The Four Shields Framework

The Four Shields is a nature-based framework, shaped as a circle or wheel, emblematic of the directions, rhythms, cycles and seasons generating and influencing all living systems. The model integrates the four cardinal directions, the four seasons, and four broad stages of human development, experiencing and expressing them as interrelated and continuously influencing one another.

The framework is used to support reflective and embodied inquiry and ceremony across life stage thresholds. It offers structure for understanding soul-centric, psychological, somatic, relational, transpersonal and ecological dimensions of human experience.

Brief History

The Four Shields entered contemporary Western culture through the work of Steven Foster and Meredith Little (founders of The School of Lost Borders) in the late twentieth century. Steven and Meredith developed their work in relationship with a number of Indigenous elders and Earth-based wisdom teachers, including Sun Bear (Chippewa), Hyemeyohsts Storm (Cheyenne), and Grandpa Raymond Stone (Paiute). Through these relationships, as well as sustaining connections with the land and people where they lived - in Payahuunadü, Steven and Meredith developed approaches to ceremony and initiation adapted for rites of passage within a modern Western context.

More than forty years on, The School of Lost Borders continues to evolve with a diverse body of trained guides and a wide international community of youth and adult participants.

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