Re-Storying the World: The Power of Wind.
As we come out of our Covid isolation, this Spring Equinox will bring with it the Winds of Change. Hugging, getting together, traveling, going to church or concerts – all the things we’ve missed out on in this past year are going to be our top priorities. And yet, we are different than we were last year at this time.
The Winds of Change are blowing strongly now. Will we try to ‘go back’ to an old way of living, or have we begun to see life differently?
If so, we’ll need the Wind at our backs to help us set our new course.
Spring Equinox is associated with the East and with the power of Air. I began to feel the power of Air once again in the winds blowing this week here in Rhode Island. The tree tops sway and the cold air gets down my neck and makes me shiver, moving me like the trees with an invisible dance partner. The only way we can see the invisible Wind is by how it affects things like birds’ flight or trees or sails or blowing hair and seed pods.
I also experienced the power of the Wind when I lived out West and the winds would blow off the mountain overlooking our home. I would stand in the wind and then move side to side to discover how wide a particular gust was. The wind came at me in streams, both wide and narrow. Sometimes the wind would create little twisters, twirling dust and leaves, following me as I walked.
I think I made friends with the wind when I was a child. I loved to stand out in the wind as we waited for hurricanes to arrive. There was something so invigorating about letting the wind pummel me like a great massage. Or I would imagine the winds under my arms lifting me into the air so I could fly.
Wind is the movement of Air around the planet. All life here on Earth begins and ends with Wind and Breath. The wind keeps the air cool and clean. The wind brings us the clouds that give us the rains Mother Earth needs to thrive. The wind moves the waters to keep them fresh and sweet.
If there were no winds, the planet would heat up, scum would cover rivers, lakes and oceans, fish would die, crops would fail and so people would starve.
There is a Hopi legend about their Wind God, Yaponcha. It is a story about the dangers of trying to control or stop the winds.
Long again, the Hopis were troubled by strong winds. They planted seeds but the wind came and blew the seeds and soil away before the seeds could sprout.
The old men came together in their kivas and debated what to do. They finally decided to call on the Little Fellows – two of Spider Grandmother’s grandsons. So while the men prayed, the Little Fellows went to see their wise grandmother. They asked her to make them some cornmeal mush for a long journey. When they had it, they went back to the elders and gathered the offerings they had made.
They set out for the mountains, for all wind gods live on mountains in caves. Yaponcha blew through a crack in the mountains, so the Little Fellows covered the opening with the cornmeal mush. When it hardened, it sealed the Wind God’s door. Although he huffed and puffed, his wind could not get out. The Little Fellows laughed and went home.
But after awhile, the villagers became very hot. There were no breezes and no clouds. They thought they would suffocate. The heat was much worse then the winds. So they called on the Little Fellows again and told them to ask Yaponcha if they could have peace between them. They gave them prayer offerings to give to Yaponcha.
After traveling to the Wind God’s cave, the two Little Fellows decided to just make a small hole in the cornmeal so that he could breathe again. Immediately a nice cool breeze came out and a small cloud gathered in the sky.
When the Little Fellows reached the village, everyone was pleased. There was enough wind to make everyone happy but not enough to blow away the seeds.
Every March, when the winds blow, the Elders and Priests of the villages give prayer offerings to Yaponca, the Wind God, in thanks.
In so many of those wind legends, we find this human tendency to try to stop or control the wind. But once they do, the air gets hot, the water stagnates and it’s hard to breathe. In all these stories, the lesson is to learn the proper relationship to wind.
In the same way, we cannot stop life from changing. If we try to, life becomes sterile and dead. In this season of beginnings and change, do not try to stop the winds of change from blowing at your back.
The winds move and change things, and without them, life itself would die. The Winds respond to Mother Earth’s needs, not ours. Just as the winds of change come because it is TIME – our soul’s time to get moving.
Wind connects us to Life and to Spirit. In the Bible, God breathes upon the face of the waters to start the creation process. For the Hebrews, the word ruach means ‘breath & Spirit’. In many ancient belief systems, breath, soul and life are the same.
Air and its winds are as necessary to life here on Earth as is our breath. As a matter of fact, our breath is our personal wind. Just breathe in and feel the air coming into your body; then breathe out through your mouth and feel the wind of that breath. As we breathe out, we send our personal wind into the world to connect to the collective winds.
When my grandson was young, I would entertain him with the story of ‘The 3 Little Pigs’ – how the big, bad wolf would huff and puff and blow their houses down. My breaths created the wind in that story.
Most of us don’t know how to breathe right, do we? It was only through yoga and qi gong that I discovered the right way to breathe. If you’re a singer or musician, you already know. You breathe through your diaphragm. Your diaphragm draws the air into your lungs so they and your ribs expand and then as you release the diaphragm, your breath slowly or quickly moves out of your body.
