The Mesa Creative Arts Center Medicine Wheel

What is a Medicine Wheel?

Forms of ceremonial circles exist all around the world, from the great stone circles of Europe to Hindu mandalas. A Medicine Wheel is an ancient form of ceremonial circle used by Native Americans for meditation, prayer, and celebration. Just as stained glass windows and mosaics in ancient Christian cathedrals were used to teach Bible stories to people who could not read, so too were Medicine Wheels used to instruct the people about the cycles of life, connection to their past, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of all things.

At the heart or center of the Medicine Wheel is the Creator Stone, representing "The Creator of All That Is" from which all life originates, creating without beginning or end. Arising from this center is the energy that creates all the rest of the wheel. Surrounding the Creator Stone is an inner circle made up of seven stones that represent the foundation of all life. The anchor stones for the large circle represent the "Spirit Keepers" of the cardinal directions, North, East, South, and West. Between each of them lie three stones that together represent the twelve moons of the yearly cycle represented by animal clans. Radiating from the four "Spirit Keepers" to the inner circle are four spokes or "Spirit Paths" made up of three stones each, which represent qualities that take us from daily life into the sacred space of the Creator.

The teachings of the Medicine Wheel are multi-faceted and many layered. They can instruct us about all aspects of life, ourselves and the world around us. They teach us about the cycles of life, death, and rebirth and how they relate to Nature, the seasons, and the Universe. To find out more about Medicine Wheels, read Dancing with the Wheel, by Sun Bear.

The lessons of the Wheel have similarities to those of the eight-sided Ba-gua of Chinese culture. The Ba-gua being used as a guide for Feng Shui energy flow and also as a model for a balanced life.

Why build a Medicine Wheel?

We believe that the Medicine Wheel creates a vortex of healing energy that comes out of the ground and spirals out into the surrounding area, thus benefiting all living things. We created it to be used by ourselves and our visitors for meditation, introspection, and prayer. We intend to use it for ceremonies like celebrations of the changing seasons, drumming circles, and special occasions. We built it to assist in teaching about life, healing, and finding our true selves. It is a monument to the family of humanity, and holds the answers to keeping ourselves and our planet healthy and safe for the future. It is a wheel of love, a wheel of light, a wheel of peace, a wheel of wisdom, and a wheel of harmony between all things. The Wheel is a gift and a blessing. We have chosen to share the photos of this sacred circle and its construction so that others may share in its gifts without needing to be nearby.

We do not see ourselves as the owners or creators of The Wheel. We see ourselves as its caretakers, students, and interpreters.

The Mesa Medicine Wheel

Since traditional Medicine Wheels were built on bare ground, our Medicine Wheel is actually a wheel on top of a wheel. The brown gravel path around and through it represents the symbol or pictogram of a Medicine Wheel-- a circle with a cross through it. To this we added colored gravel in the four quadrants representing the traditional Lakota colors of the four cardinal directions. We then built the ceremonial circle of 36 stones on top. Our Medicine Wheel installation is twenty five feet in diameter, not including the four directions poles, and was built in late June of 2004.

The Energy of The Mesa Medicine Wheel

The life energy coming from The Mesa Medicine Wheel is a miracle and a mystery. There are many aspects to its great power:

1. The spiritual energy of its connection to The Creator of All Things and of its archetype in the collective unconscious-- the sum total of all Medicine Wheels and all prayer and ceremonies that have been offered in them from the beginning of time.

2. The Earth energy of the site and the Nature Spirits of the area who energize and protect The Wheel.

3. The energy of the Sacred Geometry of its cross within a circle configuration and alignment with the magnetic compass. The pathways through The Wheel also make it part labyrinth, as we can walk its representation of our sacred path in life.

4. The energy of the different stones making up the physical Wheel. All grouped together, the Belgian blocks, gravel and 36 stones of the ceremonial wheel constitute a large crystal array-- a powerful energy generator in an of itself! There is also the sum total of the energy of the different minerals used to build The Wheel:

