“However simple, however obscure your own life may appear, you have a special mission or charge; you have come to earth for a special purpose, not only to develop your own divine consciousness, but also as a pioneer to serve the coming age. Affirm: I am a unique and loving child of God.” ~White Eagle
I love and resonate so deeply within my being with indigenous wisdom. I would guess that there have been many past lifetimes living these teachings, I so feel them within me. I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and the awareness and energies of the Native Americans there can be felt around the lakes and the numerous “Indian Mounds”. History has it that this was a sacred pilgrimage area for the Ancient Mound Builders. It was interesting for me to find out that Matthew Fox, who also grew up in Madison, also stated that the energies of the Indigenous there influenced him too in his beliefs, also shaping him.
The medicine wheel is rich with wisdom, pulling so much together: the energies and qualities of the 4 directions, the 4 seasons, the colors, the animals that go with each, as well as the 4 elements of earth, water, air and fire and the 4 corresponding parts of physical, emotional, mental, spiritual.
The medicine wheel is so powerful in it’s symbolism of the circle, the whole, the cycles and the necessary balance of learning to live in the center, holding a balance of the wisdom and truth of integrating all the parts. It is so much healthier than our western linear model.
A true honor for me one year was being a “fire tender” at early dawn, during the week long, continuous day and night, Sacred Fire with Floyd Westerman (the actor who played Chief Ten Bears in the movie “Dances with Wolves”) during the Festival of the Eagle at the Kerrville Folk Festival, northwest of San Antonio, Texas around 1990.
There is so much TRUTH embodied in the indigenous wisdom teachings and the medicine wheel symbolizes so much. Use this image to pull all the parts presented here in the 4 X 4 “map” of the human journey, which is actually a spiral of learning, where we revisit many of these squares again and again, at new levels of awareness and growing consciousness.
So, as you walk through the 1-16 squares on the 4×4 map, refer back to this page and the various medicine wheels, to see how they all fit together at a deeper level of meaning, integration and balance. – Caterina
To see more artwork check Pinterest.Com with search word Medicine Wheels.
See the Indigenous Wisdom page for more information.