Medicine Wheel Hoop of Life ✵
A Mystical Teaching of the Hoop of Life
Written by Deidre Madsen Posted in Awakening and Ascension | Love and Relationships7 Minute Read | Walk the Medicine Wheel to explore ✵ your inner kingdom's sacred directions. There you will uncover keys to your awakening and relationships. 🌸🗝️👑
This is an invitation to embark on a deep inner journey — one that will help you discover, and sustain, the love you truly deserve. This teaching came alive for me during my time in Sedona, where the land pulses with vortex energy. It is excerpted and expanded from my book Happily Inner After7.
We've shared with you, in our Using the Vortex to Balance Relationships article, the two main archetypes: the masculine and feminine ; however, did you know in order to be completely successful in your quest for self-discovery, there are several additional archetypes that you could greatly benefit from; which can be explained using the following indigenous teaching of the medicine wheel.
By studying the differences between them, you will understand yourself on a much deeper level. By experiencing these new aspects within yourself, you can become even more effective in life. You will understand how to navigate life more richly, and draw to you a successful relationship.
Medicine Wheel: A Mystical Teaching
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Sedona Angel Oil Painting by Paul LaWrence Curtis created for Suzanne McMillan-McTavish of Sedona Vortex Tours. Inherited by Shangri-La Sedona upon Suzanne's passing — a living presence that continues to inspire. |
The Medicine Wheel1, also known as the Sacred Hoop or Hoop of Life, is a powerful ancient framework, a philosophical life teaching for understanding the archetypes within — the Inner Child/Lovers, Warrior, Magician, and King/Queen — so you can live with greater passion, grace, wisdom, and sovereignty. It has always meant to be a simple tool to communicate with the Great Spirit (Creator). Spanning continents and diverse indigenous traditions, the medicine wheel has long served as a tool for communicating and navigating one's sacred life path.
The sacred hoop, or medicine wheel, is not specific to Native Americans, though it is definitely a significant part of their culture. Spiritual circles have permeated many cultures for thousands of years, including Celtic, Druid, old European and Chinese traditions8. Many of these cultures have been used for reference and cohesion for these exercises in order to present a more thorough explanation.
On a divine, heavenly level, the wheel itself contains codes of information that are easily recognized through symbols, such as the sun and moon2. Four primary symbols on the wheel represent the four main compass directions, which also correspond to the four main archetypes. The center of the wheel symbolizes the core archetype. And two additional directions equalling seven prime nodes.
By focusing on the medicine wheel symbols through prayer and meditation, you can receive a spiritual revelation, such as a detailed lesson, message or healing. Through this journey, you will learn to love, know, act and reign.
Through this journey, you will learn to love, know, act and reign.
The medicine wheel, though meant to be simple, is an advanced life teaching. It focuses on a set of disciplines incorporating the mind, body and soul of the seeker, or initiate. The wisdom of the soul’s intuition guides the seeker through the process of this teaching.3
The following is an interpretation I had of a spiritual experience with the medicine wheel:
Accordingly, our Creator designed the life cycle of our sovereign experience as if God were experiencing Himself through us. It is based on a simple template resembling a compass. On the surface, this template houses the portals of the medicine wheel. The structure is multifaceted with unseen layers of knowledge, like a multidimensional database of higher understanding. These teachings create a kaleidoscope of balanced sounds, vibrations and colors. Think of the medicine wheel as a living being that is as alive as the Creator.
The schema, or template, is derived from a set pattern within the Creator’s imaginative thoughts. It is woven throughout our individual DNA, which the Creator fractally repeats within us on a cellular level. It is a reflection of the Creator’s eye. The prisms within the human eye are a reflection of this teaching.
A circular pattern is formulated through our use of archetypes within the wheel with the core at the center. These archetypes are signals for healing damaged DNA. These signals light a spark of remembrance deeply encoded within our soul.
Like the kaleidoscope, there are limitless variations of what your experience can be. For each individual, there are many paths available from which to choose. Each one can further enhance your life quest journey through the medicine wheel of life.
As you learn about the medicine wheel, you will recognize aspects of yourself in each and every point on it. Keep in mind that you may be functioning in any one or more of these aspects at any given time. The key is to learn what the archetypes mean, and how they relate to you.
The Medicine Wheel Directions
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🇪 EAST
- Element – Fire
- Color – Yellow
- Animal – Coyote (Heyókha), Baby Bear (Simi), Phoenix, Rooster, Mourning Doves (Lovebirds)
- Tarot – The Fool
- Camelot – Court Jester
- Angel – Archangel Michael
- Angel’s Virtues – Protection/Truth
- Season – Springtime
- Time of Day – Dawn, Sunrise
- Time of Life – Childhood
- Symbol – Babies, Newborns, Infants, Children, Toddlers, New Beginnings
- Tree Symbol – Seedling, New Shoot
- Yin/Yang Dominant – Yang
- Inner Archetype – Inner Child, Lovers (Prince and Princess)
- Virtues – Innocence, Purity, Trusting
- Challenge – Petulance, Pertinence, Self-absorption
- Job/Purpose – To Be Passion
- Affirmation – I set my dreams and goals on fire with my passion!
