[OSList] Visual Icons for the 4 Principles & 1 Law

[Catherine Pfaehler]

Dear Harold

 

To my humble experience with the medicine wheel, this feels exactly right,
it's a grand idea.

 

I hope Chris Corrigan feels called to answer, he works with the Native
Americans a lot. 

 

The order of the principles is not so important to me. And the wheel doesn't
have to be explained following it in the circle either. You can go from one
principle to the other (in Harrison's order), jumping around in the wheel
(in your order). One can find a direction per principle from different
perspectives, thus placing the same principle in different possible
directions without this being a mistake (this is only my opinion, perhaps
there are more others who have a clear picture of which principle must go to
which direction of the medicine wheel - up to you which idea you want to
follow). Different tribes of Native Americans also have different
explanations of the medicine wheel and of the colours they use for a
direction. 

 

As to possible symbols - perhaps the Native Americans or other native people
have found some already which they would like to share? What comes to my
mind (following your order of the principles) is

-          North: draw some people, all going into the same direction?

-          East: a sunrise for action starting?

-          South: draw a smiley, and perhaps also a smiley who is crying?
Depict some emotions, perhaps also a smiley who is afraid. Or a bolt of
lightning?

-          West: a moon and stars for quietness settling in, uniting
reflection with ending?

 

What about "Be prepared to be surprised" - my favourite, as it is so
wonderfully paradoxical - could this be written in letters, on the back? Or
could you use a question mark and an explanation mark next to each other?

 

Make sure you print enough (organic?) T-shirts and offer us an
internationally fit mail order possibility which includes Europe, I'd love
to have one!

 

Heartfully, Catherine

 

Catherine Pfaehler

lic.oec.HSG

Open Space Begleitung

Burckhardtstrasse 2

CH - 3008 Bern

Telefon +41-(0)31 - 536 05 31

Mobile  +41-(0)76 - 488 15 46

c.pfaehler at open-space-begleitung.ch

www.open-space-begleitung.ch <http://www.open-space-begleitung.ch/> 

 

  _____  

Von: Harold Shinsato [mailto:harold at shinsato.com] 
Gesendet: Sonntag, 17. April 2011 18:43
An: oslist at openspacetech.org
Betreff: [OSList] Visual Icons for the 4 Principles & 1 Law

 

The conspirators for the Open Space Technology facilitated Missoula BarCamp
put the 4 principles on the event t-shirt last year, and since this year
we're holding it in a beautiful new building, the Native American Center on
the Missoula campus of the University of Montana, the t-shirt idea the
passionate/responsible person is pursuing is to use an aboriginal style
iconography for the 4 principles and one law. (Maybe think cave drawings.)

I know the visual icon for the one law is two feet. That's easy enough and
perhaps that could be in the center of this t-shirt design. But what of the
4 principles? Any ideas?

Whoever comes is the right people
Whenever it starts is the right time
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
When it's over it's over

This might be a stretch - but what do people think about correspondences to
the 4 directions of the Native American medicine wheel?  The directions of
sunrise and sunset clearly seem to correspond to start time and end time. I
wonder if whoever comes could be north and whatever happens could be south?

A quick google search turned up this image which summarizes the aspects of
the medicine wheel (direction, element, color, principles):

 <http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/chikiken/pic63.gif>
http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/chikiken/pic63.gif

North -> Air, Animals, White, Receives Energy, Mental Aspect, Wisdom and
Logic (Whoever Comes?)
East -> Fire, Sun, Yellow, Determines Energy, Spiritual Aspect, Illumination
and Enlightening (Whenever it starts?)
South -> Water, Plants, Red, Gives Energy, Emotional Aspect, Trust and
Innocence (Whatever Happens?)
West -> Earth, Black, Holds Energy, Physical Aspect, Introspection and
Insight (When its over?)

Even the ordering seems to fit!

Very curious as to folks thoughts - especially as to how the convey the
principles through simple icons.

-- 
Harold Shinsato
 <mailto:harold at shinsato.com> harold at shinsato.com
 <http://shinsato.com> http://shinsato.com
twitter:  <http://twitter.com/hajush> @hajush

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