Medicine Wheel is a way of teaching fundamental truths about our world and how we perceive it. It is a way of ‘seeing’ the Universe and its great powers, of understanding our individual place in the scheme of things and learning about the relationships of these powers to each other and to ourselves. It teaches the living of life in a way that brings health and healing to the Earth Mother and to all of our family, friends, and fellow creatures. Medicine means vital force, life force, wholeness. To be whole is to be healed, to bring to an end the end separation of the parts of oneself and separation from the fullness of life so as to become an integrated human being. A fully integrated whole human is a ‘holy’ person in the true sense. Looking at the Universe we see that the local working of Great-Mystery-God can be observed in the nature. By watching the seasonal growth and decay in the garden and nature’s feeding and reproduction cycles, we are observing the actions of the Great-Mother and her kingdoms which are the close-to-us part of Great-Mystery-God. By observing the planets, the stars, the galaxy and the interactions that go on in the heavens, we are seeing the grand workings of Great-Mystery-God. Quantum physics and the strange non-linear and seemingly non-logical things that happen at the level of the incredibly small show us the inner workings of Great-Mystery-God and how consciousness is formed into the incredible matrix that we experience as everyday life. Here is a passage from the book about mature adulthood and empowered living: Two definitions of power from a shamanic point of view:- 1. Power is anything that cannot be taken away from you. Such as: – integrity, authenticity, knowledge, wisdom, experiences, memories, ability to love, self-regard, and so on. 2. The ability to never be at the effect of anything or anyone, at any time, any place, anyhow. In other words, you may be rejected, locked up, spat on, pushed around, lied about and so on, but inside you are unwavering in your self-regard and self-knowledge of who you really are. That is a truly powerful place to live from. Personal Power is about power over one’s Self and has nothing whatsoever to do with political or manipulative power. Our Personal Medicine is what we ‘give-away’ to other humans and to the world. It is what we can look back on at the end of life with pride and pleasure, our unique contribution to the evolution of All-That-Is. It is what we give to life rather than we get out of it that brings us the greatest happiness and joy. ~ Leo Rutherford, Written for Watkins Review 2009

Rutherford’s book is artfully crafted into a number of short but detailed chapters which take the reader on a journey through the cycle of the medicine wheel. In each subsequent section he adds a new layer of understanding and symbolism.  

This fascinating book can be read as an in depth look at Central American Shamanism or as a guidebook for practicing the shamanistic lifestyle. Either way it provokes a deep level of thought and feeling, and it offers insightful and creative ideas about emotional healing, holistic balance, how to use the mind to find clarity and how to touch the spirit to make decisions.

This is a wonderful little book; full of timeless Wisdom. It is simple, down to earth, easy to read and all the more powerful because of it. Sane and humorous, one snatches glimpses of Jung, Buddhism, Taoism, Alchemy, Tarot and more; even a little whiff of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy! But then isn’t that the hallmark of true authority, that it crosses all boundaries and speaks to the truth of all? That is what Leo Rutherford achieves in his book. I would recommend it highly to any serious traveller on the Way. ~ Deborah Ackroyd, Buttercup Newsletter

Life doesn’t have to be a struggle. The View through the Medicine Wheel shows us how to regain the natural flow of living while essentially finding ourselves. Based upon the Medicine Wheel, the author compares healthy and healthy balances. Using these aspects, we can work through our issues, mistaken beliefs, and unhealthy habits. Based on Shamanic processes, The View through the Medicine Wheel is a very developed book. I resonate with the personal journey aspect of the exercises. I also appreciated that the author explained things from a variety of different angles, especially on some of the more complex maps. ~ Dr Tami Brady, TCM Reviews

....Leo Rutherford has brought together ancient shamanic ideas and contemporary holistic psychology in a fascinating fusion. At times, I found this a useful new perspective on some of life's big issues; occasionally it seemed an unnecessary contrivance. This may well be the result of reading quickly what would be better absorbed in stages. The book is certainly packed with information and insights and it is well written and clearly presented and reflects the author's many years of experience ~ Pilgrims Mind Body Spirit