Since you asked....

Lately I have been meeting a lot of new people, many who have never heard about the Medicine Wheel. When they ask me what it is, I hesitate because the answer is virtually impossible to give in a few words. So I thought I would write about it in my blog.

The Wheel is everything! It is the Sacred Circle of Life: it's the planets revolving around the sun, it's the electrons and neutrons in our bodies rotating around the nucleus of our cells. It is the roundness of the birds nest in spring, the rotation of the seasons, the stages of our lives from birth to death and beyond. The Wheel is the circle of our day as we wake, work, play, eat and sleep. It is the path of the sun as it moves across the sky from East to West. 

It is the conversations we have with the people we meet from hello to goodbye. Humans, trees and animals are living Wheels. Our Minds spin like wheels, our eyes are round like wheels, the tasks we do (like cooking or doing dishes) are Wheels, relationships are Wheels... I could go on and on.... All of these and more are Sacred Circles that spin, revolve and evolve in us and around us. 

Many people want to know what we do at a Medicine Wheel Circle. Again, I find that hard to answer because it is different everytime, but some things we do the same or similar.... we lay down 36 stones, we light candles and call in the Spirits of the Four Directions, we smudge with sacred herbs, we drum, we pass the talking stick and share what we are living. We make connections between our stories, we look for signs and synchronicities to get messages from the dreaming. But that is only the surface of it. Within all of those actions are deep connections with our inner selves, each other, with Spirit, with Mother Earth, the Winds, Moons and Stars... all of creation - the Circle of Life!

When we sit around a circle of stones, we are doing what our Ancestors did for generations before us. When we learn and live the teachings of the Medicine Wheel, we are learning how to walk in balance and harmony, grounded and connected to the Earth and all of Creation. The Wheel guides us in our daily life. It helps us to see where we are in time and space, it shows us where we are strong and where we need to do our work to get strong. And so much more....

There are personal Wheels and collective Wheels. Our personal wheel is our inner community: our Inner Children (Moons), Ancestors (Clans) and Totems. When we work to bring consciousness to our personal Wheel, we grow in our Medicine, our power. I have journeyed with my personal wheel for over 20 years and it never ceases to amaze me. I just go deeper and deeper into myself, discovering more amazing insights, healing and growth. The Wheel guides us on our journey towards WHOLENESS.

There are 8 Roles on the Collective wheel. They are Firekeeper, Visionary, Peacekeeper, Warrior, Nomad, Dreamer, Initiator, Healer.

On our personal Wheels we have 5 of these Roles.  These sit in the four directions and the center. Each Role also has a Totem. When we learn our Roles and Totems, we discover our personality traits (East), our Medicine that we use to face challenges (South), how we teach and learn (West) and where we sit in wisdom and healing (North). The center is our forever space.

I have Visionary in the East on my Personal Wheel. This is my East Role and "face Totem". My Visionary is an adolescent female wolf. But as I grow and learn, she also grows. Visionaries are future oriented, they can be prophets and predict the future. They are great CEO's as they know what is needed in order to prepare for what comes next. They like to plan and organize. Visionaries use the elements of Clarity, Knowledge and Illumination. These are the steps that take us to the center of the Wheel where Creator resides.

All Roles are meant to be used in service to the Collective. The Wheel teaches us all about being collective. In our modern society, we have lost this ability. We have become competitive where we should be cooperative, independent or co-dependent where we should be INTER-dependent. This is what we say when we say "Ho Mitakuyue Oyasin - "All My Relations". 

Our world is in a mess because we have lost the sacred teachings of our Indigenous Ancestors. All cultures were given the wisdom of the Wheel and the evidence is in the structures left behind, like Stonehedge, Mayan Temples and other Power Spots all around the world. 

The Medicine Wheel does not belong to any culture, it belongs to the Earth. It just so happens the the Red Race are the Keepers of the Earth and the keepers of this knowledge. The other races are Keepers of Water, Air and Fire. All other races have had their voices heard over time. It is time for the Red race to step forward and show others how to return to balance. This is essential if we are to survive the difficult times to come. The Medicine Wheel was given to all peoples as a tool for survival. It is a map or guide to help us navigate through life's many challenges!

The Wheel is ancient, but it is organic - it evolves and changes as natural realities change. It even changes from one topography to another, that is why you see different wheels in different parts of the world. The beauty of the Sacred Circle is that it is based on natural and cosmological laws, not human laws. it is about CREATION, NATURE AND LIFE! 

As you can see, I love the Wheel. It has given me so much in the way of growth, healing, consciousness.... I believe that this is the answer we are all looking for in this time of change and uncertainty. 

I'll be back with more. I welcome comments and questions.