• Flowering tree at center, sacred altar
• Circle of dancers
• Circle of prayer sticks with colors of four directions
• Circle of people
• Circular path for dancers, for supporters as well (before entry into sacred circle)
• Arbor, community of family and friends

• Not in a straight-rowed "church" (square) with one perspective for all
• Perspective different from each point in circle
• Not proselytized, bigoted, narrow-minded, or judgmental
• Not exclusionist, arguing, or debating
• No attempt to convert tribal view of another
• All views valid

• Birds fly in circle, build home in circle
• Coyote in round holes in ground

• Great house for celebration set as a large circle around a center pole
• Each of the poles with a skin, feather, or carved object, or plant represent whole of creation
• Finisher's care surround one who enters
• A microcosm of all life
• Reminds such power always surrounds on life's journey
• Circle of birth to death, rebirth on new plane of existence

• School: square door, square clock, square windows, square books
• Square cap, square diploma
• Square pegs in round holes ???

• Sun, moon, celestial bodies - circular orbits
• Everything in nature is round
• Nature/round teaches a full, balanced life

• Immediate family
• Extended family
• Tribal circle
• Nationalities
• All humanity

• Ezekiel's Wheel within a wheel
• Israelites encircling Jericho
• God walks the circuit of heaven in Job
• Sun's circuit of the skies
• "He who sits on above the circle of the earth" (Isaiah 44:22)
• Elders in a circle around the throne (Rev)
• Circle of Paul's followers who prayed after he was stoned
• Encircling one another with love, care
• Networking, circle of prayer
• Balanced geometrical organization of a circular field in 5th millenium BC (Egypt)
  • Binding figure in center, a cross, rosette, swastika
  • Later occupied by a figure of a god, divinity, in carnate in king, in pharoah

Life cycle, annual cycle... balanced by seeing all part of cycle as whole

• 1.5.1.9.1 Four Faces - The Life Cycle (Wilson MW 70-75)

  • Childhood, beginnings (E)
  • Youth, growth and development (S)
  • Adults, teaching the children (W)
  • Elders, completion, culmination of life cycle (N)
  • Non-Amerindians insist or demand that children be served first, instills a disrespect of elders
  • Amerindians honor elders - elders served first; respect and reverence instilled

• 1.5.1.9.2 Life Cycle of the United States (Wilson MW 75)

  • Colonial days as its childhood ?
  • Delcaration of Independence marking youth ?
  • Industrial revolution, maturity ?
  • Was that the end of a cultural era, or is the US still a youth ? what is next?

• 1.5.1.9.3 Life Cycle of Christianity (Wilson MW 75-77)

  • Apostles spread, ten imperial persecutions - the childhood ?
  • Romanizing, its youth ?
  • Protestant reform, its maturity ?
  • Current ecumenical movement, its elder stage ?
  • What's next ?

• 1.5.1.9.4 The Four Seasons or Annual Cycle (Wilson MW 77)

  • Spring, beginning (E)
  • Summer, warmth (S)
  • Fall, close of day, maturity (W)
  • Winter, cold winds, culmination/completion (N)

• 1.5.1.9.5 The Four Races (Wilson MW 77-78)

  • Yellow = Oriental (E)
  • White = European (S)
  • Black = African (W)
  • Red = Amerindian (N)

• 1.5.1.9.6 Four Basic Elements of Nature (Western Elements) (Wilson MW 78)

  • Air, see world around us (E)
  • Fire, warmth (S)
  • Water, rains (W)
  • Earth (N)

• 1.5.1.9.7 Four Things that Breathe (Wilson MW 78)

  • Wingeds, fly through the air (E)
  • Four-leggeds, created before Two-Leggeds (S)
  • Two-Leggeds (W)
  • Crawlers (N)

• 1.5.1.9.8 Four Things Above the Earth (Wilson MW 79)

  • Stars (E)
  • Sun (S)
  • Moon (W)
  • Planets (N)

• 1.5.1.9.9 Four Parts to Green Things (Wilson MW 79)

  • Roots, beginning (E)
  • Stem, burst from ground (S)
  • Leaves, maturity (W)
  • Fruit, culmination, tipen in age (N)

• 1.5.1.9.10 Four Divisions in Time (Wilson MW 79)

  • Day, daylight/sunrise (E)
  • Moon, cycles/months (S)
  • Night, Sunset (W)
  • Year, culmination of all cycles (N)

