A feather on the breath of God.
-Hildegard of Bingen
On a day
when the wind is perfect,
the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.
Today is such a
day.
-Rumi
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
-John 3:8
And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
-Acts 2:2-4
The wind is invisible to us, we can only see what is carried within it or its effects. Hildegard, that great 12th century mystic offered us this image: To be a feather on the breath of God. What would it mean to allow oneself to be carried through life by the holy breath of the One who first breathed life into us? Or as Denise Levertov offers, to be a hawk resting upon the air that sustains it. How might we lean into the Source that supports and buoys us and trust the direction it takes? Can you allow your sails to open fully knowing that the wind blows where it wills?
-Christine Valters Paintner
14 Responses
Hi Shaula, you are most welcome!
You have challenged and inspired me to thing of uncertainty in life as something beautiful, a gift to cherish. Thanks.
Cathleen, I like the imagery of fierce wind, that feels so much like the movements of God sometimes!
The comment I thought I posted yesterday must have “blown” away somewhere…. so I’ll try again.
The wind, like our life of faith, is sometimes gentle and soothing, and sometimes fierce and unpredictable, and oh to learn to move with rather than against such movements….