A path to healing
The shamanic medicine wheel
The shamanic medicine wheel is an ancient and sacred map of wisdom. It is a circle that reflects the course of life – the rhythm of nature, the journey of the soul and the cycles that are always going on in and around us. The wheel reminds us that everything is connected : light and dark, rest and growth, giving and receiving.
You can think of the medicine wheel as a map that helps us understand both ourselves and life. It shows us how we can move through different phases – from vision and feeling to courage and gratitude – and how we can always return to the center, our heart.
The medicine wheel is also a path to healing. As we walk with the wheel, we learn that healing is not always about removing the difficult, but about making room for the whole – both the light and the shadow, both the joy and the sorrow.
At the same time, the medicine wheel is a reminder that balance is not about always giving or always doing, but about walking in the circle where each part has its place and its gift.
A journey that may take time
When I trained myself in sound healing according to the shamanic medicine wheel, I got a first insight into what the wheel stands for and means. Since then, it has become something deeper for me – not just a symbol, but a process to weave into my everyday life, step by step. It took time before I really began to understand the deeper meaning in order to be able to anchor it in my heart – and it continues to grow with every step I take. Both in theory and in practice, I experienced that everything needs its time to sink in and integrate.
The shamanic medicine wheel is not something you understand all at once. For me, at least, it was both mysterious and complicated at first – almost like a language I didn’t really know, but which still touched me deeply. I experienced that the wheel cannot be fully captured by thought or fully grasped by logic.
Since I came into contact with the medicine wheel, I felt an incredible pull that never let go. As if the circle carried a wisdom that was already within me, although I couldn't always put my finger on it. And perhaps that's exactly how the medicine wheel meets us: little by little, step by step, until we suddenly notice that it begins to speak to both heart and soul in a clear and understandable language ♡
And I want to try to lead you – who feel a curiosity or a pull – into a (perhaps) first encounter with the shamanic medicine wheel. My attempt is to make it as simple, hopefully easily understandable and "demystified" as possible - and share it based on my own knowledge, understanding and experience.
But dear, please remember: you, I, we - do not have to understand everything at once or ever completely. Just like the rhythm of nature, insights mature at their own pace. The important thing is to start listening - to life, to nature and to your own heart.
So, imagine a circle that reflects life itself – with its light and dark moments, with rest and growth, joy and sorrow. In the circle there is room for all that you are and all that you go through.
A map with four directions - and us in the middle of it all
Each direction of the medicine wheel carries a specific energy as well as one of the four elements plus a specific power animal – including aspects of who we all are and what we can heal.
East – Fire and the Eagle's Gaze
This is where the vision is born. The spark of fire ignites the soul and reminds us of longing, passion and the ability to start over. The eagle carries us high, so that we can see our life in clarity and wholeness. In the east we gain the strength to dare to follow our dreams.
South – Water and the Wisdom of the Serpent
Here we encounter the emotions and the body. The water teaches us flow and renewal, to clear away what weighs us down. The snake sheds its skin and shows us how we can let go of the old. Here we heal by daring to feel, cry, laugh and let the heart open.
West – Earth and the Jaguar
Here lies death and rebirth. The West is the place where we meet our shadows and leave behind what no longer serves us. The jaguar walks fearlessly through the darkness and shows the courage to stand. Here is the depth and stillness of the earth, here we can root ourselves and find strength in what has been.
North – The Air and the Hummingbird's Song
North is the direction of the ancestors, where the wind carries prayer and lightness. The hummingbird reminds us that even the small is sacred, and that life needs to contain joy. Here we can feel the connection with those who have gone before and receive their guidance - like a whisper from another world.
The Middle – The Heart and Our Own Song
In the middle, all directions meet. This is where we live ourselves – in the center of the heart, where everything unites. This is where our own voice is born – our sound and our life force. In the middle, the medicine wheel becomes personal, because this is where we find home to ourselves.
🌿 All parts of the medicine wheel need to have a place in our lives, much like ingredients in a whole. When we give each direction its time and space, the circle can move freely and we ourselves find balance.
How can we live a little more in balance with the circle of life today?
The medicine wheel teaches us that life is not a straight path. If we take the time to listen – to life, to nature, to the earth – we see how everything moves in eternal circles. Everything returns, everything continues, everything is part of the same cycle.
But it also means: when we get stuck in just one part, such as giving without getting back, or wanting to start over but unable to let go and finish – when we are in imbalance – the energy stops and we just keep stepping in the same place, over and over again.
The medicine wheel is not just for ceremonies or deep moments – it can accompany us in the small everyday moments. Like when we start the day with a thought of the East and our dreams or when we let go of something in the evening in the West. In this way, the circle can become a living companion that can help and heal us every day.
As we bend and walk with the medicine wheel, we are reminded that each part is needed:
✿
The East gives us the vision.