• 1.5.1.9.11 Animals of The Four Directions (Wilson MW 79-80)

  • Buffalo - giver, complete sacrifice (E)
  • Bear - warrior, medicine power (S)
  • Eagle - Great Spirit within (W)
  • Cougar - Huntress, Goddess within (N)

1.5.2 Biblical Fours

• E - John: teaches that darkness cannot overcome; light of wisdom dispels darkness
• S - Matthew: see great distances, physically, spiritually, socially, philosophically
  • Pray to foresee events (see prophetically); Matthew refers to past prophecies
• W - Luke: a Greek Doctor, educated in Hellenistic teachings of Greek philosophies
  • Look for perfect human - physically, socially, mentally, spiritually
  • Luke presents Jesus as perfect divine man
  • Introspection, meditation, contemplation, clear self-knowledge
  • Commitment to path of personal developement - healing, closer to perfection
• N - Mark: storms, both geophysically and in realm of individual and colletive lives
  • Shortest of books, written to Romans (who lacked time to read)
  • Action and conquest; miracle stories

• E - John - Eagle, Scorpio, water
• S - Matthew - Angel, Aquarius, Air
• W - Luke - Bull (Ox), Taurus, Earth
• N - Mark - Lion, Leo, Fire

• Scriptures (E) Psalms 119:105
• Experience (S)
• Reason (W)
• Tradition (N)

• In scripture:
  • Speaks of scripture (E of E)
  • Speaks of experience (S of E)
  • Speaks of reason (W of E)
  • Speaks of tradition (N of E)
• In experience:
  • Experience in scripture (E of S)
  • Experience in experience (S of S)
  • Experience in reason (W of S)
  • Experience of tradition (N of S)
• In reason:
  • Understanding of scripture (E of W)
  • Understanding of experience (S of W)
  • Understanding of reason (W of W)
  • Understanding of tradition (N of W)
• In tradition:
  • The ritual of passing on scripture (E of N)
  • Of passing on experience (S of N)
  • The ritual of passing on reason (W of N)
  • Of passing on tradition (N of N)

(Dominican scholar proponent of creation theology)
• E - the Via Positiva, Path One, Befriending Creation (the way of the positive)
  • "Affirmation, thanksgiving, ecstasy"
  • Ten themes (Section 2:2.1.2.7); creative energy of God...
• W - the Via Negativa, Path Two, Befriending Darkness; letting go, letting be
• S - the Via Creativa, Path Three, Befriending Creativity, befriending our divinity
• N - the Via Transformation, Path Four, Befriending New Creation, "compassion, celebration, erotic justice"

• E - 1) White - conquering to conquer; rider given a bow and a crown
• S - 2) Red - taking peace from earth; men slay one another; given a great sword
• W - 3) Black - rider given a balance
  • A "quart of wheat for a denarius, three quarts of barley for a denarius,
  • But do not harm oil and wine."
• N - 4) Pale - rider's name was Death, Hades followed him
  • Given power to kill over a fourth of the earth
  • With sword and famine, pestilence and wild beasts

Introduction: Page One ~ | ~ Page Two ~ | ~ Page Three ~ | ~ Page Four ~ | ~ Page Five ~ | ~
~ | ~ Sacred Altar ~ | ~ East ~ | ~ South ~ | ~ West ~ | ~ North ~ | ~
Inner Circle: Owl ~ | ~ Cougar ~ | ~ Hawk ~ | ~ Coyote ~ | ~ Wolf ~ | ~ Bear ~ | ~ Raven ~ | ~
Outer Circle: Snow Goose ~ | ~ Otter ~ | ~ Cougar ~ | ~ Hawk ~ | ~ Beaver ~ | ~ Deer ~ | ~
~ | ~ Flicker ~ | ~ Sturgeon ~ | ~ Bear ~ | ~ Raven ~ | ~ Snake ~ | ~ Elk ~ | ~ Blue ~ | ~

Medicine Wheels Native American Medicine Wheel Roy Wilson's Combined Wheel Grey Wolf's Earthweb Other Medicine Wheels The Four Directions and Paths The Twelve Earthly Moons Native American Links	© 1997-2009 Refiner of Gold Creations Created 2/10/2002. by EMC, Updated 11/12/2009. "Apache"