Why is the medicine wheel such a significant
symbol in the Indigenous culture?
You've seen this popular Native symbol used
in so many places, but what does it really
mean?
Watch this video to find out what the top
five teachings are of the medicine wheel,
so you can quickly have a great understanding
of what this symbol represents, and the important
teachings behind its existence.
I'm Mallory Graham from tribaltradeco.com,
where we offer over 130 different styles of
contemporary Indigenous moccasins and mukluks,
as well as medicinal smudging products.
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If you are looking to find out what the real
significance of the medicine wheel is to Indigenous
people, then we are here to share the top
five important teachings on the medicine wheel.
This way, you can confidently share this knowledge
with your friends and family, as the medicine
wheel teachings are fundamental to the Indigenous
people of Canada and the United States.
By the end of this video, you will know exactly
what the medicine wheel is, and the top five
teachings that this incredible symbol represents,
which explains so much of the Indigenous worldview
and the meanings behind our beliefs.
You've likely already seen the medicine wheel
in tons of places.
Many Indigenous organizations, or even businesses,
incorporate the medicine wheel into their
logo.
This is because the teachings behind the medicine
wheel represent the very core of our beliefs,
and the worldview of the Anishinaabe and Cree
Nations, as well as other Indigenous tribes
around North America.
You may have heard of many teachings surrounding
the medicine wheel before.
Some of them might be slightly different,
with many similarities, and you will soon
see why.
There are numerous teachings that have been
shared by elders and knowledge keepers surrounding
the medicine wheel.
We've carefully selected our top five medicine
wheel teachings that we hope that you will
find the most helpful.
The first medicine wheel teaching is the connection
of all aspects of life.
Whether you are referring to emotional, physical,
spiritual, or intellectual aspects of your
life, they're all deeply connected.
Our connection to our Mother Earth and Grandmother
Moon are so vital to our health and wellbeing
on a spiritual, physical, and emotional level.
Our closeness to our Mother Earth can directly
affect our spiritual wellbeing, our hormone
levels, our brain health, and so much more.
All creation on Mother Earth was put here
for a purpose, the water, animal, plants,
and humans, and we are all connected in the
circle of life, which is why all four sections
are connected to create the full circle.
These four sections are dependent on each
other to make the full circle, and the balance
of the circle depends on the connection of
all parts of life.
The second medicine wheel teaching is on the
importance of the circle and the balance that
it represents.
Indigenous people of North America look to
the medicine wheel as a symbol that everything
flows in a circle, that is the circle of life.
The circle of life means that we believe that
life continues on and on in a circle, there
was never really a beginning, nor is there
ever really an end.
Our spirits have always been here, and we
live on forever, we are reborn as animals,
or in another spirit form.
As with the renewing of the seasons and the
connection of all life from number one, life
continues on and can only be explained by
the circle and the meaning behind those connections.
The medicine wheel represents the circle of
life divided into four sections.
The wheel speaks to the need for balance,
harmony, and respect.
The four seasons on Mother Earth and the four
elements, earth, air, wind, and fire, all
need to remain in balance.
For centuries, many tribes have used this
system of traditional knowledge under many
different names, but many of them share the
same beliefs and the same need for balance
and harmony.
Have you heard of any of these teachings before,
or are there any others that you would like
to share with us?
If yes, we would love to know in the comments
below.
The third medicine wheel teaching is that
it is actually a tool for passing on knowledge.
Traditionally, knowledge has been passed down
from elders through the use of storytelling.
From language to culture teachings, songs
and traditions, learning happened in an oral
fashion around the fire through telling a
story, that's how Indigenous people passed
on knowledge from elders in their tribe to
future generations.
This system of teachings that is the medicine
wheel helped to connect and organize all of
the teachings together.
The medicine wheel naturally provided a basic
framework for the Indigenous learning process.
The medicine wheel represents an interconnected
system of teachings to learn about the seasons,
directions, elements, colors, cycle of life,
and so much more.
So now we've looked at the first three teachings
of the medicine wheel, which are number one,
the deep connection to all aspects of life,
two, the circle and the balance that it represents,
and three, that it is a learning tool for
passing on knowledge.
The fourth medicine wheel teaching is that
the number four is not only the four sections,
but a sacred number.
Many tribal people, whether from North America
or from all across the world, have the number
four as a sacred, spiritual, or meaningful
number.
The number four connects so many aspects of
life that it's easy to start noticing these
connections once you start looking for them.
This commonality and similarity that our belief
system has with so many other cultures, backgrounds
and ethnicities confirms that all people of
the world are truly brothers and sisters of
a sort.
In ceremony, the four directions are very
important due to the connection of the four
cycles of life.
Many teachings point to the four colors on
the medicine wheel to resemble specific directions,
life cycles, seasons, or elements.
For example, the colors can represent different
groups of people on the Earth, which I love,
because it represents diversity, and the colors
can also represent the seasons or the elements
as well.
The fifth medicine wheel teaching is that
it is a system of teachings built into one.
The medicine wheel is an interconnected system
of teachings that guides Indigenous people
to live in balance, positivity, and respect
all creation on Mother Earth.
The system of teachings connect the four colors
on the medicine wheel with specific directions,
life cycles, seasons, et cetera, but there
are different teachings behind each color,
as each of them matches a specific direction,
season, element, or something else that matches
with the significant number four, even the
placement of the colors on the medicine wheel.
The four sections being placed in a square
shape or in a diamond shape will differ depending
on who is sharing the teaching and what they
were taught.
Understand the fundamentals of the medicine
wheel, and as long as it is helping you feel
good and live in a good way, the teaching
is doing its job, and you don't need to stress
about if you're doing everything perfectly
or correctly depending on who told you what.
You do not need to stress about which variation
or which teaching is the best one.
So we've gone through the top five medicine
wheel teachings, which are number one, the
deep connection of all aspects of life, two,
the circle and the balance that it represents,
three, that it is a learning tool for passing
on knowledge, four, that the number four is
a sacred number, and five, that it is a system
of teachings built into one.
Now after watching this video, you know the
top five medicine wheel teachings, you can
confidently share these important teachings
with others, as the medicine wheel is a very
important Native cultural symbol and it is
so fundamental to who Native people are, what
we believe in, and what is important in our
worldview.
If you are wanting to learn more about the
various sacred medicines, download our free
smudging guide in the link below in the description.
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Thank you so much for watching, guys.
I hope you have an amazing day, and we'll
see you next time.
