The main aspects of this medicine wheel was created by Richard Martin
Books my Malidoma_ Ritual, Of Water and Spirit, Healing Wisdom of Africa
Books by Soboonfu Coming Home, Falling from Grace, Women's Wisdom From the Heart of Africa (online course)
My Teachers
My time with Sobonfu and Malidoma where some of the most treasured times in my entire life. I was introduced to Elder Malidoma with his first book Ritual and then Of Water And Spirit. At the tender age of 27, both of these books changed my life. As a young Indo-African American woman awakening to the call of her Spirit, I can't express to you, how important the representation of African Spirituality was in my life.
My spiritual liberation began in 1990. It was then that I reclaimed my indigenous identity and started studying the cultures of our wisdom traditions from around the world. I first started with African and First Nations as these were the lineages of my parents.
My studies lead me to Baba Malidoma and his then wife Mama Sobonfu. I studied with them for three years, as they visited Orlando one or two times a year offering workshops, retreats and rituals.
The downloads, transmissions and awakenings I encountered during these three years continue to unfold today. Beyond the face to face encounters I continued to study their books over the years, letting them guide me from a far.
I love them, so deeply. I feel them always. I am because of them .
The information shared on this page is my lineage. It is the deep profound wisdom of the Dagara as I have learned it and as it is being transmitted through me.
The permission to share it comes from the ancestral realm. I humbly share the teachings of my teachers and ask that this be a starting point for your remembrance.
"How can modern society accept that the power and vitality in something so apparently inanimate as a tree could touch us so deeply and bring about a transformation so profound as to be healing? "
I remember Baba Malidoma talking in the circle, " in order to teach the Dagara wisdom to communities in the West, we must have a medicine wheel." The Dagara cosmological wheel had not been developed on paper yet, the traditions were being passed on orally.
I Learned about the elements and how one knows the element you embody, at a women's gathering with Sobonfu in 1998.
Below I will share basic information on the Dagara Medicine Wheel, which is a foundational technology for living in harmony within the self and within community.
The Dagara Medicine Wheel: The Elements
"In Dagara cosmology the image and structure of the circle organized perceptions of the world. The wheel not only refers to the cyclic nature of life, but it is also a microcosm of the circular nature of the plant where we live. "
I learned the Dagara creations story from Baba Malidoma at my first workshop with him. he said and a paraphrase:
In the beginning there was no earth. Hurling through the universe was a sphere of fire. It was out of control and burning. Fire is our first element and carries the energy of the ancestors, movement, power, creation and purification.
Fire plunged into a body of water and was instantly cooled. Water being the second element and carries the energy of healing, soothing, peace and slowing it all down.
As the water cooled the sphere, earth was formed, the dirt. Therefore Earth became the third element. Earth is the element of home, foundation, grounding and identity.
As the waters continue to cool the earth deeper, rock was formed. The stones, mineral was created becoming the 4th element. Stone carries the energy of remembering as the stones are the bones of earth.
As the water, dirt and stone continued to mix the vegetation began to grow and form creating nature, which includes our landscapes and animals. Nature becomes our 5th element and carries the energy of magic, transformation and trickster energy.
The Dagara Medicine Wheel: Finding Your Birth Element
I learned from Sobonfu the importance of knowing your birth element. Understanding your dominate birth element provides incredible insight for your journey here on earth. It also provides a well of learning and remembering of your gifts. At the same time, understanding the dominate element of those in your community supports harmonious and healthy relating. Providing a back drop of compassion and understanding as well as contextual understanding and "remedies" for imbalances.
Figuring out your birth element: Take the last number of your birth year. I was born in 1969, therefore I use the number 9.
2, 7
fire
1, 6
water
0, 5
earth
4, 9
mineral
3, 8
nature
You can think of the elements as archetypes, each having their own set of nuances, medicines, rules and understandings. You can also accept that each of these elements are Spirits. They are alive in every way. Our relationship to our dominate element and to all the other elements is a life long exploration. Understanding, none of us are absent of any elements, the keys are, to learn and develop all of the elements within. In other words, our relationship to the Spirts of the cosmos is our roadmap to understanding ourselves and remembering the deep wisdom that lives in us and that is us.
Fire: Direction is south, Color is Red; Fire opens the way to the Spirit world, it is the ability to act, and emote. Fire people can be very emotionally charged and they seek connection with others. Fire supports our dream time, visions and always seem to be on the go. Fire is the element of movement, and creative. Fire is can be warming and safe.
Water: Direction is North, Color is Blue; Water supports all of life, peace and reconciliation. Water restores, brings moisture to dryness, Water people see all possibilities, and are very positive. They seek harmony. Water is slow moving can have little ambition to get things done. The the grand canyon, water carves us but very slowly.
Earth: Direction is Center, Color is Yellow; True nurturance and nourishment. Earth provides for all of our needs and always has more to offer. Earth people are comfortable anywhere, respected, loved and content. Earth people tend to take care of other and wants to make them feel good. Earth is about visibility and being seen. Its spot in the center of the wheel lets us know earth touches all things.
Mineral: Direction is West, Color is White; Mineral is our bones, and the stones of the earth. Mineral is also all metals. Mineral carries the memories, therefore mineral people are our historians, carrying the history and our myths. Mineral is ancient, and wise and mineral people remind us of who we are and why we are here. Mineral is the inner genius that lives within all things. Mineral is information and the transference of information. Mineral provides the pathways, or network if you will to connect with other.
Nature: Direction is East, Color is Green; Nature is change, transformation and pure magic. This requires flexibility. Nature is the seasons and therefore contains life and death. Nature does not operate in a straight line and nature people have an intricate system that is mysterious. Understanding how to read nature can bring endless knowledge on life and her intricates. Nature people are some of the most authentic people you will ever meet, at the same time they are shapeshifters, tricksters and magicians.
As a reminder, all things have a hidden side, Just as each element has life affirming characteristics, there are also hidden parts of each element that are not easily seen. These hidden aspects are here to challenge us, support our deepening, opening and growth by showing us our limiting patterns.
It is important to note, all wisdom traditions around the world have a cosmological wheel. Indigenous peoples are nature people and within their sophisticated technologies is the liberating wisdom we seek to help us understand who we are and how we are to serve and contribute to the world.
In Gratitude
Thank you for choosing to learn more about Dagara spirituality. I am indebted to my teachers. I will teach and expand on what I have learned from, for as long as I have breath. I will speak their names and share their stories of my experiences with them, forever.
I carry both of them in my heart of hearts. Mama Sobonfu never fails to show up in all of my workshops. She shows up in a sneeze to remind me that she is with me. I hear Elder Malidoma's laugh and whispers in my ear, I see him in the trees.
Thank you.
How Can I Assist You?
Group Support
I have been bringing this teaching and other teachings of my indigenous cultures to companies and agencies for over 20 years. If your agency and company is aligned with cultivating a conscious culture and open to learning how the Dagara Cosmological Wheel can support your community please reach out. Chonteau@chonteau.com
Individual Support
If you would like more in-depth information on how the Dagara Cosmological wheel can support your inner growth and exploration please reach out. I offer individual consultations.
