“Winter is Coming!”

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Potawatomi Medicine Wheel

“Winter is coming” is the motto of House Stark in the Game of Thrones fantasy TV drama. The Lords of the North strive to always be prepared for winter.

Recently I stumbled upon the Potawatomi Medicine Wheel. Potawatomi’s are a Native American People of the Great Plains, Upper Mississippi River, and Western Great Lakes Region. Their Medicine Wheel is a visual tool intended to remind their people of the significant aspects of life.

I find this illustration elucidates the unending circle of life, death, and renewal. The sun rises in the east is the begining of a new day. Yellow in color. In this Medicine Wheel it signifies spring and precedes all things. Red signifies summertime when the sun is warm. It promotes life and abundance. Black is equal parts of red, yellow, and blue. A painter would say that black is a mixture of all colors. The Potawatomis have a smudging ceremony where they waft sage smoke to rid the body’s negativity. Black on the Medicine Wheel signifies Autumn/Fall when things end.

But, “Winter is coming!” It has a new, positive meaning for me. It is a cleansing. A purification. A preparation for Spring, which precedes all things.

Happy Spring!!