Across Native America from the Aztecs to the Navajo there is an emphasis on concepts like 4 cardinal directions, 3 part souls, and the importance of duality to achieve balance. Is there any explanation how separate religions came to value the same group of concepts?

by Chicano_Ducky

I see common ground across a lot of religions of the area, with the prominent being:

  • 4 cardinal directions, sometimes tied to physical landmarks.

  • The soul coming in 3 parts

  • The importance of balance and how gods have both a good and bad side that cannot be separated from each other.

  • a "web" of energy that cannot be untangled, meaning all things in the universe are tied together by a seamless whole.

The question is: How could separate religions from separate cultures all have over laps with each other? Was there ever an explanation for this? Was the massive trade network that existed in the region responsible?

Muskwatch

Could you be more specific? Out of the commonalities you mentioned the only one that rings fairly true is the last, the recognition of relationship with all of creation. As to the rest, the four directions seems to be more of an eastern or Prairie thing, my own nation has no teaching about three parts to souls or duality (in fact the duality thing I've never encountered in the traditions I've studied) and where I live the soul has 4 parts. Commonalities that I have seen are things like trickster characters and extensive use of stories instead of rules, and gratitude practices like leaving tobacco or saying a prayer after harvesting.