Breathing brings oxygen into our bodies and cells, which we need to spark our energy. Without our ability to breathe, we die. Without the winds, the Earth dies.
Wind Gods and Goddesses
All ancient cultures saw the power of Spirit in Nature. There are wind gods and goddesses from all cultures just as there are many different types of winds.
In ancient Greece, the Anemoi were the gods of the four cardinal winds--namely Boreas the North-Wind, Zephryos (Zephyrus) the West-Wind, Notos (Notus) the South-Wind, and Euros (Eurus) the East-Wind. Each of these winds was associated with a season--Boreas was the cold breath of winter, Zephyros was the god of spring breezes, Notos was the god of summer rain-storms and Euros was the god of autumn’s warm rainy weather.
The ancient Mesopotamians believed in a central wind god that was also the highest god in the pantheon of the Sumerians. Enlil (Ellil) was considered the god of the atmosphere and his name itself meant ‘Lord Wind’. This wind deity was extremely powerful in Sumerian mythology and all facets of wind from gentle breezes to mighty hurricanes were attributed to his force. He was the supreme deity, who granted fates and kingships. He was the deity who administered all earthly laws, that outlined social structures and duties.
While there are many diverse cultures and mythologies among the indigenous peoples of North America, a story of Gaoh,the wind god from the Iroquois Confederation has remained a legend to this day.
Gaoh was considered the master of winds that were too powerful for Earth, so he summoned 4 creatures from earth to help him rule the earthly winds. Gaoh opened a door in each cardinal direction to summon the creatures of Earth to help him contain the winds. He chained an animal from each direction to keep them in his servitude. Yaogah was a bear from the north chosen for bringing in cold wind, snow and ice. The strong winds from the west were allocated to Dajoji the panther. Oyandone the moose was given dominion over the rain and mist from the east. Finally, the fawn Neoga brought in warmth, fragrance, peace and joy from the south.
The Aztec people believed in a god of air and wind to whom they dedicated many round pyramids. Ethecatl/Quetzalcoatl was personified by a great feathered serpent and his name itself means ‘4 winds’ referring to the 4 cardinal direction in the Nahuatl language. He was believed to have helped create humanity and the maguey plant (agave), which was an invaluable resource to the people of the time and is still in use today in parts of Mexico.
The ancient Chinese believed in a Mistress of the Winds that was responsible for containing or releasing the winds from the sky. Feng Po Po, depicted as an old woman, was also known as Madame Wind and was believed to ride on a tiger through the clouds. Madame Wind carried the winds in a bag over her shoulder that she would release when they became too heavy to bear or she was in a foul mood.
In wind shaman Renee Baribeau’s book, Winds of Spirit, she talks about the 4 cardinal winds as well as how to work with the many gods and goddesses of the Winds.
The Wind of the East is the Wind of the Mind. Like the Sun that rises in the East, this wind is the source of new beginnings. This is the Wind we’ll be working with as we leave our shelters and emerge back into a changed world.
The East Wind is often symbolized by the Eagle, the totem of our connection to Spirit. The East Wind represents different qualities of the Mind – meaning both brains and heart mind, such as mental acuity or confusion, the ability to envision the future and make plans, as well as our perception and discernment.
This is the Wind of intention, our ability to focus on what we want to accomplish.
The Wind of the South is the Wind of the Emotions. Like the Sun at noon, this warm wind evokes hope, joy and harmony in us. The South represents youth, innocence, patience, forgiveness and self-exploration. The South Wind also brings up those emotions that bring us fear and pain and sooths them.
Since South Winds are often unpredictable, they are like adolescent winds, bringing in emotional storms that quickly pass.
This is the Wind of the emotional power that helps manifest your goals.
The Wind of the West is the Wind of the Body. Like the Sun at sunset and in the autumn, this wind evokes the need to let go, to release what no longer serves you as you wait for rebirth. The West Wind signifies the harvest, the end of a cycle, destruction as well as the physical body.
This is the Wind that points out how healthy we are, as well as how we’re handling our life.
This is the Wind of manifestation. We reap what we’ve sown.
The Wind of the North is the Wind of Spirit. Like the Sun at midnight and Winter, this wind is the wind of the Imagination, our connection to Spirit. The North Wind, in connecting us to Spirit, also calls on us to look at our Shadows and embrace them. As Carl Jung said, the shadow is 99% gold.
The North is the place of service to Spirit and to our communities.
This is the Wind of spiritual purpose.
The Winds are an important spiritual energy that, like breath itself, is necessary for Life. We modern people often forget that we are all connected to each other through the breath, through the winds.
So go outside and dance with the Winds of Change as they blow through your neighborhood and send your wishes and hopes along with them, so they scatter like seeds throughout the world.
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