Day 5. Sacred Teachings of the Four Directions.
Many Native cultures understand learning as holistic, balanced, and cyclical – like the teachings of the Four Directions found among the Lakota, Cree, and other nations. These teachings encompass mind, body, spirit, and community. Imagine education systems rooted in that sacred balance.
In many Indigenous traditions, learning isn’t divided into subjects or limited to a classroom. It’s a sacred, lifelong journey – cyclical, relational, and grounded in balance.
The Teachings of the Four Directions, embraced by the Lakota, Cree, Ojibwe, Dene, and many other Native nations, offer a holistic map for understanding ourselves and the world. Each direction – East, South, West, North – holds teachings that speak to the development of mind, body, spirit, and community. This sacred medicine wheel is not just philosophy – it’s a living framework for how to grow, teach, and live in right relationship with all beings.
“The Medicine Wheel reminds us to live in balance with ourselves, others, the natural world, and the spirit world. It is a circle of life and a circle of learning.” – Elder Mary Lee (Cree)
Understanding the Four Directions
While teachings vary by culture and geography, the Four Directions are often associated with:
- East Beginnings, Illumination, Birth, Mental Development
- The rising sun brings clarity and vision. This is where new ideas and learning spark.
- South Growth, Emotion, Youth, Physical Self
- A time of building relationships and learning through action, movement, and connection.
- West Reflection, Introspection, Adulthood, Spirit
- Associated with water and dreams. Here, we learn through inward reflection and spiritual practice.
- North Wisdom, Elders, Community, Completion
- A place of stillness, guidance, and shared knowledge from elders and ancestors.
Together, they reflect a whole person and a whole community – unlike modern education systems that often prioritize intellect over emotional, spiritual, or communal intelligence.
“The medicine wheel shows us that balance is not something we find – it’s something we create, moment by moment.” – Anishinaabe teaching
Learning in Sacred Circle: Stories of Practice
Indigenous Schools Rooted in the Medicine Wheel:
Programs like the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School in Alberta, Canada, and Cangleska Wakan Owayawa (Sacred Circle School) on Pine Ridge Reservation integrate the Four Directions into curriculum planning. Students engage in seasonal learning, storytelling, drumming, and environmental stewardship.
Personal Practice in Ceremony and Healing:
The Four Directions are central to sweat lodge ceremonies, healing circles, and rites of passage. In each, teachings are passed through story, presence, and experience – not lectures.
Art as Embodied Learning:
Many Indigenous artists paint or bead the medicine wheel into visual art and regalia, offering intergenerational lessons through color, form, and symbolism.
Learn More & Engage
- BOOK: The Sacred Tree (Four Worlds Development Project) A teaching resource on the Four Directions and Indigenous worldview, widely used in Native communities.
- BOOK: Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence by Gregory Cajete (Tewa) A deep dive into Indigenous science and holistic education.
- VIDEO: What is the Medicine Wheel? A 5-minute explanation from Cree and Ojibwe educators.
- CURRICULUM TOOL: The Beauty of Circle – Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Learning Used in Indigenous-led schools to teach communal balance, identity, and responsibility.
- Resources: Indigenous Education Network The University of Toronto Libraries offer research guides that focus on specific topics and provide research tips, subject information, and useful resources compiled by librarians.
Reflection for the Day
What direction are you facing in your learning journey today – East (beginning), South (action), West (reflection), or North (sharing)?
How would your school, workplace, or spiritual life look if it centered all parts of your being – mind, body, spirit, and community?
How might you honor Indigenous frameworks of knowledge in your own teaching or learning practice?
The sacred wheel keeps turning. In its center, we find balance. May we be reminded that true learning is not linear – it is a circle.
A prayer. A path walked together. Let us honor Indigenous ways of knowing that bring wholeness where our systems often divide.
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