The Four Winds

For centuries peoples have thought of the wind as being of four basic types, corresponding to the four directions or quarters of the Earth. These are the North, East, South, and West winds. Each is possessed of its own magical virtues, and certain spells are best cast during certain winds.

This may seem to rather unnecessarily complicated but it needn’t be. Looking to the winds when performing magic is no more difficult than checking the phase of the Moon, although the “phase” of the wind doesn’t last as long.

At best, if you can rig up a weather vane or windsock to determine the winds, you can adjust your magical workings slightly by waiting for the right wind.

Naturally, if the wind has been blowing steadily from the North all morning, it won’t do to wait for a Westerly one. The system is here to guide and aid, not to control our actions. Check the winds or not as you wish.

What follows are links to posts on each of the four winds, their meanings, and magickal workings:

• North Wind
• East Wind
• South Wind
• West Wind

In looking over the above discussions of each of the winds, bear in mind that this is not an absolute system. Different parts of the world have different attributes to the winds. The qualities discussed are those in favor in North America and Europe. Changes may be necessary for your own area due to climate, location, and weather patterns. As always, follow your own intuitive guidance when it comes to deciphering what each wind brings you.

The four winds are at least superficially related to the elements, and this can be kept in mind, but each has its own powers particular to the winds themselves.

One important point: In speaking of, say, the North Wind, it is the wind which blows from that direction rather than to the direction that is in question.

From: Earth Power