- Morning Exercise – Rejoice in gratitude and relief and spend each morning in prayerful meditation breathing in all good and wondrous things anew.
-
🇸 SOUTH
- Element – Water
- Color – Red
- Animal – Snake, Mouse/Rat, Dolphin, Wolf, Dragon
- Tarot – The Goddess; The Feminine
- Camelot – The Knights of the Round Table
- Angel – Archangel Raphael
- Angel’s Virtues – Healing
- Symbolic for – Caves/Valleys/Bottom Half of Pyramidal Diamond, Ancestors (feminine)
- Season – Summertime
- Time of Day – Noon Midday
- Time of Life – Youth, Young Adult
- Dominant Motor Skills – Fine
- Tree Symbol – Young, Youthful Tree
- Yin/Yang Dominant – Yin
- Inner Archetype – Warrior
- Virtues – Unflinching Honor, Grace of Movement
- Saboteur Aspect – Aggression, Defiance
- Job/Purpose – To Do/Take Action
- Affirmation – I act on my dreams and goals on fire with honor and grace of movement!
- Midday Exercise – Take the time to go through your day with eyes that take in a greater awareness of something outside of your immediate space and moment. Expand enough to see the big picture and relax into the ability to multitask the finer details with ease and grace.
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🇼 WEST
- Element – Earth
- Color – Black
- Animal – Bear, Owl, Raven
- Tarot – The Hierophant
- Camelot – Merlin
- Angel – Archangel Gabriel
- Angel’s Virtues – Strength
- Season – Autumn/Fall
- Time of Day – Afternoon, Early Evening, Sunset
- Time of Life – Adult, Middle Age
- Tree Symbol – Mature Tree Ripe with Fruit
- Yin/Yang Dominant – Yin
- Inner Archetype – Magician
- Virtues – Intuition and inner guidance
- Saboteur Aspect – Manipulation, coercion
- Job/Purpose – To Know the What and the How
- Affirmation – I know what to do and how to realize my dreams and goals with integrity and right-relationship.
- Afternoon Exercise – Begin to review the day’s events and especially the choice you have made this day. Are these choices for the greatest good and remaining supportive? Are these choices supporting your dreams and goals? Are you taking action towards that end? See yourself successfully immersed in your dreams and goals allowing them to magically and powerfully flow freely to and through you.
-
🇳 NORTH
- Element – Air
- Color – White
- Animal – Buffalo, Eagle, Polar Bear, Horse
- Tarot – The King/Queen
- Camelot – King and Queen
- Angel – Archangel Ariel
- Angel’s Virtues – Wisdom (Chockmah, Sophia)
- Symbolic for – Mountains/Peaks/Top Half of Pyramidal Diamond, Elders/Masters (masculine)
- Season – Wintertime
- Time of Day – Evening, Nighttime
- Time of Life – Senior Elder Years
- Dominant Motor Skills – Gross
- Tree Symbol – Seeds from Fruit of Tree
- Yin/Yang Dominant – Yang
- Inner Archetype – King/Queen
- Virtues – Sovereign, Wisdom, Freedom, Abundance
- Saboteur Aspect – Tyranny, Abusiveness
- Job/Purpose – To Reign
- Affirmation – I decree and claim my dreams and goals to come forth in clarity and truth.
- Evening Exercise – Breathe in and out the cool silent of the evening’s veil while the deep settles in and twilight fades. It is a moment to reflect and rejoice, and to prepare the body, mind and spirit for tomorrow. Represent yourself as if your wisdom shines in a dynamic way that you create a legacy from the wise choices you made this day.
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🧿 CENTER/WITHIN
- Element – Ether
- Color – Gold
- Animal – Ba, Bak, Bennu (Egyptian: Dove, Hawk, Phoenix)
- Camelot – Inner Sanctum
- Symbol – pineal gland, the seat of the soul, or the seat of the Buddha (Consciousness); the pineal gland anchors the soul to the body, the God Organ9.
- Inner Archetype – The God Organ All That Is All
- Virtues – Balance and Connection
- Job/Purpose – To Be
- Challenge – Disconnection
- Affirmation – I AM centered. I AM connected to the All That Is All
- Morning Exercise – Rejoice in gratitude and relief and spend each morning in prayerful meditation breathing in all good and wondrous things anew.
The light of the body is the eye;
if therefore your eye be single,
your whole body shall be full of light.
~ Matthew 6:22This area is a central space where you can reign as if there is a round table-like King Arthur forum or natural gathering place within your mind. This area conveys your right to reign as a sovereign space within your whole being. In native tradition it is a supreme place of prayer and core reflection.
