Listening to the Wind

And a wonderful Saturday afternoon to everyone out there in blogland.  Hope all of you are having a great day.  When I peer through the curtains, I find it very hard believe that a major storm blew through here yesterday.  Today, the sun is shining so brightly, if it weren't for the piles of snow on the ground, I would think it a springtime day.  It is a beautiful day indeed. 

"Live in each season as if passes; breathe the air;  drink the drink; taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each...Be blown on by all the winds.  Open all your pores and bathe in all the tides of nature, inall her streams and oceans, at all seasons. --Henry David Thoreau

Last night I was sitting in my warm and cozy room, playing a game on the computer, not really into it, but actually, I wasn't into anything.  Didn't feel like reading or watching television. I was feeling kind of lost.   I guess you can say that I was in a restless mood last night.  And as I sat there, allowing my mind to wander, i began to listen the wind outdoors that was howling; it was such a deep and mournful cry of the Earth.  And as I sat, listening, to this  wail of the winds, I was suddenly reminded of one of the beautiful lessons that I had completed in my Bardic course...that of the song of life...and before I knew it, I was digging out my old course and reading through the old lesson.  I'd love to share a summary of it with you... if you don't mind. 

Although modern science has only recently begun to investigate the symphony of the Universe, our Celtic ancestors knew all too well that the world was supported and sustained by a melody which they called the "Oran Mor" or "The Great Song"; they were very much aware that all of creation was a part of this song. They knew that the "Great Song" is always present in all things and that we can be access at anytime as a means of healing and to re-align ourselves with the powers that have created life. The "Oran Mor" is not a song or story that can be told or written; it is an ancient rhythm of the Earth,  the melody that one hears in the wind, the waterfalls, and in the great music that stirs ones emotions and feelings.  The "Song of Amergin" is so beautiful in the way that it calls to the earth, that it is an "Oran Mor". 

In the beginning there was nothingness...silence. But, gradually the Earth began to develop its own music.  The wind was born, and to the Earth, it became the Caorneadh...a great keening; the wind is the spirit sound of the ancient Earth. It is already within us, but we not only do not take the time to listen to the song of life, but we are also hell-bent on destroying the ancient rhythm, that which is the song of the Shapers and of the Shapes.  Granted, it is hard to hear the "Oran Mor" when you live in the city, but if we listen closely, we find that it is waiting for us, waiting silently for us to remember Her.  In the summer, I have learned to hear it in the waves that crash upon the shore...and in the silence of the night, if you take the time to listen closely, you can hear the ancient melody in the breezes which rustle the leaves, in the calls of the animals, in the crunch of the earth or the snow beneath your feet. Even our own breathing is sound.  The song is everywhere and anywhere.   

In recent months I haven't been paying attention.  The cold has been keeping me indoors and lately, with all the snow and ice on the ground, I've been paying far more attention to remaining on my feet and taking the gifts of nature for granted.  Last night the wind reached out to me as a reminder of the beauty of creation, and I accepted Her invitation.  It was about midnight when I had finished reading.  Hubby was asleep, and the neighbors were all snug in their houses.  And I dressed myself warmly and went out into the yard and practiced the reawkening of the sacred skills of listening and hearing that I had been taught..and yes, it was beautiful, and today I am at peace with myself.  Thank you for listening. 

Song of the Wind

Listen closely as the gentle wind blows

It sings songs of joy for you.

Of sweet places where pure water flows,

It sings of mountains, trees, and misty dew.

It sings a lonely sacred song,

As it whistles through the pines,

It sings to us and we must listen

With our hearts, our souls, our minds.

--Unknown--