The Medicine Wheel is a sacred symbol used by many indigenous peoples.  The ancient ancestors of the North American continent constructed large wheels of stone laid out on vast expanses of land. That pattern is reflected in today’s familiar Medicine Wheel. The Medicine Wheel reminds us that health and well-being can be achieved by balancing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It points the way toward attaining unity, balance, and harmony.

THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE WHEELS

Medicine Wheels have existed for millennia.  Early Medicine Wheels, like all the ancient circular stone structures of the world, worked with the sun and with the movements of shadows to keep track of the passing of time. They also aligned with the stars, the seasons, and the natural cycles of earth.

The oldest wheel known dates back 5000 years, around the time of the great pyramids of Egypt. Scholars have concluded that the stones from that wheel are the remains of a temple that predates both Stonehenge and the pyramids.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE MEDICINE WHEEL

The Circle represents the interconnectivity of all aspects of one’s being.  It reminds us that all on Earth and in the Cosmos flows in circles.

The horizontal and vertical lines represent the sun’s and man’s sacred paths.The lines also serve to create the four quadrants, each of which is a different color.

The four quadrants symbolize the four directions (north, south, east, and west), the four seasons (summer, fall, winter, and spring), the four elements (water, air, earth, and fire), the four stages of life (birth, childhood, adulthood, and elderhood), the four colors of humanity (white, black, red, and yellow), and the four aspects of the human existence (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual). Each quadrant of the four quadrants has a distinctive color, typically black, red, yellow, and white.

MEDICINE WHEELS AND CEREMONIES

The Medicine Wheel is a powerful space for a ceremony, providing support, guidance, and blessing. It offers a place to connect with the Divine and with Mother Earth, and to honor and call in the ancestors. The energy held within that sacred container greatly enhances a ceremony created by an individual and amplifies the collective energy of a group of people who have come together to mark a special event.

Note: Our Medicine Wheel is available only in Little Switzerland.