• The Belgian blocks are made of granite, an igneous rock made up of quartz and feldspar-- coming from fire energy. Granite energy helps us to see "the big picture" and defeats negativity with ease. It also helps in maintaining balance in relationships and provides stability and the ability to center oneself (gentle grounding). These blocks were paving stones salvaged from the streets of old Pittsburgh that may have been brought to the Colonies as ballast on sailing ships.
• The stones in the North quadrant are white marble chips. Marble is a water stone, coming from metamorphosed limestone that came from the shells of ancient sea creatures. Marble energy promotes peak states of meditation and helps activate the "unused" portions of the mind, aiding in mastery of thought. It brings serenity and control of thoughts, and is very calming. Its white color resonates with our Crown chakra (subtle energy center) just above the top of the head, which connects us with our Creator.
• In the East quadrant are yellow beach pebbles. They are made from quartz, an igneous rock from volcanic activity that was polished round by the action of water over time. Quartz greatly amplifies energy and thought. The yellow color resonates with our solar plexus chakra energy.
• In the South quadrant are red lava stones. Lava is a stone of fire-- a direct result of volcanic eruptions. The iron in this lava was exposed to hot sulphuric acid gas, turning it rusty red. Lava energy is good for our Root or base chakra, and contains the fire of the Kundalini. The red color also energizes this chakra.
• In the West quadrant are black lava stones. Black lava strengthens our connection to Mother Earth through the chakra below our feet that connects us to her sustaining energy.
• The pathways are made of Pennsylvania Red sandstone. This is a another stone from water energy that came from iron bearing sands. Sandstone is a "stone of creativity" and promotes clarity in thought and sight. Its energy can help facilitate movement and change with ease. It helps varied peoples to get along.
• The 36 stones in the ceremonial wheel are made up of a variety of minerals all with different metaphysical properties.

5. The numerology of The Wheel: In numerology, the sequence of 3,6,9 is extremely powerful. Nine is also the "number of completion. The ceremonial wheel is made up of 36 stones-- 3 and 6. When you use numerological reduction, 36=3+6=9! The outer circle of The Wheel installation is made up of 81 Belgian block. 81 is 9x9 and reduces: 8+1=9. There are also nine blocks lining each side of the spokes of The Wheel. The total number of Belgian blocks, 229 reduces: 2+2+9=13, 1+3=4, the number of compass directions. If you add in the number of stones in the ceremonial wheel, it still reduces to 4!

6. The Four Directions Poles act as antennas for spiritual energy from Father Sky and the Heavens, connecting The Wheel from sky to ground. Each has attached feathers, (turkey in the North, Canada Goose in the East, Sea Gull in the South, and Crow in the West-- all naturally shed!) which are spiritual antennas in themselves. Also attached are colored streamers to gather wind energy and semi precious stones that correspond to the colors of the directions: white Howellite in the North, yellow Jasper in the East, red Jasper in the South, and black Tourmaline in the West.

7. Under the center of The Wheel is a 3x3 (nine stones total) quartz crystal grid, offerings of sacred herbs and cornmeal, and "place rocks" from around the world. These place rocks connect The Wheel to the energy of the places from which they were gathered in grateful ceremony.

Taken together, all of these aspects create an energy that is multi-leveled, multi-dimensional, and greatly more than the sum of its parts. How it all works together is a great mystery, and, as the Lakota say, "Everything that is sacred is a mystery and everything that is a mystery is sacred." Aho!

Key to Wheel Stones:

1. Creator
2. Earth Mother
3. Father Sun
4. Grandmother Moon
5. Turtle Clan (earth element)
6. Frog Clan (water element)
7. Thunderbird Clan (fire element)
8. Butterfly Clan (air element)
9. Waboose (White Buffalo, Spirit Keeper of the North)
10. Wabun (Golden Eagle, Spirit Keeper of the East)
11. Shawnodese (Coyote, Spirit Keeper of the South)
12. Mudjekeewis (Grizzly Bear, Spirit Keeper of the West)
13. Snow Goose Clan & The Earth Renewal Moon (Dec 22-Jan 19)
14. Otter Clan & The Rest and Cleansing Moon (Jan 20-Feb 18)
15. Cougar Clan & The Big Winds Moon (Feb 19-Mar 20)
16. Red Hawk Clan & The Budding Trees Moon (Mar 21-April 19)
17. Beaver Clan & The Frogs Return Moon (April 20-May 20)
18. Deer Clan & The Cornplanting Moon (May 21-June 20)
19. Flicker Clan & The Strong Sun Moon (June 21-July 22)
20. Sturgeon Clan & The Ripe Berries Moon (July 23-Aug 22)
21. Brown Bear Clan & The Harvest Moon (Aug 23-Sept 22)
22. Raven Clan & The Ducks Fly Moon (Sept 23-Oct 23)
23. Snake Clan & The Freeze Up Moon (Oct 24-Nov 21)
24. Elk Clan & The Long Snows Moon (Nov 22-Dec 21)
25. Cleansing
26. Renewal
27. Purity
28. Clarity
29. Wisdom
30. Illumination
31. Growth
32. Trust
33. Love
34. Experience
35. Introspection
36. Strength

