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Medicine Wheels
9-20-2016
In the last column, we explored the Circle of Courage program which draws up indigenous knowledge to help students, and others, find strength to act courageously. Through addressing the universal needs of belonging, master, independence, and generosity we develop a secure base of personal efficacy that makes it easier be respectful and responsible community members.
Circle of Courage uses a traditional medicine wheel to illustrate the interconnectedness of these human needs. Further research shows that medicine wheels, a name given by European settlers to an idea they didn’t fully understand or appreciate, are widely used by many groups throughout North, Central, and South America. Each Nation customizes the wheel’s significance and symbolism according to their own situation and culture. Individuals can even create personal medicine wheels unique to themselves.
Medicine wheels are typically divided into four equal quadrants which can represent a wide variety of concepts such as the seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter; stages of life: birth, youth, adult, death; essential elements: earth, fire, water, wind; trials of man: success, defeat, peace, war; celestial bodies: sun, moon, earth, stars, and many more. Often animals and colours are also used to carry symbolism and meaning.
Nevertheless, medicine wheels share the fundamental core of representing the alignment between realities: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Medicine wheels help to increase awareness of the interconnectivity of life and empower choices that promote balance and harmony. Reflecting upon a medicine wheel encourages us to think about life from a place beyond the normal hustle and bustle and to develop a holistic vision and understanding of the world and our place within it.
Whenever we look at traditions and practices of another culture, we want to do so with an attitude of respect. We are seeking to understand the human condition by looking to see how others have come to make sense of the world. We can see ourselves in a new light through examining commonalities and differences. By using one of the best known interpretations of the medicine wheel, that of the four cardinal directions, we too can move away from a linear cause-and-effect viewpoint and embrace the multi-dimensions inherent in a full and satisfying life.
East is considered the Place of Illumination and Clarity. The sun rises in the east and the light of dawn erases the shadows of night. Wisdom illuminates and uncovers falsehood and foolishness. East represents the starting point, new beginnings, birth, and open horizons of possibilities. East is hope born anew. Each day a new morning and a fresh chance to see what was previously hidden.
South is the Place of Growth and Inspiration. The sun warms the land and the peoples’ hearts. Life is thriving. Vibrant, dancing, glorifying the Creator with the joy of existence. South is passion searching for purpose. An aimless energy is of no benefit. We must cultivate ourselves as thoughtfully as a farmer cultivates his fields in order to produce an abundant harvest that feeds his family. In the south, we learn to nurture our spirit. To listen to our soul and discover what nourishes and what depletes.
West is the Home of Transformation. The sun sets in the west, a symbolic death of the day repeated innumerably. The time of tying up of the toil of the day and taking stock. What to keep? What to discard? In the west, we know that all things are temporary. The circle turns and we will pass this way again very soon. Whether we return on the path as the same person with the same weaknesses and flaws is our choice. The west encourages us to evaluate our actions, to make peace with life’s difficulties and to accept its challenges as part of the rhythm of our world.
North is the Wind that Cleanses and the Refugee of Quiet Stillness. The north brings the cold winds of winter. The winds that strip the leaves from the trees leaving them exposed and unadorned. Like the bare trees, the north calls us to remove all our superficial trappings and examine our very core. When we shed our material possessions, our job titles, and family ties what do we have left? What truths and beliefs form trunk of our being? What actions and deeds spring forth to create our branches and twigs? When we are bare can we still stand tall and reach high to the heavens? But the north is also merciful. When we are most vulnerable, it sends a blanket of snow to rest underneath. The Earth is at ease and calls for us to be likewise. We seek shelter and the warmth found in community. Stories are shared. Relationships nurtured. Bodies healed. The north gives time and space to reflect, understand, diagnose, prepare, and simply breathe.
Marie Battiste, an aboriginal educator, says, “Don’t be afraid to put the past in front of you, not behind you. Honour the strands of knowledge held by each culture. It is part of our understanding of Creation.” Medicine wheels may be unfamiliar and seen as relics of the past, but they hold wisdom to those who are courageous enough to see.
Zainab Dhanani can be reached at z_dhanani@yahoo.ca
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