Air Element Study - The Four Winds

AIR ELEMENT STUDY - Week 4 - The Wind

THE FOUR WINDS

Wind in itself carries a certain magick and power.  I am sure that everyone at some point has felt a gust of wind that felt like it was telling them something, or bringing a message.  Ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Norse, and Aztecs all assigned Divine beings to each of the four cardinal directions.... Gods who brought the winds of each element, different seasons, and different types of weather.  In modern Neo-Pagan paths, the Four Winds are often called upon in the same (or similar) way that one would call upon each element when opening a circle.  The Winds can be powerful allies to call upon to help empower your rituals, but make sure you call upon them with great respect... and be careful what you ask for!  The Winds may hail from different elements and directions, but they are in Essence all beings of the Air, so your words will be taken quite literally!  While invoking The Winds is of itself basic Air Magick, calling a specific Wind can help blend other Elements into your ritual.  Calling all four of them together when you call the quarters and cast your circle can bring strong energy and rapid results to your rituals and magick.

The Four Winds
From "The Fairy Bible" by Teresa Moorey

"The Four Winds are very special powers, each having their own special Monarch and band of Sprites.  The Four Winds come from each of the four quarters, and are associated with a specific element.
This may seem hard to understand, because surely all the Winds are basically the Air Element?  However the Winds are to some extent. messengers and gatekeepers, bringing and delivering signs and powers from another realm.  Like the association of Air with communication and travel, The Winds can be seen as messengers to open a specific portal to each quarter and Elemental Otherworld."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Four Winds
from "The Idiot's Guide To Wicca and Witchcraft"

"Names:
East Wind; Eurus; Wind of the East
South Wind; Notus, Wind of the South
West Wind; Zephyrus; Wind of West
North Wind; Boreas; Wind of the North

Where From: The Elemental Realm

How to Invite them to ritual:
Request their presence politely

The Winds are great for taking your magick and delivering it quickly and forcefully.  When you ask The Winds to carry your magick for you, you are doing Air Magick.  Keep in mind that each Wind has it's own elemental correspondence.  You would call specifically on the South Wind for Fiery aspects; North Wind for Earthy aspects; West Wind for Watery aspects, and the East Wind for Air associations."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Anemoi
The Anemoi are the four Greek Wind Gods, each associated with a cardinal direction and different seasons. They are the children of Astraeus - Titan God of the Dusk, and Eos - Goddess of the Dawn.  They were represented as strong gusts of wind, or sometimes as Winged Men, or sometimes depicted as horses who were kept by the Storm God Aeolus.  The names of the Anemoi are the names listed above in the excerpt from The Idiot's Guide To Wicca and Witchcraft.  I will soon write another blog post describing each one in greater detail.  Their Roman counterparts are known as the Venti.

Dvärgar
In Norse Mythology there are counterpart beings very similar to the Anemoi; these are the dvärgar.  They are four dwarves; Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri ("Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western") who each support a Cardinal point of the compass and the element it is associated with.  They may also be associated with the Four Stags of the World Tree, Yggdrasill.

Aztec Gods of the Winds
There are similarly four different Aztec Gods who correspond to the Winds of each Direction.  They are Cihuatecayotl, god of the West wind, Mictlanpachecatl, god of the North wind, Tlalocayotl, god of the East wind, and Vitztlampaehecatl, god of the South wind.

Faerie Friday - Trust Your Intuition

This week's message from the Faeries is "Trust Your Intuition".  This card and description are from the oracle card deck "Healing With The Fairies" by Doreen Virtue.

"Trust Your Intuition" Artwrk by Gail Gastfield
http://members.aa.net/~urizen/gail_art.html

Card Meaning;
"It is safe for you to follow your heart's guidance.  You know, deep down, what to do.  This card asks you to trust and follow this inner intelligence.
Has your inner guidance been trying to get your attention lately?  Perhaps a gut feeling is tugging at you like a seeing-eye dog, an inner voice has been screaming at you, or you've had dreams charged with profound emotions and symbolism lately.
By drawing this card, you're being urged to pay careful attention to those various forms of intuition.  Now is not the time to ignore these messages or procrastinate.  Trust this inner wisdom, just as you would if it came from a respected teacher.  Know that you aren't imagining the guidance.  Its powerful and receptive voice is a sign that you are truly getting clear and trustworthy messages that are worth following.

Affirmation; "I trust and follow my feelings and thoughts without question or delay."

~ From the "Healing With The Fairies" Oracle Card guidebook by Doreen Virtue.  No copyright infringement intended, I am sharing here as an oracle reader sharing advice with beloved friends.

I have drawn this card this week, asking for guidance from the faeries, not only for myself but for everyone who has been following my blog and my Air Element Studies.  The faeries are asking you now to listen to that inner voice, trust in your own intuition and feelings about situations or choices.  Learning to trust that inner voice can be hard to do... and the first step is to open yourself to being able to HEAR that inner voice in the first place.  If you would like more advice on being able to hear your inner voice and heighten your intuition and sixth sense, I would highly recommend the book, "Trust Your Vibes"  by Sonia Choquette.  It is full of wonderful advice and exercises to help you recognize, and trust your intuition and "sixth sense".