Construction of The Mesa Medicine Wheel

We started our wheel with a ceremony to purify the area, give thanks to The Creator, and to ask permission from Mother Earth and the spirits of The Mesa to build there. We prayed and did ceremonies over the site for one month before starting construction. Then, the circle was laid out and the sod removed by hand. Next, landscape fabric was installed to retard native plant growth and to keep the gravel from sinking into the ground. Two hundred and twenty nine Belgian block (the granite stones lining the pathways) were laid as borders for the pathways (81 stones in the outer circle alone!) and the quadrants filled in with colored stones: white marble in the North; yellow quartz beach pebbles in the East; red lava stones in the South; and black lava stones in the West. The pathways were filled in last with roughly three tons of Pennsylvania Red sandstone. The ceremonial stones were then brought into the circle one by one, dedicated, and set in place. The four directions poles were installed last, connecting Mother Earth to Father Sky and completing the site. All materials were purified with white sage smoke, thanked, blessed, given an offering of corn meal, offered to the seven directions (E, S, W, N, Above, Below, Within) and dedicated before installation. Construction took about eight days to complete. (See photos below.)

We would like to thank those who helped us build The Mesa Medicine Wheel, The Creator of All Things, the Spirits of The Mesa, our Angels, and the following people: David B. Miller for the use of the grounds and Belgian block; Carol DeWitt, Kristen DeWitt, Claire March, and Paul Neal for hauling rocks; and Joe from Ianetti's for expert loading of gravel. Special thanks to the spirit of Sun Bear for his book and teachings.

A Native American legend says that a white dove was sent out to find a place of peace. Where the dove landed was the place where peace was to be taught. During the second day of work constructing The Wheel, a white dove landed at The Mesa and was walking around the Medicine Wheel site. That is our dream-- for The Mesa to be a place where peace is taught! We invite like-minded others to come and be part of this dream. Let it be so. Aho!

The 13 Original Clan Mothers:

Several people who see or hear Spirit Beings have told us that there are 13 Native American Spirits guarding The Mesa Medicine Wheel. When this information was told to a new friend from the Seneca Nation, she excitedly told us about "The 13 Original Clan Mothers" who are associated with The Medicine Wheel, The 13 Original Clan Mothers are archetypal Spirit teachers that are associated with the 12 moons of the yearly cycle and the 13th or Blue Moon that only occurs in some calendar years. Our new friend recommended reading the book "The 13 Original Clan Mothers, by Jamie Samms.

When The Mesa Medicine Wheel was built, we were aware of the 13th moon and placed a stone to represent it near the Wheel site, but did not dedicate it in the same manner as the other stones. After receiving this new information, Brad immediately performed a ceremony and placed the stone representing the 13th moon just outside The Wheel at a position between the stones representing the 12th and 1st moons. There was immediately a great shift and increase in the energy of The Wheel!

After finding the book already in Kate's collection, we read about the significance of the 13th moon and the associated Original Clan Mother: She is the "Guardian of All Cycles of Transformation" and is "the Mother of Change, who teaches us how to go through every lesson and cyle of transformation in order to spiritually evolve." She helps us to make the transition from the end of one cycle to the beginning of the next. We welcome her! Aho!

Medicine Wheel Ceremonies at
The Mesa Creative Arts Center

Medicine Wheels are ceremonial circles of stones that have been used by tribal peoples for centuries as places of meditation, celebration, healing, and prayer. The Native Americans also used Medicine Wheels as a teaching device to pass along their oral traditions. Each stone in The Wheel represented different animal, vegetable, and mineral totemic spirit helpers and teachers. Medicine Wheels were used as calendars as well, to track the passing of the seasons and to plan annual celebrations.

Medicine Wheels are also a place where primal life force energy comes out of the Earth. This energy is palpable to people who are sensitive to the subtle life force energies present in people, rocks and crystals, plants, and places like Stone Henge and Machu Pichu. In the Native American tradition, there is a mirror image of the Medicine Wheel in the Spirit World in the sky, and the two are connected by a tube of energy. To stand in this tube is to be bathed in the energy of Heaven and Earth.

We built the Mesa Creative Arts Center Medicine Wheel to be a place for meditation, prayer, healing, and celebration for our local community and the Pittsburgh Metro area. It was also constructed to bring healing energy into the site and radiate it out to the surrounding community. We hold ceremonies there on the Solstices, Equinoxes, Earth Day, some full moon nights, and other occasions. Adults and children are welcome and they need no prior experience to take part in, or appreciate the proceedings. (We have even held a wedding in The Wheel with others planned.) While Kate and I are not Native Americans by blood, we have deep respect and admiration for Native American life ways, customs, and traditions. We have learned their spiritual practices, crafts, and point of view and incorporate them into our own art and healing work at The Mesa.

The Solstice and Equinox ceremonies are held to bring together like-minded people to remember and celebrate the changing of the seasons. We do this to renew our connection to the Earth, other human beings, and our Creator. We find these things severely lacking in our increasingly impersonal, technological world. As more and more people are discovering their need for meaning and connection in their lives, they are starving for real contact with other people and non-religious ways to explore their own relationship with the unseen world that is right there alongside our physical reality. Forty-one people attended the Summer Solstice Ceremony at The Mesa in June of 2006.

