This is a very basic lesson plan, and is only an introduction into some of the common or shared beliefs on the Medicine Wheel.  Learning this gives you a base of information to build upon and allows you to see some of the complex yet simple beliefs that are held in the vibrations of the stones as well as the placement.

You will need 5 good size stones, 19 medium size stones, and 12 smaller stones.  Personally I like to gather river rocks the smaller stones are all about palm size and the medium stones double that in size.  The five larger stones are closer to the size of a smaller youth basketball.

Your choices may vary based on the space you have available.  I like to use this at events to allow youths and or their families to take a handout that shows all of the stones laid out with a number on them and a corresponding note of what each number means.  They can then walk around the medicine wheel and see where the stones are and what the placement of each means.

We will start with the five largest stones, place one in the center and the other four at the directions of North, East, South and West.

These are the Spirit Keeper Stones:

The center stone is the creator, center, universe stone or spirit.

The stone to the east is for the teacher, morning and birth and the golden eagle.

The stone to the south is for the healer, midday and youth and the coyote.

The stone to the west is for the visionary, evening and middle age and the grizzly bear.

The stone to the north is for the warrior, night and the elder years and the white buffalo.

You can already see how the wheel works to tell a story.

Next you will take 7 of the medium size stones and place them in a circle around the center stone, these are the foundation of life stones.  However some tribes choose to represent the clans here with these stones.

these 7 stones are:

father sky

mother earth

grandmother moon

grandfather sun

stars

planets

milky way

Next you will take the 12 smaller stones and make the “wheel spokes”  you will take three each from center to the stone of the east, three from the center to the stone of the south, three from the center to the stone of the west and the final three from the center to the stone of the north.  These are the spirit path stones and from center to the outer stone are:

Center stone then illumination, wisdom, clarity, stone for the east.

Center stone then trust, love, growth, stone for the south.

Center stone then introspection, strength, experience, stone for the west.

Center stone then physical cleansing, purity, renewal, stone for the north.

Again are you seeing the story in the wheel? the lessons, the circle of life and path?

You should have 12 stones left and they should be of the medium size.  Starting at the east stone you will place three between the east and the south stone, then repeat with three between the south and the west stone, again between the west and the north stone and then completing the outer circle with three from north to the east stone.

These are the stones that hold the place of the moons; of course there is some variance in tribes as to the animal attributes to the moons and again this is a common base that is shown.   We will read these in a circle starting and ending at the stone of the east.

East

SE 03-21 to 04-19 red tail hawk

SE 04-20 to 05-20 beaver

SE 05-21 to 06-20 deer

South

SW 06-21 to 07-22 flicker

SW 07-23 to 08-22 sturgeon

SW 08-23 to 09-22 brown/black bear

West

NW 09-23 to 10-23 raven

NW 10-24 to 11-21 snake

NW 11-22 to 12-21 elk

North

NE 12-22 to 01-19 snow goose

NE 01-20 to 02-18 otter

NE 02-19 to 03-20 cougar

***

Also known as Theresa, Hope lives in Boise,  Idaho.  She raised two children that are now adults out on their own paths,  and is now a granny to a beautiful baby girl.  She works from home full time with her constant companion Anna a  Capuchin monkey. You can find her online at Earth Tribe Hope.

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