The Medicine Wheel is a tool we very often use in constellations.
The medicine wheel has been used in many traditions, and the messages we find in it guide us toward a better understanding of the cyclical nature of everything around us and within us. In addition to cyclicality, it carries elements of interconnectedness and interweaving.
Each culture explained the medicine wheel in its own way; there is no right or wrong explanation. What matters is what they mean to us. Medicine wheels built from stones have been found in the territories of North and South America, Canada, and Siberia. Later they were made from other materials and in various shapes, but all carry spiritual or astronomical attributes.
The wheel shows us that everything has its course in time. If we start with the very simple concept of the seasons and assign one to each color, we can see how the seasons and their main aspects can be applied to many other areas.
How are we going to work with the wheel?
Here are just a few examples of how we can view everything on the 4 colored fields of the wheel:
- spring – summer – fall – winter
- Project start – Project peak – Evaluation – Dormancy
- childhood – maturity – old age – rest
- physical body – mental body – emotional body – spiritual body
With the medical wheel, we can “play” as much as our imagination allows, adapting it to the theme we’re dealing with ourselves or in our work with a client.
The medical wheel has as many levels and interpretations as we can find within ourselves.
It brings a new kind of insight, deep and powerful. It brings acceptance and a better connection of the parts, an awareness of the importance that lies in interweaving and cyclicality.
With the wheel, we can work within a personal constellation, in a group or individual setting, or through rituals. We sometimes introduce the medicine wheel right at the beginning, if we feel that it can meet the person’s needs right from the start. Sometimes during a constellation, we may feel it would be good to introduce the wheel and give the person an opportunity to go through the 4 phases, gaining a new insight and the ability to view the situation from more of their own, inner positions.
As has already been written, it depends on the imagination, the moment, and the need.
And how did we work with the wheel at the last retreat in Hvar?
And at the last retreat, we worked with the medicine wheel, exploring different aspects within ourselves. We connected with our bodies, sought resources, and found ways to connect.
We explored the relationship with four bodies: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Which one are we most connected to? What does each body tell us?
It’s interesting how we’re often surprised by the answer, yet somewhere deep down it’s already familiar to us. It’s also interesting how often we have trouble with the part of the wheel that represents stillness, a pause, rest, the unknown.
We often identify with the mental body, and the power lies in communicating all four. 
The mental and physical bodies carry yang energy; they are known and clear. The emotional and spiritual bodies bring a softer yet powerful yin energy. Both yin and yang are needed for balance, but the fact is that today’s Western world is more oriented toward worshipping the mind and body. But things are changing; yin is patient and gently penetrating.
Getting to know yourself in as many ways as possible brings a sense of security, makes it easier to understand yourself and others, and, in the end, can really cheer you up.
Soon, through workshops and beyond, we will delve deeper into this topic and this tool for profound insights!
