The concept of the Four Directions is significant in various indigenous cultures and spiritual traditions, especially among Native American tribes. Each direction is associated with specific qualities, elements, and symbolism, though the exact meanings can vary between different tribes and cultures.
We have a deep connection to nature and it helps us establish and maintain balance, health, and wellness. Whether you’re seeking guidance, harmony, or simply a deeper connection with the world, the Four Directions Prayer can connect us to the world around us in a beautiful and meaningful way.
Here is a general overview of what the Four Directions often represent:
East: The East is typically related to new beginnings, birth, inspiration and renewal. It represents the rising sun, the element of air, and the season of spring. It is connected to mental and spiritual aspects. In many traditions, it symbolizes the mind, intellect, and illumination. It’s a direction of vision and clarity.
South: The South is often connected to growth, youth, warmth and vitality. It represents the midday sun, the element of fire, and the season of summer. It is associated with physical and emotional aspects. It symbolizes passion, creativity, courage, and physical health. It’s a direction of action, determination and energy.
West: The West is associated with endings, transitions, and introspection. It represents the setting sun, the element of water, and the season of autumn. It is connected to emotional and subconscious aspects. It symbolizes emotions, intuition, and the subconscious mind. It’s a direction of healing, reflection and change.
North: The North is linked to wisdom, maturity, and the later stages of life. It represents the direction of the North Star, the element of earth, and the season of winter. It is connected to the physical and intellectual aspects. It symbolizes knowledge, experience, and the ancestral connection. It’s a direction of learning, guidance and understanding.
The Four Directions are seen as a way to maintain balance, harmony, and a deep connection to the natural world and the spiritual realm.
The Four Directions Prayer is a way to honor and seek guidance from the energies and spirits associated with each direction, asking for balance, harmony, wisdom and blessings in various aspects of life.
Table of Contents
Prayer to The Four Directions
Great Spirit of Light, come to me out of the East (red) with the power of the rising sun. Let there be light in my words, let there be light on my path that I walk. Let me remember always that you give the gift of a new day. And never let me be burdened with sorrow by not starting over again.
Great Spirit of Love, come to me with the power of the North (white). Make me courageous when the cold wind falls upon me. Give me strength and endurance for everything that is harsh, everything that hurts, everything that makes me squint. Let me move through life ready to take what comes from the north.
Great Life-Giving Spirit, I face the West (black), the direction of sundown. Let me remember every day that the moment will come when my sun will go down. Never let me forget that I must fade into you. Give me a beautiful color, give me a great sky for setting, so that when it is my time to meet you, I can come with glory.
Great Spirit of Creation, send me the warm and soothing winds from the South (yellow). Comfort me and caress me when I am tired and cold. Unfold me like the gentle breezes that unfold the leaves on the trees. As you give to all the earth your warm, moving wind, give to me, so that I may grow close to you in warmth. Man did not create the web of life, he is but a strand in it. Whatever man does to the web, he does to himself.
By Chief Seattle, Leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes.
The Lakota Prayer to the Four Directions
Creator, it is I. Thank you for today’s sunrise, for the breath and life within me, and for all of your creations. Creator, hear my prayer, and honor my prayer.
As the day begins with the rising sun, I ask, spirit keeper of the east, Brother Eagle, be with me. Fly high as you carry my prayers to the creator. May I have eyes as sharp as yours, so I am able to see truth and hope on the path I have chosen. Guide my step and give me courage to walk the circle of my life with honesty and dignity.
Spirit keeper of the south, Wolf, be with me. Help me to remember to love and feel compassion for all mankind. Help me to walk my path with joy and love for myself, for others, for the four legged, the winged ones, the plants and all creation upon Mother Earth. Show me it is right for me to make decisions with my heart, even if at times, my heart becomes hurt. Help me to grow and nurture my self worth in all ways.
Spirit keeper of the west, Brown Bear, be with me. Bring healing to the people I love and to myself. Bring into balance the physical, mental and spiritual, so I am able to know my place on this earth, in life and in death. Heal my body, heal my mind and bring light, joy and awareness to my spirit.
Spirit keeper of the north, White Buffalo, be with me. As each day passes, help me to surrender, with grace, the things of my youth. Help me to listen to the quiet, and find serenity and comfort in the silences as they become longer. Give me wisdom so I am able to make wise choices in all things which are put in front of me, and when time for my change of worlds has come, let me go peacefully, without regrets, for the things I neglected to do as I walked along my path.
Mother Earth, thank you for your beauty, and for all you have given me. Remind me never to take from you more than I need, and remind me to always give back more than I take.
Celtic Blessing to the Four Directions
Great Spirit of Light, come to me out of the East with the power of the rising sun. Let there be light in my words, Let there be light on the path I walk. Let me remember always to be thankful that You give the gift of a new day. Let the color of fresh rising in my life be glory to you.
Great Spirit of Love, come to me with the power of the North. I come to you and ask for the strength and the power to bear what is cold and harsh in life. Make me courageous when the cold winds of life fall upon me. Give me strength and endurance for everything that is harsh, everything that hurts, everything that makes me squint. Do not let the winter blow me away. Let me move through life ready to take what comes from the North.
Great Life-Giving Spirit, I face the West, where the sun goes down each day to come up the next. Let me remember everyday that the moment will come when my sun will go down. You are the powerful cycle, which pulls me to transformation. Never let me forget that I must fade into you. I ask for the blessings of the sunset. Keep me open to life’s changes. Give me a beautiful color, give me a great sky for setting, so that when it is my time to meet you, I can come with glory.
Great Spirit of Creation, send me the warm, gentle and refreshing winds from the South. Comfort me and caress me when I am tired and cold. Unfold me like the gentle breezes that unfold the leaves on the trees. And as You give to all the earth your warm moving wind, give to me, so that I may grow close to you in warmth.
Cherokee Prayer Blessing
May the Warm Winds of Heaven
Blow softly upon your house.
May the Great Spirit
Bless all who enter there.
May your Moccasins
Make happy tracks
in many snows,
and may the Rainbow
Always touch your shoulder.
Also, the Medicine Wheel, sometimes known as the Sacred Hoop, has been used by generations of various Native American tribes for health and healing. It is a holistic and spiritual concept. It often incorporates the symbolism of the Four Directions. It is often used for healing, ceremony, and personal growth, and it may involve prayers, rituals, and meditation to connect with the energies and wisdom associated with each direction.
Calling In The 4 Directions
North
I call to the North, where I am safe and held by Mother Earth. She bears my weight and I thank her. There is stability here, the ground of our being. As long as I am connected to the Earth, I am secure and cared for. I surrender, and I ask to be imparted to the Divine wisdom of the Earthly realms.
So it is.
South
I call to the South, where I am warm and I am safe. I am love and I am fire. Fire is a transformative force, it is heat and light and powerful change. I allow the fire of South to transform me, and I will rise from the flames like a phoenix reborn in Divinity.
So it is.
East
I call to the East, where I am strong, and I am perfect. I am present in this moment. Air and breath give us life. I am one with the winds and with the free flying bird spirits. I am all and I am nothing. I am the wind.
So it is.
West
I call to the West, where I allow my path to unfold. I trust in perfect timing, and I surrender to the divine flow of life and energy. All I need is already on its way. Everything I desire flows effortlessly toward me.
So it is.
