by Monica Crosson
There are nights the wind asserts its surly howl, blowing wildly in mad swirls around my house. It seeps through cracks in my panes and breathes desperately in my ear as I try to sleep, reminding me of my insecurities, lost dreams never to materialize, projects left unfinished, and plans forgotten. I wake tired and weary with the knowledge that my life is somehow escaping me.
But there are other times, when I am worried or upset and feel the need to be wrapped by the Goddess’s soothing embrace, that I will walk the two-mile stretch of road that leads to a single-lane bridge that spans the Sauk River before meeting the highway. There, under the cover of magickal bigleaf maples, towering conifers, and the ever-present shushing of the river, a soothing breath envelopes me. It dances around me and plays in my hair, intoxicating me with the scent of fresh earth. Carried on this breeze is reassurance and hope for a better tomorrow, promises of greener days, and a message that with each new dawn there is joy.
“There is something in the wind,” my grandfather always said. His face was drawn upwards, toward the sky, and gray tufts of hair were caught up in the wind’s play.
“What do you mean, Grandpa?”
“Well, if you listen, sweetheart, the air speaks. But you have to listen very close.” He paused. “Can you hear it—the words?”
I leaned into the breeze and perked my ears, trying desperately to receive the message I knew rode on the breeze. But all I heard was the scuttle of dry leaves as they tumbled in the wind’s wake and the quiet murmuring of branches that trembled in the tall trees above me. “I think I hear it, Grandpa,” I said, unsure.
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t work if you try too hard.” He pulled at my braid. “But it will happen.”
My grandfather (or rather, step-grandfather—my mom’s real dad died when she was two) was an old southern farmer. He was a stern Baptist whose strict religious upbringing blended smoothly with the old folkways that had been passed down through generations of his family. He gardened by the phases of the Moon and told stories of haints that haunted my grandparents’ barn. He believed in the power of mojo bags and made poultices from plants he gathered from the surrounding woods. But, on the other hand, he never missed church, had a Bible quote for every scolding, and when excited used “praise the Lord!” like a comma.
Of all the things I gleaned from my grandfather, his message of “something in the wind,” fascinated me most. It wasn’t until years later that I realized he was talking about the element of air.
The Element of Air
The Greek philosopher Anaximenes said that air is the “stuff of breath and soul, and therefore the principle of life, sensation, and reaction.” We all live by breathing air. And though it is invisible, it is always present. Air moves us. It surrounds us. Air transforms us. In the form of wind, we witness its power of transformation in nature every day—from the delicate stirring breeze that ruffles our senses to the devastating power of storms, such as tornados or hurricanes.
Air can be used to help guide us with knowledge of new life and possibilities. Magick involving air includes travel, divination, new possibilities, recovering lost objects, and transformation. Air represents the intellect and freedom. It’s a masculine element and governs the magick of the four winds. Its direction is east and time is dawn. Its season is spring.
To experience the breezy power of this element all you need to do is walk outside and lift your face to the clouds. Stand on a sandy beach and open your arms, facing the wind. Climb to the highest point you can find and yell out your intentions. Sing a song or play a musical instrument, inhale the scent of a fragrant blossom, or feel the sensation of a feather brushed delicately across your skin.
People born under the signs of Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini are all air signs. They tend to be perceptive, curious, intelligent, and analytical. They see all sides of an equation, and balance is important to them. There is no prejudice with airy people. They are idealists who can accomplish much.
Goddesses Connected to the Element of Air
Arianrhod: A Celtic mother goddess and keeper of the circling, silver wheel of stars, she is sometimes depicted as a weaver. She presides over the fates of departed souls and nurtures their journey between lives. Her symbols include the owl, wolf, and birch tree. Invoke her for spells regarding beauty, past lives, fertility, reincarnation, and feminine powers.
Aradia: Goddess of the Witches, she is daughter to Diana and Lucifer and was instructed by her mother to become a teacher of the “Old Religion.” She was honored by the Witches of the Tuscany region and was not well known outside of Italy until the publication of Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches in 1899. Her symbols are the Sun, the Moon, and the red garter. Invoke her power in matters of freedom, knowledge, new projects, or beginning a new spiritual path.
