|
There
are four principal Gods of the winds: Zephyrus of the
west, Boreas of the north, Notus of the south, and Eurus
of the east wind. All four deities are male.
Most times
an encounter with a God of the Winds begins with a rushing
sound and when Zephyrus arrives you never can tell whether
you're going to be swept away. Zephyrus has long golden
white hair blowing in the breeze. He does not appear old,
perhaps between 35 and 40. His skin is not white, but nor
is it bronzed. The following is an account of team-members'
first encounters:
"I am
the God of the West wind and I can be so kind, just like
this." There was a faint waft cooling across the
face, very pleasant. "Many people know of me but they
don't realise I am a God. I can be much harder."
The wind became stronger and instead of
speaking in the lovely soft voice he began to shout,
frighteningly so. "Why do you hold on, come with
me." And he began pulling, not a lot at first, just a
little. Then, "I can be very rough. I can cause
gales. I can cause storms."
He started
to pull forcefully and the team-member felt as though she
was turning round and round as if in a cyclone. Eventually
he loosened his hold. "I could take you but I won't.
You show courage and faith and I will now leave you. Be
sure never to waver in your faith. May I always blow
gently upon you." And with that he was gone.
First
encounter with Boreas (north wind) there was no light, but
suddenly an oldish-looking face appeared, with white
shaggy hair and grey steely piercing eyes.
"About
time," said he. "I have been waiting. I do not
like to be kept waiting. And where is the wine? Am I not
worthy of it? The guardian of the winds cannot control me.
I am uncontrollable. Remember don't keep me waiting so
long or I may not be as gentle next time. I have to admire
your spirit."
At first there appeared a warm cream-coloured light and
with it a feeling of soothing warmth. The light turned to
gold and his face and torso appeared. His hair is tight
golden curls and he wears a short golden beard. His eyes
are very green and his skin is brown from the sun. Notus
is youngish - early 20s.
"I am
surprised that I, Notus, God of the South Wind is being
honoured. I am gentle, would that others were like me. I
give you my love, my warmth and my blessing."
An icy
blast entered the room, blowing around all the time and a
strange greenish light. His face appeared - long white
hair and beard, pale mauve eyes and very thin of face; a
thin pointed nose and shaggy eyebrows. He appears older
than the other wind Gods.
"I am
Eurus, God of the East wind. You pay homage to me. This I
deserve. I show no mercy when I am around." The
Team-member felt her fingers touched by ice and frozen.
"You who are now in your astral body has in the past
hated me. You will come with me to a beautiful palace of
ice and you will not feel the cold. There will be many
soft furs awaiting you, but you will never return."
She wanted to hang on but her fingers were frozen and he started to pull.
"You will not hate me, you will love me, come."
He tugged and pulled but she couldn't hold on and was so
frightened. He repeated about the furs being the softest
she would ever touch, as if to tempt her. "Can I not
tempt you to leave it all and come with me?" Then
another sharp tug. "I see that you would rather stay
amongst the mortals, rather than to dwell with the
immortals; so go back. I will return again in the not to
distant future. I am pleased with what I have seen. Bless
you."
Temple
Diaries: Zephyrus and the Festival of Hecate
Temple Diaries: Notus the Gentle
Festival
of The Winds - January 15th |