Medicine Wheel Card

The Medicine Wheel, also known as a Sacred Hoop, has been used by generations of Native American tribes to symbolize dimensions of health and the cycles of life. Different tribes interpret the Medicine Wheel in their own ways. Each of the Four Directions (East, South, West, and North) are typically represented by distinctive colors (such as black, red, yellow, and white). The colors have many meanings, some believe it stands for the skin tones of the different human races. The circular shape can represent the continuous pattern of life and death, or the path of the sun and moon. The segments can represent the stages of life (birth, youth, adult & elder, death), or the Seasons of the year (spring, summer, winter, fall). It has also been expressed as the Aspects of life (spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical) or the Elements of nature (fire/sun, air, water, and earth). There are many sacred animals associated with the wheel, but Eagle, Bear, Wolf, and Buffalo are the probably most common. While growing up I always loved the Choctaw legend about the “Alligator and the Hunter,” and felt a need to express that in the center of my Medicine Wheel. I've included a green “Earth” at the center, and represent the Alligator as its primary habit of “water.” The Hunter learned some very valuable lessons from his brother Alligator. It's a beautiful story worth looking up, if you're not familiar with it.