Fire awakens our life force and heals our inner spark.
The eagle helps us see our life from above and dare to follow dreams.
✿
South opens the feeling.
Water heals the heart through the flow of emotions.
The snake heals through movement, flow and transformation.
✿
The West teaches us courage and renewal.
The Earth heals us by receiving what we release.
The jaguar helps us let go of fears and face shadows and trials.
✿
North carries gratitude and joy.
The air heals the soul with ease, prayer and gratitude.
The hummingbird helps us find joy in the little things and to remember the wisdom of our ancestors.
✿
The middle takes us back to the heart.
The heart heals when we reconnect with our own voice and rhythm of life.
✿
To live with the medicine wheel is to live in harmony - in balance - with the rhythm of nature, with breathing and with our own soul. It is to remember that we can and should give and receive, rest and grow, dream and realize. When we let the wheel spin in balance, life becomes easier to bear - and richer to live.
But it is not an understanding that comes all at once. It grows through life itself – through our experiences, our encounters, our mistakes and our lessons. It is in the encounter with our sorrows and joys, our dreams and our fears, our crossroads and our choices – that we begin to sense what the wheel really wants to show us.
The Medicine Wheel does not give us ready-made answers, but tools to listen more deeply. It helps us see meaning in what we are going through, to transform wounds into wisdom, and to let each step become part of a greater whole. When we turn to the wisdom of our ancestors, the realization grows that we already carry the rhythm within us – and that life itself is our teacher.
At the same time, the medicine wheel reminds us that our journey does not only take place here on earth, but also in our inner consciousness. As we wander around the wheel, we can begin to sense how body, mind, and spirit interact.
💡 In everyday life, this can mean stopping for a minute before a meeting or an everyday task, placing your hand on your heart and asking: "Which direction wants to guide me right now?" In this way, the wheel does not become something distant but a living map we can carry with us every day.
💫 Maybe you feel right now that you give more than you receive or that you have difficulty resting amidst the demands of everyday life?
Let the medicine wheel be a reminder that you don't have to keep everything to yourself. Life is a circle. Everything has its time and you are part of the whole.
Living with the medicine wheel – simple steps in everyday life
❈ Meet the east at dawn
- As the day dawns, let a quiet moment be your portal to vision.
- Breathe in the morning air, light a candle or write down a dream.
👉 For example, you can ask yourself:
What seed do I want to plant today?
❈ Wander south in the feeling
- Give yourself permission to feel – without judgment.
- Let the tears flow or let the laughter bubble up.
- Maybe you want to bathe, shower or just listen to the sound of water and remember that everything is in motion.
👉 For example, you can ask yourself:
What do I need to let go of to be able to live more freely?
❈ Meet the West at Dusk
- When the sun goes down, take a moment for stillness.
- Write down what you want to leave behind, burn a piece of paper or bury a stone in the ground.
👉 For example, you can ask yourself:
What is ready to end in my life right now?
❈ Listen to the north in the wind
- Stop when the wind moves.
- Let a whisper of gratitude rise from your heart.
- Perhaps speak silently to your ancestors or to an inner guide.
👉 For example, you can ask yourself:
What gift does life want to remind me of today?
❈ Return to the center – your heart
- Place one hand on your chest. Breathe deeply.
- Feel that all directions, all elements, and all power animals reside within you – the vision, the feeling, the transformation, and the wisdom.
👉 For example, you can ask yourself:
What is my inner self trying to tell me right now?
☽☼☾
Living with the medicine wheel is not about performing or following rules
It is a reminder that we are part of nature, part of the circle. When you turn to the wheel, you also turn to yourself.
Living with the medicine wheel can feel like living in two worlds at once – the visible everyday life and the invisible realm of higher consciousness.
💡 In practice, it can be seeing the small moments of everyday life as sacred: lighting a candle for someone you miss, giving thanks for a lesson learned, or listening to the wind as it moves through the trees. This is how the wisdom of the circle is integrated into the simple and the close – in the middle of everyday life.
☽☼☾
A little blessing from the medicine wheel to you
✿
May the East open your gaze,
so that you see your dreams clearly.
✿
May the south carry your heart,
so that you dare to feel and live truly.
✿
May the West give you courage,
so that you can let go and be reborn.
✿
May the north whisper to you,
so that you remember your strength and your guidance.
✿
And may the center – your heart – always remind you
that you are already whole, already home, already part of the circle.
✿
And maybe, maybe, this is precisely the greatest gift of the medicine wheel: that we are reminded that we are both people of earth and of heaven. That we carry a heart that beats here and now – with a consciousness that can always grow, expand and open to the greater, the invisible, the sacred.
With much love,
Christine
© by HerMine's
Last updated October 28, 2025
Utforska gärna
