{"id":1759,"date":"2014-05-24T17:04:18","date_gmt":"2014-05-24T17:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/?page_id=1759"},"modified":"2014-05-24T17:25:59","modified_gmt":"2014-05-24T17:25:59","slug":"medicine-wheel","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/medicine-wheel\/","title":{"rendered":"My own Medicine Wheel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"RockMedicineWheel\"<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n
Most Medicine Wheels or Prayer Gardens represent the element of the circle. The circle represents the world and encloses everything within. The circle is divided into four quarters according to the compass. Each quarter has it’s own powers, colors and symbols. These vary from tribe to tribe, but are often interpreted as:<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

North\u00a0(Earth:white for winter)
\nSouth (Fire: red\u00a0for passion -time of fertility)
\nEast (yellow -Air-Spring and where the LIGHT begins)
\nWest (black – Water-ending of the day).<\/p>\n

I tried to indicate the usage of rocks to represent an outer border and an inner circle. The four larger rocks represent the primary anchors of N,S,E and West. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a Nurseryman I found those color combinations uncomfortable but since I was using an earlier template made by Jan Butler of P.A. I continued with the idea, but added the 12 astrological divisions shown next.\u00a0Another alternative would change the West to
\nBlue representing Water – emotions.
\nGreen representing Earth – wisdom gathered.<\/p>\n

Had I to do it over again I would use those colors.
\nThe three\u00a0rocks between represent the divisions I made to represent the astrological signs be they of Western or Native American traditions. Into those I placed rocks of my closest friends (chosen by time. The outcome was interesting and dispelled some of my skepticism about astrology. More on that later.
\nThe four\u00a0 dark lines represent pathways that I\u00a0put down with bark to get to the inner circle. The Eastward path is where one enters from..
\nThe color divisions are the crossed lines.
\nMy own interpretation had the addition of a smaller inner circle in which where I placed the rocks of my parents or other friends who had finished walking the outer circle. The number of these rocks would grow as \u00a0I grew older – and the rocks in the outer circle grew ever smaller.<\/p>\n

The outer quadrants were planted with low perennials and ground covers that had the colors I wished to represent the four seasons.
\nAs the West (fall) leads into winter I chose the darker colors of fall, red’s and even black to represent closure.
\nNorth is usually white, because winter comes from here. It is a cleansing color and has the power to heal. As we grow older our hair turns white as we come to our own time of winter.
\nEast is the color of spring and the first beginnings of buds swelling, it has the power to bring forth life. Green or Yellow to represent the coming of light with the morning sun.
\nSouth is the summer and brings with the strong sun, warmth and the the passionate power to grow and propagate.<\/p>\n

I feel that we all begin in the Sign we were born and move with the seasons to the next — winter to spring and so on, until we leave that circle and travel to the circle within. Into each quadrant my friends placed their own rock to celebrate our connected journeys.<\/p>\n

The Four directions points should be marked using a compass to find exact North. It is not where you might expect it.
\nYou will also need to determine how large your own medicine wheel will be and this will be determined by the size of your lot
\nor perhaps the number of friends you have made and still can put up with you.
\nYou might also consider some options or other considerations.
\nSome may opt to build a small fire pit in the very center.<\/p>\n