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Our Medicine Wheel Labyrinth
A living teaching tool, growing in our front yard garden
This is the Medicine Wheel and walking labyrinth my husband and I built in our own front yard in Tacoma WA. We began in 2021. inspired by my Medicine Woman training with Teaching Spirit (Vasiliki Lagoudis). Combined with a spiral path we designed ourselves. It's a living, evolving space, and this page is here to share it: how it came to be, how to walk it, and the teachers I have to thank for it.
Teacher & Lineage
The lineage of this teaching
The Medicine Wheel is a sacred symbol used within many Indigenous traditions. According to Native Voices, part of the National Library of Medicine, different tribes interpret the Medicine Wheel differently — its teachings are not identical across all Nations, communities, or teachers.
What I share here is what I was taught by Vasiliki Lagoudis of Teaching Spirit, passed down to her from her teacher, Artie Red Medicine of the Lenape people. It is one lineage, held with care — not a definitive interpretation for all Indigenous peoples.
I share this as a student — with gratitude, humility, and respect — not as a representative of any Indigenous Nation.
Who Are We?
I'm Priscilla, founder of Cilly Wellness and this is my husband Josh. We are a white couple, and we don't carry Indigenous lineage. My husband and I live and garden on Puyallup land, as guests.
The wheel and labyrinth in our front yard are our own build — shaped by what I've received from my teacher, plus other teachers over the years, and a lot of our own learning. I share it in the hope it supports someone's wellbeing, never as a claim to speak for a Nation or tradition that isn't mine. If something here should be worded differently, we welcome that correction.
With Gratitude
An acknowledgment, before entering
I honor the Indigenous peoples who have protected and carried these teachings across generations. I also acknowledge that Cilly Wellness is located on the ancestral lands of the Puyallup people, who continue to live, lead, and care for these lands and waters today.May this space encourage respect for the distinct wisdom of every Nation, while reminding us of our shared humanity and our responsibility to care for the Earth and one another.
Introduction to the Medicine Wheel
What the wheel teaches
Medicine Wheels—sometimes called Sacred Hoops—appear in a variety of Indigenous traditions and physical forms. They may express relationships among the directions, seasons, stages of life, the natural world, community, and spirit.
There is no single Medicine Wheel system shared by every Indigenous Nation. Even the placement of its colors and the meanings associated with each direction may differ. The National Park Service similarly notes that Medicine Wheel arrangements vary among Tribal customs.
The circle can remind us that life is relational and cyclical. Each part belongs to the whole, and human wellbeing cannot be completely separated from land, water, plants, animals, community, and future generations.
Medicine wheels - similar to the mandalas of the East, the labyrinths of France, the stone circles of Europe, and the Mayan and Aztec circles - have been used all over the world by indigenous people. The purpose of the wheel is to connect you with spirit and bring you into oneness. It teaches you how to work with the elements, the directions, and the spirit within you. It is an experiential tool — you don't just learn the four directions, you learn how to use the flow of them to carry you through life, and to awaken those elements within yourself.
The Medicine Wheel reminds us to balance the spiritual (east), emotional (west), physical (south), and mental aspects (north). It is a representation of the “four directions.” with the center of the wheel representing spirit. The sacred mysteries in the wheel encompass all that was, all that is, and all that is yet to come.
The Wheel is a representation of the interconnectedness we have with nature. It expresses your internal relationship with all that is. It's a guide to seeing an honest reflection of who you are, where you are in life, and what to further develop — a personal exploration tool for growth and transformation.
Circles carrying this kind of meaning — marking the directions, the seasons, our stages of life — show up across many cultures and Indigenous traditions, each in its own form and with its own teachings. I don't experience this as one universal system; I experience it as the specific lineage I was given, which I hold with care rather than claim as representative of any wider tradition.
One teaching of the Four Directions
The associations on this page come from the teaching stream shared with me by my teacher - Teaching Spirit (Vasiliki Lagoudis.) They represent one way of walking with the Wheel — not a definitive interpretation for all Indigenous peoples.
The four cardinal directions: North, South, East, and West, are represented by distinctive colors; black, red, yellow, and white. Each quadrant represents different stages of life: seasons of the year, and human aspects. Elements of nature: fire, air, water, and earth.
Animal totems: eagle, bear, wolf, buffalo, and many others.
Ceremonial plants: tobacco, sweet grass, sage, cedar. It is used to honor stages of life: birth, youth, adulthood, and death.
Seasons of the year: spring, summer, winter, fall. Human aspects: spiritual, emotional, mental, physical. Elements of nature: fire, air, water, and earth.
The medicine wheel has many layers to it and many ways to utilize it in your practice. Since it carries the energy of the earth and great spirit it is a great place to do ceremony and transformational healing work. It is perfect for hosting moon ceremonies, summer solstice, and winter equinox ceremonies.
