THE FOUR DIRECTIONS 

 HOW THEY CAN HELP THE HERO/INE'S JOURNEY & FINDING OUR DESTINY  #1 

Happy New Year

(From a friend in South Africa.)

 

Maybe a good power animal for 2022

"So the young man went North seeking the “Singing Stone.” After many adventures he arrived in the North and found his grandfather sitting upon a stone waiting for him. The Singing Stone is not to the North said the grandfather, it is to the South. So he journeyed South and after many adventures he found a dragonfly. The Singing Stone is not to the South sang the dragonfly it is to the West. So he journeyed West and found a mouse. The mouse answered the Singing Stone is not to the West it is to the East. So he journeyed East and after many adventures he arrived at a strange camp. He headed towards the camp but pulled up short when he saw the paintings and signs on the lodges were foreign. He decided to go ahead in spite of the “Bow of Tension Pulled within Him.” Finally he reached the circle of lodges. Then his sisters, mothers, brothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles and aunts and all his relatives came out to greet him saying, welcome to our Counsel Fire Singing Stone." H. Storm

 Van Gennep described initiation rituals in indigenous peoples as having the three stages we have discussed; Separation, Threshold and Incorporation. This kind of initiation was always done in wilderness for obvious reasons.  As Luther Standing Bear said; "It was only when the white man came that wilderness existed." Wilderness was an essential catalyst for the Native American vision quest.

We, however, need to seek out nature and try to go primal as much as possible for our encounters. Here we often experience a sense of duality - wilderness is out there and we are here. We are not that comfortable with the idea and have to make some serious preparation for the journey. When we change that duality and encounter our original, indigenous or primal nature  separated from Western conditioning, we often find ourselves to be closer to who we truly are. 

Rites of passage sadly have fallen by the wayside in modern societies but are being slowly reintroduced. These rites were arduous and their intension was to help groom the adolescent  or adult into their respective archetype for sake of the tribe. 
Sadly with a 50% divorce rate, a single parent's upbringing, and no meaningful rite of passage, the primal urges of the modern adolescent may be unfulfilled. We need to take steps to fill the gap in some way with a rite of passage or some form of initiation, even for adults who have missed that opportunity. It does not have to be done in pure wilderness but nature has unfathomable power and is a room with many doors and windows for you to open and help with your transformation.

Although the Four or Six directions are not unique to the Native Americans, the Medicine Wheel with its directions   for initiation are. This is a sensitive subject to the indigenous peoples of north America who have been so compromised by caucasians when they find us adopting their culture to help with our own initiations. If done with integrity, sensitivity and respect for its origins this seems reasonable, though it may not be to its founders. 

Descriptions vary among the various tribes and I have adopted these principles combined with understandings from Kabbalah for my own. This can be regarded as a template possibly for you to design your own according to the principles and energies you feel to be right for your individual process. There are no rules here except having gratitude for their origins.

The four basic archetypes can be inserted into the Medicine  Wheel's directions to assist you in your journey. The different tribes have their own varying descriptions of how to work with the wheel, so the principles are not cut in stone.

This concept below is based loosely on Foster and Little and the School for Lost Borders and Kabbalah with help from Angeles Arrien when it comes to the archetypes. I have also introduced a chakra and used the elements that coincide with that chakra and the increasing vibration 

we should attain as we travel along the medicine wheel from child, to adolescent, to adult and to visionary.

I have omitted power animals which are for you to choose depending on what ecosystem you best relate to. Commonly the bear is in the West - the Fall since this is the time for bear to hibernate and "go inwards." In some Native American tradition the white buffalo - the spirit animal of mastery - is in the North. A raptor; eagle or condor with their site and insight is often in the East but these are predators and some may prefer a more spiritual rather than a warrior energy for the East such as a water bird like a heron or an animal like a giraffe who "can see above others." 

Each direction in the figure also has an :

 AGE GROUP, COLOR, ELEMENT, a dominant CHAKRA, ARCHETYPE, SEASON, ARCHANGEL and a POWER ANIMAL 

The power animal may be the one you need for your growth which may differ from the one you actually want it to be. For instance if one needs more humility, a mouse may appear rather than a bald eagle. An ant colony that presents itself may indicate one needs to be more industrious and communal in one's endeavors.

The Medicine Wheel applies especially to the seasons in the Northern hemisphere but can be adapted.

The colors below are arbitrary.

We travel from the South of the Child, Summer (red), Element (Earth), Chakra (1st), Archetype (Healer), Archangel (Rafael).

To the West, Adolescent, Fall (black), Water, 2nd Chakra, Teacher, Gabriel

To the North, Winter (blue), Fire, 3rd Chakra, Adult-Warrior-Leader, Uriel

And eventually to the East the place of Vision, the Hero and one's Destiny, Spring (magenta), Air or Ether (higher, Chakras 4-7), Visionary, Michael

The arrow from the East back to the South indicates the necessity of being born reborn again and again to repeat the medicine wheel. Whether this happens will depend on how we have done with our karma.

Uriel is the archangel of mystery, light, illumination. Gabriel of strength and courage. Rafael of healing and cleansing. Michael of love and inspiration. They can be called on by anyone at any time for support.

There are two more directions. Isaiah the prophet had a vision about the six directions millennia ago. In Kabbalah, down is the bear, up the panther or leopard. The west is the buffalo or ox, the North the Eagle, the East the lion and the South the human. Hence Rafael, who is there for our healing. The archetype of the South is the Healer because the wounded child of the south often needs a healer or heals self and later becomes a healer.

The teacher archetype of the West is the teacher - required to help guide the adolescent to the North and eventually even to the East. Hormones are raging and s/he is in danger of getting lost without the elder-teacher who will help them manage the 2nd Chakra.

The 3rd Chakra of the North is the power chakra of the Adult-Leader-Warrior who to be effective should already be looking to the East of the Hero and Incorporation and what s/he can bring back to the tribe or community. In other words a Spiritual Warrior.

The Visionary-Hero in line with his or her true destiny can manifest in any of the archetypes. However, the individual is now different bringing the "grail" or core strength back for the sake of others. 

"Before enlightenment chop wood carry water.

After enlightenment chop wood carry water." Zen saying

The visionary can also be a Sage, Priest, Healer, Shaman, Mystic, Artist, Musician etc. The four upper chakras are more a part of the Visionary direction though they operate in the other directions as well depending on the vibration. The ether element would relate to the 7th chakra in the East and the highest vibration (? the "true" wisdom teacher rather than the fallen guru who pretends to be the visionary in spite of the fact he has submitted to his shadow.) he four yoga archetypes; Bhakti, Jnana, Karma and Raja actualize here as well.

We should also be aware of the shadow side of each direction in relationship to its age group, its chakra or chakras and their archetypes and how these may affect us later in life. These will be covered in upcoming blogs.

The child needs a loving attentive parent or caregiver. 

The adolescent needs a wise elder/s to guide them skillfully to the adult in the north. 

The adult will need good roll models to help them in the warrior phase of their lives 

The visionary will need wisdom teachers with integrity.

Isaiah's vision of the directions as per the Ancestors. Although Uriel is in the North, Gabriel in the West, Rafael in the South and Michael in the East they are always with us  and move together with whatever direction we face. Hence Uriel is always in front, Gabriel on the left, Rafael behind and Michael to our right. We need to ask to receive because of free will.

Click and play for the directions and also for the Four Beings of Nature 

 01 Four Directions.mp3

 01_The_Four_Beings.mp3