This mentoring model is based on the patterns that can be observed in nature. It models these cycles in a way that allows the observer to categorize these patterns and apply them in a variety of settings. This mentoring approach is very effective at mapping the flow of learning. This model is also used for organizing effective team interactions and cultural processes within community, educational, business, and many other settings.

Basic cycles including the phases of the day and the seasons are easy to observe. They have much to teach us, and the lessons can be applied across many disciplines to increase our understanding of learning, mentoring, culture and their effective application.
The effects of the sun, for instance, can be seen to reach across this earth to influence the behavior of every living thing and all the forces of nature on the planet. When the sun rises, the birds sing. The sunrise also has a certain feeling or archetype within it. The sunrise feels different than midday, and different than sunset.
If we were to capture the energy of the rising sun and that time of the morning, we might put it in a bottle and label it "inspiration". In fact, we asked thousands of high school students to put a name on the feeling they get at that time of day, and that is exactly what they came up with.
The sun rises in the east. This inspirational principle of the rising sun becomes the archetypal energy of the East, which forms the base of what we call the East Shield.
The word shield is often used to describe a coat of arms, a symbolic depiction that represents a lineage with its own oral history filled with deep meaning.
There are eight shields in this model, each corresponding to a time of day and the phases of many other natural processes. Each shield has its own unique energetic archetype, associated natural phenomena, and even its own relationship to the process of learning and mentoring. Each shield becomes a peg on which to hang layers of patterns in an orderly, natural way.
With the 8 Shields Cultural Mentoring Model it becomes possible to map the phases and relationships occuring in nature, both on a grand scale and also within the nuances of human learning and culture. Within the context of mentoring nature connection, the 8 Shields Group has effectively used this model to map the journey of nature connection and create a toolkit of methods to enhance this journey both on an individual and community level.