The Medicine Wheel Briefly Explained

1. The Medicine Wheel
A symbol of Native American Spirituality

2. Symbolism: the Circle and the Cross

•To the Lakota the most sacred symbol is the circle as it
represents the Earth, the path of the sun around the Earth and the Circle of Life,
through which all things must pass.
•This is why Lakota villages were always pitched in circles and the tepees
themselves were round. The Lakota thought the white man out of touch with the
world and not at peace with himself, an opinion strengthened by the white's
preference for houses with corners, i.e. square or oblong.

•Another sacred symbol was the cross which was sometimes
shown as running across the hoop of the world. This represented the four
directions and was made up of two roads.
•First road: began in the east where all the days of man began. It ended in the west
where all the days of man ended. This road was black and was the Road of Earthly
Difficulties.
•Second Road: began in the south where dwelt the power to grow and it ended in
the north, the realm of white hair and the cold of death. This road was red and was
called the Good Road of Spiritual Understanding.
•Where the roads met and crossed stood the tree of life. The Lakota
considered that the white men only walked the black road and were poorer for it.

3. •The Medicine Wheel is representative of
American Indian Spirituality.
•The Medicine Wheel symbolizes the
individual journey we each must take to find
our own path.
•Within the Medicine Wheel there are the Four
Cardinal Directions and the Four Sacred
Colors.
•The Circle represents the Circle of Life and
the Center of the Circle, the Eternal Fire. The
Eagle, flying toward the East, is a symbol of
strength, endurance and vision. East
signifies the renewal of life and the rebirth of
Cherokee unity.

4. Colors of the Medicine Wheel
•East = Red = success; triumph
North = Blue = defeat; trouble
West = Black = death
South = White = peace; happiness
•There are three additional sacred
directions:
–Up Above = Yellow
–Down Below = Brown
– Here in the Center = Green

6. •Two NUMBERS are sacred to the
Cherokee.
–Four - represents the four primary
directions. At the center of their paths
lays the sacred fire.
–Seven - the most sacred number.
Seven is represented in the seven
directions: north, south, east, west,
above, bellow, and "here in the center"
the place of the sacred fire.

8. Blue
•Winter = go-la
The color for North is Blue which
represents sadness, defeat.
It is a season of survival and waiting.
•BLUE symbolized failure,
disappointment, or unsatisfied desire.
To say "they shall never become blue"
expressed the belief that they would
never fail in anything they undertook.

9. Red
•Spring = gi-la-go-ge
The color for East is Red which represents
victory, power.
Spring is the re-awakening after a long sleep,
victory over winter; the power of new life.
•RED was symbolic of success. It was the
color of the war club used to strike an enemy
in battle as well as the other club used by the
warrior to shield himself. Red beads were
used to conjure the red spirit to insure long
life, recovery from sickness, success in love
and ball play or any other undertaking where
the benefit of the magic spell was wrought.

10. White
•Summer = go-ga
The color for South is White for peace,
happiness & serenity.
Summer is a time of plenty.
•WHITE denoted peace and happiness.
In ceremonial addresses, as the Green
Corn Dance and ball play, the people
symbolically partook of white food.
•The White spirits lived in the South.

11. Yellow
•Autumn = u-la-go-hv-s-di
The color for West is Black which
represents death.
Autumn is the final harvest; the end
of Life's Cycle.

12. Black
•BLACK was always typical of death.
The soul of the enemy was continually
beaten about by black war clubs and
enveloped in a black fog. In conjuring
to destroy an enemy, the priest used
black beads and invoked the black
spirits-which always lived in the West,-
bidding them to tear out the man's soul
and carry it to the West, and put it into
the black coffin deep in the black mud,
with a black serpent coiled above it.

14. Medicine Circle Explained
•Four directions, four seasons of life, four
stages of being
•As we grow, we change like the seasons,
passing through the sections of the circle,
learning from each. The center of the circle is
the touching of the Spirit - the pure of heart,
the truth. Everything extends from the circle
and everything comes together in the middle.
•For this reason the circle is used for
ceremony, especially those that involve
contacting the spirit world. The center of the
circle is a safe and protected place of love, a
centered and grounding area.