Basics of the Medicine Wheel - direction, element, animal totem, seasons/aspects, color
● East - Air - Eagle - New Beginnings - Yellow
● South - Fire - Wolf - Celebration - Red
● West - Water - Bear - Cleansing - Black
● North - Earth - Buffalo - Reflection - White
Walking the Medicine Wheel
Take a few deep breaths, center yourself, and step into the East quadrant.
East
Step into the east facing the altar in the center. Think about change, new beginnings,
the wind, and air. Consider what medicine Eagle has for you. Is Eagle asking you to rise
above and see things from a greater perspective? Or to open up to new possibilities?
When you feel ready, step into the south.
South
Once at South, contemplate your passion, enthusiasm, and fire. What medicine does
Wolf have for you? Wolf is asking you to release what no longer serves you. He has
come to tell you to journey deeper. Give thanks for the abundance in your life and all
you have to be joyful about, no matter how big or small. Dance for joy. Step into the
west.
West
Visualize healing water pouring down on you, cleansing and refreshing you. The next
medicine comes from Bear. Bear asks you to love and honor yourself. Set boundaries
that honor your need for self-care and self-love. Step into the North.
North
Think about grounding, family, work, and what makes you feel safe, and grounded. Call
upon the Grandmothers for guidance. Here Buffalo Medicine asks you to be in gratitude
and to trust in the abundance of the universe. Buffalo asks you to release any beliefs
keeping you from your divine wisdom and guidance. Feel the support and guidance at
your disposal. Step back into the east and face the center.
Center
Think about your spiritual center.
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In what ways can you create a greater connection with the Divine?
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What daily rituals are you being called to create?
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How can you serve?
Sit with this and allow it to come up through your heart.
When you have finished, close your eyes, bless the medicine wheel, and ask the
Divine to continue to guide your healing and meditations.
Listen to the Mp3 below to experience a guided journey with me through what I call Sweet Pea Sanctuary. A place to connect to my personal dream world of Creativity through the Medicine Wheel labyrinth teachings.
The Teaching I Received
Understanding The Medicine Wheel
The Medicine Wheel is a sacred symbol to represent all knowledge of the universe. It is a symbol of hope — a tool used for healing those who seek it.
The circle of the Medicine Wheel mimics the sacred outer boundary of the earth. It represents the circle of life and death, the path of the sun and moon. Entering the medicine wheel is walking the spiral of the feminine.
To the untrained eye, the Medicine Wheel might seem like a simple circle, but it holds a much deeper meaning. Every part of it has a meaning. Its shape is that of a circle; however, the accompanying lines and the wheel’s Four Directions are all significant.
The Circle
The circle of the Medicine Wheel represents the sacred outer boundary of the Earth and is called the Sacred Hoop. Its shape represents the continuous pattern of life and death, the path of the sun and moon.
The Lines
Both the horizontal and vertical lines represent the sun’s and man’s sacred paths. The crossing of the two lines in the middle of the circle indicates the center of the Earth.
The Four Directions
According to “Native Voices” as a part of the National Library of Medicine, different tribes interpret the Medicine Wheel differently in terms of direction and color association. Each of the Four Directions (west, north, east, and south) is typically represented by a distinctive color, usually black, white, yellow, and red. This is what I was taught by Vasiliki Lagoudis from Teaching Spirit. Passed down from her teacher Artie Red Medicine from the Lenape tribe.
East:
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East - Air - visualize clouds - angels - ask for Inspiration and guidance.
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Birth - Tobacco
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Yellow – Morning – Eagle – Spring – Dandelion.
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Sunrise – New beginning.
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It is where you go for inspiration when you are starting something. It is associated with spirituality, enlightenment, and returning back to your origin.
South:
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South - Fire - visualize flames - motivation - courage- clear the way
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Red – Mid-day – Wolf – Summer – Wild Rose.
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High sun – the place that receives the most light.
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It is responsible for the growth and flowering of all living beings. South is most often associated with passion and movement as it is the polar opposite of the North. It symbolizes your inner child and child-like wonders.
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Youth – Sweetgrass
West:
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West - Water - visualize water - cleansing and refreshing
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Black – Sunset – Bear – Fall – Mullein.
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Time of letting go and cleanse. The West symbolizes a place of transition and preparing for the dark days of winter. It is a time of introspection and confrontation.
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Adult - Sage
North:
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North - Earth - visualize the grandmothers - guidance, nurturing
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White – Night – Buffalo – Winter – Birch Tree.
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Time to go within to reflect and contemplate. To shift your knowledge into wisdom. North is associated with wisdom, your mind, logic, and beliefs.
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Elder – Cedar
The Circle And Our Shared Humanity
Held in common, without claiming ownership
Although cultural teachings must be honored in their specificity, people across the world have used circles, seasons, cardinal directions, and observations of the sky and Earth to orient themselves.The Wheel can invite us to reflect on experiences shared across humanity: birth and death, growth and rest, joy and grief, belonging and change. These shared experiences don't make all spiritual traditions the same — instead, they can help us approach one another with greater curiosity, humility, and care.