A shamanic wheel or medicine wheel is a way of looking at reality in terms of distinct components that work together. This wheel is often associated with the four cardinal directions of a compass. It is also applied to many other aspects of the world: the seasons, the phases of the moon, the primary elements, the dimensions of the soul, and even the Tarot suits.
I learned about the shamanic wheel from an Amazonian tradition that looks at the human soul in four dimensions: mind, body, heart, and spirit.
The mind, element of air, is the “in our head” stuff we use to analyze the world. Messages from the mind come in the form of thoughts and fears. Mind stands opposite the heart, element of water, which is both our connection to others and our passion for what we do. Messages from the heart come in the form of attraction, desires, and drive.
The body, element of earth, is the animal body in which we take form. Messages from the body come in the form of feelings, most strongly as a “gut feeling.” Body stands opposite the spirit, element of fire, which is our connection to the rest of the universe, to the unity of all things. Messages from spirit come in the form of intuition and guidance.
In this diagram, I focus on a relationship between these four parts:
The job of the mind is to protect the animal body. Emotions like fear and anxiety come from the mind: they are useful tools to keep us safe from threats in the world.
The job of the heart is to connect us, to bring us closer to others, to drive our passion to create, and to bring us closer to spirit. It is what draws us out into the world.
We very often see conflict between the heart and the mind: the heart wants to create something or draw toward someone; and the mind is anxious or fearful of the harm that might come from that action.
Neither the mind nor the heart is wrong, nor is either one of them better than the other. Both are working for us in their own way. We need fear and anxiety to keep us from being reckless and getting hurt; just as we need love and passion to give us meaning and engagement in life.
In this tradition, much of the goal of self-work is to balance these four quadrants of the soul. If we can achieve perfect balance between them, they fade away as separate parts. We become a unified soul, flowing through life in tandem with everything that is flowing around us.
In modern western culture, we tend to be ruled by our minds, creating a major imbalance in our systems; and leading to an abundance of anxiety issues. The answer is not to move fully into the heart, as an untempered heart can be reckless and harmful to ourselves and others. Again, balance is the goal: to learn how to open ourselves up to others and to pursue our passions without taking foolish risks or getting ourselves into dangerous situations.
How can one find that balance between mind and heart? Part of the answer lies in recognizing that while the imbalance is between these two parts, there are two others in the system as well. Our connections to both our own bodies and to spirit are vital components in balancing our soul. And in this mind-driven culture, those two dimensions of our souls are often unhealthy as well.
Future writings on this site will delve further into that concept of balance and how to approach it.