Law_of_Introduction_North_Week Day 2

Knowledge divides the world,
wisdom makes it whole.

Venacio, shaman of the Makuna people

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Daily Guidance:

Integrity is the Law that anchors the North Direction. Integrity is about acting ethically but it is also about integrating all parts of a whole. The Wheels of the world have always represented the wisdom of wholeness. To seek whole knowledge you need a whole learning method like the Wisdom Wheel. It can teach you how to incorporate intellectual knowledge as well as physical, emotional and spiritual knowledge. The words whole and holy are derived from same root. People who feel whole have a sense of psychological security and well-being and are less likely to feel defensive, anxious and alienated.

Cynthia's Journal:

The Wheels have always been ways to see the wholeness in the world. By using the Wisdom Wheel regularly you can acquire whole knowledge about many things besides the Laws. You will benefit from the wisdom and its healing effects because you will strengthen the wisdom of your body, heart and spirit as well as your mind. Wholeness and wholesomeness are indicators of Integrity.  They demonstrate evidence of the ability to integrate the various parts of ourselves, and to integrate other people and things, into our lives.  This is why Integrity anchors the North side of the Wisdom Wheel.  North is traditionally the place of vision and synthesis. 

The Law of Trust in the South balances Integrity in the North, just as Right Action in the East balances Higher Purpose in the West.  These are natural pairs.  Right Action is far easier to take when one is guided by a sense of Higher Purpose.  Likewise with Trust, we feel people who have Integrity can be trusted.  Those without Integrity lack of coherence. What they promise is not delivered. This is an example of the inability to maintain Integrity.  Whether we’re talking about integrating self and including others, or integrating systems - like philosophies, cultures or religions - the natural unifying principle is a basic skill required for personal and community life, especially in our global era.  The Wisdom Wheel enables people to increase their ability to accomplish things with more Intergrity.

What sort of ‘knowledge divides the world’?  And why is this harmful?  Ideas and concepts that advocate separation tend to create negative reactions, with undesirable physical and psychological results.  Arguments, conflicts and violence are common responses from those who feel excluded rather than included. Terrorism is one extreme example of the inability to incorporate disparate views. Tribalism and nationalism can also cause problems when we over-identify with one little portion of the Earth, or one group of people. What happens to our potential for global participation, global citizenship and the global community?  When concepts like nationalism and ethnicity are taken too far, they can trigger continual ‘us versus them’ responses. Feuding and war prevent our peaceful co-existence. To make a real difference over time, we need a practical approach that works on the level of daily life. The Wisdom Wheel is designed to help develop the practiacla skills individuals need in a thriving global community.

The Wheel itself can be used to illustrate this point. If we assume that ‘medicine wheels’ can only benefit Native Americans we miss the opportunity to embrace this gift to the world community. thod and enjoy it. Many Native Americans embraced Christianity and some manage to include both while reconciling the differences between these approaches. How did they accomplish that? By refusing to place themselves in opposing camps. Instead they looked for the common ground that is always there, and allows us to integrate ideas, faiths and philosophies. If I’d been too resistant to the worlds Wheels I never would have learned enough about them to test their teachings or internalize their information.

Things we intellectually reject or emotionally refuse remain difficult to incorporate, whether it is another language or a ‘foreign’ method. In 1990 people like Ted Turner, the founder of CNN was already saying, ‘In a global world, there are no foreigners.’ The Wisdom Wheel is one way to learn how to incorporate new ideas and concepts while appreciating how much common ground exists. There is a field of unity full of gifts and contributions from every culture. Everyone can enjoy these is they have a way to integrate them, like the Wheel.

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