We have seen how we can draw a circle and use it to represent a set of observable events, like the cycle of the seasons. This allows us to use it as a calendar of a sort. The wheel can also function as a map. For example, we can place north on the top of the circle, like a compass. East falls to the right, south below, and west on the left. This example can be expanded to become a simple observational map of the entire visible universe simply by expanding the circle or wheel into a three-dimensional sphere. With yourself in the center, above you are all the things you see in the sky. Below you is what’s under you, and the directions are all around you.
By combining the directions of the land with the seasons of the year on our wheel, we expand the wheel another way. For example, in northern Europe, the north was cold and the south was hot. So, we put winter in the north and summer in the south. This follows the dark/light arrangement as well. Following the natural cycle of the seasons, spring goes into the east and autumn goes in the west.
We could continue to add more and more to this wheel. Your wheel can contain many different events. If you were to make a true observational calendar, you might include events like:
- The first robin you see
- The first baseball game you see
- When you see leaves return to a tree in your yard
- When you first see those leaves turn color
- The first snowfall of the season you see
If you live in a place where tourism is very important, you might list the first tourist you spot arriving, and the last tourist to leave. This would mark the tourist season.
You don’t need to limit yourself to a perceived year, the wheel works well as a map of any period of time. The hours of the day on our clocks are a variation on this idea.
Create your own calendar wheel
Raven is my brother.
Crow is my sister.
The fast waters by
my house wash me
To summer I give my energy.
To fall I give my preparations.
To winter I give my rest.
To spring I give my rebirth.
The turning year’s wheel
teaches me the eternal cycles of life.
And I am thankful
for this year and that.
—Clare Walker Leslie
Poetry, song, dance, and stories are also ways of connecting with the cycles of the seasons—both ancient and modern.