This is an "Ornate Turtle" photo that I found thru /Heartland/Pointe/2171

The Stone for Turtle is placed in the Center Circle about halfway between West and North directions. It is the Fifth Stone of Seven in this inner Circle.
Turtle, like its larger relative, Tortoise, who is the totem for Mother Earth, is one of her longest lived beings. North America is often called Turtle Island to show respect for this animal. In ancient times this continent had the shape of a Turtle or Tortoise. As "legend" tells us, Tortoise gave two-leggeds a place to live.
It is easy to become confused. Just remember that Tortoise is for Mother Earth, the planet as a whole, and Turtle is for the Element of Earth, physically - soil or "dirt" :o) The Element Earth is stable, solid, practical, giving one a place to stand. When you are in this position on the Wheel you will exhibit those qualities and move slowly and deliberately. But if you find yourself "rooted" and unmoving, it is time to seek the guidance of another Element or Totem of the Wheel to guide you.

You will find Cattails throughout Turtle Island, just about anywhere "there is standing shallow water for at least part of the year." Please click on the photo for a few more interesting facts about Cattails. That page will come up in a new window, to be closed, so you can continue here.
Marsh wrens, muskrats, and water voles nest and feed in cattails. The leaves are used for making chair seats, mats, and baskets. Cattails are extremely useful and versatile. The Original population of the Americas uses Cattail as follows: the cob down (flower head ripened to seed) is very absorbent and used as matting; the raw root is ground - used for bread flour, used in salve for ulcerated wounds, hives, and is a blood coagulent; the roasted root makes a great "potato"; and the raw stem can be eaten as a vegetable or mashed and used as a salve for burns!

In "Dancing With The Wheel," Sun Bear and Wabun Wind say that "cattails have strong earth energy that grounds, balances, and stabilizes people." Using cattails in any way will give you strong physical energy, help with balance of any kind, and give you a closer connection to Earth. Especially if you ask them for this assistance as you use them.

Petrified Wood is the member of the Stone or mineral kingdom for this elemental clan. This "mineral" is wood from trees of long ago that has been turned into stone by our Earth Mother. Working with this stone will connect you to both the plant and the mineral, or earth, kingdoms. Petrified wood comes in many colors, showing the great variety of our Earth and All Her Children. Sometimes there are scenes that show mineral or plant life in different stages of our Planet's cycle of life. This Stone brings us messages from the distant past, bringing home the long cycle of life of Mother Earth as well as the knowledge that many changes are a natural part of this cycle (and all life cycles).

The color for the Stone honoring the Element Earth is green-brown. Use this color whenever you have become too spacey, to help stabilize you, and bring you back to Earth. You could even make a special object of this color, something as simple as a line drawing of a Turtle, or something on a background of this color (on cloth, leather, stone, your choice) to meditate on, or just stare at, whenever you need this kind of energy. [Could not find a true green/brown in the 256 Web colors I use for pages]