In Her Element

Zelda at Garden of Eden posted about the allure of rain today. I love the rain. I don't mind getting wet, and I love the rhythm and freshness of it.

My favorite element, however, is wind. I love a strong, steady wind that washes over me. In Ireland, we visited Inis Mor on a windy day. The ferry ride to this island off of the coast of Galway was rough, what with the troubled waves of Galway Bay and the powerful winds that came with the day. We climbed Dun Aengus and stood atop a cliff, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean with no walls no fences no guards to interfere with the view, all in the wild, wild wind. One does not go quite to the cliff's edge on Dun Aengus; to do so could be quite perilous.

Maybe I connected with my Celtic heritage while I was there. Inis Mor is a hard, bleak place, with a rugged, determined beauty. I imagine in that place a Celtic maiden of a century past, with a hard life and few pleasures. A powerful wind would seem like a portent, like a god bearing strength and power. No wonder the Holy Spirit is compared to a mighty wind.

I imagine my maiden standing near the edge of that cliff, a dangerous, exciting place to be. The deep teal of the roiling waves below match her Irish eyes. The wind assails her, enveloping her while passing over her and through her, eliciting exhilaration to her very core. Alone on that cliff she would turn her face to the sky, lift her hands palm first into the air, and let wave upon marvelous wave of wind flood her senses, commune with her soul.

I must confess that in unguarded moments I am that maiden. I cannot help myself, I must turn my eyes to the sky, open my arms to the wind. The wind releases me, blows the dust from every forgotten corner of my neglected spirit and sets my restored essence free.

We've lost our connection with the elements, and we are embarrassed to speak of our reactions to them. What a waste, what a shame. Rather, we seek sophisticated pleasures and unnatural highs, things that serve to divorce us from the boldness of the wind and the cleansing of the rain. It is good to set contrived indulgences aside from time to time to allow elemental delights to take hold once again.