The following is a guideline I used to present a workshop to my local group at our Imbolc Celebration. I hope you enjoy as the rest of the group did...
Medicine Wheel teachings are among the oldest teachings of First Nations people. The teachings found on the Medicine Wheel create a holistic foundation for human behavior and interaction; the teachings are about walking the earth in a peaceful and good way; they assist in helping to seek healthy minds (East) strong inner spirits (South), inner peace (West), strong, healthy bodies (North). A Medicine Wheel can best be described as a mirror within which everything about the human condition is reflected back. It requires courage to look into the mirror and really see what is being reflected back about an individual's life.
The term "Medicine" as it is used by First Nations people does not refer to drugs or herbal remedies. It is used within the context of inner spiritual energy and healing or an enlightened experience, in other words, spiritual energy... The Medicine Wheel and its sacred teachings assist individuals along the path towards mental, spiritual, emotional and physical enlightenment.
A good starting point to determine where you are on the Wheel is by birth date. The Medicine Wheel is walked in a clockwise direction (the direction of the Sun). The time needed to walk a complete circle is whatever time it takes - time, in other words, is relative to the process.
There is no right or wrong way to walk the wheel or live your life, because as the ‘Old’ People say, "The Great Mystery does not make mistakes, therefore as each person is a 'perfect soul' that reflects the central essence of the medicine wheel, where they are at this point in their earth walk is where they are supposed to be. Eventually each person will return to their starting place ready older and hopefully a little wiser to begin the process of walking the Wheel again, this time with new understanding, insight and inner strength.
DIRECTION BIRTHDAY
EAST March 21 - June 20
SOUTH June 21 - September 21
WEST September 22 - December 21
NORTH December 23 - March 20
FOUR MAJOR ARCHETYPES ALSO KNOWN AS THE FOUR REALMS OF HUMAN EXISTENCE
TEACHER (EAST) – WISDOM
When we express the Teacher, we develop our capacities for detachment: we honour our heritage; we become flexible and fluid, like the ocean; we demonstrate wisdom and its four major components of clarity, rightness, objectivity and discernment. We find our inspiration from our Ancestors, immediate family, friends, inspirational and historical figures. We sit in the sweet territory of silence. Immutable laws include: Whomever is present should be there; When it begins, it is the right time; Whatever happens, it is the only thing that could have happened; When it is over, it is over. Avoid the following fears: loss of structure, loss of turf, feeling out of control, and feeling abandoned, looking always at a bleak future. Turn to your Healer Self to correct these things.
HEALER (SOUTH) – LOVE
Pay attention to the heart and its meaning. We attend to the condition and well-being of the four-chambered heart (full, open, clear, strong); when we extend acknowledgement and the arms of love to ourselves and others, when we hold a balanced view of health we can experience all kinds of love; Love between mates and lovers, between parent and child, between friends and colleagues, between professional alliances, Love of self, Unconditional or spiritual love. We embrace the sweet territory of Storytelling, Singing, Dancing, Silence. We cradle ourselves in our own self-love and acknowledge our strengths, and the qualities we like about ourselves. We acknowledge the contributions we are making and that we have made. We acknowledge the love we have given and received and the love we are currently giving and receiving. When we recognize ourselves as persons of worth, we can do the same for others. Avoid the following addictions: living intensely (lighten up, in other words), seeking perfection, concentrating on what is not working instead of what is working; you simply don't have to know everything.
VISIONARY (WEST) – INTEGRITY
Tell the truth without blame or judgment. Honor the power of prayer and humility; when we give voice to what we see internally and externally and when we bring forward our creative spirit and life dream we bring with us intuition, perception, insight and vision. Stand in the sweet territory of dynamism, magnetism, integration and strength/vigor. Meditate either standing, lying down, sitting up or walking. Align your right words with right action; Honor yourself in equal proportion to others. Avoid the following addictions: Free yourself from patterns of denial and self indulgence. Never say, "I'm just a housewife, I'm just a postal clerk, I'm just a veterinarian. The word "Just" does not exist within the context of the Visionary. Avoid, in other words, self-abandonment, always seeking approval, love, trying to keep the peace, looking for harmony at any cost.
WARRIOR (NORTH) – LEADERSHIP
We come into our leadership skills by staying in our power, by extending honor and respect. We do this by showing up and being responsible and accountable. In other words, we do not hide or hold back. We respect limits and boundaries. We do not, in other words, power ourselves into someone else's world without being invited. We demonstrate always the right use of power. We listen to the messages from Father Sky and the four great winds. We empower ourselves by using a rattle, dancing, meditating while standing, connecting to nature and finding our power animals. Watch out for the shadow aspects of leadership: rebellion, power-over mentality, riding coattails of powerful people. Stand in the sweet territory of presence, communication, responsibility and position.
THE CIRCLE
First Nations people believe in a creation-based form of spirituality which has at its centre, the symbol of the sacred circle. It is believed that the circle represents a harmonious relationship with nature and with all living things that are our relatives and that all things are connected and equal because there is no beginning and no end. Mother Earth is often referred to as a Medicine Wheel or Sacred Hoop because she is circular who also turns in a circle. Birds make their nests in circles; we dance in circles, the circle stands for the Sun and Moon and all round things in the natural world. The circle is an endless creation, with endless connections to the present, all that went before and all that will come in the future.
ALL THINGS IN THE NATURAL WORLD COME IN FOURS YET THERE ARE SEVEN SACRED DIRECTIONS
The teachings are anchored by the Four Great Directions (East, South, West, North); then there is,
UP: Life above the world (Father Sky, Star Nation, Planets)
DOWN: provides balance, cohesion and connections with the earth mother
INWARD: we must learn to honor ourselves, for that is the medicine wheel journey. These directions also include the worlds below Mother Earth. The directions, in turn, are anchored by the centre, the place of The Great Mystery, the essential self of each human which is ever-changing and transforming, that moves beyond time and beyond seasons.
