What is the Fifth Direction?!
Great question! In Western culture, we are used to the four cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. But other cultures have other paradigms… and in many, there is a fifth direction that often represents “here,” or the center.
And that gets at the heart of our approach to consulting.
We value stepping back to take a broader look at what’s going on, and identifying hidden assumptions that may obstruct your ability to see more creative solutions. In essence, we believe that the best way to know how to get “there” is to understand where “here” is first.
We also draw on the multiple perspectives of our diverse profession and personal backgrounds -- we believe this enhances the work we do. In this section, learn more about the people behind Five Directions Consulting.
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And in case you’re more interested in this idea of Five Directions, here are some interesting tidbits:
- Traditional Chinese culture and many others view the center as a
fifth principal direction. In Asia, each direction is often identified
with a color, and geographical or ethnic terms may contain the name of
the color instead of the name of the corresponding direction.
- In Mesoamerica and North America, traditional indigenous beliefs
focus on the belief in the four cardinal directions and a center. Each
direction was associated with a color, which varied, but each color
corresponded to the hues of corn (green, black, red, white, and yellow).
- Tibetan Buddhism includes the concept of the “Five Buddha
Families,” each family represented by a bodhisattva as well as a
direction. (Colors, animals, qualities, elements, and more are also
part of this sophisticated model.) Here, again, we find “center” as a
cardinal direction. Whole organizational systems have been created
based on the Five Buddha Family mandala.
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| Chinese Deity of the Five Directions |
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| Navajo Sand Painting |
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| Tibetan Mandala |
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