Four Winds
My Journey Meditation
I am a child of suns and moons and galaxies beyond our reach. I am air. I am fire. I am water. I am earth. I am made of the dust of distant stars. As I step out into the great unknown, I call to the cosmos to create a circle of energy here. I call to the creatures and deities of the quadrants east, south, west, and north to bless my circle with positive balanced energy. I am safe and protected as I begin the journey of my day. I feel the energy circling around me now.
Here in my circle of light I am the living air.
Here in my circle of light I am the living fire.
Here in my circle of light I am the living water.
Here in my circle of light I am the living earth.
Blessed deities of the east, south, west, and north here is my offering chant.
I am whole and vibrant. I am balanced on the edge of time. There is nothing I cannot accomplish. I feel myself rising into the shining air. I am floating and free, and filled with positive, flowing energy. I know, without any doubts, that I am on my way to becoming all I can be. And all I wish to become is within me now. I breathe in the cool air. I savor the color of the changing sky, and enjoy the view.
When I am ready, I start floating down. I take several deep breaths, coming back , and I am grounded and ready for my earth journey. In honor and thanks I release the energy here. My sircle is open. Budha, Vesta, Afka, Tenga, my thanks to you all.
Witch’s Rune Traditional
Darksome night and silvery moon
East then south then west then north
To thee we sing a witch’s tune
To call the ancient powers forth
Cup for water, airy sword
A pentacle to touch the earth
Fiery wand all in accord
Lady guide us to rebirth
Cord and censer, scourge and knife
Power of the witch’s blade
Waken all ye into life
Come ye as the charm is made
Queen of heaven, queen of hell
Ancient huntress of the night
Listen as we sing this spell
All love and pleasures are your rites
By all the powers of land and sea
By the light of moon and sun
As I will, so mote it be
Chant this spell, so be it done.
From: The Pagan Library
The Witch’s Tune
This is another version of the Witch’s Rune, called the witch’s tune. The words were adapted by Aldan.
Dark of night and rising moon,
East, then south, then west, then north
To each we sing a witches’ tune
That calls the ancient powers forth.
Cup for water, fiery sword,
A pentacle to touch the earth,
Airy wand, all in a cord;
Lady, guide us to rebirth.
White for birth, and green for life.
And black for all the worlds between,
Cauldron, censor, scourge and knife
All celebrate the triple queen.
Queen of heaven, earth and hell
Ancient hunter of the night,
Join us as we sing this spell:
All love and pleasure are her rites.
By all the powers of land and sea,
By all the might of moon and sun,
As I will, so mote it be:
Chant the spell, and be it done.
From: The Pagan Library
Winds Four Quarters
Maiden, Warrior, Mother and Crone
Chorus:
Wind’s four quarters, air and fire
Earth and water, hear my desire,
Grant my plea who stands alone,
Maiden, Warrior, Mother and Crone
Eastern Wind, blow clear blow clean
Cleanse my body of its pain
Cleanse my mind of what I’ve seen
Cleanse my honor of its stain
Maid whose love has never ceased
Bring me healing from the east
Southern wind, blow hot blow hard
Fan my courage to a flame
Southern wind be guide and guard
Add your bravery to my name
Let my will and yours be twinned
Warrior of the southern wind
Chorus:
Wind’s four quarters, air and fire
Earth and water, hear my desire,
Grant my plea who stands alone,
Maiden, Warrior, Mother and Crone
Western wind blow stark, blow strong
Grant me arm and mind of steel
On a road both hard and long
Mother, hear me where I kneel
Let no weakness on my quest
Hinder me, wind of the west
Northern wind, blow cruel blow cold
Sheathe my aching heart in ice
Armor round my soul enfold
Crone, I need not call you twice
To my foes bring the cold of death
Chill me north wind’s frozen breath!
Chorus:
Wind’s four quarters, air and fire
Earth and water, hear my desire,
Grant my plea who stands alone,
Maiden, Warrior, Mother and Crone
Maiden, Warrior…Mother and Crone
Winds Four Quarters
Winds Four Quarters is from the short story Swordsworn in Sword and Sorceress 3 edited by Marion Zimmerman Bradley. It is especially appropriate to be played and sung on the 16th and 17th of January. This was an ancient Greek festival in which offerings were made to the Wind Gods of the eight directions.
