"A Time To Gather" Health and Wellness 2024

This was First Nations Outreach, Inc's first year in focusing on our community's health and wellness. We decide to kick of our "A Time To Gather" Health and Wellness Series with a Picnic Potluck at the Bergstrom Mahler Museum of Glass in Neenah.

The focus was to incorporate a healthy physical activity in this case walking; a social element the picnic potluck part that focuses on our emotional connections; as well as, a mental health and spiritual component which lead to our glass art project and teachings of the Sacred Medicine Wheel.

The Sacred Medicine Wheel represents the circle of life and how all things are connected!

(order listed is top, right, bottom, and left)

The Sacred Medicine Wheel teaches about: The 4 Directions: North, East, South, and West

The 4 Colors: White, Yellow, Red, and Black

The 4 Times of Day: Night, Morning, Noon, and Evening

The 4 Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall

The 4 Elements: Air, Fire, Earth, and Water

The 4 Medicines: Cedar, Tobacco, Sweetgrass, and Sage

The 4 Stages of Life: Elder, Childhood, Youth, and Adulthood

The 4 Aspects of Life: Spiritual, Mental, Physical, and Emotional

With our A Time To Gather Health and Wellness Event we focused on the 4 Aspects of Life.

The North is White, it is tied to the Winter Season, and the Buffalo Totem. It represents Wisdom and Gratitude by sharing what we have learned with others, we help them, and to give thanks for our blessings. It is the Spiritual Aspect of Life and reminds us to stay connected to Mother Earth and Our Creator.

The East is Yellow, it is tied to the Spring, the Eagle Totem, and is the direction that the sun rises each day. It represents Seeking Clarity of our Life's path. It is the Mental Aspect of Life we use in learning and understanding the world around us.

The South is Red, it is tied to the Summer, the Coyote and the Mouse Animal Totems. It teaches us the qualities of faith, trust, and humility. This is the Physical Aspect of Life and reminds us we need to take care of our body through health and fitness.

The West is Black, it is tied to the fall, and the Bear Totem. It teaches us to look within, to rest, and reflect. This is the Emotional Aspect of Life and it helps us to understand and share our emotions with others.

The Sacred Medicine Wheel, sometimes referred to as the Sacred Circle, reminds us that we need to find balance in all 4 of these domains for us to remain healthy. It is our ways and traditions, a holistic knowledge of our ancestors. If one quadrant is not balanced it can affect the rest of the quadrants and our Circle of Life.

Each tribe has their own concepts of the medicine wheel, some of the teachings may change, or the colors may change based on the beliefs of their own individual tribal nation. However, the teachings remain the same the Sacred Medicine Wheel teaches us how all things are connected!