What are Healing Circles or Medicine Wheels ?
Part 1
Healing circles or medicine wheels are conducted all around the world, some in an informal fashion and others with a great deal of formality and ritual and observance of long standing tradition. The common objective though is to provide a space which allows us to transcend our normal self and to gain access to our higher self or beyond and to facilitate healing and greater self understanding and knowledge.
"Akasha Keep" Healing Circle
Some are constructed on a purely temporary basis, to be used for the one session and then dismantled, while others are built as permanent sites to be used over and over as and when required. Some of these are located on natural energy vortexes and so have the added benefit of high natural energy emanating from Mother Earth. (This however is not a requirement).
The more these permanent ones are used the greater the energy builds and this is often felt by visitors as they enter its domain. In all events this is part of the objective, to so raise the vibrational frequency to allow for ascension into healing and understanding. This heightened energy also facilitates psychic communication allowing easier contact with guides, angels and the ancestors, who are only too willing to pass down wisdom and energy to be used for our greater good.
Healing circles are known by many names and are used by all native cultures throughout the world. They also vary in size from small diameter circles; usually used by an individual, through to very large circles that can also be used individually, or used to accommodate large gatherings. To discuss all of the variations available is beyond the scope of this article. So I would like to talk about the one I am familiar with and that’s the one in my own back yard.
At first our circle was of an informal nature, at first just a few of us gathered around an open fire in the middle of a paddock. We had gotten together to share a meditation under the stars and to make use of our newly made Native American Healing Drums. It was such a great experience that we wanted to repeat it again. It was decided that once a quarter at the beginning of the new season we would gather and share and heal together.
The next time I paced out the circle and circumscribed it with lamps and an aboriginal friend smoked the circle and played his didgeridoo to energetically clear this space. I also walked the circle and prayed to The Great Spirit for protection and grant that this be a special and sacred space, especially for healing and higher communication and that no energies be allowed into this space unless they were for the highest good of all.
In the mean time I found it to be a very comforting spot to just go and sit in and meditate. At our next circle another friend versed in Native American culture assisted us to invoke the sacred directions and call in the ancestors and to dedicate our circle and provide protection and undertake our healing with the use of prayer ties, sacred herbs and ceremony.
As our place is a full time healing and teaching centre we decided to make the circle a more permanent feature, so that apart from our seasonal invocations and healing sessions it could be used at any other time by all who needed to make use of it.
We were told by one associate that what we were doing was not in strict accord with how a healing circle should be conducted according to their tradition and design. So we decided our circle would be a generic circle, drawing upon them all, but most importantly, creating a space that would allow all who entered to reach deep within and communicate on this higher plain to achieve their objective. And this is the real objective of all circles or medicine wheels.
As we undertook the creation of this medicine wheel or healing circle we provided the following features:
It sits upon a natural energy vortex. This was stumbled upon by accident (or was it really divine design) and confirmed by divining.
It is 52ft in diameter, with each foot representing one week of the year.
It has a large ironbark (this is a local hardwood tree predominant in the area) post standing on the circumference at each of the compass points, for each of the sacred directions; East, North, West and South.
The East pole is coloured yellow and sitting on top of the post is a Citrine gemstone as these are appropriate representatives for this location or direction.
The South pole is coloured red with a Carnelian gemstone on top.
The West pole is coloured black with a Black Onyx gemstone on top.
The North pole is coloured white with a Clear Quartz gemstone on top.
Each of these poles also represent the races of man being; yellow, white, black and red and unifies them within the circumference of the circle which itself represents the Oneness of All.
There is a fire place in the middle, encircled by small rocks, and it represents the centre where, above, below and within are represented.
Without is represented in the area that immediately adjoins the outer perimeter.
Within this circle, the fire when lit represents Great Spirit or the God of your understanding.
The smoke from this fire is used to carry your prayers into heaven.
The circle is outlined with four crescent shaped gardens fitting between the poles and allowing room for entry and exit from the circle. The gardens represent the four fazes of the moon. These gardens are bordered with small rocks and planted with polygalas (these plants carry no special significance, save that they grow well and look good with little to no attention). There are forty around the circle and these represent the 40 weeks of gestation for a human being.
There are four entries and exits to the circle and these represent the four times of day; Sunrise, Daytime, Sunset, Night time and the four seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
"Akasha Keep" Healing Circle
At the edge of the circle grows an ironbark tree that stands sentinel over the circle, as well as providing an intrinsic link to nature and reminding us of our connection with her, along with the grass and plants that are also there to symbolise growth.
This all seems to come together in a way that works extremely well. At any time you can enter the circle and feel a calming soothing energy, that at the same time contradicts itself by being invigorating and uplifting. It is wonderful to sit in this quiet, peaceful energy and just allow it to envelop you. Naturally this is a superb spot to sit and meditate.
To gain the most from this experience all you need do is enter with an open mind. Because of the energy vortex that has been created, many people find this sufficient unto itself.
However if you are in need of more, this is where healing ceremony and other Shamanic practice comes into the picture. This will be explored next month as we continue our visit to a healing circle; we will also explore how to make a circle of your own.
Ron Windred
Tags: healing ceremony, healing circle, healing drums, medicine wheel, metaphysical, shamanic healing
This is a very interesting concept, and I wouldn’t mind trying it one day. Maybe with your next post about how to make our own healing circle, we may give it a go.
[...] You will probably want to invoke symbology into your circle to enhance its magic for you, like we did in the one we built at “Akasha Keep”. (Detailed in part 1). [...]
[...] Part One here and Part Two [...]
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[...] to make one for yourself and some of the practices that take place within one. You can catch up on part 1 here. In part 1, we looked at the construction of our circle at “Akasha Keep” and some of [...]
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