An Exploration of the Medicine Wheel
As life would have it, after having chosen this topic, I had the gift of sitting with an Indigenous Elder on the Solstice weekend, having a very engaged conversation about the Medicine Wheel.
I truly love (and always find fascinating) how the Mystery choreographs Life. How I “just happen” to sit with him in the midst of me writing about this- amidst me feeling some internal conflict as I attempt to explain the origins and essence of the Medicine Wheel in the most respectful way.
I've realized now that I've truly made it much more complex than it needs to be.
This is not surprising- and certainly not a bad thing. I have often made a point of being very conscious of how I speak about these things. Acknowledging where I stand, and respecting those from whom these teachings originate from…
As the Elder I was sitting with said: it actually is really quite simple.
Meeting the Wheel Through Synchronicity and Simplicity
No matter where and when people have connected with the Wheel/or built the Stone Medicine Wheels, it has always been about strengthening our connection between the Sky and Earth- strengthening our connection with all those other beings that walk through the different parts of the Wheel; walking as one in this Great Circle of Life.
“Rooted in the wisdom of Indigenous peoples, the Medicine Wheel is a timeless guide to understanding the intricate balance required in all aspects of life—the spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental. This sacred wheel is not merely a symbol; it is a profound reminder of the need for harmony in every facet of our existence.”
Life as a Spiral: Embracing the Circular Nature of Being
If we lived in a way that was connected to the cyclical/circular nature of the Wheel, we would find the peace that resides deep within us
Life is cyclical. It is not linear as many systems of patriarchy would have us believe. There is no place to “get to”. Life is a continuing spiral- spirals circling within and without. We move around the Wheel and each time we have an opportunity to go deeper within ourselves - and frame our lives around that which we learn. And then we move around the Wheel again - and again.
Wheels upon Wheels.
Sacred History: The Wheel Across Time and Culture
What is a Medicine Wheel…. and what is the origin of the Wheel? As with much of human history, there is no singular answer. Medicine Wheels exist all around the globe from the great Stone circles of Europe to the mandalas of India. They come in many forms, with different meanings, and carry different stories.
In Sun Bear's book, Dancing with the Wheel, he shares that the “vision of the Medicine Wheel is similar to the 20,000 Medicine Wheels that existed on the continent before the European people immigrated here.”
He goes on to say “these Medicine Wheels serve many purposes for the Native people of the Americas. They were the ceremonial centers of culture, astronomical laboratories, and places people would come to mark the times and changes in their own lives as well as the life of the Earth.”
The stone circles of Medicine Wheels have been around long before we became introduced to them. They have been used for thousands of years amongst many people, cultures and tribes.
From Ancient Structures to Modern Terminology
“The term "Medicine Wheel" is not a native term. Initially it was used in the late 1800's and early 1900 by Americans of European descent in reference to the Bighorn Medicine Wheel located near Sheridan, Wyoming…..There is no real consensus as to when the medicine wheel began to appear in Native American Culture except to say that some of the wheels date back two to four thousand years BC, the time of the Great Egyptian Pyramids. Some archaeologists and geologists even go as far as saying that The Big Horn Medicine Wheel is as old as a few million years.”
There are many teachings and layers to the Medicine Wheel that I could not (would not) even try to get into, however I can say that my relationship with the Medicine Wheel is that it is- and always has been- a way for us to maintain our balance with Nature, a magical sacred Circle that connects us to every aspect of Nature - within and without.
In these times of forgetting, I feel we have been gifted the Wheel as a way for us to restore our memories of how to walk our Earth Walk - in a way that is in balance with Nature. It truly has become a major symbol of peaceful interaction among all living beings on Mother Earth... representing harmonious connections, a web of energy connecting the seen and unseen, one being with another.
Living Elements: The Medicine Within Earth, Air, Fire & Water
The Medicine Wheel reminds us of the dance between the Elemental forces of Nature within and around all Elemental beings. The Elemental Forces of Nature are deeply imprinted within us (well, truly- they ARE us). They are forces that carry the frequencies of all Elemental Beings in a congruent way within our own Nature.
There is no outside Wheel that is a reflection of us. It IS us. It is an external depiction of how the forces of Nature (which we are) work in harmony as one continuous flow of Life. It is a map or blueprint of energy connecting all things/all beings - some of which I shared in a previous blog about elemental connections.
The Medicine Wheel teachings assists us in embodying health on all levels within us as well - in the East - healthy minds, the South - strong inner spirits, the West - inner peace, and the North - strong healthy bodies.
Its teachings are based on a circular pattern and cyclical relationship of four: the four Seasons, the four stages of Life, the four aspects of a person - with the Spirit as the centre of all things. It teaches us the timing of dreaming, planting, cultivating, and harvesting.
Astrology, Tarot, and the Medicine Wheel's Inner Language
In Western Astrology, and in many traditions, a new Wheel begins in the Spring - the East. Generally, Aries is seen as the beginning of the Wheel. We have the seeds/ the ideas for what we wish to plant. We are now getting ready to plant them here in the physical realm.
