"I remember a neighbor lady telling me the wind brought a spirit kiss to my cheeks. As I struggled home in the snowy cold, I would try to pretend I was being kissed, but sometimes I could only cry. Then I read in a Christian myth that winds are the messengers of the gods and can indicate the presence of a god force. I felt the force both in roughness in winter and sweetness and cooling in summer.

"For many religious and spiritual teachings, the wind is the vital breath of the universe, one of the only things, along with water, that was here when the world was created. It was a force before our human nature came into being, and it can link us to the creator and beginnings. Imagine yourself as a new force on earth and what you might feel about the wind. Imagine your soul knowing you as good and innocent and what your feeling would be toward a problem you have been gnawing at in your life.

"Spiritual energy, often symbolized by light, can also be symbolized by wind. Imagine the wind stirring the treetops announcing the spirit's coming. Wind can also bring blessings, hardships, and teachings.

"In dreams, wind often means that change is coming. When a storm gathers, it may be the coming of a great movement in you. A gentle breeze may be the healing of difficulty. Eastern cultures seem to understand the significance of the empty space in which the wind blows and which, paradoxically, they regard as a powerful symbol of energy."