February in the Medicine Wheel: The Moon of Strong Winds (February 19 - March 20)

The Moon of Strong Winds, from February 19 to March 20, marks the final passage under the protection of Waboose, Guardian of the North. It is a time of intense transformation when winds blow from all directions, inviting us to let go and prepare for spring renewal. Discover the sacred medicine of wind and some pathways to honor this mysterious period in the Medicine Wheel.

Message Carried by Wind

Recently, I have faced events that required me to put the Medicine Wheel into practice, particularly the direction of the North with grounding. This is how February in the Medicine Wheel teaches me the strength and stability we receive from our anchoring in Mother Earth.

This morning, as I opened my door, the February wind crossed through me in one breath. A lively gust, almost tender, that made me step back, as if someone touched my shoulder to get my attention.

In that suspended moment, two presences intertwined within me.

First, the evidence: we are entering the Moon of Strong Winds, this time when air cleanses, moves, and unveils. Then, carried by the same gust, another presence, more ancient and more intimate, rose in my heart: that of my maestra from Peru.

I see her gaze again, I hear her deep laughter, I still feel her breath when she blew the sacred perfume on me. She had me diet a plant whose name means “medicine of wind.” During those days of silence and fasting, I learned not only to feel the wind, but to listen to it, to let its breath pass through what needs to be crossed.

This morning, the coolness on my face was not a simple air current. It was a caress from elsewhere, a subtle reminder that my maestra, although she has joined the world of spirits, continues to walk near me in another form.

Because those who leave us do not disappear. They transform. They become wind in the trees, shivers on the skin, sudden movements of light. In Hopi tradition, clouds are our ancestors. They travel in the sky, watch over us, bring us the rain that nourishes the earth. My maestra is there, in this wind, perhaps also in these passing clouds.

For we are under the protection of Waboose, Guardian of the North, direction of ancestral wisdom. The caress of the wind, this familiar breath coming from the North, seemed to tell me: “I am here. Even when everything wavers, I am by your side.” It was the very voice of ancestral wisdom speaking to me through my maestra.

Because this Moon of Strong Winds is also one of upheavals. The one where wind blows from all directions, where we are shaken, jostled, destabilized. It is precisely in these moments that grounding becomes vital. Like plantain that resists storms thanks to its deep roots, we must find our anchor when everything swirls around us.

My maestra knew this. She who mastered the medicine of wind so deeply came to remind me this morning: wind is not our enemy. It is a carrier of messages, support, presence.

In the traditions I have had the honor of encountering, when wind rises during a ceremony, it is an answer. The spirits are there. They listen. They respond. They speak.

This morning, my maestra came to speak to me. Through the wind of this Moon of Strong Winds, reminding me that teachings and love survive death. That we remain connected, always, by this invisible thread that wind weaves between worlds.

February in the Medicine Wheel: The Medicine of Wind

Even before naming this moon, it is right to honor the medicine of wind. Because February in the Medicine Wheel teaches us that winds do not only sweep the earth, they cross through our bodies, our memories, and our attachments. They are winds of passage, winds of transformation.

Wind cleanses without harshness. It carries away what is heavy, worn, stagnant. It dissolves what holds us back, unties what constrains us, opens what has closed. This is why so many peoples turn to it in prayer. Wind is a carrier. It transports our sacred words, our intentions, our songs to the spirits and the four directions. Wind holds on to nothing and, by its mere presence, teaches us the art of detachment.

Wind murmurs a simple truth: everything circulates. Life is not a straight line, but a breath that comes and goes. When we fight against wind, we exhaust ourselves. When we accept to move with it, we find our fluidity again.

In the Medicine Wheel, wind comes from the four horizons. The wind of the East carries birth and clarity. The wind of the South brings warmth and healing of the heart. The wind of the West takes us toward deep transformation. The wind of the North offers us the wisdom of ancestors. Under the Moon of Strong Winds, these breaths meet and swirl. We are invited to remain centered while the world moves around us.

For many Native American peoples, wind is the sacred breath that animates all things. To breathe consciously is to enter this great cosmic rhythm: to breathe in what arrives, to breathe out what leaves. With each breath, wind crosses through us and connects us to the living.

The Dance of Four Winds 

The Moon of Strong Winds in the Medicine Wheel

From February 19 to March 20, 2026, we enter the third and final moon of Waboose, the Guardian of the Spirit of the North. It is a pivotal moment where everything tips. Winter still hesitates, but already spring whispers under the snow.

It is also called the Moon of Mystery, because it is unstable, elusive, unpredictable. Winds blow from all directions. We are at the center of this wild dance. The teaching of this moon is simple, but not easy: to remain spiritually centered despite material turbulence. It is the moment to sort between what we carry toward spring and what we leave definitively behind.

