First, decide how large you want your Spirit Wheel to be.
It can be any size; from a small one only a couple of feet in diameter
(using stones) or a huge one 10-20 feet in diameter (using small boulders).
Or anything in between. 
Mine is about 5 feet across (a picture is at the bottom of the page)
and made with "found" rocks.

After you've decided on the size, clear a circle of land to bare earth. 
Make the circle about a foot wider in diameter than the Spirit Wheel will be.
Then, gather 15 stones, rocks or small boulders. 
They can be any size and color and they do not need to be the same.
(The picture above shows identical rocks just because it was easier.)
Place the Within (or center) rock first. 
If you used different sizes, this should be the largest rock.

Using a compass to find the directions, place four rocks for the four main directions: 
North, South, East and West.
Don't guess at the directions -- it is very important to place them correctly.
(If you don't have a compass, here is a survival method to use.)

Then place the Above and Below rocks; finally the rest of the rocks.

Each direction has an spirit animal or totem connected to it.
I used gemstone animal beads and placed them under the corresponding rock.
However, a picture will do just as well and here are pictures of all 15 animals
that you can print and cut out.
Place each animal under their corresponding rock,
saying very clearly the name of the animal, so that the rock can bring forth that totem.

Consecrating the Wheel

After you've placed all the rocks, you need to consecrate the Wheel.
You will need 4 incense sticks (sage , cinnamon or sandalwood, if possible).
Mix together dried sage (it can be cooking sage) and salt (sea salt, if possible).
If you live on land that once belonged to Native Americans,
add organic tobacco (you can get it in smoke shops)
and dried corn (blue corn, if possible) (you can get dried corn at feed stores).
Choose a quiet time --
nighttime might be good as long as you can see, but daytime is okay --
just as long as you won't be disturbed.
Place one of the lit incense sticks in front of the rocks at the four main directions (N,W,S,E).
Then walk the circle, sprinkling your mixture on the rocks.
Say this blessing as you walk (repeat as often as needed): 

"I bless this circle and honor the land and its ancestors.
I ask for protection for my land, my house, and all who live on it."

When you are done walking the circle, stand in the center of the Wheel
and sprinkle the remainder on the three center rocks.
Then bow to the North, bow to the West, bow to the South and finally bow to the East.
Imagine a bubble of white light covering the entire Wheel
and then send that light out so that it covers all of your land.
You don't have to actually see the light -- imagining it is enough.

If you want even more protection, walk the entire perimeter of your land
sprinkling the same mixture and saying the blessing.

Honoring the Wheel

Make sure your Wheel remains sacred.  Don't walk through it, always go around it.
Don't let pets dig it in or use it as a bathroom. 
If this happens, you need to start over -- with new rocks and probably a new space.
Birds and wild animals walking through is fine -- and actually welcome,
especially if they are one of the 15 totems.

Re-consecrate it on each of the Equinoxes:
Ostara or the Spring Equinox (March 20, 2007)
Summer Solstice (June 21, 2007)
Mabon or the Fall Equinox (September 23, 2007)
Winter Solstice (around December 22, 2007)

My Own Wheel

Remember, you don't have to spend a lot of money. 
Here's a picture of my own Spirit Wheel,
made from rocks that were found on my land and in neighboring fields. 
As you can see, many different types and sizes of rocks were used. 
Also, I live in the desert so everything around it is pretty barren,
but it used to be Navajo land which makes it very special to me.

Finding compass points without a compass

Find a fairly straight stick or branch 1 foot long, and a level spot free of brush on which the stick will cast a definite shadow. This method is simple and accurate and consists of four steps:

• Place the stick or branch into the ground at a level spot where it will cast a distinctive shadow. Mark the shadow's tip with a stone, twig, or other means. This first shadow mark is always west—everywhere on earth.

• Wait 10 to 15 minutes until the shadow tip moves a few inches. Mark the shadow tip's new position in the same way as the first.

• Draw a straight line through the two marks to obtain an approximate east-west line.

• Stand with the first mark (west) to your left and the second mark to your right—you are now facing north. This fact is true everywhere on earth.

Music:  "Song of the River" by Dan Gibson on the "Native Spirit" album