WHEELING THE MEDICINE WHEEL FORWARD

 

Wheeling along the Blooming Path

When I was once invited to observe a Médecine Wheel ceremony under a full moon on the Island of Aruba, I surprised myself and immediately said YES! Sitting outside, surrounded by warm, clean ocean air, around a bunch of people who were equally as keen, seemed intriguing and harmless and, quite frankly, irresistible. It became a most memorable Island experience and one that I would do again.

I know some people in my life reacted with concern and reservations and, as has become my mantra about negativity, jealousy and envious human behaviour, I hold my head high choosing to not be swayed by combatants. The first Medicine Wheel experience enlightened me, enriched me, inspired and intrigued me to the point of wanting to know more about this very ancient form of self help, untoxic medicine.

There is a great deal of metaphorical definition to the design of a wheel. I could probably do a 10,000 word dissertation about that since I love metaphors. As you discover one, you then discover one under that one, and another under that one, and it can go on and on, and take you further ahead in understanding. It’s a skill I learned from trying to conquer the incredibly metaphorical brain set of Canadian author and poet Margaret Atwood! Her writing makes my brain go around and around, but after each spin I feel I move further ahead in understanding. My challenge with her is to not let her defeat me!

Naysayers and people who stick with reservations about anything new or nontraditional or nonmainstream, kind of live a stuck lifestyle. Their wheel has square edges and does not move forward. They are set in their ways and just will not open up their world to thinking outside their box or even opening up their box for some fresh new air — not even a little.

I like fresh air. I definitely like fresh air. Fresh air is blooming medicine.

Let’s start by talking about the word medicine. The word medicine actually means “healing power” or “healing pathway” …the definition has nothing to do with the use of actual drugs to overcome a medical, mental, physical or emotional health deficit. “Medicine” is a  method or pathway to healing. Some methods use drugs and others do not.

No community values and honours a Medicine Wheel more than our indigenous peoples and now that more of our general population has begun to understand and appreciate the indigenous file, more people are opening up to embracing indigenous history, culture, traditions and problem solving methodologies. No example stands out more than the Medicine Wheel — a pathway to healing and a way to better understand life and living.

Sitting quietly around a medicine wheel requires an open mind. It requires a trust between your mind and your thoughts, and a willingness to sense a connection with the magnetism as experienced between the sun, moon, stars and earth. That magnetism impacts humans, plants and animals … we see it in our flora and our fauna, because we know without the power of the sun, moon and stars, we would have no flora nor fauna; but we tend to fear or dismiss any such connection with humanity. The concept is unfamiliar or, for some, unconventional and therefore dismissed as silly, dumb or flicked aside as an annoyance. Box closed.

Box open: the wheel is a full circle — it represents the directional elements of north, south, east, west. The whole of our earth, including humans, is impacted by the behaviour of the sun, moon and stars, with sunrises and sunsets, and diverse weather events, and there is a very real dependence or relationship or connectivity between all four. The circle shape  represents the cycle of life, a full life of breathing from the moment of our birth to the instance of our death, from solstice to solstice, day to night and night to day, evolution and revolution, eclipse to eclipse. 

The circle/wheel also  metaphorically represents the movement of moving forward, taking us further ahead instead of staying in one spot — if we let it; just like how the earth, moon, sun and stars relate to each other, refresh and keep moving. If they stop moving, we stop moving! If their relationships fail, so do ours. 

The whole philosophy behind the medicine wheel is that there is a connectivity between us and them. And, as such, it’s a sacred connected place on Earth, on the earth beneath our feet, carefully and thoughtfully made from earthly matter by humans, for humans to embrace that solar and terrestrial relationship, to express gratitude and appreciation, to restore confidence and optimism, erase uncertainties and anxieties, push away negativity, pull in positivity, commit to helping Mother Nature,  and to better  understand life and living. (Just like how some people do the same in church, temple, synagogue, ashram etc)

Within the healing circle there are subcircles. One depicts four animals that are known to have traits of wisdom, balance, perseverance, healing. (Not all medicine wheels depict the same animals) Basically the role of the participant is to mentally connect with the animal’s strong trait and try to let its power have a positive impact. It’s all very spiritual and personal, and can be very impactful if you let it — allowing it is easy, when you open the box.

The experience, power and teachings of the Medicine Wheel are deeply embedded in community and tradition, symbolism and metaphor. It is definitely an “open the door” secure, cerebral exercise in personal truth, trust and honesty, connectivity and reciprocity — personally enlightening, enriching and powerful;  peaceful, respectful and relaxing. A different way to bloom.