Ceremony for Personal Transformation: The Medicine Wheel A participatory workshop led by Sylvia Rios
Join elder and wisdom keeper Sylvia Rios for an immersive 90-minute ceremony exploring one of the most enduring symbols in Indigenous tradition: the Medicine Wheel. A circle with no beginning and no end, the Medicine Wheel is a sacred map — of the seasons, the elements, the spirit animals, and the cycles of our own lives.
Participants will gather in a circle as Sylvia teaches the community to co-create a living Medicine Wheel Earth Altar using medicinal plants, stones, and earth elements, oriented to the four cardinal directions and their associated colors, seasons, and spirit animals: the Hummingbird, Eagle/Condor, Great Serpent, and Mother Jaguar. Through platicas (guided talk), journaling prompts, and a closing meditation, participants are invited to examine where they stand in their own life’s cycle — in growth, creativity, relationships, and spirit — and to ask: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?
This is a ceremony for anyone seeking grounding, reflection, and connection — to themselves, to each other, and to the Earth.
Tickets: HERE
$20 General | $15 Students & I-House Members
Not recommended for children under 10
Please bring: A yoga mat or cushion for sitting in circle
About Sylvia Rios:
Sylvia Rios is an elder, medicine woman, and wisdom keeper descended from detribalized relatives of the Southwestern, Toltec, Mayan, and Aztec traditions. Born into a lineage of storytellers, medicine men and women, and land stewards, Sylvia was raised walking the fields and campesinos of a small farming region, offering song, prayer, plant medicines, and hope to her community.
For over 45 years, Sylvia has served as a trusted mentor and teacher through programs such as Courageous Dreaming and The Wheels of Light, sharing the energy healing practices of her ancestors. She is the founder of Wellspring Rhythms, a wellness retreat offering healing in the modalities of the four elements — air, water, land, and fire — and the operator of Urban Chicas Farm (@urbanchicasfarm), a micro-farm and safe sanctuary for enrolled and detribalized relatives, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ community members.
For 12 years, she operated a private preschool for underserved children, and for 5 years co-founded Mezcla Mercado, a pop-up market platform uplifting Indigenous and African Diaspora artisans.
Sylvia holds a 40-year professional career spanning Emergency Preparedness, Natural Resources & Conservation, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Project Management — always in parallel with her lifelong commitment to land-based knowledge, traditional ceremony, and community care. She carries her ancestors’ teachings with one guiding conviction: “For what good are the lessons if they go unused or not tried?”
