There are many ways of creating and interpreting the Native American Medicine Wheel and probably just as many ways of “Calling in the four directions”.
I am one of the principle creators of the large medicine wheel in West Sedona (with Crystal StarWeaver and others). It’s a beautiful wheel, set with large sacred stones that were brought from different parts of Sedona. Each stone covers a sacred crystal or mineral. There were 15-20 people present during the ceremony to bless and consecrate the Medicine Wheel. ThreeTrees was on hand to offer sacred drumming and I and Robert played Native American flute. In this wheel, we enter from the East, though in another wheel in Sedona, I have been taught to enter from the West. I’m not attached to any particular way. There are corners in a Medicine Wheel and each direction is as important as the one next to it.
Here are some thoughts about the different directions and some interpretations offered by my dear friend Anahata:
WEST – Water, Fall, Snake. Setting sun, surrender, letting go, flexibility, adaptability, closing chapters, release, forgiveness.
NORTH – Air – Winter – True North. Eagle(higher perspective) Bear(hibernate, reflect). Quiet contemplation, spirit counsel, reflection, divine guidance.
EAST – Fire – Spring – Butterfly. Rising sun, new beginnings, taking action, DO, rebirth, planting seeds/your garden, passion, courage, focused energy, commitment.
SOUTH – Earth – Summer – Hummingbird (nectar of life) & Coyote (trickster, tribal). Celebration, harvest, gratitude, sharing, abundance, gifts, playfulness, community, Mother Earth, joy, radiance, vitality, thriving.
Here is the way that I like to call in the 4 directions (in the way of the Munay Ki):
South
To the winds of the South
Great Serpent
Wrap your coils of light around us
Teach us to shed the past the way you shed your skin
To walk softly upon the Earth
Teach us the Beauty Way
West
To the winds of the West
Mother Jaguar
Protect our medicine space
Teach us the way of peace, to live impeccably
Show us the way beyond death
North
To the winds of the North
Hummingbird, Grandmothers and Grandfathers
Ancestors
Come and warm your hands by our fires
Whisper to us in the wind
We honor you who have come before us
And you who will come after us, our children’s children
East
To the winds of the East
Great eagle, condor
Come to us from the place of the rising Sun
Keep us under your wing
Show us the mountains we only dare to dream of
Teach us to fly wing to wing with the Great Spirit
Mother Earth
We’ve gathered for the healing of all of your children
The Stone People, the Plant People
The four-legged, the two-legged, the creepy crawlers
The finned, the furred, and the winged ones
All our relations
Father Sun
Father Sun, Grandmother Moon, to the Star Nations
Great Spirit, you who are known by a thousand names
And you who are the unnamable One
Thank you for bringing us together
And allowing us to sing the Song of Life