-
⬆️ ABOVE
- Looking above you, you see Father Sky (syntropy) who is a vast interpretation of the infinite blue of the sky day to dusk, and a sprinkling of stars, planets and moon to light our path. Now we can see where we are going for Father Sky is the wayshower. He is our natural leader with strength of the provider and the source of all things.
Looking up, imagine your internal left hemisphere, the structured masculine, offers up the wise words and a blessing: “Build! I am here to take action and do. Come up to me as the feminine goddess muse offering your creative ideas, and I will manifest it for you as your knight in shining amour. I will financially support it for you. I will create a foundation for you upon how you wish to express yourself, upon which you can rise up and be who you are in your natural creativity. You are safe and free to share your seeds of your wisdom, truth and understanding with the rest of the world.” Take this blessing to your heart and breathe deeply, allowing the promises of Father Sky to fill you with joy and hope.
-
⬇️ BELOW
- Looking down, you see the rich green Mother Earth (entropy) beneath your feet. She provides the classical elements of earth, air, fire and water as a supporting force in which we go forth on the planet and become fruitful.
Looking down, imagine the internal right hemisphere, the unstructured feminine, offers up these wise words and a blessing, “Express! I am here to be and remain in the non-doing. You come down to me as the masculine/warrior/king offering your form and structure and I will inspirationally support it for you as your goddess/muse. I will gently breathe sustaining life into your foundation and together our dream is expressed into reality, and into our world.” Take this blessing to your heart and breathe deeply, allowing the promises of Mother Earth to fill you with peace and love.
When you can identify the various archetypes and see clearly, you become powerful. You then stop allowing parts of yourself to get out of balance by choosing the challenging saboteur aspects. You become more capable of functioning in your world when you can clearly identify the archetypes and their purposes. Knowing the job and purpose of each of your archetypes4 is tantamount to understanding how to rule with a wise and just hand, claiming your inner divine sovereignty. You cease to be the victim and instead become the victor of your life.
May this teaching bring you deeper love, clearer relationships, and unshakable inner peace. If it resonates, explore more in Happily Inner After, or join me for a session or retreat where we walk these hoops together in the land.
With love and sovereignty,
Deidre ♕♔
Let's get real!
LET'S GET PRACTICAL WITH THIS TEACHING
Now that you understand the seven directions of the Medicine Wheel you may be wondering how to apply them in day-to-day life. How do you recognize one or all of these during interactions with others or your partner or spouse? How do you apply these teachings practically?
CLICK HERE for a practical exercise told in fascinating story-form:
"The Doorway to Your Inner Camelot ♛✵"
Are You Ready to Discover Your Position
in the Medicine Wheel of Life?
Through one-on-one sessions, immersive retreats, seminars, or the tools in my book, you can discover your sovereign center.
- Book a TGI Imagery Session
- Inquire About Signature Retreats
- Order Happily Inner After Book
- Explore Seminars and Masterclasses
- Join the Newsletter for Camelot King and Queen Guidance and Updates
Resources
- Black Elk & John G. Neihardt — Black Elk Speaks (1932).
- Vine Deloria Jr. & Clifford M. Lytle — American Indians, American Justice or Deloria's God Is Red (1973).
- Ed McGaa (Eagle Man) — Mother Earth Spirituality: Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World (1990).
- Carl G. Jung — The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (CW Vol. 9).
- Robert Moore & Douglas Gillette — King, Warrior, Magician, Lover (1990).
- Clarissa Pinkola Estés — Women Who Run with the Wolves (1992).
- Deidre Madsen — Happily Inner After: A Guide to Getting and Keeping Your Knight in Shining Amour (2015).
- Mircea Eliade — The Sacred and the Profane (1957).
- Rick Strassman, M.D. — DMT: The Spirit Molecule (2001).
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About the Author
Deidre Madsen
Award-winning author, Deidre Madsen, is uniquely placed to take her clients to the next level of success in achieving their vision. With over twenty years of experience in executive and holistic positions in both public and private companies, Deidre is well versed in holistic health and relationships, she is an award-winning published author, educator and public speaker of note. However, for the many who have met and dealt with Deidre, it is the rare combination of Corporate excellence and unshakable integrity with her warm and gentle soul that express the essence of what her work is all about ... the beauty of the human spirit. It is this combination of Corporate, mind-body-spirit technical and creative excellence that will lead her clients into their shining future. Living the values of respect, community, belonging, focus on service to clients and philanthropy are Deidre’s hallmark and one her clients worldwide are proud to have as a part of their team. As a humanitarian Deidre's focus is the empowerment and ascension of people worldwide. She believes the untapped power of the mind can harmonize and bridge between the structured masculine math and sciences and the unstructured feminine creative arts for whole-minded whole-body ascension.
Imagery Consultant | Award-Winning Author and Writer | Lecturer and Speaker | Life Coach
As a tenured Imagery Consultant, Deidre works body, mind and spirit whole-brained holistic TGI imagery sessions with clients worldwide and assists in opening to your spirit-supra-consciousness and succor
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