This moon is linked to the Frog Clan, bearer of the Water element. Like the frog that emerges from mud at the first thaw, we are called to come out of our inner hibernation and accept that life is movement, flow, permanent transformation.

The Totems of February in the Medicine Wheel

In the Medicine Wheel, each moon is accompanied by totems that guide us. For February and the Moon of Strong Winds, four allies walk by our side.

The Cougar, silent power, teaches us inner power and the art of patient observation. Turquoise, stone of the sky, protects us while bridging between worlds. Plantain, humble healer with deep roots, reminds us of the importance of grounding before taking flight. And the Turquoise color, this blue-green that marries sky and earth, invites us to balance between the spiritual and material.

In my Medicine Wheel teachings, we explore these totems in depth, with the essential questions they pose and the specific ceremonies to honor their medicine. But already, their simple presence can accompany you during these weeks of transformation.

Rituals and Practices for February in the Medicine Wheel

For those who wish to work with the energies of this moon, here are some simple practices you can integrate right now.

Praying with the Wind

This is perhaps the simplest and most powerful practice for this moon. Go outside on a windy day. Do not protect yourself. On the contrary, open yourself. Stand facing the wind, arms open.

Feel the wind on your face, in your hair, against your body. Listen to what it has to tell you. Then speak to it. Confide in it what you must let go. Visualize these attachments, these fears, these old stories that weigh you down flying away with the gusts.

Working with Plantain

If you have access to fresh or dried plantain, this is the perfect moment to connect with this medicine plant. A plantain tea can accompany your inner purification. If you have plantain-infused oil, massage your feet while visualizing roots descending deeply into the earth. This strengthens your grounding during this period of intense winds.

Ritual of Three Elements: From Wind to Earth

This Moon of Strong Winds guides us in a journey of purification and grounding. Wind cleanses our mind. Water soothes our emotions. Earth anchors us solidly. Here is how to honor this path.

What you need: - A bowl of water - An outdoor location where wind blows - Your bare feet on the earth (if possible)

The ritual:

Stand with bare feet on the earth, the bowl of water in front of you.

1. Wind Cleanses the Spirit: Facing the wind, arms open, confide to it your agitated thoughts, your ruminations, your worries. Let the wind carry them away. Feel your mind calming.

2. Water Welcomes Emotions: Place your hands in the water. Breathe. Make peace with what you feel. Anger, sadness, joy, fear. Water welcomes everything without judgment. Let your emotions flow, calm down.

3. Earth Grounds You: Feel your feet on the earth. Visualize roots descending deeply from the soles of your feet. Mind calmed by wind. Emotions welcomed by water. You are now ready to ground yourself in the earth of the North.

Stay like this for a few moments. Stable. Anchored. Purified.

Offer a simple prayer of gratitude to the three elements that have guided you toward this grounding.

From Wind to Earth

Dancing with the Winds

This morning, when the wind greeted me, I understood that this Moon of Strong Winds had not come to disturb me. It had come to teach me.

Transformation is not always gentle. Sometimes, winds must shake us so we finally release what hinders our growth. Sometimes, everything must swirl around us so we find our still center.

Let us accept these gusts of February-March as allies, not as obstacles. February in the Medicine Wheel reminds us to let the winds carry away what no longer belongs. Let us trust their ancient wisdom.

May this period bring you the courage of the cougar, the grounding of plantain, the protection of turquoise, and the wisdom to dance with the wind rather than resist it.

May the winds carry you toward your highest expression.

To Go Further

If this article has touched you and you feel the call of this Moon of Strong Winds, I invite you to explore several paths to deepen this journey with the Medicine Wheel.

You can discover my teachings on Sun Bear’s Medicine Wheel, a learning cycle that accompanies you through seasons and moons, to live in harmony with Earth’s rhythms and honor each sacred passage.

I also invite you to join my workshops at Yoga With You studio in Bouscat, where we explore together the wisdom of natural cycles, reconnection to the sacred feminine, and the power of healing ceremonies in a gentle and benevolent space.

For those who feel the need for deeper purification during this period of intense winds, you can book a drum healing session, an ancestral practice that helps release stagnant energies, find your inner clarity, and recenter yourself despite turbulence.

And if you wish to journey in community, I warmly invite you to join our circle. We move forward together, respecting each person’s rhythm, with gentleness, listening, and presence.

Do not hesitate to explore other teachings of the Hopi Way: the 20 Sacred Signs, the Women’s Way, the Thirteen Moons, or the Vibratory Centers. Each of these paths offers keys to reconnect with your essence, walk in balance on this Earth, and honor the ancestral wisdom that lives within you.

May this Moon of Strong Winds guide you toward deep liberation and powerful grounding.

“What you let fly away with the wind makes space for what wants to be born in spring.”