Nut: Egyptian goddess of the sky and one of the oldest known deities, Nut helped Ra escape earth by transforming into a huge cow and lifting him to heaven. Her efforts made her dizzy, and it was the four winds who came to her rescue. Her symbols include stars, wind, and pot and cow images. Invoke this goddess in matters of health, motherhood, sexuality, and fertility.
Cardea: Roman goddess of the hinge and keeper of the four winds, she looks both forward and backward. Honored at Beltane, she was originally the hinge on the Wheel of the Year. She resides at the hinge of the universe behind the north wind. Hawthorn is her sacred tree. Invoke her power in matters of the home and of children.
Magick on a Breeze
Words are a powerful tool that when released can bring about compelling results. Remember the Wiccan Rede and be careful what you wish for, for it might just come true. We will invoke Arianrhod for her feminine strength. This is a great activity for mothers and daughters to do together on the night of a Full Moon.
Empowerment Wind Catcher
You will need the following:
An interesting piece of driftwood or a small branch about 6 to 8 inches long (remember to be responsible when gathering—take from the ground, not from the tree)
Silver ribbon or embroidery floss
Parchment paper
Pen
Hole punch
After you have gathered your materials, sit down with your parchment and pen and thoughtfully write down words that empower or heal, new skills to acquire, or endeavors to accomplish. For each wish to set upon the wind, write on a separate piece of parchment. When finished, roll up each paper into a scroll and tie with a bit of the silver ribbon so it won’t unroll. Use your hole punch to punch the top of each scroll. Now take your ribbon and cut 12-inch pieces for as many scrolls you have to hang. Tie one end through the punched hole and wrap the other end around the branch so they hang freely and evenly. When finished, say this:
Arianrhod of the silver wheel,
I invoke your power with words that heal.
So with the power of three times three,
Help guide my wishes.
So mote it be.
Hang in the branches of a tree where the wind blows freely. Meditate under the tree, focusing on your healing thoughts, empowering words, new life goals, and endeavors as your words ride the breeze.
Visualize Your Potential
Air, for me, signifies transformation. It is something I both desire and fear. For one to transform, one has to change, like a caterpillar to a butterfly. And though I know that through change one grows, learns, and finds true empowerment, for a watery soul like myself (I am a Cancer), stepping out of my comfort zone has been a bit of an ordeal. Using the element of air as a guide through visualization has helped.
Visualization is a tool that helps to enhance consciousness and self-awareness and to focus the mind. Through this process you can harness the power of air to help clear away the clutter and see your true potential. You can either do this on your own or use a guided meditative journey to help you stay focused. I have included this breezy journey to help chase away the angry clouds of contentment and forgotten dreams.
If you have ever dreamed of riding the wind with leaves flying before you and stars at your back, this is your opportunity. This meditative journey was created by my colleague Mardi McLaskey for her Faery Wheel of the Year series.
Record yourself reading the following journey aloud. Speak slowly and carefully and add the pauses where indicated. Make yourself comfortable, reclining if possible. It is very important that you use headphones to listen to this. Close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly five times. Turn on your recording device and ride the Wild Hunt . . .
Wind Horse Dreams: Riding the Wild Hunt
And now, in that wonderful imagination of yours, I want you to notice that you have entered into a time outside of time, of light and the wild air.
And, because this is an enchanted place, I want you to bring your attention to a beautiful path that leads deep into the forest. It is crisp autumn. The trees drop their golden leaves, one after the next, to the mossy ground. Around you swirls a golden dazzle of falling leaves as they enjoy their last dance with the wind. (Pause)
On you walk deep into the thick forest. An owl calls to you from a sleepy tree. High above you an eagle, that lord of the air, rises in wide spirals until he is lost in the violet dusk.
