The Four Directions of Humanity

                                                 
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 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.

Attributes, are associated with each cardinal
direction. These attributes are said to influence or even to govern certain
emotions, features, ideas or intellect, passions and even personality traits
in receptive individuals. The effectiveness or force of each direction
on an individual varies greatly and depends on the interaction of the influencing
factors from the other three directions. Each attribute has an equal but
opposing partner in another direction.

The North largely governs or influences physical aspects of an individual
person’s life–courage, strength, patience, and endurance. To endure with
a purpose, leads to patience. Strength is nothing more than patience exercised
for a specific purpose. Courage is built on strength–a strength that is
nothing more than courage exercised with a purpose to accomplish a specific
goal.

In short, the cold winds of winter teach the whole person about her
or his physical aspects and abilities. The North brings about physical
balance and harmony for the individual in the same manner the South brings
about those same aspects for the community as a whole entity.

East governs mind–learning. It is the direction from which light awakens
each morning: life, light, wisdom and knowledge. One must have life to
endure. Patience is endurance coupled with knowledge. Wisdom, following
this model, is knowledge exercised for a good purpose, usually one of service
and sharing or problem solving. Each eastern attribute is a sibling to
a northern attribute.

The South, from which warming breezes come, brings rains and warmth
to grow and nourish our crops. It governs our interconnected sense of community,
family, growing and working together as one body–community as a body.
Called environment and ecology today, it is characterized by harmony and
balance, like the three sisters in a garden–corn, beans and squash. Each
puts into soil what the other needs. Harmony, balance, relationship and
interdependence are all associated with the South. Both South and West
govern, influence and teach the idea of community body and mind–family,
in the same manner North and East teach development of an individual’s
body and mind. Earth is a living world with many nations such as bird,
deer, grass and the star nations; desert, forest, mountain, plains and
other regions are like clan camps–each with it own particular citizens.
Each with its own four-fold path : infancy, youth, maturity and old age.

The West is associated with humility, reverence, holiness, and the origins
of love. When the sun wakes up, it doesn’t come roaring like a beast. It
gently nudges its brothers and sisters from the sky–the moon and stars–telling
them they may rest now. This is devotion–humility originates love. The
sun ends its journey with quiet humility. It doesn’t brag that it is bigger
or has more light than its brothers and sisters. We learn the origins of
love through this example of true humility. It is the direction where life
ends. The sun is powerful. It does not have to rest, but each evening it
leaves quietly to make room for brothers and sisters that they may have
their season, too. This is the visible example of love–the Sun, perfect
symbol for perfect Creator. It is One Above made visible in symbolic form

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