Different cultures have assigned different meanings of cardinal directions. Here are a few brief samples of directional energies and what they represent to various cultures:. In Chinese Feng Shui, each direction correlates to the Chinese zodiac animals :. In ancient Celtic symbolism and tradition, the cardinal directions were acknowledged in several ceremonies and festivals. Handfasting ceremonies and other earth-based belief systems pagan still honor the directions today.
Here is a brief outline of these directional representations:. Native Americans have their own meanings of cardinal directions. The Lakota, for example hold to the following guideline:. The astrological zodiac provides yet another aspect of the four directions and their symbolism:. In conclusion, I would encourage you to meditate upon your purpose with the placement of your special gift.
Ultimately only you can decide what is meaningful in directional symbolism. Trust in your ability to soul-navigate effectively and you will know where to put your mandala in order to achieve the results you are wanting. May 7, July 15, February 23, August 18, April 21, May 21, Happy Winter Solstice! This is all fairly new to me, but I am fascinated with the cardinal directions and their meanings.
Someone told me recently that East used to face upward instead of North. Is that true? I got this website from my friend who told me about this site and now this time I am visiting this site and reading very informative articles or reviews at this time. Google, or was it the East Wind, brought me here when I was looking for the meaning of an fresh breeze I felt after praying for guidance.
And it is so important that you are mindful of your thoughts. Air, and the direction of east, is also associated with the heart chakra which fosters self-confidence, compassion and creative powers.
Chakras impact your emotional and psychological condition. A balanced heart chakra enables you to transcend material desires and release the limitations of ego. Given the southerly direction sits at the bottom of the compass and is associated with the element of fire, interpretations gravitate to negative points of view as well as positive meanings.
In truth, all four directions have a positive and a negative meaning. Negative interpretations in relation to the south can certainly be found in Christian interpretations of the Bible. Egypt — the enemy of the Israelites — is south of the promised land of enlightenment.
Abraham is also said to have travelled south into the barren wilderness of Negev Genesis In the New Testament, the relationship with the southerly direction is given a positive meaning:.
The Queen of the South here is referring to the solar plexus chakra which is just below the heart chakra. King Solomon, known for his wisdom, is associated with the heart chakra. The Seal of Solomon, composed of two interlocking triangles, represents the merging and balancing of male and female, positive and negative energies. Remember the heart chakra is associated with the element of air, and air is required to stoke a fire.
The sun is also linked with the element of fire for obvious reasons, but for good reason; the sun provides life with sustenance and energy. Fire is also associated with strength, activity and the life-force that provides us with the courage and motivation we sometimes need to head into new experiences with confidence.
We have an innate fear of the unknown because we lack faith in ourselves. But fire also has the power to consume impurities and purify energies. It is a transformative power and produces light. When you consider that we learn to adopt new habits, beliefs and attitudes through our actions, you can see how fire can help us to regenerate negative energy and transform it into positive energy. The solar plexus chakra is the command centre and source of imagination.
You can use this chakra during meditation to burn away past experiences and attitudes you do not want. So remember this for later: the south relates to transformation. The west is a curious direction. During the research for this article, I noticed that other commentators on this subject sometimes provide the same meanings for west and east — most notably new beginnings. There is a reasonable explanation for this once you understand the deeper meanings of symbols.
The west corresponds with the season of autumn which is associated with letting go. This is the time of year trees and plants shed their leaves, and nature essentially dies. When you let go of old values, beliefs and attitudes, energy transforms and you adopt new values, beliefs and attitudes.
Ancient sages observed these patterns of nature and use them in symbolic terms to reflect the cycle of conscious awareness. In order for us to improve our quality of life, we have to evolve by gaining knowledge and wisdom. In order to do this we must first shed old values to make way for new views of the world.
Therefore, we see the confusion between the east and west. The symbolism basically explains the process of death and rebirth. But essentially, the rebirth occurs in the east, but dies in the west. Another concept I will reveal that shows the clockwise sequence does not work.
In Shamanic traditions, the west is associated with Spirit Keeper of Death. In terms of self-development, Death is often a positive symbol. With this knowledge, we behave differently and physically create new beginnings which is the symbol of the east.
The west is also considered a place of darkness which comes with the setting of the sun. Other traditions relate the west to a time when you have to look within and observe what is happening in your life.
Doing this type of self-analysis enables you to observe the energies you are projecting. It is direct communication with the subconscious mind — a major clue to the esoteric interpretation of the four cardinal points. The west is also associated with the element of water and the sacral chakra, both of which are related to emotions.
The ancients considered the sacral chakra to be the seat of emotions. This is why it is linked with the element of water — because all life comes from water. But water, by its very nature, is also destructive, thus associated with death and rebirth. But water is also a symbolic mechanism for the unconscious.
And when you know this, the cycles of existence portrayed by the four directions makes much more sense.
But m ore about that later. Just remember, the west relates to the subconscious mind which produces life from its waters. At first glance, analysing the symbolic meanings of the north from exoteric interpretations, there appears to be some discrepancy. The Freemasons associate north with darkness, which in turn is symbolic for ignorance. Ancient shamanic tribes, however, recognise the north is illumination. Yet, some commentators writing about the symbolism of the four directions say that east represents illumination.
