Navigating Transitions Using the Inca Medicine Wheel

We all go through transitions in life. Moving from childhood to adolescence, finding our first jobs, experiencing our first loves, welcoming children, and retiring are just a few of the common transitions that we experience. Other transitions may be more personal such as our spiritual awakening or the realization of our long-held dreams. In either case, transitions, can bring about a plethora of emotions that can range from excitement, joy and anticipation to anxiety, doubt, fear, or perhaps grief. And sometimes these emotions are unexpected or conflicting, making the transition process a bit confusing.

I’ve recently gone through my own transition by leaving my profession as an attorney to become a full-time shamanic and energy healer. I can fully attest to the fact that I’ve experienced a range of conflicting emotions and confusion. I experienced grief in saying goodbye to my former career and especially to my beloved colleagues even though I was finally fulfilling my long-time dream. Because it was hard to hold these emotions in the same space, I decided to examine how to navigate my transition with more grace and ease to reach a more sustainable state of empowerment.

Journey Through the Inca Medicine Wheel

I turned to spiritual and somatic practices, and it occurred to me that the steps I’ve taken to help with my transition look a lot like the Inca Medicine Wheel as conveyed by Alberto Villoldo based on his study with the Q’ero shamans in Peru. The Inca Medicine Wheel or “the fourfold path of knowledge” or “journey of the Four Winds” is a journey around the four cardinal directions to help us awaken, transform, and gain wisdom.(1) The four cardinal directions are each represented by archetypal energies that help take us through the process of transformation.

Journeying through the Inca Medicine Wheel can take the form of shamanic journeys or other rituals associated with the energy of each direction. Or, as I recommend below, meditating on each phase of the medicine wheel is also another way to benefit from the Inca Medicine Wheel journey. When the Medicine Wheel is used to invoke or open Sacred Space, in addition to the four cardinal directions, the invocation includes calling in the support of the Earth and Spirit. The shaman or person opening Sacred Space is the center, or the seventh point.

As you journey through the Inca Medicine Wheel, you first enter from the South, where the Serpent helps you heal and shed the past. You then move to the West and the archetype of the Jaguar helps you to see what is hidden and to move beyond fear. In the North, the Hummingbird helps you find the wisdom of what nourishes your soul and reminds you of your strength and courage and to be open to synchronicities along your journey. In the East, Eagle and Condor help us to clearly see our vision of the future and to understand where we came from and who we are becoming. It is a place of new beginnings. Then we are supported by Mother Earth, also known as Pachamama or Gaia, and all our relations upon her (the animals, plants, waters, stones). When moving through the Medicine Wheel, I also consider all the support that I receive from my friends, family, teachers and healers. We are also supported from above, by the Cosmos (Father Sky, Grandmother Moon), Great Spirit or the God of your understanding. I also like to call on the support from Illumined Beings who support my highest good.

Moving through the Medicine Wheel can bring you back to center and help you connect with Nature, access your own divine nature and inner wisdom, and navigate transitions more easily.

Connecting to Center

With my current transition, my conflicting emotions were getting me off-kilter, and I was having trouble seeing a clear path forward and stuck in procrastination. So, it was clear that I needed to ground and find my center to access my inner wisdom. There are many ways to ground and center – meditation, walking, breathing, tapping – are just a few. I did most of these, but I spent the most time walking because I felt a yearning to connect with nature. Connecting with Nature is one of the key elements of the Medicine Wheel. “’The journey through the Medicine Wheel is undertaken to awaken vision and to discover and embrace the Divine within oneself, to reestablish one’s connection with Nature and the mystery of the cosmos, to acquire skills and the wisdom to use them.’”(2) So, my inner yearnings were already propelling me toward the Inca Medicine Wheel journey.

South – Shedding the Past

The more I walked, the more grounded and calm I felt. With my nervous system in a calmer state, I could better access emotions, which in turn helped me better understand what my emotions were telling me. I allowed grief to be with me on my walks. I let the grief give way to the fear that was underneath the surface. The fear that was present in the letting go, the shedding of an integral part of my identity. I was in the direction of the South, where the Inca Medicine Wheel journey begins and where the archetype of the Serpent helps you to shed the past, just as the Serpent sheds its skin.

West – Illuminating What is Hidden and Going Beyond Fear

It was in the South that I also saw that my fear was multifaceted as it included not just the fear of letting go but also the fear of the unknown and fear of failure. So, I journeyed to the West, where the Jaguar helps illuminate that which is hidden so that fears can be let go and you can face death and know the way beyond your fears. Allowing space for myself to feel my emotions illuminated the hidden parts of myself or limiting beliefs that could hinder my forward movement. Only in the unveiling of these unconscious drivers that were sapping my power could I move beyond them. I realized that even though I was afraid, the call to something new was stronger and that I could not let the fear or the doubt run the show. This gave me the strength and courage of the Jaguar and to keep moving forward despite any fear and doubt.

North – Nourishment, Wisdom, Opening to Synchronicities

I fortified my strength and courage with soul-nourishing practices like meditation, expressing gratitude, chanting mantra and reading. And I felt more connected to myself and my internal wisdom. This deeper connection to my personal center increased my connection to Spirit and I began to be more receptive to synchronicities that were clearly lighting my path forward. I was connecting with the energy of the North, supported by the wisdom of the Hummingbird which knows how to source the nectar that nourishes it and helps us to source the nectar that nourishes our souls. The Hummingbird also helps us to have courage and to be open to synchronicities along the journey as the Hummingbird travels great distances despite its size.

East – Clear Vision

With the wisdom and nourishment of the North, I have been able to take steps to more fully realize my vision and step into my dream. This is the direction of the East, of the Eagle and the Condor who help us to fly ever higher when we encounter obstacles and to see with great clarity. “The energies of the eagle assist us in finding the guiding vision of our lives. The eyes of condor see into the past and the future, helping to know where we came from and who we are becoming.” (3)

Support from Above and Below

And when I falter, I look for the support that is in my life – from family, friends, and teachers, my foundation, my Earth energy, as well as Spirit – to buoy me up.

How You Can Use the Medicine Wheel to Navigate Your Own Transitions

Journeying around the Inca Medicine Wheel may be useful to you as well when navigating transitions. One way that may be helpful is to meditate on the energies of each of the four directions and see what comes to you. Perhaps ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I need to let go? (South)
• What do I need to shine a light on to release and move beyond any limiting beliefs or fears? (West)
• What can nourish me as I move through this transition? (North)
• What gifts or wisdom are present in this experience? (North)
• How can I be open to synchronicities along this journey? (North)
• What is my vision for the future? (East)
• How can I step into my next chapter with clarity and understanding as to who I was and who I am becoming? (East)
• Who can support me as a go through this transformation? (Earth)
• What practices can connect me more to my higher self, Spirit or the God of my own understanding so that I feel further supported? (Spirit)

Integrating Your Journey

To help with integrating the answers received from your meditation or a series of meditations on each direction, I recommend that you write your answers down in a journal. Simply recording what we learn is a form of integration. Then, I recommend you begin to take actions that would help support your transition. Doing so will help you embody the journey and the wisdom of the Medicine Wheel.