The Inter-tribal Medicine Wheel
The medicine wheel is an archetypal ceremonial roadmap expressed through the four elements, animal totems, stages of life, aspects of the psyche, and spiritual qualities pertaining to a specific cardinal direction. There are endless variations of the medicine wheel in traditional indigenous cultures. Ixchel and I were trained in healing work by our teacher and Taino elder, Maestro Manuel Rufino, to utilize an inter-tribal medicine wheel, which he received from various Native elders he studied under in the Mayan, Lakota, Navajo-Dine, and Huichol traditions amongst others. The inter-tribal medicine wheel we work with draws upon inspiration and influence from traditions of North, Central, and South America but can be expanded upon to include deities and aspects from any wisdom tradition from any culture. It is an evolving, creative, and dynamic meditation, not a fixed, dogmatic, religion. The medicine wheel is a simple yet powerful technology that provides a narrative and energetic guidance to explain the direction a ceremony is moving. Any meditative or ceremonial experience can utilize the medicine wheel architecture - whether it is a sound bath, cacao ceremony, sananga and hapé meditation, and so on, as it is universally applicable.
The Four directions and Their Expressions
As mentioned, there are endless varieties of the medicine wheel and there is not a right or wrong expression of how it looks. The inter-tribal wheel was specifically passed to us by the traditions we studied under and we orient all of our works towards its framework. The first cardinal direction we begin with in the inter-tribal medicine wheel is the East, the direction of the rising sun, the morning light, our childhood years, the element of air, our first breath, the bird people, the winged creatures, the mind, our thoughts, vapor, and the color red. This direction is the initiatory beginning, the spark, the rising smoke on a fire starting to light, and the dawning of a new vision. The sound of this direction is often subtle, gentle, quiet, and oriented towards bringing a passenger towards deep and refined introspective listening, allowing them to slip beyond the confines of the egoic mind and chaotic thinking. The flute and chakapa invoke the presence of air. Go beyond the mind and open yourself to receive a vision.
The second cardinal direction of the inter-tribal medicine wheel is the south, represented by mid-day, the powerful sun, our adolescent years, the element fire, heat, our heart and relationships, the jaguar, coyote, and the wolf, the color yellow. This direction is about creative friction, expressive movement, act first & think later, and taking tangible steps on our visions in collaboration with others. We are in full celebratory and fearless expression of ourselves. The sounds of the direction can often be loud and ecstatic, not to the point of irritation but full and driving the force of the meditative space forward when properly done in alignment. Powerful and dynamic but short lasting. The drum and rattle ignite the medicine of fire. It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
The third cardinal direction of the inter-tribal medicine wheel is the west, represented by dusk, the setting sun, our adult years, the element water, our emotions, the black bear, and the color black. This direction is about maturity, service to others, compassion, self-control, purification, and the subtle perception of divine interconnectivity and spiritual oneness. We have followed our blissful vision and taken courageous action, leading us to genuine spiritual union. Our sonic expression flows effortlessly with minimal friction, the hardened walls guarding our heart have been broken open and the sound flows directly from our emotional intuitive capacities. The sound has a softer and calmer tone than the fire but holds the power, strength, and endurance of discipline and commitment in the face of adversity. The charango delicately but masterfully cools the waters of the soul. "In the heart of my mother, is the heart of the world, where all this love exists and there is a profound secret..."
The fourth cardinal direction of the inter-tribal medicine wheel is the north, represented by midnight, the evening time, our elder years, the earth element, our physical self, the white buffalo, and the color white. This direction is about lessons learned, bestowing wisdom, integration, gratitude, true freedom, celebration, atonement and a reconciliation of the world around us. Our vision was oriented towards the benefit not just of ourselves but all of life and through our service we can now bask in the transcendental glory of finally arriving home, in the right balance with all our relationships. Songs of joy, gratitude, and carefree expression. The didgeridoo and djembe return us to our bodies, our own internal rhythm, and the wisdom of Earth-based traditions. There is nowhere to go, I have arrived, I am already home.
The Medicine Wheel as a Metaphor for Life
Ritual, rites of passage, and ceremonial experiences are essential to create cultural and personal values on the right relationship to self, others, nature, food, water, medicinal substances, discipline, and more. The medicine wheel provides a narration not just to our ceremonial practices but the arch of our lives as a whole, giving us a key to guide us into the full actualization and maturation of our psyche. It is a living mythology for us to follow to bring a sense of purpose, meaning, action, ritual and philosophy, making our lives a work of art. The medicine wheel represents the spiritual quest, guiding us into visionary insight, courageous and aligned action, service to others, and a honoring of the sacredness of our existence in all of its stages. This is an eternal study that cannot be encapsulated in a single article or ceremonial journey, it is one that requires an in consistent disciplined study, both in humility and dedication to fully absorb a portion of the wisdom it holds.
Written by Jerry Walsh
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