Or is it the south when the sun is at its highest point in the sky..? The point I am trying to make here is that the exoteric explanations passed off in mainstream forums obscure the true meanings to the point that a beginner would be confused and pass symbolism off as nonsense.
And they could not be further from the truth. Esoteric symbolism can be used as a useful tool for self-realisation. There is no doubt that the direction of the north represents darkness, emptiness, or nothingness and eternity. This is where we get our first clue of what the four directions really mean and in which direction to follow the compass. Darkness is symbolic for that which you cannot see. In relation to consciousness, what you cannot see are the aspects of your true nature that is in your unconscious.
The unconscious is typically described as emptiness, nothingness, the void or the Abyss. Bible scholars also relate the northern direction with permanence. Like the Egyptians, Christians associate the north with the Pole Star which is always visible in the night sky. It is the dwelling place of God from where he descends in all his glory:.
The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. Therefore, people revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? But this is the dual nature of the gods and thus energy.
The law of duality dictates that energy manifests as various degrees of good luck or bad luck. How you manifest energy is determined by your thoughts emotions and actions. And it is in the symbolic north where energy begins and ends its cyclical journey. The northerly direction is also associated with the element of Earth which shares similar symbolic motifs.
One of the fundamental aspects of the earth element is the potential for transformation. We plant seeds into the ground and nurture them to fruition just as we have to do with our plans and desires.
The north is therefore where the initial idea is generated and the rest of the cycle is how we nurture the desire to fruition. In essence, a new aspect of reality which is what the Earth motif represents. Although nothing is certain, the earth element, and its correspondence with the root chakra, gives us grounding and stability. Mother Earth provides us with the foundations and sustenance to grow. If we ask for it, she will also provide us with the nourishment we need to succeed.
Towards the top of this article, I mentioned the sequence in which mainstream commentators follow the symbolism in relation to the wheel of the four directions flows in a clockwise direction. Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim traditions also circumambulate in rituals. In Sanskrit this practice is known as Pradakshina and was devised because it is said to reflect the natural direction of motion in the northern hemisphere. Furthermore, following the directions in a clockwise direction is said to reveal the cycle of life from childhood to adulthood and the times of the day, albeit, the overarching meaning of growing old is the acquisition of wisdom.
Nor does it make any sense to create symbolic mechanisms to reflect these aspects of life. Furthermore, the explanations provided by established authorities have discrepancies that do not piece together. For example, if the east is the dawn of new beginnings, ie ideas, projects and new phases of life , and the south is where we grow these ideas and projects, following this line of enquiry suggests that everything is destined to fall in the west and disappear into the northern darkness where it stays eternal.
They say the west is a time for learning, but call east the great teacher — and the point of awakening. The point of awakening is the awakening of knowledge in the conscious mind and not the act of waking in the morning. The process of death and rebirth is distinctly evident in the symbolism of the four directions. However, I believe taking an anti-clockwise route explains the process better than taking a clockwise route — based on the principles of how the mind works.
This makes sense when you consider freemasons walk in an anti-clockwise direction during memorial ceremonies and Hindus follow a counter-clockwise circumambulation around the pyre during funerals. It also explains why American tribes dedicated the West to the Keeper of Death. In the process of self-development , it is important to study how the subconscious mind works so we can identify weaknesses, attitudes and traits of character that no longer serve us.
The four directions help to explain how we do that. Not only that, but whilst we sleep, the subconscious mind is hard at work. Brain imaging technology shows the brain is active whilst we sleep thus the subconscious mind is still sending signals to the brain. What is important to remember is that the subconscious mind behaves to the patterns of your conscious thoughts. Whatever you think habitually during the day sinks into the subconscious and sends it instructions.
It is thought that the conscious mind responds to these instructions. Furthermore, the subconscious mind is the creative mind and promotes experiences in relation to how we habitually think.
Past experiences are stored within the neural programming. Thoughts also evoke emotions which compel us to take action. It waits for you to give it development and expression. If you begin now to recognise the potentialities of your deeper mind, they will take form in the world. Conscious thoughts, therefore, arise in the east and take a clockwise direction until they return back to the subconscious mind in the north. These four directions also bear the elemental values of earth, fire, water and air respectively.
Various mystical traditions use the four Cardinal directions as an element of spells, rituals, crafting amulets and in divination. As with previously discussed cultures, the magical practitioner typically uses the traditional correspondences as follows:.
North: the Earth element , season of winter, time of midnight, the new moon. East: the Air element , season of spring, sunrise and the waxing moon. South: the Fire element , season of summer, noon and the full moon. West: the Water element , the season of fall, dusk and the waning moon. Well, each correspondence for the directions has specific characteristics. Using West as an illustration, water ties to our emotional nature, so you might want to face the west when casting a spell that focuses on matters of the heart.
If you have recently fallen out of a relationship the symbolism is even more pertinent with the sun setting and a waning moon. Now, because Neo-Paganism and many other esoteric belief systems have high levels of personalization, this correspondence list is not carved in stone. This reflects an intimate connection with nature and understanding that the Divine is truly in all things, no matter where you think water should be placed!
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