Whole Life Living: Wellness with Reverend N
Whole Life living integrates the wisdom of those who came before us. It is attending to the elder’s stories, stories that encapsulate a way of living and share ancient wisdom with the next generation. These stories unite our physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental aspects. These stories reveal how our lives are connected to our family, our church, our community, and our nation.
One of these indigenous wisdom stories is the medicine wheel. The medicine wheel is built around the 4 winds: north, south, east, and west. It echoes the four aspects of humanness (mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical), the 4 elements (earth, wind, water, and fire), the 4 races (red, yellow, black, and white), the four stages of life (birth, youth, adulthood, and eldership), and the 4 seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter). All these come together into a single whole.
Nothing is outside of the whole. Everything is included and interconnected. The medicine wheel not only puts everything in relationship to everything else but it also sets everything in motion. A whole life is not a static existence but a life moving through each of the wheel’s cycles.
A whole life sees all of life as interconnected---our eating, talking, working, and playing. There are no isolated events. What affects our bodies impacts our minds. What touches our emotions reaches our spirits. Life is always in motion and knowing where you are on the wheel helps you make better decisions, decisions that encompass your whole life, even past death. A whole life integrates your past, your future, and those who journey with you. Live each moment wholly.