One practice that Sonia Choquette recommends is to simply "Ask Your Spirit".  If you have an intuitive feeling guiding you to do something, yet you are still afraid to make the change or take action, or are hesitant about whether your intuition is guiding you in the right direction or not - place your hand on your chest over your heart, take a deep breath, and ask your true Spirit - your higher self - what he/she thinks about the situation.  Just breathe deeply and say, "Hello, Spirit... what do YOU want me to do?"  If the answer is yes and your intuition is correct your Spirit will fill you with a sense of joy, a fluttering in your chest that makes you smile.

Keep on meditating with the Air Element meditations I shared with you last week, focusing on uniting your body and spirit with your breath, this will help activate your intuition and help your recognize it when it speaks to you as well.  Have a blessed week, and remember, the Fairies are looking out for you!

Meditation - Affirmations to help you meditate

MEDITATION

Affirmation 1: "I cherish my meditation times."
Affirmation 2: "The Wisdom I seek is within me."

Meditation;
"At least once a day I sit quietly and go within to connect with the wisdom and knowledge that is always there.  This wisdom and knowledge is only a breath away.  All the answers to all the questions I shall ever ask are sitting there waiting for me.   Meditating is a joy for me.  I sit quietly, take a few deep breaths, relax, and go to that place of peace within.  After a little while, I come back to the present moment refreshed and renewed and ready for life.  Every day is a joyous new adventure for me because I choose to listen to my own inner wisdom.  This wisdom is always available to me.  It comes from the essence of that which exists behind the universe of time, space. and change.  When I meditate, I connect with the deep inner unchanging part of myself.  Here I am energy.  I am light.  I am the answer already arrived.  I am Eternal Beingness being here now."

~ From "Meditations To Heal Your Life" by Louise L. Hay

Lesson 3 Craft Activity - Pinwheels

Create a Spinning Pinwheel to remind you of your intimate connection to Air Energy through breathing!  A pinwheel is simple enough to create, here are a couple different websites with instructions on how to make one;

http://www.leslietryon.com/3dcolorcutout/makepinw/makepinwheel.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pinwheel

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/includes/content/curiousgeorge/pdfs/cc_pinwheel_bw.pdf

Decorate your Pinwheel in yellow and sky blue colors, and if you want, decorate it with stickers or draw symbols on it that represent Air Energy.

You can meditate with your pinwheel, take a deep breath and then blow strongly through your mouth to make the pinwheel spin.  Watch it spin and contemplate your relationship with Air and what you have read in this week's previous posts on meditation and breathing.  Think about how your breath has the power to move the pinwheel... something outside of you.  Your breath sets things in motion inside of you, circulating from your lungs, to your bloodstream, to your heart, and throughout your whole body.  Your breath (your life-force) also creates chain reactions in life around you.  Think about how your words, thoughts, actions, and even your presence on the planet has an effect on things around you as you blow your breath on your pinwheel and watch it spin.

Pinwheel Wishing Spell

Use the Power and Magick of your own breath and your intimate connection with Air Energy for this simple spell.  Create your wishing pinwheel and decorate with Air Colors or symbols, as suggested above.  

Meditate on your own breathing for a few minutes, feeling your connection with Air Energy.  If you wish, use one of the Air Meditations shared here earlier, Breath Meditation or Journey for Air.

Spend a few minutes of your meditation thinking about your wish.  Visualize it as if it has already come true.  Visualize how you will feel, how you will act, and what your life will be like when you have what you desire.  (If it is a waning moon period, you may want to wish for what you need removed from your life; while if it is a waxing moon period you may want to wish for what you need to come into your life.)  This spell will be particularly powerful if what you wish for aligns with Air Energy - communications, clear thinking, passing an exam, learning, divination, confidence, and removing obstacles or mental blocks.  Try not to worry about how your dream will come to pass, just hold the happy feeling  of your wish coming true as you meditate and let it fill you with each inhalation.

Speak your wish out loud, and then blow on your pinwheel to make it spin.  Then say this prayer, pausing between each verse to again blow on and spin your pinwheel while envisioning your wish coming true.

"I call upon my Sacred Breath,

the very cycle of Life and Death

With each breath my wish I know;

to the Winds my Wish I blow

I send my wish with Trust and Love,

Winds now carry it to Spirit above!

Air I send my wish to Thee,

As I Will, so mote it be!"

Thank the Air for giving you life, and breathe in with gratitude, knowing that you will find that which you seek.  Keep your pinwheel on your Altar or in a place you will see it often.  Make it spin with your breath whenever you want to, remembering to feel hopeful and grateful and visualizing your wish coming true.  You will receive inspiration or opportunities to help it come to pass!