The path narrows, and water shows as a gleam of silver through the ferns. And then you step into a hidden meadow, where the sunlight dances, and a sweet wind teases your hair. The ground at your feet is starred with blossoms. (Pause)
You notice that at the exact center of this meadow is a silvery lake. The water of this lake moves among the reedy places at the shore’s edge. Amidst the cattails, willow, and waving rushes, the water swirls in shimmering song, and you can see the spirit of the water glitter like jewels in the fading Sun. (Pause)
Twilight fades to purple, and the night sky is filled with pools of brilliant stars. As you gaze upon this lake, you find you are longing for a wild adventure. Hearing the cry of voices in the wind-swept sky above you, you look up, thinking they are geese, but instead you are amazed to see fierce Riders of the Sky. From the time of legends, the Wild Hunt has been handed down through the wind. Now their leader, the Lady of the Wild Hunt, blowing a breath of wind, calls out to you, “Come ride with us this starbright night! Across the sky ’til dawn’s pale light. Come ride with us this wind-swept night!”
Anxious to join the Wild Hunt, you watch in amazement as an enchanted horse, proud and untamable, prances from the forest and crosses the meadow. You realize this is Liath Macha (LEE-ah MAH-ka), the Gray Mare of Macha. She stands before you, tossing her long, silvered mane. The Gray of Macha is your air spirit, your wind horse, your faithful steed, willing to serve you all the days of your life. Her beauty and power capture your heart and your mind. The air around you trembles.
With joy, you spring aboard her back, and a mighty wind lifts you up and takes you along a hallowed, windy way. Together, you ride the bright wind that sweeps across the star-spread sky. Fiercely elegant, you become a rider of the wind and the night. (Pause)
The Gray of Macha, with her gleaming, silvered head and golden hooves, looks magnificent galloping over the clouds. Outfitted with the finest brass trapping, inlaid with rare stones and delicate enamel, she is a fearsome, swift, flashing steed. Her bridle is gold with tiny sliver bells on the rim.
Dark, foreboding clouds scud across the face of a Full Moon as you ride the wind, following the Wild Hunt. You and your wild horse are one, as over the clouds you jump, riding on the breath of the wind, wild and free. (Pause)
Galloping hard now, you and your wind horse chase all of the dark, angry clouds away. Powerful now, you ride among the tangled stars and chase the clouds away, until the sky is swept clean. (Pause)
The sky is now clear and ablaze with frosted stars. The Moon ceases her wandering across the purple night. You are now the Shepherd of the Starflock. Proudly ride your wind horse among the stars. (Pause)
And now, the Gray of Macha returns to the flowery meadow and brings you down softly to the shore of Silvery Lake. You dismount and hold her elegant head in your hands, and she says, “My heart makes a song, a song of peace.” After nuzzling you gently, she returns to the depths of the forest, where she awaits your next Wild Hunt.
Above you, in the star-strewn sky, the Lady of the Wild Hunt calls to you in a sweet, silvery voice, “You are a child of the universe. You were created from light and the wild air. You have a right to be here. You are a perfect child of light. You deserve all the wonders this universe has to offer.”
She raises high her sword and salutes you for your courage, then races away on the wind.
You now feel as clear and free as the wind-swept sky. The stars blink and sing a dream of beauty in their heaven as you drift off to sleep . . . and dream your dreams of beauty.
I have to admit of all the elements, it is air that stirs my soul. Sitting on a tree-shrouded rise as the wind tangles my hair, I am no longer the home-schooling mom who lives a simple life on the banks of the Sauk River. I am the Lady of the Hunt who travels the wind! Yes, there are still times late at night when the window creaks open and the wind begins to stir that I’m not sure I want to hear what it has to say. But I will listen. I have to! I know for transformation to happen I must set myself free. And that is my advice for you, dear reader: spring forth and ride the wind. Let your hair blow wild and free and listen—there is something in the wind.
For Further Study
McLaskey, Mardi. Faery Wheel of the Year. Pony Wings Press, 1990.
Opsopaus, John. “The Ancient Greek Esoteric Doctrine of the Elements: Air.” Biblioteca Arcana. Last modified 1998. https://web.eecs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/AGEDE/Air.html#H.