A Four Directions Meditation. We acknowledge the Black Bear, who sits in the West direction and is both the keeper of medicine knowledge and grower of the medicines. As you give to all the earth your warm, moving wind, give to me, so that I may grow close to you in warmth. According to Sagarmal Jain, it aims to reach and remain in a state of "pure-self awareness or knowership." Meditation is also seen as realizing the self, taking the soul to complete freedom . We have moved through these four directions, given them shape and meaning: Its silhouette and its energy pull the eye and the heart. They explain the evolution of consciousness by revealing how thoughts shape your personality and create our experiences in life. Just as the Rains often come from the West, Water is associated with this direction. Energy takes form, disintegrates and reintegrates. As you release their energies back to their four directions, take a few deep breaths, acknowledge yourself back in the space you are in, and witness any changes in your being. This path draws information you need to know from your unconscious and enables you to change your habitual thinking and behaviours. You can, of course, use this symbolism both ways: Firstly, the exoteric sequence will help you integrate this knowledge into your life on a practical level. King Solomon, known for his wisdom, is associated with the heart chakra. When you have finished your ceremony, sacred space must be closed. Finally, we look within, and acknowledge and honour our own spirits. Liberation from suffering. South: Fire, transformation and action. The four directions, as taught through Native American knowledge, are deeply embedded with symbolism and guidance for transformation: East represents Spring and symbolizes victory, success, and power. Remind of how to live with impeccability We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Wrap your coils of light around me Teach me about your endurance and your great joy You will expe Let me remember always that you give the gift of a new day. We ask that we always remain aware that we are all interconnected in the web of life, for there are too many who are blind to this fact. The medicine wheel holds meaning to life, death, birth, aftermath, rebirth, and the sacredness of place along the path. People usually place objects of certain correspondences to the elements in their corresponding directions. The elements and cardinal directions are most commonly represented on a basic altar. They are told the symbolic reason for this is because this is the part of the temple with the least light - light being code for knowledge thus the north-east symbolically representing ignorance. Though it can be deadly when consumed improperly, some cultures eat it for sustenance after boiling away its toxins. Call upon the four directions in this invocation from the Qero Shamans of Peru to ask for a blessing from the spirits in your endeavors. We provide suggestions for future directions, with accompanying online materials to encourage such research . For those looking for an otherworldly experience, its ibotenic acid-rich contents have led many on. Many indigenous tribes, prior to the beginning of a ceremony, honor the directions. The North represents the Winter of our Life. All day long the Sun shines from the South providing Light for all our activities. It is recorded from a peaceful state park in my area, and it is not always easy to find a silent location from which to pray - but all is a part of the Great Mystery, so as you hear occasional traffic, and an incessantly loud airplane, notice also the cicadas, the birds and the . Birth comes before growth. This is a common practice among indigenous people. If your personal programs are polluted with the false Truths fed to you by society, parents, teachers, political leaders, the media and church dogma, make the decision to transform your corrupted programs now and replace them with programs that will enable you to cultivate a richer, superior quality of life. As the day begins with the rising sun, I ask, Spirit keeper of the East, Brother Eagle, Be with me. It is the circle of life and all creation. The west is also associated with the element of water and the sacral chakra, both of which are related to emotions. When a thought enters your mind, it creates a spark, a neuron fires and becomes wired in your conscious mind. And there are only four elements in life: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. In the New Testament, the relationship with the southerly direction is given a positive meaning: "The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. ~ Matthew 12:42. The four directions of the Medicine Wheel remind us of many things, such as the need for balance in the world, and the balance we must strive for everyday within ourselves. 1. We acknowledge cedar, the western medicine, and earth, the western element. The following meditation techniques use visualization as a tool for inner transformation. The north-east implies you are still awake and have some conscious thought. When you try to grasp water, it escapes from your hands and is so flexible it always finds a path around obstacles. The same elements found in the microcosm of man are also present in the Universe, the macrocosm of everything in existence. Remember, the north represents darkness, emptiness, or nothingness. This makes sense given we are told primitive men used to walk in clockwise circles from east to west via the south. While the Medicine Wheel varies by culture, it universally honors the core belief that all things on earth are living and all things are interconnected. When God began to create heaven and earththe earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the waterGod said, Let there be light.. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. In order to become self-illuminated, you need to see the light of the truth and send it back into the darkness of the north to dissolve ignorance. The element of the North is earth, represented here by some dirt from our very own garden. This makes sense when you consider freemasons walk in an anti-clockwise direction during memorial ceremonies and Hindus follow a counter-clockwise circumambulation around the pyre during funerals. When a newly entered initiate first joins the temple, he is made to stand in the north-east corner of the temple which, incidentally, is also the corner upon which the cornerstone is laid. The color is red and it symbolizes protection. (Note: the above could be read by multiple voices). Whilst the four directions use the basic fundamentals of symbolism, they are not strictly nature per se. Bible scholars also relate the northern direction with permanence. Just notice all that isbirth and death, opportunity and tragedy, good fortune and lost . Like the Egyptians, Christians associate the north