The air is moving at gale force today. The golden brilliance of beauty, one leaf at a time, falls to the ground. The skeleton of the oak tree is all that remains. The ground is covered with the beginnings of its new soil. All of this is happening this morning as I greet the sun, collect myself for the day, being aware of my boundaries, strengthening my orbit, I feel the wind intrude on the boundary of life bringing death to the beauty of Indian Summer.
Wind brings change. Wind is the first breath we take as a newborn. Its movement scatters the seeds atop a bush, flower, an oak tree with the promise of new life in the spring. It is the source of inspiration. And yet, it hails death. Wind will take your breath away. Wind is at the forefront of each seasonal change organizing life from springtime to summer, summer to fall and fall to winter and back again. This we know.
When I sing and chant, I am asking the wind to animate my vocal cords and sing the song of the agreements and the relationship with all that is.
Wind has many names and, in many cultures, wind is Holy. Holy Wind. Bringer of life, change and death. I’m not sure what wind is in our culture—a threat, unwelcome, nuisance? The old Irish Prayer: “May the Wind be always at your back” invites a smooth sailing life. Having a relationship with wind enriches one’s knowing. Wisdom from the gods, the Holy Ones, the ancestors, is carried on the wind. It is said that when the butterfly flaps its wings in China (or anywhere for that matter) it sets up a vibration for the winds to blow in California.
Wind is spirit. My friend’s beautiful song: Spirit of the Wind Carry Me, Spirit of the Wind Carry Me Home, Spirit of the Wind Carry me to my Soul speaks to the life force energy that weaves life (a noun)—living (a verb) — into existence. It is action.
Listening is an attribute of wind. When we listen we can know what the gods are saying; where the illness resides in a body. Listening to a patient speak, holding the feathers of protection and wholeness, this medicine helps one hear who they are not. Then, calling on the wind within to suck that out of a person brings balance of who they really are into being. My physical body’s life force energy is the wind and we work together as the gods to do their work. This is my agreement and responsibility as a healer.
Wind animates the hawk and owl feathers of my healing wands and the turkey, flicker and eagle feathers of the medicine bundles I carry for healing and wholeness. “My prayers run, my prayers flies with the Wind, to the place of Munarita”—a line in the medicine song that connects me to wholeness, the place of everything. When I sing and chant, I am asking the wind to animate my vocal cords and sing the song of the agreements and the relationship with all that is. The sound, the vibrations re-invigorate the uncountable actions I took to make my steps to the sacred places placing the candles and offerings so that the song will activate the divine petition I’ve made to heal my people. These particular sounds, a song, a chant, a prayer, arise and fill the orbit around me and the patient with the promise of bringing harmony and balance to one’s life. Being aware and listening deeply for the message will bring healing. However, it may also bring one closer to the last winter of one’s life.
We do not know—it is all on the wind.
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