Back in the Fall - during the time of Scorpio, the Sign of Water/ the West, we met death. In the Northern hemisphere, it was a time where we harvested the last of our planting from the previous plantings, and we are now entering the darkness. We are entering the time of in-between. The leaves fall, the skies darken, and the Moon is becoming more prominent in the Sky. It is a time for connection with our Ancestors, with our intuitive nature - a time of dreaming.
For me, this is when the next Wheel begins to stir. When the Sun begins to make its return on the Winter Solstice, so too does the next Wheel begin to turn.
For some, the beginning starts with the chronological year, for some, in February- where you begin is where it resonates for you. For truly, there is no beginning and end. The Wheel is continually in motion. The circular motion of the Wheel is what truly matters. Death is birth and birth is death. There is no separation.
Honoring the Rhythm: Archetypes, Seasons, and Sacred Timing
The key is how we choose to connect to the turning of the Wheel. Do we follow the patriarchal structures where we move from here to there? We have a goal and we GO. We push, we force, we keep going - no matter what.
Or;
We follow the wisdom of the Wheel.
We connect to the Creatures, the Plants, the Archetypes (Archetypes of the Tarot & the Stars) that are awake and active at the time we are in. Alternatively, if we have excess of the particular energy present in the Wheel, we can turn to those Beings & Archetypes on the opposite side, or to the other aspects of the Wheel. All assist in ways that are congruent to that which lies deep within each of our own uniqueness.
These are many, and as with developing any relationship, it requires an ongoing commitment to learn from those beings we enter into relationship with- following the threads that connect us all from one Season, one Cycle, one Sign to another.
Plant Allies and Elemental Healing in the Wheel
The forces that are alive throughout the Medicine Wheel, Astrology, and the Archetypes, are also alive within the plants. When we truly pay attention to the Elemental nature of them, we notice what element they love to grow in, what time of year they thrive, whether they are hot or cold, dry or wet.
For instance, this blog is coming out in the Season of Cancer, of Summer. We are moving into Leo later in the month- the South of the Wheel. A time where heat, passion, and the stage of adolescence thrive.
Look around you, and notice the plants that are thriving in the heat. Notice those that thrive in hot dry climates. If we wanted to embody this Element more, we would engage with these plants. One plant that comes to mind for me is Sunflower. Sunflower LOVES the Sun- almost seems to worship the Sun as he consistently follows and bows to the Sun.
If we, however, felt overwhelmed by the heat and the energies of the Sun, we might turn to those plants that live near the water, the ones who enhance moisture in our bodies. Perhaps we are finding the active, passionate, yang energy of the Sun too much and we are feeling overheated, burnt out, and exhausted.
Turn to the plants of Water, the Moon or Earth, such as Calendula for soothing discomfort, Lemon Balm & Chamomile for calming, Yarrow for circulating your own waters/blood and Hawthorn to relax your heart...
There truly are so many relationships we could enter into...
Incorporating the Medicine Wheel into Daily life for Spiritual Growth
As this is all an ongoing relationship, a deepening of a relationship, it takes time and patience, surrender and openness, dedication and commitment. For myself, Sun Bear’s books are ones I have used as reference/teachings over many years.
Some other ways we can incorporate the wisdom of the Wheel include:
Doing Master plant diets throughout the year to help us tune more deeply into the ways of Nature
Joining with community in Ceremony
Participating/creating Rituals at each turning of the Wheel
Travel around the Wheel as a community in my upcoming workshop: A place where we can travel together, learn from each other, the Plants, Stars & Archetypes. A place where we learn and experience our walk through every turning of the Wheel together - connecting our beingness with the threads that extend throughout all the Seasons, Archetypes and Beings of the Earth & Sky.
Walk the Wheel with Intention and Heart
The Medicine Wheel is not just a symbol—it is a living guide for balance, healing, and remembering who we are. As we walk its sacred path, we deepen our connection to the Earth, the Elements, and the cycles of our own lives.
If you're feeling called to explore this journey more deeply, I invite you to walk the Wheel with me. Together, we can honor its teachings and find the unique rhythm that brings you into harmony with yourself and the world around you. If this speaks to your heart, I would be honored to have you join my upcoming Workshop - The Medicine Wheel + Tarot Monthly Workshop. Please feel free to reach out to me here.
About the Author
Sage RavenStar is a shapeshifter, following this mission through many names: Plant Medicine Coach, Shamanic Guide, Healer, Mentor, Mystic, Tarot Reader, Facilitator, Hag/Crone, Hedgewitch, and Mother. Sage’s greatest teacher in life has been Life Herself. Through her journey of healing from a wide array of issues rooted in generational and childhood trauma, Mama Gaia has always been her most consistent support and ally. It has always been her passion to assist others in re-building and strengthening their connection with Life and our natural Allies, both on a personal scale and on a greater collective scale of hurt and trauma. Her lived experience in abuse, addictions, mental health challenges, and body ‘issues’, and her dedication and connection to those ‘outside of the box’, bring a special touch to her work that cannot be replicated. She looks forward to bringing elements of all she has been and is known to walk with you as you walk your own path towards inner and outer peace as an essential piece of the interconnected web of Life.