The Medicine Wheel teaches people not only to talk the talk, but more importantly, to walk the walk. As individuals move along their healing path and embrace the unlimited teachings and resources available to them on the medicine wheel, connection to culture, personal and collective vitality, identity and spirit will once again be an everyday occurrence. This is what Indigenous Renewal Ceremonies and Teachings are all about, this is why legitimate Traditional Teachers and Elders are needed -- sacred connections to each other and to all things in the natural world.
Mitakuye Oyasin, which is Lakota Sioux for "All My Relations." It is a prayer of oneness and harmony with all forms of life: other people, animals, birds, insects, trees and plants, and even rocks. It reminds us that we are connected to these other aspects of Creation, that we share a common kinship in the Circle of Life.
The following are some general beliefs but do not represent the whole collection of varied colors, animal totems, and uses of the sections of medicine wheels. Different tribes use different symbols. I personal think we should use the colors and symbols that best represent what we believe. Here is just a small fraction of possible animal totems, plants, growth patterns, and colors. I think there are no 'right' and 'wrong' colors and animal totems.
EAST (Yellow) - Air - Flight
Beginnings starts in the east - from where the sun rises we begin a new dawn. Each day is a good new day with a fresh beginning, a new start. East is the direction of the physical body and newness including children and newborns. It is the time of change for all is a new beginning. New ideas and seeing the light. Change. Spring is the season when all things begin to grow and awaken. Yellow is the path of Life, to begin the walk as a warrior, to shine in all that you do. The sun rising in the east empowers each of us. The energy to do and to begin the action of the mind and heart is there.
Animals
Animals of wings and flight include hummingbird, the owl, and the hawk. Our words are given to the east that the smoke in the air or the voices in the air may be carried to Spirit.
SOUTH (Red) - Fire – Passion
Growth in the South it is the time of summer. From the bloom we transform into the fruit of the labors. It is the time of mid-day, the hottest part of the day, the part when the sun is overhead and no shadows are cast... Maturing and growing into an adult to be that who was are. It is the time to accept the change and learn, to understand.
Animals
The animals in the South represent pride, strength and courage. The eagle with keen sight and strong wings. The lion for the strength and courage to speak out and roar. The wolf so proud to be a team member of a pride.
WEST (Blue) - Water - Emotions
Later adulthood the time of fall, the time of the setting sun - twilight. The daylight fades and brings a new awareness in this time of gradual change. When the darkness comes we must look inward to find the light and have courage. To understand what we see in the darkness may not be real but only shadows.
This is the emotional part of ourselves, like the flowing water we must learn to go with the flow of life.
Animals
The Beaver shows us of the team work and preparedness needed for the winter coming. The snake reminds us to shed our skin to grow and change.
NORTH (Green) Earth - Wisdom
As we get older our hair turn white, as we come to our time of winter. White (and purple) also symbolize spirituality. With experience and age we gain wisdom. Now we have time to rest and contemplate the lessons. North is purity and wisdom, a great place of healing. This is the time after midnight, a dream time. The time to be grounded within yourself and deep within, like a bear in a cave.
Animals
The white buffalo, Moose and Bear. Each prepared and have a layer of fat to sustain them through the winter. They are also the primary source of meat during the winter time for people. They rest and take things slow, not wasting energy, and with the understanding of what winter brings.
BUILDING A MEDICINE WHEEL
A 'standard' Medicine Wheel consists of between twelve and thirty-six stones. It all depends on the depth of knowledge of the person leading the building of the Wheel.
The breakdown of a thirty-six stone Medicine Wheel is as follows:
The Centre Stone (stone #1) is the 'Many worlds' stone that contains the essential person - the deepest inner soul. Some post-European descriptions of this stone refer to it as 'The Creator' stone, a concept born out of the notion of a Supreme Being which was imposed by Christianity on the belief systems of many First Nations. This stone can also be called the Cosmos or Universe Stone (1);
Four Directions Stones (stones 2-5): East (Teacher), South (Healer), West (Visionary), North (Warrior) (within these stones are the four colors of the elements, Air, Fire, Water and Earth); These stones sit at the outer 4 directional points of the centre stone.
Seven stones (stones 6-12) surround the Centre stone, and stand for: Father Sky, Mother Earth, Grandmother Moon, Grandfather Sun, Star Nation, Other Worlds (Planets), Wolf Road (Milky Way)
Three stones between each Direction on the outer perimeter of the circle:
- Northeast: Earth Crawlers, Flying Beings, Reptiles (13-15)
- Southeast: Rooted Beings, Earth Walkers (4 leggeds), Amphibians (16-18)
- Southwest: Ancestors, Stone Beings, Underground Dwellers (19-21)
- Northwest: Rainbow Spirits, Water Beings, Totems (22-24)
Three stones between each direction and the Universe stone, with the "Element" stone closest to the Direction stone:
- East: Illumination, Wisdom, Clarity (25-27)
- South: Trust, Love, Growth (28-30)
- West: Emotions, Experience, Introspection (31-33)
- North: Body, Purity, Renewal (34-36)
The following diagram shows all 36 stone positions in a Medicine Wheel. There is a Spirit Keeper at each of the four Cardinal directions. Each one has certain "gifts" to aid us as we walk the Circle of Life, and to help us reach the Center and Oneness. You'll note that there are three stones laid between each Spirit Keeper and the Center Circle. These stones are for these gifts and make a "path" from a Spirit Keeper to Creator.
