what is a medicine wheel garden

Today's medicine wheel gardens are based on the circle—the sacred natural shape symbolic of the interconnections of all life. Their round designs feature a central focus and four or more paths that carve the garden into pie-shaped beds.

What does the medicine wheel stand for?

The Medicine Wheel, sometimes known as the Sacred Hoop, has been used by generations of various Native American tribes for health and healing. It embodies the Four Directions, as well as Father Sky, Mother Earth, and Spirit Tree—all of which symbolize dimensions of health and the cycles of life.

What can you plant in a medicine wheel garden?

We planted ginger and lemon geranium, thyme, mullein, yarrow, wormwood, rosemary, borage, zataar (wild oregano), comfrey, horseradish, California poppies, lavender, echinacea, aloe vera, white and black sage. East- The significance of the East is knowledge and the sacred plant is tobacco.

What are the 4 main components of the medicine wheel?

The Medicine Wheel reminds us that we need to balance all four aspects of our being – the spiritual, emotional, physical and mental aspects.

What are the 4 sacred medicines?

Three other plants, sage, cedar and sweetgrass, follow tobacco, and together they are referred to as the Four Sacred Medicines. The Four Sacred Medicines are used in everyday life and in ceremonies.

What are the four sacred colors?

Color has many symbolic meanings in Navajo culture; in fact, a single color can mean several different things depending on the context in which it is used. Four colors in particular black, white, blue, and yellow have important connections to Navajo cultural and spiritual beliefs.

What are the colors of the medicine wheel?

While it is true that the most common colors of the Medicine Wheel in Native America are Red, Yellow Black and White, these are not the absolute colors for all Native American Nations. Some Nations use, Blue in wake of Black, others have Purple instead of Black. Yet some other Nations have used Green in lieu of Black.

Where is the medicine wheel located?

The Medicine Wheel is located in the Bighorn National Forest on the western peak of Medicine Mountain at an elevation of 9642 feet in the Bighorn Range east of Lovell, Wyoming.

How do I get to the Medicine Wheel in Majorville?

It sounded simple: just turn south onto Secondary Road #847 at Bassano and drive toward the Bow River for 15 kilometers. We honestly didn't think the Majorville Medicine Wheel would be that hard to find, even without explicit directions. For one thing, it was almost certainly on the highest hill around.

What are the four sacred directions?

As part of the Lakota culture, when people pray or do anything sacred, they see the world as having Four Directions. From these Four Directions — west, north, east, south — come the four winds.

What are the three main stars the Bighorn Medicine Wheel is aligned with?

Six smaller cairns are spaced along the rim. The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is astronomically aligned: four of the outer cairns line up with the rising and setting sun of the summer solstice, and the others with the three bright stars that fade as the sun rises on summer mornings: Aldebaran, Rigel and Sirius.

Who created the Medicine Wheel?

The wheel was constructed by Plains Indians between 300-800 years ago, and has been used and maintained by various groups since then. The central cairn is the oldest part, with excavations showing it extends below the wheel and has been buried by wind-blown dust.

Why is sage sacred?

Sage, depending on the particular culture, can be used in medicine pouches, spread over the floor of a sweatlodge, wrapped around sacred implements, used for healing, used to make bad spirits sick, purify people and dwellings, healing and calming. ... Interestingly, the Latin root of Salvia is salvare, which means to heal.

Can you smoke Sweet Grass?

Many Native tribes in North America use sweetgrass in prayer, smudging or purifying ceremonies and consider it a sacred plant. ... Sweetgrass is used to "smudge"; the smoke from burning sweetgrass is fanned on people, objects or areas. Individuals smudge themselves with the smoke, washing the eyes, ears, heart and body.

Is burning sage bad for your lungs?

Breathing in smoke carries some possible risks, Fleg says. Although researchers haven't studied sage burning specifically, burning incense has been linked to lung problems and allergies.

Which color dream catcher is best?

Most believe that the best color to choose for a dream catcher is white and blue symbolic of hope and pureness. The color white also represents freshness, goodness, light, simplicity and coolness which make it the best option.

What are sacred colors?

Inside Out. The five Core Emotions have distinct colors: Joy is yellow, Sadness is blue, Anger is red, Disgust is green and Fear is purple.

What are the Sioux colors?

Sioux beadwork colors were limited mainly to red, white and blue, plus one or two other colors and ...... the Sioux were the only people who could use red, white and blue so often without making it look overly-patriotic.”

How old is the medicine wheel?

Most medicine wheels are found in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. The oldest is the 5,500-year-old Majorville Cairn in Alberta. The Bighorn Medicine Wheel, probably less than 1,000 years old, was first studied in 1902 by the noted ethnologist S. C. Simms on behalf of the Chicago Field Museum.

How many stones are in a medicine wheel?

The Earth, Sun, and Moon. The inner circle of the Medicine Wheel immediately surrounds the Creator Stone. It has seven stones. The first three stones give life and vision to the Creation for us: Father Sun, Earth Mother, and Grandmother Moon.

What does purple mean in Native American?

Purple. In certain Native tribal populations, purple represents wisdom. Purple and brown were never used in face and body painting as they represented animals and death.