Medicine Wheels & Healthy Learning Environments
Traditional teachings and knowledge are illustrated within the Medicine Wheel to try and understand a holistic worldview as shared by the Wisdom Keepers.
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Grandfathers/Grandmothers within the Medicine Wheel teachings share a foundation to living a good way of life.
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Guiding Principles to Learning & Seven Sacred Teachings :
Guiding Principles:
The Seven Teachings are guiding principles towards restoration of the cultural values, beliefs, and practices. Many Indigenous organizations have reclaimed the seven sacred teachings, in one form or another, as a cultural foundation from which they will operate in their service to the community.
About the Seven Teachings and Mino-Pimatiziwin:
There are many ways the seven teachings are understood, shared and experienced within Indigenous communities. Not all Indigenous communities follow the seven teachings. Many have their own sacred knowledge, wisdom and truth. These seven sacred teachings are understood through the good relationships or love for the people, humility in how we learn and grow, courage to do good things for our communities and to have respect for all. The next three teach us through Mistikinaabe (sacred tree) to have strong roots (honesty), to share and care for others, including self (wisdom), and to always reach for growth in all things (truth). In this way, we find a good path to walk which will make us strong as individuals, families, communities and nations.
The Seven Teachings:
Love: Accept everyone unconditionally without judgment. Compassion comes from within when we have empathy for one another. Ignorance comes from fear. Always try to reach new heights when facing life obstructions;
Love is the gift from the Eagle. Love is a force that is undeniable. With love all things are possible. It is everyone’s right to have and experience it. In terms of the Mino-Pimatiziwin (good way of life), love is the centre, the place of compassion, caring and sharing. The Eagle will carry our prayers, thoughts and feelings to those we care for and carry our hopes and dreams to the Creator. Love is the feast which gives us strength in caring for our communities.
Humility: No one person has all the answers, we trust in the collective gifts of all people; learning will be a continuous journey;
The Wolf carries humility. Central to the wolf is the family pack. To ensure survival, the pack must be as one. In one’s life, much the same as the wolf, we need to understand humility. Humility sees all life as a relative. We look to each other as equals. In the wolf pack, each member understands their individual role. Each gift learned or earned is accepted with a humble heart from which we are capable of doing good and great things for our community.
Courage: We can face our greatest fears together within the circle, uncomfortable feelings or difficult life experiences can be opportunities for growth and resilience;
The Bear carries courage. We seek the strength and courage to face our fears which can even be oneself. The bear will give us the understanding to seek resolutions through spiritual intervention and healing through the medicines: hence, spiritual healing. The bear also has the role of peace-keeping for their communities. This requires patience, spiritual strength and being a good role model.
Respect: Give each person their time to share in their own way without interruption. What is shared within the circle is held in sacred trust;
Respect is the gift from the Buffalo. The Buffalo Nation and the Human Race had at one time a sacred relationship in which both lived in a good way with one another. At the centre of this relationship was respect and generosity. Respect oneself and respect will be given. Respect is earned, not demanded.
Honesty: Learn from the great mystery and from each other. There is more than we can ever know or control. We strive to learn, to not fear making mistakes and accepting accountability;
Honesty is carried by the Sabe (Sasquatch). It is from within and not to confused with truth. Honesty, like all teachings is a road towards truth. With honesty, there is no “ifs or buts”, there can only be reflection and accountability. Honesty is in many ways a mystery as we are always trying to learn about ourselves within the teachings of honesty. What we may think is the truth may not be so as we travel on the journey of life and collect teachings and life experiences. This requires trust in the unknown and an understanding that life is a continuous teacher.
Wisdom: It is less about how much you know. Wisdom has more to do with what you do with the knowledge you have gained. To use your natural gift only for self-gain is not wisdom. Simply by sharing in a good way within the circle we find wisdom. We each have natural gifts we can use to help our communities;
The Beaver carries wisdom. Wisdom is not to be confused with knowledge. Wisdom is the gained experience and knowledge is to know the difference and accept responsibility and accountability. When one pollutes the water, one breaks the law of nature, which states that to poison the water, is to destroy oneself. The beaver has natural gifts which the beaver uses to not only make a home for family, but a home for many other relative’s families.
Truth: Accept that there is a great mystery, known in many ways. Each way, if interpreted through sacred laws of interconnectedness, can bring new beginnings and healing for us all;
The Turtle carries truth. Truth is symbolic of law and principle. Since the beginning of time the Turtle has not changed. The Turtle has been chosen to be the bearer of truth and the basic truth of the laws of nature have not changed. The Turtle has been able to adapt to change without changing; thus representing truth. The Turtle also represents time. The Turtles shell has thirteen moons and the twenty-eight days of each moon to remind us of our sacred relationship to the earth and sky.