Here are the Lyrics:
Wind’s four quarters:
Air and fire
Earth and water
Hear my desire
Grant my plea
Who stands alone
Maid and Warrior
Mother and Crone
Eastern wind blow
Clear blow clean
Cleanse my body
Of it’s pain
Cleanse my mind of
What I’ve seen
Cleanse my honor
Of it’s stain
Maid whose love
Has never ceased
Bring me healing
From the East
Southern wind blow
Hot blow hard
Fan my courage
To a flame
Southern wind be
Guide and guard
Add your bravery
To my name
Let my will
And yours be twined
Warrior of
The southern wind
Wind’s four quarters:
Air and fire
Earth and water
Hear my desire
Grant my plea
Who stands alone
Maid and Warrior
Mother and Crone
Western wind blow
Stark blow strong
Grant me arm and
Mind of steel
Let our own both
Caught and long
Mother hear me
Where I kneel
Let no weakness
On my quest
Hinder me,
Wind of the West
[Music]
Northern wind blow
Cruel blow cold
Sheave my aching
Heart in ice
All around my
Soul enfold
Crone I need not
Call you twice
To my foes bring
Cold of death
Chill me north winds
Frozen breath
Wind’s four quarters:
Air and fire
Earth and water
Hear my desire
Grant my plea
Who stands alone
Maid and Warrior
Mother and Crone
Maid and warrior
Mother and Crone
From the album: Magic, Moondust, & Melancholy
The Garden of Paradise
There was once a king’s son who had a larger and more beautiful collection of books than any one else in the world, and full of splendid copper-plate engravings. He could read and obtain information respecting every people of every land; but not a word could he find to explain the situation of the garden of paradise, and this was just what he most wished to know.
His grandmother had told him when he was quite a little boy, just old enough to go to school, that each flower in the garden of paradise was a sweet cake, that the pistils were full of rich wine, that on one flower history was written, on another geography or tables; so those who wished to learn their lessons had only to eat some of the cakes, and the more they ate, the more history, geography, or tables they knew. He believed it all then; but as he grew older, and learnt more and more, he became wise enough to understand that the splendor of the garden of paradise must be very different to all this. “Oh, why did Eve pluck the fruit from the tree of knowledge? why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit?” thought the king’s son: “if I had been there it would never have happened, and there would have been no sin in the world.” The garden of paradise occupied all his thoughts till he reached his seventeenth year.
One day he was walking alone in the wood, which was his greatest pleasure, when evening came on. The clouds gathered, and the rain poured down as if the sky had been a waterspout; and it was as dark as the bottom of a well at midnight; sometimes he slipped over the smooth grass, or fell over stones that projected out of the rocky ground. Every thing was dripping with moisture, and the poor prince had not a dry thread about him. He was obliged at last to climb over great blocks of stone, with water spurting from the thick moss. He began to feel quite faint, when he heard a most singular rushing noise, and saw before him a large cave, from which came a blaze of light. In the middle of the cave an immense fire was burning, and a noble stag, with its branching horns, was placed on a spit between the trunks of two pine-trees. It was turning slowly before the fire, and an elderly woman, as large and strong as if she had been a man in disguise, sat by, throwing one piece of wood after another into the flames.
“Come in,” she said to the prince; “sit down by the fire and dry yourself.”
“There is a great draught here,” said the prince, as he seated himself on the ground.
“It will be worse when my sons come home,” replied the woman; “you are now in the cavern of the Winds, and my sons are the four Winds of heaven: can you understand that?”
“Where are your sons?” asked the prince.
“It is difficult to answer stupid questions,” said the woman. “My sons have plenty of business on hand; they are playing at shuttlecock with the clouds up yonder in the king’s hall,” and she pointed upwards.
“Oh, indeed,” said the prince; “but you speak more roughly and harshly and are not so gentle as the women I am used to.”
“Yes, that is because they have nothing else to do; but I am obliged to be harsh, to keep my boys in order, and I can do it, although they are so head-strong. Do you see those four sacks hanging on the wall? Well, they are just as much afraid of those sacks, as you used to be of the rat behind the looking-glass. I can bend the boys together, and put them in the sacks without any resistance on their parts, I can tell you. There they stay, and dare not attempt to come out until I allow them to do so. And here comes one of them.”
- Yānā Moon: Charge of the Dark Goddess
- James Cheney: Invocation To The Dark Mother
- Daniel: Prayer Before The Final Battle
- blessed obyno: Queen of Ghosts
- blessed obyno: Queen of Ghosts