Our Wheel ceremonies do not follow a specific Native American format—for there really isn’t any. Each tribal group built their Wheels in a different manner and had different beliefs and customs about them. Our Wheel was built following the vision of Sun Bear, a Chippewa, who shared this wisdom in his book, Dancing With The Wheel. Our ceremonies are combinations of Native American traditions, modern metaphysics, and cultural traditions from around the world. They are spiritual in nature, rather than adhering to the rules of any religion, and people of all faiths are welcomed.

A typical Wheel ceremony lasts between 45-60 minutes and contains the following elements:

1. Smudging of all participants and ceremonial objects with white sage smoke outside of The Mesa for ritual and energetic purification before proceeding to The Wheel. (Smudging is a bit like bathing in smoke— pulling it over one’s head and swirling it around the body.) This is done to purify our bodies’ auras and to sanctify everything that goes into The Wheel, removing all negative influences of the day to day world and putting people into a prayerful and introspective mode. This in not unlike the use of incense in Churches.

2. Those gathered then proceed to The Wheel in a line. We enter from one of the cardinal directions—usually honoring the direction related to the new season. Before actually entering The Wheel, each person stops, raises one hand, turns in circle and says, "All my relations." This is to honor all life as our brothers and sisters. Each person then steps into The Wheel and proceeds all the way around one time to honor the cycle of life and the unity of all things.

3. Opening of The Wheel. We ask for the Spiritual energy of The Wheel to be awakened and opened up for us to use.

4. Calling in the Spirit Powers of the 7 directions. Each direction (N,S,E,W, above, below ,within) is a living Spirit Being that embodies the powers and qualities of that direction. We ceremonially call them to bring their energy and help. An offering of sacred tobacco is made to each one as thanks-in-advance for their help.

5. Sometimes objects are blessed and energized, with food, water, flower and vegetable seeds, or other objects being placed in the Wheel’s center during the ceremony and taken out again at its end.

6. Prayers are said (Prayers of thanks and requests for healing for the Earth, our children, our loved ones, all of Creation, etc.), songs are sung (some in Lakota) accompanied by drums, rattles, or other instruments, poems are read-- as fitting for the occasion. Attendees are asked to join in or add what they have to offer. Each participant is given the opportunity to make an offering of sacred tobacco with a private, silent prayer request.

7. Strings of tobacco ties are hung on the Four Directions poles at each compass direction. These little bundles of sacred tobacco wrapped in colored cloth are each infused with a prayer as they are made before the ceremony takes place. The prayer energy stays in them for about one year. At the Winter Solstice, they are all removed and burned, sending those prayers up to the Creator and the yearly cycle repeated.

8. Participants move to the center of The Wheel to join hands in a prayer and community. Participants move back to the perimeter of The Wheel

9. Closing of The Wheel. We ask that the Spiritual energies of The Wheel be returned to their sleeping state.

10. Participants make one more circumnavigation of The Wheel before exiting at one of the cardinal directions. Once again, each stops before exiting, turns in a circle with hand raised and says, "All my relations."

11. After a Solstice, Equinox, or Earth Day ceremony, participants adjourn to inside The Mesa Creative Arts Center for a pot luck covered dish dinner, as no Native American ceremony is truly complete until a meal is shared by all. (We have had guests stay as late as midnight after a Medicine Wheel Ceremony dinner.)

What can people expect to experience from a Wheel Ceremony?

People experience different things in The Wheel, depending on how open and relaxed they are. To new comers, it may seem like attending a church of a different faith, as they may feel a little self conscious and tentative about what to do. People often ask, "What am I SUPPOSED to feel." We reply that there is no "supposed to" and the experience is personal and individual. Some people hear, see, or feel the presence of Spiritual Beings. Others may just feel the joy and upliftment of the gathered spiritual community. Sometimes, miraculous things happen in The Wheel and people have spontaneous healing or opening on the physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual levels.

Some people feel energy coming from the ground inside The Wheel. Some feel a building, palpable energy of love and sharing from those gathered in this Sacred Circle. Those who are shy, uptight, or closed minded may not feel anything in particular. Our experience has been that some people who had been previously unable to feel "energy" open within, somehow, during a Wheel Ceremony. Some have reported that participating in a Wheel Ceremony changed their life. You just have to come and FEEL it!

Mesa Creative Arts, Inc.

30 Miller Business Park Dr.

Burgettstown, PA 15021

(724) 947-3097

© 2004-2007 Mesa Creative Arts, Inc. All rights reserved.