Keeping any Commitment for 1,000 days has the potential to change your life, but when I started my three year Journey Around the Wisdom Wheel, I had no idea if I could keep my vow, or if I had the stamina to write a page a day about it. It takes 36 months to study the 36 Universal Laws because you spend a month with each Law, 'carrying' it, like a prayer, around the Wheel. That's how you gather the wisdom from all of the Directions. This method comes from the traditional teachings of the medicine wheels and the other sacred circles in the world, like the Hindu chakravartin. Each study cycle begins on a full moon. It takes about three months to get used to the circular curriculum. After some initial confusion, it felt natural to travel the Wheel with the changing lunar phases. You start out in the East Direction, on the full moon, with the first Law of Balance. The East is the place of new beginnings because it's where the sun rises. The mind and other things are also represented here. As the moon wanes to it's last quarter, you shift clockwise to the South Direction, to spend the second week contemplating the emotional aspects of each Law being studied. As the third week approaches, it's time to move to the West position, under the new moon. Here the physical and intuitive aspects are considered as the moon waxes. The final week begins under the first quarter moon which represents the North position the Wheel. The spiritual aspects, the Wind, breath and air symbolically located here. The Wheel is a complex system and it can feel overwhelming until you've used it long enough to become familiar with it. As an inclusive, holistic model, it's unbeatable. Once the Four Directions and the Laws become familiar, you can apply them to solve problems, analyze ideas, individuals, products and books for instance. The elements, the animals, the archetypes, the life cycle and the seasons of the year are just a few of the categories of knowledge represented on the Wisdom Wheel. More next time about how the Wisdom Wheel was created. |
