January in Sun Bear's Medicine Wheel: the Moon of Purification

The Purification Moon from January 20 to February 19, in Sun Bear's Medicine Wheel, offers us a sacred time of rest and inner cleansing. Discover the totems of this moon (Otter, Silver, Aspen), their medicine and a simple ritual to purify yourself on all levels of being.

Beneath Grandfather Oak, a prayer rises

January in Sun Bear's Medicine Wheel: time of purification

In Sun Bear's Medicine Wheel, January 20 opens the Moon of Rest and Purification. A suspended time that invites us to slow down, to return to the essential, to listen to what whispers softly beneath the surface of things. Feeling the call of this moon, I felt the need to connect with it fully, consciously, in order to welcome the subtle energy of winter and recognize this deep desire to purify myself to better welcome the coming spring.

When we walk the cycles of life, we realize that nothing appears by chance. Each step prepares the next. What we live today already shapes what will take form tomorrow. This is undoubtedly one of the great teachings I receive through Hopi wisdom: honoring the cycles of the seasons to walk in harmony with ourselves and others.

Like farmers who, in intimate relationship with the earth, naturally align themselves with its rhythm—that of the seasons, moons and fertile silences—we have, over time, lost this essential connection. Yet it remains there, patient, ready to be found again as soon as we choose to listen once more.

On this late afternoon of January 20, as the light was beginning to gently fade, I settled under my Grandfather Oak. He has guided and accompanied me always. His presence is a landmark, a living memory. Under his branches, time seems to expand, and it becomes easier to remember.

I prepared the altar of my Sacred Pipe with slowness and respect. In relationship, in that silent listening that true rest teaches us.

When I began the ritual, the air was crisp and clear. My gestures became slower, more conscious, inhabited by the intention to purify myself, to free myself. In the smoke that rose, carrying my prayers, I placed what asked to be purified on all levels of being: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I entrusted to it old beliefs, a relationship with sugar that had become unbalanced, and those subtle fears that sometimes still slow the soul's momentum.

This Moon of Rest and Purification does not invite us to do more, but to dare to make space. To lay down what no longer needs to be carried. To let go, gently, so that renewal can, in its time, emerge from a clearer, vaster, more alive inner space.

What is the Purification Moon?

In the Medicine Wheel taught by Sun Bear, each moon of the year carries a particular medicine. Late January embodies the Purification Moon (or Rest Moon according to the teachings), this delicate period between the winter solstice and the awakening of spring.

It is a time when, after observing ourselves, we can purify ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally to prepare for the more active times ahead. Nature is still asleep under the snow, the sap sleeps in the trees, and we too are invited to this inner cleansing before the rise of spring energy.

January: the time of inner rest according to Sun Bear

January carries within it a paradoxical energy. While the outer world already pushes us toward action, resolutions, new beginnings, the Medicine Wheel reminds us: slow down still. Observe what remains. Clean before rebuilding.

It is time to sort things out—not with violence or haste, but with gentleness and awareness. As we clean our house after the holidays, we clean our inner space. We release what has been, to make room for what wants to be born.

The medicine of this moon teaches us that purification is not a punishment, but a liberation. It is an opportunity to lay down unnecessary burdens, to forgive, to let go of what no longer nourishes us.

Otter, guardian of flowing joy

The Totems of the Purification Moon

In Sun Bear's Medicine Wheel, each moon is associated with allies from the natural world who guide us:

The animal, the Otter: Embodiment of feminine energy and pure joy, the Otter reminds us that purification need not be austere. She plays in the water, lets herself be carried by the current, cleans her fur with grace. So sacred to Indigenous peoples that Ojibwe teachers carried medicine bags made of otter skin. She teaches us that our dreams can come true when we purify ourselves in lightness.

The mineral, Silver: Precious, malleable and brilliant metal, silver symbolizes the abundance born of purification. When we make space within ourselves, wealth can flow. It invites us to recognize our own value, to polish our inner being until it reflects the light.

The plant, the Aspen: The white poplar whose leaves sing like little bells in the wind. Traditionally used during spring fasts to eliminate winter toxins, the Aspen is the great purifier. Its bark, its buds, everything in it supports the body in its cleansing. It whispers to us that purifying can be as gentle as a breeze.

The element, Air: The breath that renews, that ventilates, that carries away what stagnates. Air reminds us that purification begins with conscious breathing. Breathing in the new, breathing out the old. Again and again, until the inner space is clear.

The color, Silver: Lunar color par excellence, silver carries within it the magic of Grandmother Moon. It is said that a silver thread connects the soul to the body. This hue reconnects us to our intuition, to our emotional sensitivity, to our ability to perceive beyond the visible. Like the silvery snow that covers the earth with a virgin mantle, this color invites us to rediscover our original purity.

Simple purification ritual for January

Here is a ritual you can practice during this Purification Moon

Preparation:

• Find a quiet moment, alone, preferably in the morning or at twilight

• Find your sacred space

• Pass Sage or Palo Santo

• Light a white candle

• Have something to write with near you

The ritual:

1.     Center yourself: Breathe deeply. Place your hands on your heart. Acknowledge the path traveled since the solstice.

2.     Identify what must leave: On a sheet of paper, write at least one thing to purify in each of the 4 aspects of your being:

Physical: a dietary habit, lack of sleep, neglect of the body

Mental: a limiting belief, a toxic thought pattern, ruminations

Emotional: a fear, undigested anger, an attachment that weighs

Spiritual: a disconnection, a doubt, a practice that no longer nourishes you

3.     Release: Read aloud what you have written. Then burn the paper safely (in a bowl, a cauldron, a fireplace), or bury it in the earth. Let the elements transmute these energies.

4.     Give thanks: End by thanking your allies, Grandmother Moon, the Medicine Wheel, and your own courage to purify yourself.

January, in Sun Bear's Medicine Wheel, is not the month of frantic action. It is the month of sacred cleansing, of inner preparation, of the conscious passage between what was and what will be.

As I watch the smoke from my pipe rise to the sky, I know that everything I have placed has been heard. I am lighter. Clearer. Ready to welcome the renewal that is on the horizon.

And you, what are you ready to purify in this January moon?

The silent Medicine Wheel beneath the snow

How to honor the Purification Moon daily

Beyond the ritual, this moon can be honored each day of January through small conscious gestures. Drink a purifying tea (nettle, dandelion, birch), keep a journal to observe your inner patterns, or take a few minutes each morning to consciously breathe the fresh winter air. Purification is not a one-time event, it is a gentle presence to cultivate throughout this sacred period.

To go further

If this article touched you and you feel the call of this Purification Moon, I invite you to explore several paths to deepen this inner journey.

You can discover my teachings on Sun Bear's Medicine Wheel, a learning cycle that accompanies you through the seasons and moons, to live in harmony with the rhythms of the Earth.

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

For those who feel the need for deeper purification, you can book a drum healing, an ancestral practice that helps release stagnant energies and rediscover your inner clarity.

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

Don't hesitate to explore the other teachings of the Hopi Way: the 20 Sacred Signs, the Women's Way, or the Thirteen Moons, available in individual accompaniment. Each of these paths offers keys to reconnect with your essence and walk in balance on this Earth.

May this Purification Moon guide you toward a gentle and deep liberation. May you find the courage to lay down what weighs, and the confidence to welcome the fertile void that precedes all rebirth.

"What you let go creates the space for what must come."