|
|
|
The Sacred Hoop symbolizes the Circle of Life and the power of the circle matrix
that is the creative foundation of the universe. The sky, the planet, the sun,
the stars, the moon, the whirling wind, the nests of birds, the tepees, the
seasons, and life cycles follow this circle round pattern.
The Four Powers
nourish the blossoming World Tree at the center of the Circle of Life.
For the people to thrive and blossom, the Sacred Hoop must be whole and
unbroken.
There are four equally important ways of perceiving things in life and of
pursuing knowledge. These are also known as the Four Directions, the Four
Powers, and the Four Quarters.
They are the four cardinal
points of the circle, each of which represent different power essences of
nature, seasonal rhythms, and stages of life.
These four directions are
North (Wisdom, White, Buffalo, Maturity, Strength and Stamina); East (Peace,
Gold, Eagle, Elder, Clarity and Illumination; South (Expansion, Green, Mouse,
Infancy, Wholesomeness and Expectation); and West (Nourishment, Black, Bear,
Youth, Introspection and Authenticity).
The Medicine Wheel is circle
that symbolizes all of life and the lives of individual beings as they
express the power of the world through harmonious movements, and, as they are
nourished by the spiral of constant circular motion of the wheel of Spirit.
Medicine Wheel traditions vary from tribe to tribe. An example of a medicine
wheel is one where the center of the wheel is bisected by two paths. The path from North to South is the road everyone travells in life; while, the path from East to West is the road individuals travel as they learn lessons, growing in Spirit... Continue on  Explore Native American ArticlesAll are Kin Clans and Making Relatives, Clans Giveaways and the Keeping of Souls, Cosmology of Sacred Hoop Great Spirit, Drumming Smudging and Sweat Lodges, Glossary Terminology, Goddesses Gods and Star Teachers, Medicine Wheels and Four Directions, Native American Indian Spiritual Beliefs, Sacred Pipe Ceremony and Powwows, Visionquests and Power Animal Totems, Wakan Tanka and White Buffalo Woman
|
|
|
Visit 
Native American Sacred Hoop Visionquest 
