These are trying, hectic times. Even before the pandemic hit, our fast-paced world often created more stress than the new, faster gadgets relieved. I have seen so many posts, articles, blogs and news clips about how to find peace and sanity in this insane world.
Psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, religious leaders and many others are promoting self-awareness and tuning into personal thoughts to find the peace and calm that we are all seeking. But, how are we supposed to do that, especially in today’s world? True, many of us have more time to reflect on our lives and what is truly important. Conversely, many of us need a little guidance along the way to find how we get to that point of pure peace and, ironically, many of the resources like doctors and pastors are now physically untouchable right when they are needed most.
By complete accident, I have stumbled across something that just may help bring balance into our lives, surprisingly, it has helped me to find some calm. It is certainly nothing new, by contrast it is centuries old. I am talking about the medicine wheel.
At first, I was intrigued because I had never heard of it before. A little bit of research piqued my interest even more as I realized that this was an ancient tool that could bring balance to our lives.
Sacred hoops, another name for medicine wheels, are found in the northwestern United States and southern Canada. They are stone monuments that were constructed by laying rocks on the ground in a particular pattern that orient to the four directions; north, south, east and west. They all have a basic pattern of a center stone with an outer ring of stones with spokes or lines of rocks that radiate from the center to the four directions. Many are aligned to celestial bodies.
There are 70 documented ones
across the northern plains. The oldest and biggest one is found near Sheridan,
Wyoming. It is made of limestone slabs and boulders, has a diameter of 75 feet
and was constructed in the early 1400’s. Medicine wheels are also found in
Africa and Australia.
THEMES
There are seven common themes associated with medicine wheels that are relevant to modern life. Among these themes are the changing of seasons, timekeeping, use and respect for animals, plants and the elements.
The circle or wheel represents the connectedness of everything in life and is divided into four color quadrants. The wheel moves in a clockwise direction and starts with the east or yellow quarter. Red is south, black is west and white is north.
The four seasons are also represented in the four colors. Yellow symbolizes spring, making it very fitting to start the wheel here. It is a time of rebirth and planting. Red is summer, a time of abundance when produce is picked and preserved. Fall is represented with black, when plants mature and harvest takes place. Finally, winter is white, when there is death and completion of the life cycle.
The next association are the four elements, fire, earth, water and wind. All are needed for life, one alone cannot sustain it. Yellow represents fire, since from fire we receive warmth and light, the very elements that wakes the world in spring. Red is our lifeblood, the earth. It is from this that we receive nourishment for our bodies and the medicine to live. Black is the water, flowing to all the plants and animals of the earth. Wind is associated with white, the life-giving force we cannot see but which we all need to breathe.
Animals associated with the wheel vary although there are four main ones that are usually always present. The eagle is often shown in the yellow section and reminds us of its power, ability and vision to see the bigger picture of the world from above. The red quadrant often shows us the buffalo who is a provider and a creature of courage and endurance. Intelligence, strong instincts and sense of freedom is represented by the wolf in the black quarter. White, often a symbol of healing is characterized by the bear which, besides being a symbol of physical and emotional healing, represents confidence and strength.
Medicinal plants are also associated with the wheel. Many times, they are planted in the quadrants inside of the rock perimeters. Tobacco was the first medicinal plant given to the people and is represented in yellow. Too bad it is known today for its bad qualities. Sage is in the southern section and is used to cleanse the mind. Sweetgrass dominates the western section and is used for calming and purification. Cedar is our guardian and is in the north.
The alignment of the medicine wheel on the ground is placed in relation to the heavenly bodies and how they move through our lives. Naturally, the sun which rises in the east and signals a new day and new beginnings is in the east or yellow. The earth, our sacred home, is in the south directly below the stars. The moon is represented by the blackness of night in the west. It helps to guide times of planting and is a way to record time and events. The stars are in the north, mirroring what is below and providing us ways to navigate at night using constellations.
FOUR SECTIONS OF LIVES
Lastly, the four sections of the medicine wheel symbolize the four stages of our lives. The east represents new life, birth, a time of innocence and where we come from. The southern section is our youth and adolescence, a time of learning and becoming our own selves. The west is adulthood and parenthood, a time when we not only nurture our young, but also finding our own meaning and place. Finally, the northern section are our elders and grandparents, with the white being the white hair. It is a place of wisdom learned from a lifetime of living and a time of reflection and rest.
So, what does something that was created centuries ago have to do with our lives today? We can use it to ground us, remind us to come back to nature in this crazy world we live in. It reminds us that everything happens in a circle just like the saying, “What goes around, comes around.” We all come full circle sooner or later.
The wheel’s symbolism parallels our lives. In the center of the circle there is usually a pillar which stands for truth and purity. Everything extends from the center and everything comes together in the center. As we grow, we change like the seasons, passing through the sections of the wheel, learning from each as we go.
For years, these wheels have been used for finding direction in life, aligning the physical, emotional, spiritual and emotional forces in all of us. Basically, it grounds us back to nature, reminding us that medicine and our well-being is not always a pill or procedure and every aspect of our lives is interconnected. Modern western medicine is slowly beginning to acknowledge that this is yet one more piece of staying healthy.
So, did our most early ancestors discover a secret that we should be adhering to today that will give us greater physical, emotional and spiritual health? It’s all about finding balance in our lives and the lessons that the indigenous peoples of long ago learned and passed on in the medicine wheel is a free gift of life for us, free just for the taking.
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