Honoring the Directions: Reclaiming Our Place in the Sacred Circle

One of the most powerful ways for me to integrate and re-establish the sacred lineage with the universe that surrounds me I found is to engage in the ritual of honoring the Directions.

Across countless Indigenous cultures and spiritual traditions, there exists this powerful and enduring practice: the honoring of the Directions. In a time when many feel disconnected from the natural world and disoriented in their lives, this ancient practice offers a pathway home and connection. To pause and turn to the Directions is to acknowledge the intelligence of the universe, to come into relationship with place, time, and self. I see it as a form of embodied mindfulness – an act of aligning with forces greater than ourselves.

Worldwide cultures – from the Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest to the Mongolian steppes, the Sámi of the North, and the Vedic traditions of India – we find echoes of this sacred practice. The honoring of directions appears in temple architecture, dance, pilgrimage routes, and healing rituals. It serves as both a spiritual compass and a blueprint for balance, reminding us how to walk in harmony with the world.

Often spoken as four, sometimes five, and in many cases seven, these Directions are not mere compass points – they are living relationships. They represent the elemental forces of the universe, the rhythms of nature, and the sacred geometry of human consciousness woven into the cosmos itself.

In many Indigenous ceremonies, prayers begin by turning to the East, then South, West, and North – then to the Sky above, the Earth below, and finally to the Center, the place of the heart. These Seven Directions form a sacred mandala, a cosmological map that orients us not only in space, but in spirit.

They remind us of our place in the great web of life and of our interconnection with all that is seen and unseen.

For Laura and I, our own practice was inspired by Dr. Felicitas Goodman, who invoked the Directions as an essential step in ritual during her in-residence workshops. When Laura and I returned home, we found this practice so powerful that we incorporated the calling of the Directions into our own sunrise ritual each day as well. While each culture holds its own tradition, there is an unmistakable inner relationship that emerges when we stand and address the spirits of the Directions. A fluid, natural dialogue unfolds. For us, the most organic way of honoring this practice is through the Seven Directions. The concept of seven directions includes the four cardinal directions (East, South, West, North) plus the directions of Sky, Earth, and Center.

Each Direction carries its own qualities, symbols, colors, seasons, and spirits:

East – beginnings, illumination, the rising sun, springtime, insight.
South – growth, youth, passion, the fire of summer, emotional fullness.
West – endings, introspection, the setting sun, the cleansing waters of autumn.
North – wisdom, clarity, ancestors, the stillness of winter, the breath of air.
Above (Sky) – the stars, the Great Mystery, higher vision, limitless possibility.
Below (Earth) – grounding, embodiment, lineage, and the deep memory of life.
Center (Heart) – the meeting point of all things, the sacred center within.

As we reclaim our relationship with the Seven Directions, we open a dialogue – not only with the land, sky, and elements, but with our own inner landscape. We remember that we are not separate from the world, but participants in its unfolding. When the Directions become part of our daily rhythm, we rediscover the truth that has guided humanity for millennia: that the world is alive, that we are in conversation with it, and that we belong to a much larger story.