The Medicine Wheel

When we students think about the balance in our lives we all think about balancing physical activity with mental activity.  Those of us in the counselling masters program also think about emotional balance: are we feeling joyful and laughing often enough to balance the tears and terror we encounter in therapy practice?  But there is a fourth area (this makes it a quadrant!) that we must consider in order to truly balance our lives.  Our friends who are indigenous to Canada have known for thousands of years that spirituality must also weigh in.

Now before you click the little red ‘X’ let me assure you I’m not just talking about religion.  I have nothing against religion when it is not used as an excuse for hurting people; indeed, faith can be a powerful resource in times of trouble.  However, the term spirituality is often, and in this case is most certainly, used more broadly to refer to a sense of connection to the world around us.  Spirituality is a feeling of awe, a rush of affection, a gust of air so fresh you stop what you’re doing and just breathe.

I (and others before me) like to think that every one of us is a spiritual being whether we know it or not.

“There are no atheists in a foxhole”

The First Nations people of North America have a great deal of wisdom to share on the topic of balance, and perhaps the greatest resource I have found thus far is the Medicine Wheel.  The most basic version of the medicine wheel has four quadrants: physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual.  As I endeavour to find and maintain balance in my life (and in this blog) I will be working with the medicine wheel model; striving to fulfil all four areas of my life in mostly equal parts. Whew… I have my work cut out for me!