with the Pole Star which is always visible in the night sky. . The Eagle teaches us the power of seeing from a new perspective, of soaring high above the petty details of life and seeing the larger picture. King Solomon, known for his wisdom, is associated with the heart chakra. If you are seeking to get in touch with your inner life, with your emotions, turn towards the west. The four directions help to explain how we do that. Category: Guided Meditation. Abraham is also said to have travelled south into the barren wilderness of Negev (Genesis 20:1). The highest point consciousness can reach is when a new understanding is born. It is also the beginning of understanding because light helps us see things the way they really are. It is thought that the conscious mind responds to these instructions. Later, I will explain how I interpret this symbolism differently. Air is related to mental states, namely creativity and intellect. The chief and Worshipful Master of the lodge sit in the east. So the other morning I was sitting facing the mountain as I began to meditate and I found myself wanting to try what a friend said he does. Not just sweet Rain, but also the powerful Thunderbeings. The four directions help to explain how we do that. Negative interpretations in relation to the south can certainly be found in Christian interpretations of the Bible. I felt also the power of the Eagle, which is often associated with the East and with the element of Air. Support me as I see my own fears When you are feeling stuck in a rut, beholden to a routine, or if the wind has gone out of your sails, look eastward. The symbolism of the Medicine Wheel is so important to the teachings of Indigenous culture that you'll see cultural groups, artists, and even businesses using the symbol in . . Spirit Keeper of the West, Brown Bear, Be with me. The English philosopher and biologist Herbert Spencer said life is a continual adjustment of internal relations to external relations. West: Water, feeling and reflection. Our services complement the medical care provided by traditional . "Despite all the variations in practice that have taken place far into the second millennium, one thing has remained clear for the whole of Christendom: praying toward the East is a tradition that goes back to the beginning." The Dance of the Four Directions is a slow moving meditation dance, honoring the medicine and spiritual energies of the four directions - east, south, west and north. At first glance, analysing the symbolic meanings of the north from exoteric interpretations, there appears to be some discrepancy. Rev. When you consider that we learn to adopt new habits, beliefs and attitudes through our actions, you can see how fire can help us to regenerate negative energy and transform it into positive energy. Water is also associated with the sacral chakra which is associated with the emotional body, creativity and sexuality - sexual energy is creative energy. We invite all Southern spirits of good intent to join us in our ceremony today. In the old days, when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the sacred hoop of the nation, and so long as the hoop was unbroken, the people flourished. In the west, we are drawn into the experience of our emotions. So I tried that. This journey will be a reconnection to the subtler, potent Earth energies. Both the exoteric viewpoint and my esoteric theory relate to cycles of life, hence the common relationship between the four cardinal points, the seasons and time of day. Teach me to soar to new places, to fly wing to wing with Spirit, Place one palmon the earthand the otherarm up, Mother Earth- Pachamama We still use light as a symbolic mechanism to represent ideas; think lightbulbs in a skull. Furthermore, following the directions in a clockwise direction is said to reveal the cycle of life from childhood to adulthood and the times of the day, albeit, the overarching meaning of growing old is the acquisition of wisdom. The animal often associated with the North is the Buffalo. Evening comes before morning. . Esoteric symbolism can be used as a useful tool for self-realisation. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. may witness the beauty and abundance you offer me today, Father Sun, Grandmother Moon, to the Star nations It is said that the smoke attaches itself to those things within us that are negative, and will carry these things away, if we allow it. Eagle or Condor Come to me in the dreamtime We ask the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of the North to temper us with strength to withstand the biting blizzards, yet make us thankful for the beauty which follows and lies deep over the warm Earth in its wake. Creator, hear my prayer, and honor my prayer. If we ask for it, she will also provide us with the nourishment we need to succeed. Gaia guides people on their personal transformational paths with the worlds largest library of exclusive and original conscious media. Our members inspire our own authenticity: the quest for transformation never ends. We ask the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of the South to bring us the warm winds of compassion, whose fragrance speaks of distant springs and summer days, to melt the ice that can gather around our hearts, dissolve our fears, melt our hatreds, and kindle our love into flames of true and living realities. Gently close your eyes. With tears in my eyes and an ancient song from my heart I pray. We ask the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of the East to always place light in our words, and in our hearts, and on our paths. The north represents the place that holds us, that allows us time and space to heal and grow, to feel nurtured and respected. The teachings of the four directions start with the east, or yellow, quadrant and run clockwise around the circle. For those looking for an otherworldly experience, its ibotenic acid-rich contents have led many on psychedelic journeys over the thousands of years of its known use. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. Given everything in existence is energy and comes form the same originating source, this statement holds true. In many traditions, the four directions offer a deeper understanding of our place in the world. And what about the Wind and the Sea and the Mountains? Let me move through life ready to take what comes from the north. The four sections of the wheel are used to teach the importance of a huge number of topics like the seasons, directions, elements, colors, sacred medicines, and much more. West is also associated with this direction us in our ceremony today west, we look within, Earth! 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Whilst the four directions offer a deeper understanding of our place in the microcosm of are...
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