Healing Wheel
Within the wheel, you can see the human form. In the centre, you can see the directions as in a compass. This represents the moral compass, an individuals own value system if you will. The energies of the directions are also honoured here. Within the compass is a cross this symbolises the horizontal line, the connection to all beings on earth, and the vertical line connection to a higher power. Emanating from the human figure is a circle/wheel split into four quarters. In our map, we primarily use what we call four realms. Physical, Mental. Emotional and Spiritual. We chose this as an easily relatable map for those brought up in this culture.
Easily and usefully overlayed onto this map are the more commonly used archetypes simplified from Carl Jung’s teachings warrior, lover/ mother, magician/wise woman, and king/sovereign.
The functions with aligned with each realm are thoughts, feelings, decisions and action.
The elements of air, water, fire and earth can be seen here too.
Physical
The function of the physical realm is to take action, complete tasks enforce boundaries, things that are done using the body.
Mental
The function of the mental realm is thought. Nothing comes into being without first being a thought, where those thoughts come from and their intentions are hugely important.
Emotional
The function of the emotional realm is to feel and to navigate where those feelings are coming from, what they are telling us and what needs to happen with that energy.
Spiritual
The function of the spiritual is to make good decisions. By assessing all the other realms and a connection to something bigger than us we can make our decisions with the highest of intentions.
We also have Elements
Air
We equate this with the spiritual the temptation to go up into the heavens and the spiritual experiences possible in breath work, the breath the live giver.
Earth
We equate to to mental. The grounding force opposed with the air as the spirit rises too high and the mental spills to ground the tension is created in between that creates the vibration from which growth occurs.
Water
We equate with the emotional, the tears that roll down our cheeks the connecting force we all need to survive.
Fire
We equate to physical with the power to explode or the ability to keep us warm, when it gets too hot when in opposition to water it can be cooled.
The archetypes
The archetype maps can be laid over the realms map and can give a visual of what is happening in each realm for you. It gives a human like character to each realm that maybe easier to identify with. We have chosen the 4 archetypes that most commonly used but in Carl Jung’s original works there are dozens. These archetypes help us to attribute human qualities, emotions and stories that we may find easier to understand in our map. We hold a belief that the old gods and goddesses were the original archetypes, they were very human with human traits and failings and faced many struggles their stories held a lot of lessons of what trials and tribulations had been overcome before us, perhaps guiding us through our own. Taking Norse gods as an example you could easily overlay onto our map Odin as spiritual/ king, thor as physical/warrior, Loki as mental/magician and balder as emotional/lover.
As in the realms you shouldn’t worship one archetype or you will become consumed by it, in fact you shouldn’t worship any, the old cultures understood there was a great unnameable spirit/creator that created all. The gateway emotions exist alongside the archetypes each emotion itself hold an energy that exists larger and outside of us as well as within. Most people may experience anger in a similar way but anger exists with or without those people feeling it.
Warrior EMOTION Anger
Inflated
Bully, violent, trying to run the show.
images: Sgt Harman full metal jacket
Johnny Lawrence karate kid.
Balanced
In service to good, protector, integrity, boundaries.
images: lagatha Vikings, Marcy Aurelius gladiator.
Deflated
No action, no confrontation, no boundaries.
Images Homer Simpson, Clark Kent
Magician/ wise woman. EMOTION Fear
Inflated
Master manipulator, secretive, plotting
Images Charles Manson, Cruella Deville
Balanced
Guide, father figure, teacher, sharing knowledge
Images Gandalf, Mr Myagi, Morpheus
Deflated
Clown, fool, jester
Images laurel and hardy, bill and ted
Lover/mother. EMOTION Sadness
Inflated
Addicted, needy, over emotional, overwhelmed
Images Sid viscous, Gollum
Balanced
Connected, nurturing, able to feel emotions, free and playful.
Images Mother Earth, Mary Poppins
Deflated
Numb, void of emotion, depressed
Images, Frankenstein, terminator
King/ sovereign. EMOTION Joy
Inflated
Tyrant, dominating, demanding, banishing
Images queen of hearts from Alice in wonderland, pol pot
Balanced
Holding judgements of others, leading well, stability, vision, holding wounds of self and others. Images Joan of arc, Boudicca, King Arthur
Deflated
Abdicator, gives power away, avoids responsibility and authority.
Images scar lion king
The realms
In our society, we understand and live predominantly in the physical and mental realms. Much less time and understanding is spent on the emotional and spiritual realms. We believe there should be a balance in these realms whilst not worshipping any realm in particular. If you do worship one realm you will become consumed by it. These realms are also fluid and can periodically cross over.
Physical
Can be recognised as the muscular skeletal body.
The physical realm is all of the material world not just the physical body. In balance we would be taking care of the body and living in relative comfort whilst challenging ourselves enough to create growth.
When we worship this realm, the body can become the temple and the challenge be solely on making it bigger, stronger, better, more beautiful etc we may even use means detrimental to our health as long as it looks right. Or it can be material goods or wealth that are accumulated way beyond what is needed. Money is also in the physical realm.
When deflated here we may find ourselves very unhealthy unkept, uncomfortable, unable to take action unable to accept comfort.
Mental
Associated with the head/brain. Today’s society values education and science as the great truth teller, on the other side it also values entertainers, what it no longer values are great thinkers and philosophers. To be in balance in this realm is to have nuance, to be non-judgemental. A good and fair guide and humble teacher. To be inflated can be so educated and qualified yet have no common sense or social skill, to be manipulative and judgemental especially of those you believe less qualified than yourself.
To be deflated here can be to become a clown, a fool, an entertainer or to declare yourself a dummy.
Emotional
Associated with the nervous system. This is where we hold the physical effects of trauma which is often too much to bare, the most effective tool we’ve found is too numb those intense feelings, some do this by dissociating or disconnecting and others use substances or other distractions. Unfortunately, you cannot numb one feeling without numbing them all.
When we are in balance here we are capable of feeling a full range of emotions without destroying ourselves or anyone else. When inflated in this realm we can have a heightened feeling of victimhood for self and other. We can become over emotional feeling outraged at any perceived attack on anyone past or present. Addiction and neediness also lies here.
Spiritual
Associated with the heart this realm shouldn’t be confused with religion but should be connected to a higher power. Man has always intuitively known that he is connected to something bigger and has attempted to connect with it. When we are balanced, we take time to acknowledge that power without any judgement on anyone else’s beliefs in this realm, we exercise discipline here with ritual and are connecting to a vision of greater meaning. To be inflated here could be to judge those who make different choices and become disconnected from those you believe beneath you sometimes leading to delusions of grandeur and perhaps a messiah complex. To be deflated in this realm may be to be stuck without purpose, seeing the world as a pointless act of sleep, eating, working and death.
