Moon Medicine: January 2026

Moon Medicine: January 2026

Tonight, we greet our first full moon of the new year. As the first full circle of light in this Gregorian year, she rises over the deep quiet of winter. Among Cherokee peoples, this moon is known as  ᎤᏃᎸᏔᏂ or Unolvtani - the Wind Moon. Similar to the Anishinaabe people's Gichigiiwi-giizis or Spirit Moon. This full moon symbolizes a time when spirits are near and teachings come clear in the cold air (Benton-Banai, 1988). For many nations, this moon holds names that speak of scarcity turning to promise: the Hunger Moon, the Snow Crust Moon, the Moon When Trees Pop.

At Good Medicine Collective, we understand moons not just as events, but as grandmothers, as markers in a continuing story written across the sky. They guide our planting, our hunting, our ceremonies, and our art. This first moon is a powerful teacher about endurance and the quiet, potent hope that exists beneath the frozen surface.

Fact Check: "Wolf Moon" and Indigenous Moon Names

  • This full moon is widely called the Wolf Moon.

  • This is Partially Accurate but Incomplete.
    The popular name "Wolf Moon" is often generically attributed to some Indigenous cultures. However, as Potawatomi botanist and author     Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer notes in Braiding Sweetgrass, "One of the responsibilities of an Indigenous worldview is to speak for the land and its beings in the language of the colonizer... but the true names reside in our own languages" (Kimmerer, 2013). For example:

    • In Anishinaabemowin, this moon is often Gichigiiwi-giizis (Great Spirit/Great Moon) (Benton-Banai, 1988).

    • For the Lakota, January can be Wiótheȟika Wí (Moon of Hard/Difficult Time) (Buechel & Manhart, 2002).

    • The Cherokee name for this moon is ᎤᏃᎸᏔᏂ or Unolvtani, the "Wind Moon" (Mooney, 1891).

      We honor the depth and specificity of original moon names, which are not merely calendars but "contain laws, stories, and relationships" (Kimmerer, 2013).

Fact Check: "Micromoon" or "Supermoon" ??

  • Tonight's moon is a Micromoon.

  • Fact. The moon will be at apogee, its farthest point from Earth in its orbit (approx. 252,600 miles away), making it appear slightly smaller and dimmer (NASA, 2026). In a world obsessed with the "supermoon," the Micromoon teaches a different lesson: power can be quiet, influence can be subtle, and brilliance is not always about being closest.

OUR MEDICINE: ART AND INTENTION UNDER THE SPIRIT MOON

This moon’s light is for seeing through clarity, not warmth. It is a time for stories that sustain. Here is how we can engage with its energy:

  • The Art of Narrative Beadwork: Author and scholar Dr. Emily Legaufee (Red River Métis) writes that beadwork is "applied narrative, each seed bead a word in a visual story" (Legaufee, 2021). Under this moon, work on a piece that tells a story of survival, of quiet hope, or of a teaching that has come to you in the winter stillness.

  • Writing as Winter Harvest: This is a potent time to "harvest" the thoughts and dreams of the inner world. Keep a journal, write a poem, or draft a letter to your future self. As Cree-Métis author Chelsea Vowel asserts in Indigenous Writes, "Our stories are our claims to existence, our arguments for continuity" (Vowel, 2016). Give form to your story.

  • A Simple Moon Observance: Fill a ceramic bowl with clean water or snow. Place it in the moonlight—on a windowsill, a step, or the earth. Let the moon’s light touch the water. At dawn, use this moon-blessed water to nourish a houseplant or pour it onto the earth with a prayer of gratitude. This simple act honors the moon's relationship to all waters.

We echo the words of Dr. Kimmerer:

"Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond" (Kimmerer, 2013).

Tonight, we encourage you to:

- Learn the original moon name for the land you are on, if possible from a direct knowledge keeper or trusted source from that nation.

- Observe with humility. Go outside. Feel the bite of the air. Watch the long shadows. Listen. Your sincere attention is the first step in building relationship.

-Create something that honors the feeling of this night—a sketch, a line of poetry, a loaf of bread to share. Let your creation be an offering of your presence.

We share these teachings from a place of ᎤᏚᎯᏲ (u-du-hi-yo), a good mind, and a desire for understanding. We offer them with these clear understandings:

    • These are general cultural principles shared from published and oral sources. The deepest ceremonial knowledge of the moon belongs to specific Cherokee ceremonial leaders and is not for public discussion.

    • If you are not Cherokee, we ask you to appreciate, not appropriate. Learn from the framework of respect for cycles and place, but do not perform Cherokee-specific practices.

    • We encourage everyone to: Step outside tonight. Feel the wind, the cold. Look up. Let the simple act of mindful observation be your first step in building a relationship with the natural cycle of this time and place.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

This moon’s quiet strength mirrors the resilience of our communities and the patient, careful work of our artists and knowledge-keepers. And as we move through the great circle of this year, may we all strive to walk in ᏄᏓᎴᏒ (nu-da-le-sv), balance, and live with good medicine for all our relations.

Our collective was born from a shared belief that art, story, and traditional wisdom are not relics of the past, but vital, active medicine for today. Each bead strung by our artists at Indigenous Arts Collective, each story shared in Good Medicine’s gatherings, and each item thoughtfully sourced for our shop is an offering—a step toward healing and reconnection.

May we not forget that power often resides in subtle presence and enduring spirit. Let us all move through the great circle of this year carrying forward the lessons of this night: to create with intention, to honor our roots, and to build relationships grounded in respect.

We invite you to continue this journey with us. Explore the stories behind our artists’ work, engage with the teachings we steward, and support the vibrant, living cultures these enterprises are built to serve.

ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪssɪᴏɴ?

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References & Further Reading:

  • Benton-Banai, E. (1988). The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway. University of Minnesota Press.

  • Buechel, E., & Manhart, P. J. (Eds.). (2002). Lakota Dictionary: Lakota-English / English-Lakota. University of Nebraska Press.

  • Cook, W. H. (ed.). (1979). Cherokee Language Lessons. Cherokee Publications.

  • Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions.

  • Legaufee, E. (2021). Patterns of Kinship: Beadwork, Narrative, and Métis Visual Sovereignty. Journal of Indigenous Arts & Sciences, 8(2).

  • Mooney, J. (1900). Myths of the Cherokee. Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology.

  • Mooney, J. (1891). The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology.

  • NASA. (2026). Phases of the Moon: 2026. NASA Science.

  • Original Cherokee Manuscripts (Various). Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. [For advanced research on calendric systems].
  • Personal Communications & Teachings from Cherokee elders and language instructors at the Cherokee Nation Cultural Resource Center.

  • Vowel, C. (2016). Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada. Portage & Main Press.

       

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